Josef Laufer’s life was not exactly a walk in the park. But he left behind an unforgettable legacy for his fans, thanks to which he lives on in their hearts. Come with us to recall Laufer’s best film roles and test your knowledge of the actor’s artistic career.
Fans mainly remember the songs and movie roles, politics goes aside
Laufer has often found himself on the cultural blacklist due to his political involvement. He was shunned and condemned by his fellow actors. They did not like his suspect moral quality. Despite these gossips, the actor always knew how to behave decently, gallantly and seriously. And that’s exactly how he treated his fans. They have him inextricably linked not with political affairs, but mainly with his film roles and beautiful song Goodbye love, I’m moving on.
He founded a theater club and taught pantomime
Laufer grew fond of acting already in the army. It was there that he joined the theater association and, together with other volunteers, prepared entertaining performances for his colleagues. He then devoted himself to the theater even after returning from military service and accepted a job in ABC Theatre.
While studying at DAMU, he founded a theatrical pantomime troupe RADAR, and because he excelled in pantomime as an actor, he decided to teach it as a dance conservatory teacher. For the theater TRAFFIC LIGHTS later he filmed films, prepared entertaining shows, and thus became known to fans as a great entertainer and charismatic singer.
Stoneman (2003)
In the comedy The Stoneman by the director Zdenek Troska Laufer played the role of Leo Kohn. Leo was the former mayor of Kameňákov, a nightclub owner who hated his own mother-in-law with all his heart. The interesting thing is that the actor originally refused this role. But when it was offered to him that he could put something of himself into this character, he nodded at the offer – and he did well. The role of Kohn suited Laufer perfectly, and he even wrote his own notes with jokes about his mother-in-law. The screenwriters added his jokes to the dialogues in the film.
Old Men on Hops (1964)
In the legendary Czech film musical Starci na chmelu, Laufer performed as one of the three “guitarists in black” and thus guided the plot of the entire film. Together with Peter Musil and choreographer Josef Koníček they also sang the title and well-known song – Lovers in jeans. We will also offer one interesting thing here! Josef Laufer was originally supposed to play one of the main characters, Honza, in this film. But he seemed too “exotic” for this role to the creators, and that’s why the actors assigned it Miloš Zavadil.
Trucker’s Anthem – Goodbye Love, I’m Moving On
Many fans also remember Josef Laufer as the author of the song Sbohem lásko, ja jadu nad, which has become a kind of anthem for all truck drivers. It tells the story of a truck driver who drives around the world and thinks about his love. Despite the fact that the song was released forty-one years ago, it is still very popular among drivers and can still be heard on Czech radio today. He composed the music for it Vladimir Severa and the lyrics were composed by the singer himself literally on his knee while traveling by car. Come and remember her with us.
The controversial Laufer and his file from STB
Josef Laufer was not only a recognized actor and singer, he was also an excellent dancer and entertainer. However, his career was marred by the controversy associated with the revealed file of the StB, which proved that the actor cooperated with state security agents. This fact significantly damaged his reputation, and tickets for Laufer’s concerts and film performances stopped being sold. The actor himself fell into depression because of this.
Quiz: How well do you know Josef Laufer’s film roles?
- What role did Laufer play in the family comedy Guys?
a) driver Patočka
b) commissioner
c) land inspector
2. What role did he play in the film Noc na Karlštejn?
a) burkrabi
b) juggler
c) a cook
3. In The Musical, or The Road to Happiness, Laufer played…
a) himself
b) wanderer
c) gamekeeper
4. Laufer also starred in a film about an orphaned girl who falls in love with a mental hospital patient called:
a) Crazy love
b) Dangerous love
c) Innocent love
5. Josef Laufer moderated his own program in …
a) French television
b) Slovak television
c) Polish television
6. Laufer played in the TV series Bigbit
a) himself
b) a furious reporter
c) a rock star
7. Laufer was also involved in dubbing. He lent his voice to the film:
a) Song for Rudolph
b) Terrible children
c) Bell Lukáš
8. In the 1965 film School of Sinners, Josef plays alongside Jana Hlaváčová
a) the role of lover
b) the role of the director
c) the role of the educator
9. Josef Laufer can also be remembered from Circus Humberto, where he played a small role…
a) acrobat Paolo
b) dancer Hugo
c) clown
10. Leo Kohn’s wife was played by an actress in Kameňák:
a) Jana Paulová
b) Jana Šulcová
c) Hana Čížková
Did you pass our quiz? Share your result in a comment.
Correct answers:
1a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5c, 6a, 7c, 8a, 9a, 10c
Sources: fdb.cz, csfd.cz, medium.seznam.cz, nova.cz, blesk.cz,
