The Fifth Wheel to a Coach

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1957

Production year

1957

Premiere

18 April 1958

Runtime

90 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Páté kolo u vozu

Czech title

Páté kolo u vozu

English title

The Fifth Wheel to a Coach

Synopsis

The Janura family move granny back to Prague so that she can live out the remainder of her life with her family. Unfortunately, the only spare room they have is the old servant's room with its window facing the lift shaft. As soon as she arrives granny starts doing various chores and the whole family, including the children, become accustomed to her services. What is less pleasant for them, however, is the way she occasionally interferes with their private lives. She notices, for example, that her son-in-law fancies a young singer and she tries to save her daughter's marriage. The widower Poláček is the first to bring the old lady's attention to the fact that her family is using her, and he invites her to come and live with him. She does not heed his words, however, she does feel lonely at Christmas: there is not a single present for her under the Christmas tree. Poláček sends a letter to a magazine about granny and entitles it " A Cog in the Wheel". Mrs Janura, an editor for a woman's magazine, answers the letter. She criticizes the family described in the letter as a typical example of petty-bourgeois exploitation. After reading the magazine, granny leaves her family and finds a job as a cloakroom attendant. Things do not work out for the family without her, however, and granny again catches sight of her son-in-law with the singer. So she returns and the humbled family promise to rectify things. After some time, it is not granny who goes off on a long-desired holiday by the sea, but Mr and Mrs Janura, in order that they strengthen their marriage.

Cast

Zdeňka Baldová

babička Skořepová

Vlasta Fabianová

Zdenka Janurová, dcera paní Skořepové

Miloš Nedbal

Karel Janura, zeť paní Skořepové

Jaroslava Tvrzníková

Jana, dcera Janurových

Jiří Kříž

Petřík, syn Janurových

Jaroslav Vojta

babiččin nápadník Poláček

Helena Loubalová

operetní zpěvačka Jiřina Slavíková

Rudolf Jelínek

Arnošt, Janin přítel

Josef Kemr

tajemník Petránek

Marie Nademlejnská

suchá babička

Blažena Slavíčková

sousedka Janurových

Eva Svobodová

hospodyně Rezková

Zdeněk Jílek

klavírista

Josef Zíma

konferenciér silvestrovské zábavy

Rudolf Princ

číšník

Hermína Vojtová

babička v redakci

Milka Balek-Brodská

babička v redakci

Anna Steimarová

babička v redakci

Mária Sýkorová

babička v redakci

Ella Petzová

babička v redakci

Josefa Pechlátová

babička ve frontě u mlékárny

Alois Dvorský

vrátný v redakci

Bohuš Hradil

muž v komisi

Karel Svoboda

muž v komisi

Dubbing

Jiří Štuchal

hlas v rozhlase

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Jaroslav Pour, Marie Křížová

Shooting Script

Bořivoj Zeman

Director of Photography

Jan Stallich

Camera Operator

Bohumil Hába, Karel Holub

Production Designer

Oldřich Bosák

Set Designer

František Straka

Costume Designer

Libuše Hozová

Sound Designer

Milan R. Novotný

Production Manager

Ladislav Kalaš

Unit Production Manager

Josef Mathauser

Music

Music Composed by

Julius Kalaš

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Karel Krautgartner

Songs

Kukavé mambo

Song Composer Julius Kalaš
Writer of Lyrics Bedřich Bobek

Production info

Original Title

Páté kolo u vozu

Czech Title

Páté kolo u vozu

English Title

The Fifth Wheel to a Coach

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1957

Production Year

1957

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 13 March 1957
technical Screenplay approved 17 May 1957
start of filming 29 July 1957
end of filming 10 November 1957
projection approval 19 January 1958
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1976

Premiere

preview 11 April 1958 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 18 April 1958 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /5 týdnů/, Svornost /1 týden/, Mír /1 týden od 2. 5./ a Arbes /1 týden od 16. 5./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Kunc, František Břetislav Kunc (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

90 min

Original length in metres

2 557 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech