Jukka Virtanen

Jukka Jalmari Virtanen (25 July 1933 – 1 September 2019) was a Finnish entertainer and author. He worked as both a film and television director, actor and host. He was also an accomplished songwriter. Starting originally as a newspaper columnist, Virtanen began his television career in the 1950s and his film career in the 1960s. He won the Rose d'Or in 1965 for the entertainment program Lumilinna (The Cold Old Days). He starred in and directed many films written by Spede Pasanen, including Millipilleri, Pähkähullu Suomi and Noin 7 Veljestä, as well as playing bit parts in the Uuno Turhapuro franchise. He was also the long-standing host of the TV show Levyraati (1980–1997) as well as Runoraati. Additionally, he was a songwriter for a number of prolific Finnish musical artists such as Ilkka Lipsanen.

Works

The Joulukalenteri

The Joulukalenteri was a 1997 Finnish television miniseries produced by MTV3 that was broadcast again in 1998. It was based on the Danish series The Julekalender from 1991. A Norwegian version was made in 1994. The series came out in December 1997 with one episode per day, concluding on Christmas Eve. The original concept and script of the series, as well as its numerous songs came from the Danish trio of De Nattergale. The Finnish adaptation was directed by Jukka Virtanen and starred Seppo Korjus, Kari Lehtomäki, Raimo Smedberg and Jukka Virtanen. In December 2007 there was a rerun on Subtv and now a DVD and a CD which contains the songs played in the series, can be bought on a special web-site.

Release Date1997-12-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Charactersd Narrator / Iki-iäkäs

Episode Count24

Vote Count10

The Other Side of Hope

A restaurateur befriends a Syrian refugee who has recently arrived in Finland.

Release Date2017-02-03

Charactersd Poker Player

Vote Count329

If You Love

Ada, the pampered daughter of the Minister, crashes drunk with an immigrant and loses her memory. Ada starts dating the victim’s son, Toni, but the relationship is put to the test when the secret is revealed.

Release Date2010-01-06

Charactersd Virtasen Jukka

Vote Count9

Road North

A father who was absent for 30 years of his son's life returns and wants to set on a journey through Finland, so they can learn to know each other again.

Release Date2012-08-24

Charactersd Rintapanttilan setä

Vote Count30

Vääpeli Körmy ja vetenalaiset vehkeet

Sergeant Friman is developing an automatic submarine detector that piques the interest of both, Swedish and Russian spies.

Release Date1991-10-18

Charactersd Vieraan vallan paha poika Körmyn unessa

Vote Count11

Uuno Turhapuro

Uuno goes with his wife to spend summer holiday to their villa in country, studies playing of the violin in a correspondence course and constructs an own violin with do-it-yourself-method, but quits his career when he perceives that takes his free time too much and comes back to live the life "in the shadow of a fridge". In the start scene of film a priest (Ere Kokkonen as voice) says in the Uuno's weddings that his complete name is Uuno Eero Turhapuro, whereas it's in the all later Uuno-films Uuno Daavid Goljat Turhapuro.

Release Date1973-08-24

Charactersd Kalevi Ketanen, "jonglöörien kuningas"

Vote Count16

Vääpeli Körmy ja marsalkan sauva

The colonel's wife's tin pints need to be cleaned up, and Sergeant First Class Körmy tasks two privates to do so.

Release Date1990-11-02

Charactersd Levyraadin juontaja

Vote Count12

Häpy endkö? Eli kuinka Uuno Turhapuro sai niin kauniin ja rikkaan vaimon

Uuno moves in flight cargo to Helsinki for the search of a rich, beautiful wife. He buys elegant clothes for eight marks from an estate auction and in two weeks becomes the most pursued bachelor in town, charming all the women. He also starts as a waiter in Vaaleanpunainen sika (Pink Pig), which starts the first quarrels between him and his father-in-law.

Release Date1977-08-26

Charactersd Pappi

Vote Count13

Hei kliffaa hei

The film is based on characters from the Mänttien TV-asema sketches featured on the Spede Show.

Release Date1985-02-08

Charactersd Jukka Virtanen

Vote Count7

Black on White

Juha is a sales manager of a refrigerator company. His perfect-looking family and glittering array of modern kitchen appliances have just been featured in a magazine article, but in reality Juha is a womanising chauvinist more at home on the road than with his family.

Release Date1968-03-15

Charactersd TV director

Vote Count12

Vääpeli Körmy ja etelän hetelmät

The Minister of Defence asks sergeant Körmy to take part in operation, where the United States and Russia are to hand over their nuclear weapons launch equipment and codes to neutral Finland.

