The small part Michnikowski played in Jerzy Gruza’s The Woodpecker / Dzięcioł is simply unforgettable. In the scene where an on-camera survey about how Varsovians spend their summer weekends is being conducted in the streets, the actor plays an effeminate, fame-hungry fellow, who constantly jumps in front of the lens and interrupts the survey with his comments. Fluttering his eyelashes, he answers with full conviction the question “what would you choose: a cinema, a theatre or a swimming pool”, which isn’t at all directed at him: “A swimming pool! Nothing but a swimming pool!”.
It was a film, not a theatrical play, that finally fulfilled the expectations of director Erwin Axer, who believed that among the actors from his team, Michnikowski would be the best to play a female role. In Juliusz Machulski’s Sex Mission Michnikowski superbly played the role of Her Excellency, who rules the female population of a near-future country where there are no men.
When I was involved with the Współczesny Theatre, Axer often told me that he thought that the role of… an old woman would fit me. I was even supposed to play Maniefa in The Diary of a Scoundrel / Pamiętnik Szubrawca, a play directed by the great Tovstonogov. Nothing came of that however, maybe the director got scared of this idea, eventually Perzanowska got the part. After a while I received another offer: I almost played the role of Zofia Mrozowska’s mother in Spaniards from Denmark / Hiszpanie z Danii. I had to turn that one down myself. Finally Jerzy Machulski asked me to play a mature woman in Sex Mission. I had to dedicate this role to Axer, at least out of gratefulness.
[Wiesław Michnikowski in a conversation with Jolanta Ciosek, Characteristic Lyricism / Liryzm charakterystyczny, the Dziennik daily Polski, 13 of August 2005]
The Cabaret: A Weird Little Man
Among Michnikowski’s various film and theatrical roles the most memorable are the superbly played comedy characters. Therefore it was nothing strange that Karol Szpalski invited Michnikowski to collaborate with the cabaret Wagabunda, which was created on the wave of the post-October changes. The artist born in 1922 gave magnificent performances as a member of this cabaret.
The shows of Wagabunda were very popular back then. This cabaret was an innovative literary-acting group which included amongst others: Lidia Wysocka, Marysia Koterbska and Janusz Osęka. We travelled a lot with the shows of Wagabunda, we were the first group which travelled across the Iron Curtain so often. That was a lot of fun for us and an extra excitement. Even though I had some successes with this cabaret I always focused on theatre.
[Wiesław Michnikowski in a conversation with Jolanta Ciosek, Characteristic Lyricism / Liryzm charakterystyczny, the daily Dziennik Polski, 13 August 2005]
He spent a season as a member of Wagabunda and afterwards he became involved with the Współczesny Theatre. Soon he and Edward Dziewoński were invited by Jeremi Przybora and Jerzy Wasowski to collaborate on the shows of Kabaret Starszych Panów, which even today rank at the very top of the television popularity ratings. Michnikowski debuted with the song The Life of an Old-Timer is Joyful.
Afterwards his character was becoming younger with every show. He played a ladies’ man, a cheap scoundrel and a child of weavers. Apart from many wonderful lyrical songs he popularized also the famous song Adio Tomatoes!
At first I didn’t really like this song. I wondered what to do with it. Eventually I came to think that it should be performed by some weird little man. That was how I interpreted this song. My friends liked this character so the song stayed that way.
[Jan Bończa-Szabłowski, The Modesty of a Top Student / Skromność prymusa in: Stars in Close-Up / Gwiazdy w zbliżeniu, Warsaw 1995]
The cabaret Dudek was another adventure for the actor.
Dudek is of course associated with Konrad Tom’s legendary, near perfect Jewish joke Knot which was invented probably in 1926. At first this joke was performed by the author and Ludwik Lawiński, but it gained its great popularity thanks to Edward Dziewoński, who performed this joke as part of Dudek’s offerings together with Wiesław Michnikowski. The Perskie Oko Theatre where this best sketch ever was being originally performed was located in 63 Nowy Świat Street. The cabaret Dudek created in 1964 moved in there 40 years after those shows and enjoyed 10 greatly successful years at this location.
It is very seldom, once in 50 years, that a text like Knot appears. Of course, you have to know how to deliver it, but it is brilliant. I think this is the funniest piece that Konrad Tom wrote in his career and he did after all write very many funny things. We were talking once with Michnikowski about our acting careers and we came to the conclusion that even though we have played a lot and have certain achievements, we will always be remembered by audiences as Rapaport and Goldberg. Knot is the best.
[Edward Dziewoński, Life is Like Theatre / W życiu jak w teatrze, Warsaw 1989]
Dziewoński and Michnikowski also brought another Jewish joke back to the contemporary repertoire – Julian Tuwim’s An Old Testament Elegy / Elegia starozakonna.
Privately: A Bit of Acting Each Day
Wiesław Michnikowski was fascinated with cinema as a teenager: he didn’t however want to be in front of the camera, but behind, working as a cameraman. Back then he constructed a film projector from a sewing machine and parts bought at the Kercelak marketplace. Turning on the device caused all the windows in his tenement house to rattle.
As a grown-up the actor purchased a real projector and a narrow gauge camera which he used to film the everyday life of his family and the backstage theatrical life. He documented for instance the travels of Wagabunda and the behind-the-scenes of the performances of Kabaret Starszych Panów and made the last film with Kazimierz Rudzki, who went to the hospital the day after this film was recorded and passed away there. “I have half a drawer of films I made myself, some pre-war movies, projectors, cameras and two editing tables. What am I to do with all of this now? – Michnikowski wonders.
On stage, as well as in his private life, the actor is graceful and has an original sense of humour. The actor bought his first car jointly with his brother-in-law, who received an allocation for a Wartburg as a worker of the Ministry of Railways.
He used it on odd days, I – on even days. I remember that once I was leaving the Komedia Theatre in Żoliborz with Basia Krafftówna after a rehearsal of the play Jim & Jill / Jim i Jill. She sighed: “What a cool car”. It was standing there, alone, in front of the theatre. I didn’t mention it was mine. I asked Basia if she wanted to go for a ride. I told her to look around to see if anyone was watching. I took out the keys and pretended that I was tampering with the lock using something. I invited her inside. She got into the car even though she wasn’t sure whether to be amused or frightened. Before I told her on the way that I had played a joke on her, she was convinced that we were riding in a stolen car.
Jeremi Przybora mentioned that the actor born in 1922 is very modest "which seems rather funny given Michnikowski’s talent”. Professor Aleksander Bardini noticed that away from the stage and the film sets Michnikowski does everything to be seen and heard as little as possible. The actor who played Her Excellency doesn’t like parties, balls and jubilees – he avoids publicity, journalists and television cameras.
He doesn’t like to talk about himself because it’s boring, he prefers to say nice things about his friends. He was most anxious about accepting those roles which turned out to be very successful. Dubbing and radio directors employ his characteristic voice and the actor says he likes to perform in children’s radio plays.
Once I was playing a Forest Man. An older lady was playing a squirrel which says: “Come to me Forest Man, my hollow is spacious, there’ll be enough room for both of us”. At this point Czechowicz cut in: “You won’t refuse the lady’s offer?”.
[Wiesław Michnikowski in a conversation with Wojciech Krzyżaniak, Even When I Was Young I Wasn’t Young / Młody nie byłem, nawet kiedy byłem, wyborcza.pl, 13 of March 2011]
[All the statements, the sources of which aren’t disclosed, come from interviews that the author of this text conducted in the years 1990-2009 for the daily Rzeczpospolita]
Author: Janusz R. Kowalczyk, August 2014; transl. MK September 2014