De Ep Oorklep Show

Seven part comedy sketch show set in a café 'Het Feestpaleis' (sic) starring André van Duin as the cafés clownesque handyman. Title character Ep Oorklep was more or less Flip Fluitketel (from the earlier show of that name) in a new outfit: an extremely loud rainbow colored striped suit, half a can of hair-gel holding his hair up and a lot of different pairs of outlandish earmuffs (hence the name Oorklep). Although the earmuffs provided for a nice logo (the muffs forming the double O in Oorklep) that appeared between the skits and bits, Van Duin would spend his time playing many different characters besides Ep, both recurring and one-off during the sketches in between.

Memorable for being André van Duin's first major series without Corrie van Gorp to play against, as she retired from Showbusiness after a nervous breakdown the year before. Some might say Corrie just couldn't cope with being pushed and pulled around by André any longer. According to published reports, the moment she retired, she felt relieved and free of anxieties. Still, André went on record saying he missed her terrible, and felt no single woman could fill her shoes. Therefore, "De Ep Oorklep Show" featured no less than five semi-leading ladies, all of whom got to play different characters: Simone Kleinsma, musical star Lucie de Lange, Annelies Balhan, Mimi Kok and Lydia Oosthoek. Although Lucie de Lange got the biggest recurring role as barmaid Trudy, before 1988 was over it was clear Simone Kleinsma was becoming 'the new Corrie' in future stage and TV outings with Van Duin.

Frans van Dusschoten still remained as Dré's straight man, playing the money (and light opera) obsessed café owner Gé van Gulden, who liked to dress like a Swiss Forester. He also portrayed one half of a pair of absent minded pool players (with André) as well as various characters in different sketches from antique dealer to psychiatrist. Hans Otjes got a well deserved 'promotion' to almost equal partner status, playing the local drunk Meneer Lucassen, Simon Spekvet the cook and one half of female duo Trui & Trees (with André). Unlike Frans, Hans would alternate between playing straight men and comic buffoon and was in that capacity allowed to get more laughs all for himself. Whereas André modeled his humor on Stan Laurel, Otjes looked to Chaplin for inspiration. However, he still had aspirations to play serious drama (such as a tiny part in the mega flop released around the same time, "Nitwits").

Filmed in the studio in Aalsmeer under direction of Guus Verstraete Jr. (during an overlapping period when he was also doing Moordspel). Characters were created by Andre, Joop and René Sleeswijk, with musical material by the two Harrie's: Bannink (music) and Geelen (lyrics). Each episode lasted a little under 40 minutes and the setting in a pub and the inclusion of special guest stars at the bar and musical numbers in each episode hearkened back (as did most Dutch sitcoms of the time) to "'t Schaep met de Vijf Pooten", though the sketch format obviously did not. To close the show, all the pub regulars (and there were quite a lot of familiar faces playing support each week) would sing a medley of semi naughty limericks, which conflicting reports say may have inspired similar behavior in real café's around the country. Accompanying them all on accordion was none other than De Grote Grijze Geitenbreier from De Film van Ome Willem: Harrie Mooten. Like all of André's series of the time, Ep Oorklep has never been broadcast or released in it's entirety since it's original broadcast, though bits and bobs have been edited into compilations such as 'Typish André'.

7 out of 10