Father of Four
Encyclopedia
Far til Fire, is a 1953 Danish
family comedy directed by Alice O'Fredericks
and starring Ib Schønberg
and Birgitte Bruun
. The film is based on the comic strip
by Kaj Engholm and Olaf Hast. It was the inaugural film in a series of eight Father of Four films made by ASA Films, one each year from 1953 to 1961.
newspaper wanted to start running a comic strip that depicted typical Danish life. It was his response to the glut of American comic strips flooding the European marketplace in the post-war years. Steffensen asked cartoonist Kaj Engholm for ideas. Engholm then asked his friend, advertising executive Olav Hast, and Hast proposed the father of four idea. Together, Engholm and Hast roughed out the story of a single father of four children with the oldest daughter running the household. The cartoonists agreed that the father would be a single parent without ever creating a back story for the mother absence. She might have died or left the father for someone else. In interviews, whenever the authors were asked, "Where is the mother?", they replied, "I don't know but we promise to look into it."
The comic strip first appeared in 1948 and ran daily for 40 years—on the back page of Politiken until 1955, then in the Berlingske Tidende
newspaper until 1988. The text was written by Hast until retired from the strip in 1973, after which it was written by a variety of writers. Engholm drew the strip until his death in 1988.
(Far til fire i sneen) was quickly made and released in 1954. Thereafter, seven more sequels were made, one every year until 1961, all directed by Alice O'Fredericks. A ninth film was planned for release in 1962 but was never produced.
In 2005, the series was renewed with the release of Father of Four is Back(Far til fire er tilbage) directed by Claus Bjerre and in 2006 with Father of Four: Living Large (Far til fire i stor stil.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
family comedy directed by Alice O'Fredericks
Alice O'Fredericks
Alice O'Fredericks was a Danish actress, screen writer, and film director. She is best known for directing the series of Far til Fire comedies and the series of family dramas based on Morten Korch novels. Having written 38 produced screenplays and directed 72 feature films, O'Fredericks was one...
and starring Ib Schønberg
Ib Schønberg
Ib Christian Albert von Cotta Schønberg was a Danish film actor, and is considered one of the leading actors of Danish film in the 20th century.-Early life:...
and Birgitte Bruun
Birgitte Price
Birgitte Price was a Danish actress of the 1950s and 1960s.- Filmography :*Det store løb *Far til fire *Farlig Ungdom *Far til fire i sneen...
. The film is based on the comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
by Kaj Engholm and Olaf Hast. It was the inaugural film in a series of eight Father of Four films made by ASA Films, one each year from 1953 to 1961.
Cast
- Ib SchønbergIb SchønbergIb Christian Albert von Cotta Schønberg was a Danish film actor, and is considered one of the leading actors of Danish film in the 20th century.-Early life:...
as Father; Schønberg also played the role in the first sequel, but unfortunately died before they could finish any further films and was then replaced by Karl Stegger in the next 6 films. Niels Olsen plays the father in the reimagined series of the 2000s.
- Birgitte BruunBirgitte PriceBirgitte Price was a Danish actress of the 1950s and 1960s.- Filmography :*Det store løb *Far til fire *Farlig Ungdom *Far til fire i sneen...
as Søs; Bruun, later known as Birgitte PriceBirgitte PriceBirgitte Price was a Danish actress of the 1950s and 1960s.- Filmography :*Det store løb *Far til fire *Farlig Ungdom *Far til fire i sneen...
, played the part in the first six films. - Rudi HansenRudi HansenRudi Hansen is a Danish actress.Hansen is the daughter of serving Finn Hansen and the revue dancer Rita Andersen Kuni . She began as a 3-year-old to learn dance and acrobatics and won championships in acrobatics in 1950-1952 and 1954...
as Mie - Otto Møller JensenOtto Møller JensenOtto Møller Jensen was a Danish child actor. He was known for his appearances in the Far til fire series of films in the 1950s and early 1960s.-Partial filmography:*Fløjtespilleren *Arvingen...
as Ole; Jensen played the role in all of the first films and then left acting for fashion design. - Ole NeumannOle NeumannOle Neumann is a former Danish child actor of the 1950s and 1960s.- Filmography :*Far til fire *Fløjtespilleren *Far til fire i sneen *Far til fire på landet *Far til fire i byen...
as Little Per; Neumann was 5-years-old when he played Per, and played the same role in each of the first seven sequels. He later became a documentary cinematographer - Peter MalbergPeter MalbergPeter Malberg was a Danish actor best known for his role as Onkel Anders in the Far Til Fire movies. Peter was originally educated as a painter, but his job at Århus Theatre as a scenic painter along with the fact that his older brother Henrik was an actor, eventually led to him being in theater-...
