Reino Helismaa

Reino Helismaa

Esa Pakarinen (left) and Helismaa (centre) and Jorma Ikävalko (right)

Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa (12 July 1913, Helsinki – 21 January 1965) was a Finnish singer-songwriter, musician and scriptwriter, mainly known for his humorous, yet homely songs. One of his best-known interpreters was Tapio Rautavaara. He also scripted the comic strip Maan mies Marsissa, drawn by Ami Hauhio.

Works

Song lyrics: Helismaa wrote over five thousand song lyrics. Some of the most famous include:

• Balladi Villistä Lännestä (A ballad of the Wild West)
• Daiga-daiga-duu (Diga-diga-doo)
• Hiljainen kylätie (A quiet village street)
• Kaksi vanhaa tukkijätkää (Two old lumberjacks)
• Kulkuri ja joutsen (The tramp and the swan; translation of originally Swedish song Vagabonden och svanen by Lasse Dahlquist)
• Kulkurin iltatähti (The tramp's evening star)
• Lentävä kalakukko (The flying kalakukko)
• Meksikon pikajuna (The Mexico Express, original: Orient Express)
• Päivänsäde ja menninkäinen (The sunbeam and the goblin)
• Rakovalkealla (At the campfire)
• Reppu ja reissumies (The knapsack and the travelling man)
• Rovaniemen markkinoilla (At the Rovaniemi fair)
• Suutarin tyttären pihalla (At the shoemaker's daughter's yard)

Other works by Helismaa include 8 plays, 10 revues, 32 film manuscripts and 104 radio plays.

• Screenplays for several Pekka ja Pätkä -comedy films made in the 1950s.

External links

• Last.fm