Gisela Schlüter(1914-1995)
- Actress
Blonde, lanky comedienne, singer, dancer and cabaret artist: a genuine
original and all-round entertainer. This daughter of a professional
soldier first aspired to be a dancer, but, at 1.76 metres, was deemed
as being too tall. Gisela found consolation in taking acting classes.
Her tutor, the renowned stage actor
Erich Ponto, was quick to recognise her
unique comic potential. In due course, Gisela made her breakthrough in
revues and cabaret at the Scala, the 'Kabarett der Komiker' and the
'Berliner Komödie', where she came into her own with that distinctive gift of gab known as 'Berliner Schnauze'. She also dabbled in film acting with small roles in Richard Eichberg's
Le Tombeau hindou (1938)
and
Der Tiger von Eschnapur (1938).
After a lengthy absence from the screen, Gisela found a wider audience
and enduring popularity on television as hostess of the long-running
variety show
Zwischenmahlzeit (1963) in
which she sang, danced, performed sketches and featured prominent
guests. Known under the sobriquet of "Quasselstrippe" (which translates
to 'motormouth' or 'chatterbox'), Gisela became nationally famous for
her staccato delivery (a staggering 492 syllables per minute!) and once
proudly claimed: "Anybody, who thinks they can get a word in edgeways
hasn't been born yet".