as Uncle Anders; Buster LarsenBuster LarsenBuster Larsen , was a Danish comic film and TV actor.He began working in the Nørrebros Theater in 1932 aged 12 and entered film in 1933.-Filmography:*De blaa drenge - 1933*Frøken Kirkemus - 1941...
played the role pf Uncle Anders in subsequent sequels - Jørgen ReenbergJørgen ReenbergJørgen Reenberg is a Danish film actor. He has appeared in 30 films since 1948.He was born in Denmark. He is the brother of Danish film director Annelise Reenberg.-Selected filmography:* We Want a Child!...
as Teacher Jørgen Stæhr - Ove SprogøeOve SprogøeOve Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen was a Danish actor. Born in Odense, his parents were Arthur and Inger Sprogøe. He married Eva Rasmussen in 1945, with whom he had three children. One of these is actor Henning Sprogøe....
as Baker Høst - Sigurd LangbergSigurd LangbergSigurd Langberg was a Danish stage and film actor.He was married to actress Karna Langberg and was the father of actors Ebbe and Jesper Langberg.- Filmography :*Barken Margrethe af Danmark...
as Director Andersen - Ib MossinIb MossinIb Mossin was a Danish actor and director best known for his role as Peter in the Far Til Fire movies. He had his breakthrough as the apprentice Egon in Farlig Ungdom , a movie about the crime scene in Copenhagen among adolescents. He also had roles in 14 of the 18 Danish films based on novels by...
as Peter - Paul HagenPaul HagenPaul Hagen was a Danish film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1952 and 1999.He was born in Denmark and died in Langø, Denmark.-Filmography:*Far betaler - 1946*Avismanden - 1952...
as Burglar - Ilselil LarsenIlselil LarsenIlselil Larsen is a Danish film actress. She appeared in 16 films between 1940 and 1958. She was born in Århus, Denmark.-Filmography:* Lyssky transport gennem Danmark * Skovridergaarden * Mig og min familie...
as Grete - Agnes RehniAgnes RehniAgnes Rehni was a Danish stage and film actress.-Filmography:*Københavnere - 1933*Flugten fra millionerne - 1934*Giftes-nej tak - 1936*Inkognito - 1937*Champagnegaloppen - 1938...
as Mrs. Sejersen - Svend Aage MadsenSvend Aage MadsenSvend Åge Madsen is a Danish novelist. He studied mathematics before he began writing fiction. His novels are generally philosophical and humorous. Several of his works have been made into films in Denmark...
as Kristian - Else JarlbakElse JarlbakElse Jarlbak was a Danish film actress. She appeared in 35 films between 1934 and 1961.She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Denmark.-Filmography:* Lynet * De bør forelske dem...
as Kristian's Mother - Poul ReichhardtPoul ReichhardtPoul David Reichhardt was a Danish actor, well known for his roles in Danish 1940s/50s comedies. Later on, he also played more serious and varied roles; he has also starred in Huset på Christianshavn, Matador and as various minor characters in the Olsen Gang films.For almost thirty years...
as Himself - Einar JuhlEinar JuhlEinar Juhl was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1924 and 1974.He was born and died in Denmark.-Filmography:*I kantonnement - 1932*Han, hun og Hamlet - 1932*De bør forelske Dem - 1935...
as Pastor - Svend BilleSvend BilleSvend Bille was a Danish stage and film actor.-Filmography:*Den hvide slavehandel - 1910*Balletdanserinden - 1911*Den hvide slavehandels sidste offer - 1911*Vampyrdanserinden - 1912*Atlantis - 1913...
as Train Conductor - Hugo HerrestrupHugo HerrestrupHugo Herrestrup is a Danish film actor. He appeared in 35 films between 1953 and 1996.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.-Selected filmography:* Father of Four * Sømand i knibe...
- Poul ThomsenPoul ThomsenPoul Thomsen was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1944 and 1985.He was born in Præstø, Denmark and died in Denmark.-Selected filmography:* Otte akkorder - 1944...
Story origin
In 1947, Hakon Steffensen, editor of the PolitikenPolitiken
Politiken is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus.The newspaper comes third among Danish newspapers in terms of both number of readers and circulated copies ....
newspaper wanted to start running a comic strip that depicted typical Danish life. It was his response to the glut of American comic strips flooding the European marketplace in the post-war years. Steffensen asked cartoonist Kaj Engholm for ideas. Engholm then asked his friend, advertising executive Olav Hast, and Hast proposed the father of four idea. Together, Engholm and Hast roughed out the story of a single father of four children with the oldest daughter running the household. The cartoonists agreed that the father would be a single parent without ever creating a back story for the mother absence. She might have died or left the father for someone else. In interviews, whenever the authors were asked, "Where is the mother?", they replied, "I don't know but we promise to look into it."
