Lüthi und Blanc

Lüthi und Blanc
Created byKatja Früh
Theme music composerMartin Schenkel featuring Tamy
Opening themeWenn immer
Country of originSwitzerland
Original languageGerman
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes288
Production
Running time25 minutes
Original release
NetworkSchweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF
Release1999 (1999) –
2007 (2007)

Lüthi und Blanc is a Swiss German language television drama serial (soap opera) of the 1990s and 2000s. It was filmed and produced at locations in Switzerland by Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF.

Cast and characters (inclompete)

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Actress/Actor Role Episodes Year
Hans Heinz Moser († 2017) [1] Jean-Jacques Blanc 1–288 1999–2006
Linda Geiser Johanna Blanc 1–288 1999–2006
Isabelle von Siebenthal Catherine Lüthi, geb. Blanc 1–288 1999–2006
Hans Schenker Martin Lüthi 1–288 1999–2006
Benjamin Fueter Thomas Lüthi 1–288 1999–2006
Stefanie Stämpfli Julia Lüthi 1–158, 196, 259–288 1999–2004, 2006
Viola Tami Lotta Waser 1–288 1999–2006
Tonia Maria Zindel Maja Lüthi 1–288 1999–2006
Martin Schenkel († 2003) Steve Meier #1 1–140 1999–2003
Noel Wigger Pascal Lüthi 1–218 1999–2005
Renate Steiger Lilian Lüthi 1–288 1999–2006
Esther Gemsch Lisbeth Rohner 1–288 1999–2006
Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart Hanspeter Rohner † 1–45, 287 1999–2000, 2006
Beat Schlatter Willi Huber 1–288 1999–2006
Graziella Rossi Abusinda 1–288 1999–2006
Gilles Tschudi Michael Frick 2–288 1999–2006
Monica Budde Madame Delley 2–288 (durchgehend) 1999–2006
René Vuilleumier Pierre 2–217 (durchgehend) 1999–2005
Anja Margoni Natalie Rohner 3–120, 184–223, 281–288 1999–2002, 2005–2006
Jessica Früh Dorothea Hurni-Frick 3–288 1999–2006
Yor Milano Franco Moretti 4–117 1999–2003
Patrick Frey Kurt Schwarz 5–288 1999–2006
Bernhard Michel Lucky Schmid † 6–66 1999–2001
René Schoenenberger Ulrich Rohner 9–47, 86–102, 152–244, 280–287 1999–2006
Dorothee Reize Angelika 9–47 1999–2000
Anne-Laure Luisoni Madame Fonjallaz 11–148 (durchgehend), 287 1999–2004, 2006
Ludwig Boettger Albert Fink 21–288 1999–2006
Ettore Cella († 2004) Lukas Wälti-Kern † 27–86 2000–2001
Sibylle Courvoisier († 2003) Letti Merian 31–172 (durchgehend) 2000–2003
Hanna Scheuring Jeanine Wälti-Kern 32–118 2000–2002
Alfred Pfeiffer Schmuklerski 33, 50–67 2000–2001
Joris Gratwohl Maurizio Galfatti 37–108 2000–2002
Katharina von Bock Sabina Köster 49–288 2000–2006
Tessie Tellmann Ursula Schmid 50–105, 159–288 2000–2002, 2004–2006
Jodoc Seidel Josef † 59–90 2000–2001
Klaus-Henner Russius Dr. Honecker 66–68, 253–262 2000, 2006
Andreas Krämer Geri 72–140 2001–2003
Jean-Pierre Cornu Dr. Tobler 72–154 2001–2004
Regula Stüssi Sekretärin Kuster 76–283 2001–2006
Raphael Clamer Alex Weiss 77–120, 164–264 2001–2006
Bernard Michel Daniel Schmid 84–158 2001–2004
Anne-Marie Blanc († 2009) Esther Weiss 91–116, 177, 219 2001–2002, 2004–2005
Andrea Marin Margrith "Angelique" Müller 94–126, 151–153, 247 2001–2005
César Keiser († 2007) Alfred Bernasconi 94–147 2001–2003
Roland Herrman Paul Nyffenegger 96–133, 168–179, 211–216 2001–2005
Tiziana Burkart Tamara Müller 104–288 2002–2006
Manuel Löwensberg Urs Wicky 112–128, 153–200, 221–288 2002–2006
Mathias Gnädinger († 2015)[2] Ruedi Egger 120–288 2003–2006
Birgit Steinegger Doris Ruf 141–203, 275–278 2004–2006
Roeland Wiesnekker Steve Meier #2 143–288 2003–2006
Anikó Donáth Doris Hummer 160, 264–287 2004, 2006
Walter Andreas Müller Bela Straub 163–219 2004–2005
Jörg Schneider († 2015)[3] Oskar Wehrli 169–288 2004–2006
Sabina Schneebeli Regula Imboden † 175–263 2004–2006
Helmut Vogel Rainer Sanders 196–268, 281 2004–2006
Joel Basman Zizou Imboden 199–286 2004–2006
Andreas Matti René Imboden † 208–216, 254–263 2004, 2006

