There was no place in socialist Czechoslovakia for “low” capitalist entertainment. Nevertheless, films were made that referred to it, not only in parody but with a humorous, creative distance. Examples included the Western Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera (Lemonade Joe) (1964), the Bond-style Konec agenta W4C prostřednictvím psa pana Foustky (The End of Agent W4C) (1967), the crime caper „Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku!“ (Four Murders Are Enough, Darling) (1970), the hard-boiled Adéla ještě nevečeřela (Dinner for Adela) (1977), the Vernesque Tajemství hradu v Karpatech (The Mystery of the Carpathian Castle) (1981) – and the comedy Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?) (1966). The latter was the feature screenwriting debut of Miloš Macourek and the first of a series of zany comedies on which he worked with director Václav Vorlíček. Alongside the experiments with “Western” models that Jiří Brdečka and Oldřich Lipský went in for, the story centring on the materialisation of dreams enjoys a special status. It amuses viewers by playing with elements that they could not have been familiar at the time, but supplements them with elements that were intelligent and politically satirical. The emancipated associate professor of somnology Beránková (Dana Medřická) invents a machine capable of monitoring and influencing dreams and, spurred by jealousy, uses it on her diffident, unsuccessful husband Jindřich (Jiří Sovák). Three comic-book characters escape from Jindřich’s dreams into reality – the beautiful Jessie (Olga Schoberová) and two baddies: a gunslinger and Superman... The narrative offers a criticism of everything that mankind attempts to manage, perfect and control (including dreams). Its makers develop the witty idea at the formal level: the comic characters don’t speak but express themselves via speech bubbles. The comic book aesthetic spreads to the live action in a broad variety of inventive ways. Cinematographer Jan Němeček and artist Karel Saudek had a significant impact on the film’s visual form. The movie was shot in cinemascope but had to be released in black and white due to the demands of executing the special effects.
Stetson City, Arizona, year 1885. In the Trigger Whisky Saloon, the drunken gunmen's routine brawl is under way, and the only thing that can stop it is the song of the bewitching Tornado Lou, platonic love of Doug Badman, the saloon's owner. The representatives of the Arizona Revivalist Movement, the tender blonde Winifred and her father Ezra Goodman, try in vain to preach a better life without alcohol to the tough saloon visitors who only hurl insults at them. But then the charismatic cowboy Lemonade Joe enters the saloon, all dressed in white. He propagates the drinking of Colaloca lemonade and demonstrates his steady gunfighter's hand in a shootout with the boor Grimpo and the bank robbers. The gunmen become the customers of the newly opened Goodman's bar and all abstain from drink. Winifred and Tornado Lou both fall for Joe. Doug's brother Horace comes to lend a hand. The gunmen start drinking again. Joe wants to marry Winifred but the criminal Horace kidnaps her. Alcohol treacherously planted in the bottle of Colaloca temporarily takes care of Lemonade Joe. Doug, Horace and Tornado Lou all kill each other in a fierce fight. The cocoa stains the size of a Mexican dollar that all three have at their forearms reveal to Joe that they are his long-lost relatives. The owner of the Colaloca factory, their father, brings them all back to life with his miraculous lemonade. The family reunion is crowned with a new product - the alcohol-free invigorating Whiscola - and now they will all work together under the motto "Hero or baddie, we've all got one daddy".
