“Supernose” movies
Mike Krüger, Thomas Gottschalk and the Art of Comedy
40 years of “super noses”: Thomas Gottschalk and Mike Krüger. photo
© picture alliance / dpa
Mike Krüger and Thomas Gottschalk are celebrated on RTL for their “Supernasen” films from the 80s. In an interview, the over 70-year-old film and TV celebrities reveal their favorite comedians and comedies.
On Saturday (20 August, 8:15 p.m.) RTL will show the show “40 Years of Supernasen – with Mike Krüger & Thomas Gottschalk”. The four-part “Supernasen” cinema comedy series, which began in 1982 with the film “Pirate Channel Powerplay”, is celebrated. On the occasion of the anniversary, Thomas Gottschalk and Mike Krüger asked dpa a few questions about their comedian and comedy preferences.
Question: In 1982 the world was on the brink of nuclear war and deforestation was a constant issue. Nevertheless, you have made wonderful, carefree feel-good films. Why can’t filmmakers do that anymore?
Answer Mike Krüger: I think there are still feel-good films today, for example “Fack ju Göthe” or “The Perfect Secret”. But films are always about subsidies, and as a writer today, unfortunately, you get more grants for serious topics than for comedies.
Answer Thomas Gottschalk: “Wonderful”, “carefree” – it took 40 years for the media to deign to rate our work in this way. Carefree is pretty accurate. We still try to be like that today, it was easier back then.
Question: Which comedy is your personal favorite comedy?
Answer Krüger: “It doesn’t get any better” with Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson.
Answer Gottschalk: “Some like it hot”. Every child also notices that Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are two men in women’s clothes. We’re certainly no better actors than those two, but at least we were out in their heels.
Question: Do you have a favorite (international) comedian and if so, who and why?
Answer Krueger: Steve Martin. A great showman and banjo player. “Dead Don’t Wear Checks,” “Father of the Bride,” and “Three Amigos” were all top-notch. Currently on Disney+ in the series Only Murders in the Building. My favorite German comedian Olli Dittrich (Dittsche) would say “world”!
Answer Gottschalk: Louis de Funès.
Question: Do you think there could still be a title like “Die Supernasen” or would that be criticized as body shaming?
Answer Krüger: Today the film should probably be called “Detectives with oversized olfactory organs”.
Answer Gottschalk: If we took “body shaming” seriously, Mike wouldn’t be allowed to leave the house!
Thomas Gottschalk (72) has become known as a radio and television presenter. The Saturday evening show “Wetten, dass…?” from 1987 made him a television legend in German-speaking countries. He also used to try his hand at cinema, including the “Supernasen” series, the “Tender Chaos” films or “A Woman Named Harry”.
Mike Krüger (70) has become known as a comedian and singer (“Der Nipple”). The Saturday evening show “Four Against Willi” in the 80s and later a place on Rudi Carrell’s Friday evening show “7 Days, 7 Heads” made him a TV star. He was seen in the cinema with the “Supernasen” series or as a pregnant man in the film “Side Stitch”.