Remembering Actress Jiřina Švorcová: Her Life, Legacy, and the Message on Her Grave

On the eve of her anniversary, candles were lit on the grave at the Střešovice cemetery, and when a former colleague from the Vinohrady theater, Antonín Hardt (87), came, he couldn’t believe his eyes. On the tombstone was a letter in German with the message “BANANEN SIND NICHT ALLES” or Bananas are not everything. “Dearest Jiřina, like every year, my remaining friends and I will watch a few episodes of The Woman Behind the Counter to remember you. And then we’ll have a few glasses of red wine in our favorite pub in Leipzig.” a certain Hans Jürgen writes in it. “We miss you very much, especially your original humor. Unfortunately, your message Bananas are not everything is becoming more and more relevant. Kiss and hello, your Hans!’

Hardt read the letter carefully in German and then recalled: “Yeah, that was when Jiřina was kicked out of the theater after the velvet. Everyone told her how they had suffered under the communists and blamed her for the banana queues. And she reacted to it with this message and also that there was no war under the communists…” Although the actress was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Czech Republic, she never harmed anyone, according to him. “On the contrary, she helped people, including dissidents,” the actor emphasized. “After all, towards the end of her life, she was also friends with an announcer Kamila Moučkova, which was completely on the other side of the barricade!” added Hardt. In 2011, they were also one of the few well-known faces from among the artists at the funeral with Moučková Shvorts.

AUDIO: The audio memories of Švorcová (†83) are being released, part of which was narrated by the actress herself!

From Germany to Cuba

The series Woman behind the counter was also popular in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Cuba. It was broadcast in the GDR under the title »Die frau hinter dem Ladetischa« and from 1978 it was repeated ten times in reunified Germany as well. In 2011, it was released on DVD. “There was a fair in the GDR. When people found out that I had an autograph session, there was a rush and the police had to pull me out,” recalls Švorcová in the book Woman behind the counter – the story of the legendary series and its heroes.

Tragic death of husband

Jiřina had the premiere of the series connected with a tragic life event. On Monday, December 19, 1977, her second husband, the academic painter Vladimír Šolta (†53), died by accident. He fell down the stairs in their Strěšovice villa, which happens to be just a few steps from the cemetery. “My feelings were very intense,” Švorcová lamented. Today, both are resting in the same grave with the actress’ brother, actor and former head of drama at the National Theater Václav Švorec (†94).

She also helped The Brejs

Star of the silver screen Jana Brejchová (83) also remembered Švorcová fondly and very fondly. Thanks to her intercession, she was able to occupy an entire floor of the U Bonaparta house in Nerudová street on the Malá Strana. “It was literally a mouthful. Jiřina interceded for me, and she didn’t have to. I am eternally grateful to her,” she told Aha! already Brejchová.

Švorcová will speak 10 years after her death! And the police are after Ledecky. He organized an illegal concert