Heidi
Heidi is based on the book that was written by Johanna
Spyri back in 1880, and was brought to television in the late
70's. It was originally made in by a number of television
companies (in German) and was one of the many
programmes at the time to be dubbed into English. But
don't let that put you off, the dubbing might not be great, but
the story and the acting make up for this.
This version of Heidi is well remembered by most for its
catchy theme tune, which was created by Siegfried Franz.
Story
Heidi is a little girl whose parents have
died and who lives with her
Aunt Dete.
But one day Dete gets an offer of a job that is very
hard to refuse, but it doesn't involve her looking after
Heidi.
So she takes Heidi on a train to the Swiss Alps to
meet her Grandfather (Ohi), who lives up in the
mountains like a hermit. Here Aunt Dete abandons
poor Heidi in the company of her Grandfather to take up
the job. Her Grandfather is an extremely grumpy man,
but Heidi's charm and innocence wins him over and
melts his frozen heart.
Heidi is also pleased with the move as she dearly loves her Grandfather and loves living in the
mountains. She has made friends with Goat Herder Peter and loves to be close to nature.
But the villagers who live further down the mountain do not share
Heidi's love for her Grandfather, instead they are
frightened of him and fear for the child's safety. They
are also concerned that she does not attend school.
But life starts to get complicated when Aunt Dete
returns looking very presentable and with money, she
argues with Heidi's Grandfather that Heidi shouldn't be
there and that the villagers are concerned with the
safety of Heidi. She then storms off with Heidi, and her
poor Grandfather is left alone and despondent. His
greatest friend has left him.
Little did we know that
Aunt Dete didn't really want to look after Heidi, but was
instead asked to find a girl companion for a sick little girl called Clara Sesemann, who is
wheelchair bound, and lives in Frankfurt.
Once Heidi was dropped off at the Sesemann houshold,
she came into contact with her greatest nemesis -
Fraulein Rottenmeier. She is the governess of the
household and rules the household with a rod of
iron. When the country girl Heidi comes along, she
sees her as simple and not good enough to be a
companion for Clara.
Everything Heidi does infuriates Fraulein Rottenmeier,
but Clara loves her new friend and wishes for her to
stay. While Heidi is there, she does start schooling via
the private tutor that the Sesemann's use for Clara.
But Heidi is a girl that is very sad. She loves her new friend Clara, but misses the mountains and
her Grandfather, and dreams of going back. During her stay she becomes ill and it becomes
apparent to Clara's Father, Herr Sesemann, that the only way to make Heidi better and mend her
broken heart is to send her back to her Grandfather. Clara is distraught, but knows its the right
thing to do.
When she returns to the mountains, she find an unhappy Grandfather who is missing
his Heidi. But as soon as he sees her, he cannot believe that she has
returned and is overjoyed that his little Heidi is back with
him.
Later Clara comes to visit Heidi up in the mountains
and even stays in the log cabin. Goat Peter starts to
get jealous and he accidentally breaks Clara's
wheelchair. But this is the push that Clara needs and
with the encouragement of Heidi she starts to take her
first steps in years. When Clara's Father and
Grandmamma arrive to see her, they cannot believe
what they are seeing and cannot stop hugging her.
So they arrange that
Heidi and Clara should meet up each year in the
Mountains and in Frankfurt and continue their friendship.
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Gallery
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Heidi T-Shirts
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Episodes
Series 1 (1978)
Heidi in the Mountains
1. The Village
2. Ohi Of The Alps
3. Peter The Goat Herder
4. The Grandmother
5. Winter
6. The Departure
Heidi in Town
7. Arrival In Frankfurt
8. The Sesermann House
9. A Trip
10. Unrest In The Sesermann House
11. A Cabinet Full Of Rolls
12. Herr Sesermann
13. The Granmamma
14. Homesick
15. The Ghost
Heidi Comes Home
16. The Journey Home
17. At Home Again
18. Surprises
19. The Reconciliation
20. The Old Doctor
21. A Visit From Frankfurt
22. In The Winter House
23. Clara Arrives
24. The Wheelchair
25. The Telegram
26. Happy Ending
Flashback
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