The comic strip first appeared in 1948 and ran daily for 40 years—on the back page of Politiken until 1955, then in the Berlingske Tidende
Berlingske Tidende
Berlingske, previously known as Berlingske Tidende , is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen...
newspaper until 1988. The text was written by Hast until retired from the strip in 1973, after which it was written by a variety of writers. Engholm drew the strip until his death in 1988.
Sequels
Father of Four was such an enormous success that a sequel Father of Four in the SnowFather of Four in the Snow
Father of Four in the Snow is a 1954 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks. It was produced under the ASA Film banner.-Cast:* Ib Schønberg - Far* Birgitte Bruun - Søs* Otto Møller Jensen - Ole* Rudi Hansen - Mie* Ole Neumann - Lille Per...
(Far til fire i sneen) was quickly made and released in 1954. Thereafter, seven more sequels were made, one every year until 1961, all directed by Alice O'Fredericks. A ninth film was planned for release in 1962 but was never produced.
In 2005, the series was renewed with the release of Father of Four is Back(Far til fire er tilbage) directed by Claus Bjerre and in 2006 with Father of Four: Living Large (Far til fire i stor stil.
| Year | Title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Father of Four in the Snow Father of Four in the Snow Father of Four in the Snow is a 1954 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks. It was produced under the ASA Film banner.-Cast:* Ib Schønberg - Far* Birgitte Bruun - Søs* Otto Møller Jensen - Ole* Rudi Hansen - Mie* Ole Neumann - Lille Per... |
Far til fire i sneen | |
| 1955 | Father of Four in the Country Father of Four in the Country Father of Four in the Country is a 1955 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks. It was produced under the ASA Film studio banner.-Cast:*Karl Stegger ... Far*Birgitte Bruun ... Søs*Otto Møller Jensen ... Ole*Rudi Hansen ... Mie... |
Far til fire på landet | |
| 1956 | Father of Four in the City Father of Four in the City Father of Four in the City is a 1956 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks.-Cast:* Karl Stegger - Far* Birgitte Bruun - Søs* Otto Møller Jensen - Ole* Rudi Hansen - Mie* Ole Neumann - Lille Per* Peter Malberg - Onkel Anders... |
Far til fire i byen | |
| 1957 | Father of Four and Uncle Sofus Father of Four and Uncle Sofus Father of Four and Uncle Sofus is a 1957 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks and Robert Saaskin.-Cast:* Karl Stegger - Far* Birgitte Bruun - Søs* Otto Møller Jensen - Ole* Rudi Hansen - Mie* Ole Neumann - Lille Per... |
Far til fire og onkel Sofus | |
| 1958 | Father of Four and the Wolf Cubs Father of Four and the Wolf Cubs Father of Four and the Wolf Cubs is a 1958 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks and Robert Saaskin.-Cast:* Karl Stegger - Far* Birgitte Bruun - Søs* Otto Møller Jensen - Ole* Rudi Hansen - Mie* Ole Neumann - Lille Per... |
Far til fire og ulveungerne | |
| 1959 | Father of Four on Bornholm Father of Four on Bornholm Father of Four on Bornholm is a 1959 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks and Robert Saaskin.-Cast:* Karl Stegger - Far* Else Hvidhøj - Søs* Otto Møller Jensen - Ole* Ole Neumann - Lille Per* Peter Malberg - Onkel Anders... |
Far til fire på Bornholm | |
| 1960 | Father of Four with Full Music | Far til fire med fuld musik Far til fire med fuld musik Far til fire med fuld musik is a 1961 Danish family film directed by Alice O'Fredericks and Robert Saaskin.-Cast:* Karl Stegger - Far* Peter Malberg - Onkel Anders* Agnes Rehni - Fru Sejrsen* Hanne Borchsenius - Søs* Ib Mossin - Peter... |
|
| 1971 | Father of Four in Good Humor | Far til fire i højt humør | |
| 2005 | Father of Four Never Gives Up | Far til fire gi'r aldrig op | directed by Clause Bjerre |
| 2006 | Father of Four: Living Large | Far til fire i stor stil | |
| 2008 | Father of Four: Home Field Advantage | Far til fire på hjemmebane | |
| 2010 | Father of Four on Japanese | Far til fire på japansk | in cinemas |
| 2011 | Father of Four Back in the Nature | Far til fire tilbage til naturen | coming soon |