Los Vineses

In 1942, a Viennese revue company made a name for itself in Barcelona with spectacular shows, and its members soon advanced to become the most successful entertainment stars of the Spanish post-war period under the name Los Vieneses. But who were these Vieneses? The director, producer and cabaret writer Artur Kaps (Vienna 1908 - Barcelona 1974) and the comedian Franz Joham (Graz 1907 - Barcelona 1991) had met in the Viennese cabaret scene of the interwar period. Kaps was co-author of (Viennese) song classics such as Wenn der Herrgott net will and Wie geht`s Ihnen, Herr Fröhlich? and wrote several revues with the great Fritz Grünbaum. Kaps and Joham worked with numerous - mainly Jewish - icons of Viennese cabaret, including besides Fritz Grünbaum Franz Engel, Armin Berg, Karl Farkas, Hans Moser, Josma Selim, Ralph Benatzky, Hermann Leopoldi, Fritz Wiesenthal and Hans Moser. In 1934, the two founded their own company and from 1938 onwards toured Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the occupied Netherlands and even Paris for the Nazi organization Kraft durch Freude. From 1942, the company became immensely popular in Spain as Los Vieneses thanks to the diversity of their repertoire, which was entirely in the tradition of Jewish Viennese cabaret, their elegantly opulent stage sets and the artistic perfection of the ensemble. They performed in front of Franco and maintained the best contacts with the Spanish elites. US military records indicate that the Vieneses also worked as informants for the German intelligence service Abwehr. In 1943, the vedette Herta Frankel (Vienna 1913 - Barcelona 1996) joined the company. Later, Kaps` lifelong partner also performed as a puppeteer player and became one of the few famous female puppeteers in Europe in the 20th century. In the early 1960s, Kaps, Joham and Frankel took on crucial roles in Spanish state television TVE: Kaps as producer and director, Joham as host and comedian. Their live music shows featured international stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Duke Ellington, Juliette Greco, Chet Baker, Charles Aznavour, Josephine Baker, Sammy Davis Jr. Frankel created the first children`s programs of TVE. In 1985 she founded the Compaña de Marionetas Herta Frankel, which still exists today in Barcelona. Todays memory of Los Vieneses is contradictory in Spain: as legendary revue and TV stars, as Jewish refugees, as Nazi spies. In Austria, Kaps, Joham and their ensemble and the cultural transfer that took place through them have been completely forgotten. One of the central aims of this publication is to raise awareness of the fact that Jewish Viennese cabaret culture of the interwar period had a significant influence on Spanish revue theater from 1942 onwards and on the beginning of television, but also on an entire generation of young theater and television artists, and thus made an important contribution to the cultural history of Spain in the second half of the 20th century.