Dinner For One (4 Stars)

When I first moved to Germany, 40 years ago, my friends and work colleagues asked me what I thought about "Dinner For One". I told them I'd never heard about it. They were shocked. How could I, an Englishman, never have heard of "Dinner For One"? They said that it's shown on television every year on New Year's Eve. Maybe in Germany, but not in England, and I didn't have a television while I lived in Germany.

A few days ago I finally read online about "Dinner For One" to see what all the fuss is about. It's only a short film, 18 minutes long. It was written as a theatre sketch in 1925, but it didn't become popular until the British comedian Freddie Frinton began to perform it on stage in 1945.

In 1961 it was performed live on German television on New Year's Eve. It was performed again on New Year's Eve 1962. Because of its popularity it was filmed in 1963, and this is the version that's been shown ever since.

The short film is unusual, because it's always been shown in English, not in German, neither dubbed nor subtitled. Germans have been watching a short film in English for the last 58 years. People think of it as a film for New Year's Eve, but it's frequently shown during the year. In fact, it's listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the television program more often repeated than any other.

But I still hadn't seen it. So where was it repeated? Initially in Germany and other German speaking countries. Later it became popular in Scandinavian countries. It was finally broadcast in England in 2018, and has been shown frequently since then.

So what's it about? Today I watched it twice to let it sink in.

Miss Sophie is celebrating her 90th birthday. Note that she's a Miss, i.e. she's not married. She lives in a country home with James, her butler. Every year she invites the same four friends to her birthday party. The trouble is that they've all been dead for 25 years. James lays the table for five: for Miss Sophie, Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr. Pomeroy and Mr. Winterbottom. James doesn't sit down, obviously. That's not a butler's place.

Food is served, a four-course meal: soup, an aperitif, the main meal and dessert. A drink is poured for every course: sherry, white wine, champagne and port. Miss Sophie proposes a toast at every course. James has to impersonate each of the guests. He drinks their drink, and then replies in the voice of each guest. Understandably, by the end of the meal he's drunk.

The film's humour is ridiculous. It's based on repetition. James has to walk around the table 23 times, always clockwise, first serving the food, then pouring drinks, then drinking them, then clearing the plates. He trips over the rug ten times, and the audience's laughter grows louder each time. ("Dinner For One" was filmed live in front of a television audience).

You might wonder why this film is more popular in Germany than in England? It's obvious to me, as an Englishman living in Germany. Germans have had an affection for the English for at least a hundred years. This affection existed before the Second World War. In "Mein Kampf" Adolf Hitler wrote that the English are the natural allies of the Germans. The feeling wasn't mutual. It was a big shock for Hitler and the German people when Britain declared war on Germany. After the war was over the British were biased against the Germans, but the Germans quickly regained their love for England. (I'm carefully distinguishing between the expressions Britain and England. Britain is a union of four individual countries, but Germany's love is for the single country England). Anyone from England who visits Germany will immediately feel how welcome he's made.

Germans love the English culture. They see Miss Sophie's mansion as quaint. They find it cute to see an eccentric old woman living with a drunken butler. It's a lifestyle that doesn't exist in Germany, and they wish it did.

Now I've seen "Dinner For One". Now I can talk about it when I'm asked. I don't have to disappoint my German friends any more.