Name: J.J. de Bom voorheen: 'De kindervriend'
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1979-04-03
Rating: 8.5
Cast: Wieteke van Dort, Joost Prinsen, Aart Staartjes

Helping children with problems without pulling punches

Made by the same team of writers and actors as "De Stratemakeropzeeshow" but aimed at a slightly older audience (10 to 15, just about the age viewers of the original 1972 show would have reached by 1979). This one tackled all kinds of subjects (send in by young viewers) concerning teenage angst and puberty problems. Parents and teachers usually got the short end of the stick as the show always took the side of the underdog (obviously the creative team had a lot of personal issues and experience to draw on). There would usually be two subjects per episode presented by letter and several sketches and Harry Bannink songs would flow from there. Each week a spot was reserved for an 'expert' to reveal his or her experiences in the matter.

Joost Prinsen played the title character Jan Jonathan de Bom by putting on a fat suit and an enormous mustache. De Bom reluctantly carried on his father's toy store formerly known as 'De Kindervriend'. This bisexual man (by his own account) was often depressed and found it difficult being friendly to children himself, being a bit frightened of them and still bitter about not being allowed to become a ballet dancer. Aart Staartjes played Henk Gatje, a mail man with old fashioned values who loved Queen Juliana (and had misgivings about replacing her portrait with that of her daughter Beatrix when she was crowned in 1980). Wieteke van Dort was Titia Konijn, an artistic free spirit, always willing to explain the feminine side of things. However, these three characters were only part of the frame work. All three actors would appear in many different guises each week. Staartjes also had two other recurring characters: confused children's psychologist prof. Dr. Werendfridus Jongerius (whom he later resurrected in another show) and Titia's grandfather who liked to tell stories about the old days and loved to show off his garden.

Broadcast by the progressive VARA television, sketches and subjects often contained the kind of rude and daring stuff you would feel a bit uneasy watching with your parents, especially since authority figures like them were always perceived as the bad guys. Having all grown up a bit, there was less swearing and toilet humor than in the 'Stratemaker', enabling 'J.J. de Bom' to win the Nipkowschijf for best educational programme in 1979. By 1981 the team once again felt they had covered all the bases and called it quits. But all of them returned in 1988 with the informative 'Klokhuis', this time with a much larger cast (but still including Joost, Aart and Wieteke) and a team of younger presenters to go out and film items on location. This incarnation is still being shown daily on Nederland 3, even though many of the original team have since retired or passed away (more frustrations to write about). 

8 out of 10

Dutch cinema often combines understated realism with offbeat humor, tackling moral ambiguity and social change. It balances intimate storytelling with bold, sometimes provocative, visual styles. Dutch films combine art-house sensibility with grounded storytelling, reflecting the country's open, yet quietly complex culture.

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Wieteke van Dort, Joost Prinsen, and Aart Staartjes in J.J. de Bom voorheen: 'De kindervriend' (1979)

Verenigde Arbeiders Radio Amateurs (VARA)

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J.J. de Bom voorheen: 'De kindervriend'

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