Eila Roine and Vili Auvinen were a married couple not only in Heiki and Kaija but also in real life.
The biography of Eila Roinee, an actress with a long career, has just been published. Minna Jalovaara
In December 1960, a soap series called Coronation Street began to be broadcast in Britain. The following spring, a pioneer of Finnish television work Pertti Nättila went to London on a study trip and happened to see a couple of episodes of the series.
Nättilä thought that something similar would work in Finland as well. But of course on a smaller scale, made with less money and fewer actors. Even if only with two, a man and a woman. Maybe with a couple.
Eila Roine and her husband Vili Auvinen received a script from the television series to read Heikki and Kaija. He had written it Reino Lahtinen.
The first episode of Heik and Kaija was broadcast on Tamvisio on September 14, 1961. The director was Nättilä.
Vili Auvinen and Eila Roine as Heikki and Kaija. Yle / Antero Tenhonen
Christenings live
The story aimed for realism. For the script, the actors and the director had talked with Lahtinen about the lives of young couples, their problems and their good moments.
The first episode was followed by many others. Heikki and Kaijaa were made until 1971.
Eila could not foresee that when she first stepped in front of the camera as Kaija.
– I have never been so terrified in my life as I was then. That I was nervous, it was a terrible moment when the broadcast started – live broadcast. Afterwards, it has crossed my mind that how many people saw it before. You can’t see it in the Tamvision area. Back then, not many people had a TV. And when will it be on? Eila recalls in her recent biography.
Later in the book, Eila states:
– It’s nice to be a pioneer in a field. I am not ashamed to say that I am one of the pioneers of television work in this country. Because I guess they gave me my life’s work – Venlank too. Of all the awards I have received, I have not always been so sure that I deserved them. Venla did come from the topic.
Although the couple who played Heikki and Kaija were actually married, Eila emphasizes in her biography that they did not do any reality television. It was a scripted series in which they played roles.
Eila and Vili’s child also got a role in the series. It was simply due to the fact that a child was scripted for Heiki and Kaija – and Eila got pregnant in real life just in time.
In the series, Kaija’s pregnancy lasted fifteen months.
Eila and Vili’s third son, Tendonwas born on August 16, 1965. He immediately got into television.
Janne Auvinen was baptized in the episode of Heikki ja Kaija shown on September 27, 1965, which was succinctly called Ristiäiset.
Big brother Tommy also visited Heikki and Kaija as the neighbor’s son, but Janne remained in the series as Heikki and Kaija’s child.
Rintamkeli people
The Heikki ja Kaija series ran on television for ten years.
After that, Eila got the role of Helmi Honkonen in Rintamäkeläin, the first episode of which was shown in October 1972.
Eila says in her biography that she liked the role of Helmi:
– Oh, I loved that role. Kaija had been so calm and considerate and kind, Helmi was just awful. Gossip, a little mean, jealous and anyway kind-hearted in the end.
Eila got Honkonen Veiko as her husband Ahti Haljalan. Rintamäki’s couple Leena and Antti became Sirkka Lehto and Veijo Pasanen acting.
Rintamäkelians often sat at the coffee table. Yle / Antero Tenhunen
Heiki and Kaija had thought carefully about whether the pictures should show the beer bottle. Alcohol use was described as disastrous – only those who had a bad time tipped the bucket.
In one episode, Heikki and Antero had a discussion about whether they had ever taken. Were not.
There had also been little talk of politics in Heiki and Kaija, actually non-existent. Social issues were discussed in the series in an enlightening spirit, not taking a stand.
In Rintamäkeläi, the previous restrictions flew into the scrap heap.
Rintamäki’s Antti was at his wits end in the first episode and the political positions of the characters soon became clear. Antti was a die-hard Vennamoan and Veikko was a boisterous Demar. Later, the party map was expanded by the communist Markkula played by Kalevi Honkanen, Tenho Saurén presented by the cul-de-sac Niemen’s host and Reino Kallilahti member of the coalition Lahtinen.
Eila was delighted not only by the spunkiness of her character, but also by the fact that the events of the series took place in the country – even though she didn’t know anything about country work in principle.
Helmi was also not confused with the real-life Eila in the same way as Kaija was before.
Except once:
– I had ordered curtain fabric and went to get it. Can’t seem to find it. But found it eventually. Although under the name of Helmi Honkonen, Eila recalls in her biography.
Antti Heikkinen: Eila Roine (Otava) was published on May 10.