Release Date1992-10-09

Charactersd 2. vakooja

Vote Count12

Noin 7 veljestä

The greedy lord of the manor, von Wurstburg, lives lavishly on his estate, heavily taxing the local peasants, when the official heir to the estate, the noble Sir William, arrives. At the same time, the mysterious outlaw Robin Hood, who helps the poor, sets up camp in the nearby woods. When the estate threatens to fall into Sir William's hands and the peasants rise up against von Wurstburg's excesses in Robin Hood's footsteps, the lord finds himself in a double bind.

Release Date1968-08-23

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Charactersd Tuck

Vote Count8

Speedy Gonzales – noin 7 veljeksen poika

Speedy Gonzales arrives in a small village in New York to investigate the mysterious death of his brother Moses, with the help of the lively Rita. In the village, they are met by Hämeen Hitain, Manolito, Bat Mastersson, and Clyde, among others, with whom Speedy must compete. His curiosity ultimately leads him to become the target of a manhunt.

Release Date1970-08-28

Charactersd Pat

Vote Count9

Rautakauppias Uuno Turhapuro, presidentin vävy

Uuno Turhapuro, a useless bum who has married money, creates havoc around his father-in-law's presidential campaign. He dresses up as his long-lost, wealthy brother from America, but things go awry when the real brother appears. At some point Uuno takes up a job at a hardware store, only to warm up a classic TV sketch perfected years earlier by the film's writer-producer Spede Pasanen. Written by Markku Kuoppamäki

Release Date1978-08-25

Charactersd Poliisi Jukka Virtanen

Vote Count10

Iloinen Linnanmäki

Two competing hair care companies demonstrate their products on stage at a Helsinki amusement park, using celebrities from television, the hottest new media of the early 1960s.

Release Date1960-11-04

Charactersd Hamunen

Vote Count3

Menestyksen maku

A young advertising executive decides to focus on success in his life. As he concentrates on building his career, both his family and his colleagues are pushed aside.

Release Date1983-02-04

Charactersd Jukka Virtanen

Vote Count1

Millipilleri

Tarmo, a failed student, tries to win over his uncle, Consul Ö, in the hope of receiving an advance on his inheritance. His stingy uncle threatens to donate his entire fortune to the Antiquities Preservation Society if Tarmo does not earn a million marks within a month. Tarmo's friend Hannu begins to motivate Tarmo to get rich by feeding him placebo "energy pills." The situation is complicated by a criminal gang getting involved in the inheritance hunt.

Release Date1966-08-16

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd Tappaja

Vote Count4

Kiljusen herrasväki

The Kiljunen family wins a holiday trip to Helsinki and the city will never be the same again.

Release Date1981-11-20

DepartmentWriting

JobLyricist

Vote Count1

Pähkähullu Suomi

A film that pushes every stereotype imaginable about Finland, and then some. Indeed, coming in the same year as Finland’s 50th anniversary, the film’s whole premise is about presenting Finland in hilarious fashion to foreigners and perhaps also making fun of some of the myths of Finnish culture for Finns themselves.

Release Date1967-08-25

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count10

Näköradiomiehen ihmeelliset siekailut

TV studio organizer Mikko Syvärinen becomes the admired comedian K. Ovimikko through a series of mishaps. However, Mikko's popularity wanes when he switches from door comedy to window comedy. His show is taken off the air, his girlfriend leaves him, and he loses his apartment. Once again, Mikko sets out to rebuild his TV career by becoming a producer again.

Release Date1969-02-28

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count10

The Cold Old Days

Restorer stumbles upon ghosts in an old castle.

Release Date1965-03-27

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Fakta homma

The windbreakers just flutter in the wind when the Fakta homman quartet is on the move. The ladies comment on every situation. Aulis takes a stand when necessary, but Heka only opens his mouth when it really matters... Two couples head to a campsite together to celebrate Midsummer. A summer night full of confusion and emotional outbursts awaits them.

Release Date1987-10-30

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1

Lottovoittaja UKK Turhapuro

It is the first anniversary of Uuno and Elisabet. Uuno has placed a bet with his friend Härski-Hartikainen a year ago, that if Uuno can take just one year of marriage with Elisabet, Hartikainen will treat him a festive dinner. However, Hartikainen buys a lottery ticket for Uuno, who agrees to deduct it from his debt – and the festive dinner is reduced to a can of milk and half a sausage. As it happens, Uuno becomes the lottery winner of 1.5 million marks, only to soon realize he doesn't own a single penny yet. Mister Tossavainen arrives and offers to finance Uuno before he actually gets the jackpot. Thus, Uuno gets to live a rich live on credit. He buys a raccoon fur, leopard swimming trunks and a couple of Mercedes-Benzes. Women begin to fancy Uuno and so does his father-in-law. As time goes by it is revealed, though, that Uuno is not actually a lottery winner, and so he has to escape the anger of others to Härski's car repair shop.

Release Date1976-08-27

Vote Count13