Plot (excerpt)

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The various plot lines are about the fate of families around the stubborn chocolate factory-owner Jean-Jacques Blanc (Hans Heinz Moser), his wife Johanna (Linda Geiser), whose daughter Catherine (Isabelle von Siebenthal) and her son, and Catherine's husband Martin Lüthi (Hans Schenker). Opponent of the Lüthi and Blanc-clans and "villain" of the series is the opaque, scheming bankers and illegitimate son of J.J. Blanc, Michael Frick (Gilles Tschudi). The serial focusses on locations in Zürich and Sainte-Croix, the location of the fictional chocolate factory J. J. Blanc.

In addition to the places where the characters live and work, the locations include the "Calvados Bar" in Zurich-Wiedikon, which is run by Martin Lüthi's mother Lilian (Renate Steiger) and his half-sister Maja (Tonia Maria Zindel) and her husband Steve Meier (Martin Schenkel and Roeland Wiesnekker respectively), various shared flats and a farm in the Zurich province. In addition, there are the fictional restaurants "De la Poste" in Sainte-Croix and "Balthasar" in Zurich, which serve as meeting places.

Other important characters are the widowed, scheming gossip reporter Lisbeth Rohner (Esther Gemsch), her brother-in-law, the hypocritical-seeming pastor Ulrich Rohner (René Schoenenberger); street sweeper and "Calvados" regular Willi (Beat Schlatter); the son of the Lüthi couple and young lawyer Thomas (Benjamin Fueter), his sister Julia (Stefanie Stämpfli) and Thomas' ex-girlfriend Lotta Waser (Viola Tami). The popular actor Mathias Gnädinger can be seen in the role of the farmer Ruedi Egger. It should be noted, of course, that the constellations of characters and settings have changed considerably in some cases during the more than 200 episodes that have been broadcast.

At the beginning, the series was conceived as a cross-language project; the series also ran in dubbed versions on the SRG stations TSR and TSI. In addition to the locations in the German and French-speaking parts of Switzerland, there was also a plot location in Ticino. This concept failed, however, and Lüthi und Blanc was continued as a purely Swiss-German project. What remained was the occasional bilingualism of the series. Although the main characters usually speak German with each other, French is often spoken in conversations with outsiders in Vaud, even in the dialect version.

The series sometimes touches on controversial topics such as open homosexuality, racism, drug abuse, prostitution, celibacy, incest or polygamy. The often very different social milieus portrayed are striking.

Production

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Lüthi und Blanc was shot at locations in the Canton of Vaud and in Zürich, and produced in Glattfelden.[4]

Around 80% of the scenes were shot in a studio set up especially for the soap in Glattfelden. There were over 30 sets for the series in the former spinning mill. Among the most famous were the "Villa Blanc" and the "Calvados Bar", which exists in real life in Zurich and was recreated in a slightly modified form in the studio. The exterior views were shot all over Switzerland, for example in Estavayer-le-Lac (Villa Blanc) or Embrach (farm).

The smaller part, about 20% of all scenes, were shot "on location". The Lüthi and Blanc crew spent about four weeks a year filming in Switzerland.

The filming was not open to the public, but it was possible to visit the Glattfelden Film Studios - an opportunity taken advantage of by several thousand visitors each year.

The series was shot up to nine months in advance of broadcast. In addition, the scripts were written half a year in advance. Filming was done in so-called sub-sets, which were assigned to a director.

Reception

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As well as Fascht e Familie, Lüthi & Blanc is still very popular in the Swiss German culture, and from time to time re-broadcast in the Swiss German television.[4] Lüthi and Blanc was by the Swiss media often called Schoggi Soap (chocolate soap).

References

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  1. ^ "Schauspieler Hans Heinz Moser gestorben" (in German). 3sat. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  2. ^ "Jörg Schneider: "Gnädinger gehörte zur ersten Garde"" (in German). Zürcher Oberländer. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  3. ^ "Jörg Schneider ist tot" (in German). Zürcher Oberländer. 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
  4. ^ a b "Lüthi und Blanc". SRF (in German). Retrieved 2015-04-07.
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