How the 90s Comedy Show Kalamur Ended
The 1990s comedy show Kalamur left viewers guessing: did the heroes of its iconic «Nosedive» sketch survive?
Jul 26, 2026 0
The Village of Fools sketches were among the most popular and aired until the show«s closure.
Source:
Just say «Village of Fools» and a cheerful tune starts playing in your head. And if you say «Miss Murpl», the rhyme suggests itself: Miss Burpl! All these slots in our memory are firmly occupied by «Kalamur» (16+).
Among the well-known sketches was also the Kalamur Bar.
Source:
You can fully immerse yourself in the era of the 1990s and 2000s — a time when the TV was the main center of attraction for the whole family — in our special project «Windows TV».
In all episodes, the actors actually drank milk mixed with water.
Source:
«Windows TV» is an attempt to understand how television influenced the formation of an entire generation, why children of the 1990s grew up the way we know them today, and how TV shows of those years reflected everything that was happening in the country.
One can only envy the indomitable spirit of the Nosedive heroes.
Source:
But above all, it is a warm nostalgic project where you can return to childhood for a few minutes, immersing yourself in pleasant memories.
The sketches were not intended for children at all, but they still became beloved by them.
Источник:
The show«s history began in 1996, when artists from the trio «Fu Store» and the duo «Sweet Life» decided to create something new. There was no money, so they took out a loan for filming, which later turned out to be at a crazy 215% per annum. The first twelve episodes, titled «Ful House Magazine», were born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, but the show»s fate was ultimately decided in Moscow.
The cassettes were given to acquaintances in television, and they took a risk to break into ORT. By a lucky coincidence, they were accepted by Sergei Shumakov, producer of entertainment programs. He liked the episodes, and a few weeks later a contract was signed. With one condition — change the name.
For two days, the artists went through options and ultimately settled on «Program «Oy!»». But a couple of hours later, the channel called: Konstantin Ernst had not approved the name. Then actor Yuri Styrkovsky exclaimed, «What a pun!» Everyone liked that phrase. So «Ful House» became «Kalamur».
At first, the show aired at 23:15, but viewers literally flooded the channel with letters. It turned out that children did not want to go to bed without watching «Kalamur»! So the show moved to Saturday mornings.
«Village of Fools» is perhaps the most popular series in «Kalamur». Eduard Tsiselsky«s music still gets stuck in your head as soon as you hear it. All the jokes revolved around simple villagers: the Peasant and his friend the Sailor Fool constantly did things that the Woman did not like, and she hit them with a frying pan.
To soften the blows, foam rubber was glued to the combat cookware. The trademark of the Peasant«s image was his mustache — they moved as if by themselves. The secret was a wire that actor Sergei Gladkov clamped between his teeth and thus controlled the mustache»s «facial expressions». According to the plot, the Sailor is the Woman«s lover, but in real life, actors Vadim Nabokov and Tatyana Ivanova have been married for more than 20 years.
Another masterpiece is «Nosedive». The plane «Broiler-747» is crashing over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean... for 325 episodes. During this time, the characters managed to celebrate pilot Drinkins«s birthday twice, while the Commander laughed madly into the camera, mocking their impending doom.
At first, filming took place in the flight simulator of the Kharkiv Aviation Institute, and later — in Odesa, Ukraine, where a separate cabin set was assembled from parts of real airplanes.
If you suddenly don«t know how this story ended, then attention: spoiler! In the last episode, «Broiler-747» manages to land safely. Everyone rejoices. But when the stewardess appears and reports that Miss Burpl is already standing at the exit with suitcases, the Commander commands:
— Drinkins, are you a gentleman? Morse, are you a gentleman? I am also a gentleman. We, as true gentlemen, cannot sit down when a lady is standing. We take off!
And… to be continued.
Over five years, 136 episodes were filmed. Until 2000, «Kalamur» aired on ORT, then moved to RTR, but only lasted there a year. The creators admitted: it became increasingly difficult to maintain that absurd yet fresh humor.
And yet, «Kalamur» was not just remembered — it literally became ingrained in the memory of an entire generation. The show is no longer on the air, but its sketches live on in memes and GIFs. And nostalgic millennials still dress up as characters from «Village of Fools» for costume parties and try to look at all the vicissitudes of fate with optimism.
Read more