Limonádový Joe, obchodní zástupce firmy Kolalok a syn
Horác Badman alias Hogofogo
Doug Badman, majitel Trigger Whisky Saloonu
arizonská pěnice Tornádo Lou
Winnifred Goodmanová
Ezra Goodman, otec Winnifred
pistolník Grimpo
pistolník Pancho Kid
pistolník Kojot Kid
pianista
barman
barman
výrobce limonád Kolalok, otec Joea
poštmistr
šerif
hluchý stařík
vlasatý hráč pokeru
hráč pokeru
hráč pokeru
hráč pokeru
silný pistolník
zarostlý pistolník
majitel pohřebního ústavu
střelec
střelec
holič
bandita
bandita
fotograf
hudebník
hudebník
bandita skákající na koně před bankou
pokladník banky
pokladník banky
rváč
tanečnice
kočí dostavníku
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
rváč
Jiří Brdečka (Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera – román), Jiří Brdečka (Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera – divadelní hra)
Jiří Trnka (animovaná část), Břetislav Pojar (animovaná část)
Ladislav Krbec, Miloš Osvald, Jiří Rulík
Otakar Košťál, František Klema, Marie Zedníková, Miroslava Miškovská
Josef Vlček, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty), Antonín Jedlička (zvukové efekty)
Trikový ateliér FSB, Vladimír Novotný, Ludvík Malý
Jaroslav Koucký, Miloš Stejskal
Jiří Brdečka (umělecká spolupráce), Jana Fassatiová (klapka), Jindřich Aleš (vrchní osvětlovač), Karel Ješátko (fotograf), Státní hřebčín v Kladrubech (práce se zvířaty – koně)
Jacques Offenbach (Hoffmannovy povídky /Barkarola/)
Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach), FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Song Composer Jan Rychlík
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Olga Schoberová [dab]Jarmila Veselá
Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Waldemar Matuška
Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Květa Fialová [dab]Yvetta Simonováženský sbor
Song Composer Jan Rychlík
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Miloš Kopecký
Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Květa Fialová [dab]Yvetta Simonová
Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Fiala [dab]Karel Gott
Song Composer Jan Rychlík
Writer of Lyrics Jan Rychlík
Singer Karel Fiala [dab]Karel Gott
Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Květa Fialová [dab]Yvetta Simonová
Song Composer Jan Rychlík
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Miloš Kopecký
Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera
Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera
Lemonade Joe
Soda Pop Joe, or the Horse Opera
film
featuretheatrical distribution
music, comedy, parody, western
Czechoslovakia
1964
1963
literary Screenplay approved 31 July 1962
technical Screenplay approved 11 July 1963
start of filming 22 July 1963
end of filming 9 December 1963
projection approval 24 March 1964
withdrawal from distribution 1 March 1983
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1993
the end of the distribution monopoly 31 January 2019
premiere 18 September 1964 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Alfa /10 týdnů/, Praha)
premiere 16 October 1964 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 1 July 1984 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 1 August 2018 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1964 a obnovená 1984), Asociace českých filmových klubů (obnovená 2018 /Projekt 100 – 2018/)
Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
100 min
2 717 meters
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
1:1,66, 1:2,35
tinting, black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 35. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´84
1984
70 měst / Czechoslovakia
Oldřich Lipský
Festival: 5. mezinárodní filmový festival Panama
1967
Panama / Panama
Karel Škvor
Festival: 5. mezinárodní filmový festival Panama
1967
Panama / Panama
Festival: 5. mezinárodní filmový festival Panama
1967
Panama / Panama
Oldřich Lipský
Festival: 5. mezinárodní filmový festival Panama
1967
Panama / Panama
Festival: 5. mezinárodní filmový festival Panama
1967
Panama / Panama
Miloš Kopecký
Festival: Mezinárodní filmový festival Columbia
1965
Columbia / United States of America
Event: 2. soutěž o nejlepší hudební dílo vytvořené v roce 1964
1965
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jan Rychlík
Event: 2. soutěž o nejlepší hudební dílo vytvořené v roce 1964
1965
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vlastimil Hála
Event: Anketa československých filmových distributorů za rok 1964
1965
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival San Sebastián
1964
San Sebastián / Spain
Festival: 15. filmový festival pracujících
1964
31 měst / Czechoslovakia
Event: Československá nominace na Cenu americké Akademie filmových věd a umění Oscar 1964
1964
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival San Sebastián
1964
San Sebastián / Spain
Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival San Sebastián
1964
San Sebastián / Spain