The audiobook, which will delight not only lovers of our film history and films for the memorable, but also students of this branch of important artistic activity, was published a short time ago in Prague under the wings of publisher Jiří Buřič. It is a memoir of our legendary comedian, cabaret performer and actor Jaroslav Kohout, called Jára.
His wife, a journalist and publicist, added the following lines of her memoirs at the end Marcela Vráblová- Kohoutováwhose maiden name was Indrová, whom Kohout met after his return to his homeland from emigration in 1991. It happened in the editorial office of the then popular weekly Hello for Saturdaywhen he was asked by Marcela for an interview. This became a series of articles over time, and it is not surprising that the two eventually found a liking for each other and became married.
As Mrs. Kohout told us with a smile, it was more precisely that the ailing Jaroušek no longer wanted to return to the USA, where he had emigrated to, but needed someone to take care of him so that he could stay here. During a visit to the editor, he noticed how exemplarily and patiently he was caring for his sick mother and he immediately suggested to her if she would take him on!
"The wedding took place on 7 November 1992 in Prague - Dejvice, in the famous 'cellar'. The marriage lasted two years and we literally enjoyed it. We wrote a book together Little big comedian or who has a rabbit's foot in a knot and we also performed together several times, went to talks all over the country, filmed on radio and TV," Ms. Marcela answers our question, which she has heard many times before at many author talks, including several reprises of the legendary bookworm and bookseller Vratti Ebro.
Hop here, hop there
Jára Kohout published his memoirs under this title in 1977 in a Swiss publishing house in Zurich. After 1989, it was published in book form in Prague.In 2019, the memoirs Hop here, hop there but again in an expanded version, with a rich photographic supplement and enriched with the personal memoirs of Marcela Kohoutová, and this version now appears in the form of an audiovisual publication produced by Tebenas. The popular actor Miroslav Táborský, one of the current jewels of the Jára Cimrman Theatre in Žižkov, narrated the CD. Well, a comedian understands a comedian best...
As we have already indicated, the personal memory of her husband and the two years she spent by his side was written at the publisher's request by Marcela Kohoutová, who with her famous husband wrote a book of memories of his extraordinary life, friends and personalities he respected. But Jára Kohout has already published Little Big Comedian he did not live to see it, because the publication came out two months after his death (1994). In 2019, a memoir was published Hop here, hop there but again in an expanded version, with a rich photographic supplement and enriched with Marcela Kohoutová's personal memoirs, published by AOS Publishing.
Master of folk humour
But let's return to the audiobook still smelling of newness. As Marcela Kohoutová says, underneath the smirk of the prankster and the clown we find the golden heart of a man who has no need to gossip in his memoirs. Of course, the listeners will learn many interesting things from the life of the elite and famous personalities of the time, sometimes even some spicy things, but it should be emphasized that Jára Kohout does not condemn anyone and does not unnecessarily smear.
In his memoirs, he also recalls his many years as an editor at RFE, where he was headed by Ferdinand Peroutka and Pavel Tigrid. Both men were highly respected by JK and, as he always said, together they tried to demolish communism in our country.
And since he also played in the USA, he doesn't forget the famous stars he met. For example, he brought the young Barbra Streisand to Rudolf Friml to hear her sing. She is said to have sung him an aria from his famous Rosemary, but Friml did not recognize any talent in her and advised her rather harshly that she had better get married.
"However, for me personally, the most surprising part of the memoirs is probably the part where the moral qualities of some of the VIPs who were able to change their coats very quickly after the forty-eighth year became apparent. It made me very sad at times..." adds Marcela Kohoutová, as if she didn't know that changing coats unfortunately belongs to our national characteristics.
The audiobook was published on the occasion of his 120th birthday
It's actually a kind of literary monument. For, as the classic says, fame and beauty are fleeting, but the written word remains. So let's refresh our memory with Wikipedia:
Jára Kohout, first name Jaroslav Kohout (born 9 December 1904 in Prague, died 23 October 1994 in Prague) was a popular Czech film actor and singer. Together with Ferenc Futurista and Eman Fiala, they were on the heels of Vlast Burian in popularity. During his lifetime, Kohout starred in sixty Czech films, four of them after World War II until 1948, when he fled the republic. He did so in a manner worthy of a comedian. On the night of October 2-3, 1948, during a hospitality performance In that yard of ours. for the employees of the customs administration in Aš, emigrated to West Germany during the intermission before the second act in a cock mask together with his wife, the dancer Božena Grủnvaldová (1907-1979) and their three daughters. There he entertained Czech compatriots in various refugee camps. Later, at the invitation of French radio, he and his family went to Paris, where he performed at the legendary El Monico on Place Pigalle alongside artists such as Édit Piaf, Josephine Baker and Yves Montand.
Thanks to Pavel Tigrid, Kohout began working with Radio Free Europe (RFE) in Munich. After his relocation to the USA, he became popular there, mainly thanks to his appearance on RFE in New York, which was headed by Ferdinand Peroutka. But in America he also played primarily for his compatriots, but he also performed on Broadway. He returned home in April 1990 after forty-two years of emigration. Here he starred in several new Czech films, and appeared on radio and television. His last role was in the hilarious play Even more of a jerk than we'd hoped..
Audiobook Hop here, hop there consists of twenty chapters and takes almost ten hours to listen to. All the while, however, a good time is provided, so to speak. Marcela Kohoutová's input is part of the last twenty chapters instead of the afterword.
"There I tried to show people what a wonderful person Jára Kohout was, a great patriot and lover of Prague, and how he enjoyed his time here at the end of his life. For example, he loved to walk around Prague and was able to rejoice like a little boy at the fact that people recognized him, addressed him and sometimes wanted his autograph. He always used to say: 'When people meet me, recognise me and wish me well, that's more rewarding than if they gave me money'. He affectionately called the people who met him and greeted him 'rats' and liked them very much."
Jára Kohout married for the first time in 1926 and spent 53 years with his first wife. For example, his character is dealt with in detail in his books Clouds over Barrandov a The Curse of Lida Baara reporter, documentary filmmaker and writer Stanislav Motl. Jára Kohout is buried at Vyšehrad Cemetery.
gnews.cz - Ivan Cerny
PHOTO - archive Marcela Kohoutová
English 
Czech 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
German 
Russian 
Chinese