Start  The Emigration Olle i Skratthult
Olle i Skratthult
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Now-a-days Olle i Skratthult´s alter ego, Owe “Clapson” Carlsson, entertains with the old songs. |
Olle i Skratthult (Hjalmar Peterson 1886 – 1960)
Hjalmar Peterson, America's most beloved Swedish-language performer, launched his career as the “peasant comedian” Olle i Skratthult, performing songs, poems, and comic monologues in his native Värmland dialect. In 1917, he married Olga Lindgren, who also became his leading lady on stage. His troupe's popularity reached its height in the mid-1920s. Their program often included folk comedies, songs, comic monologues, folk dances, and orchestra solos, and, after the program, a public dance that included waltzes, polkas, and schottisches.
 Now-a-days Olle i Skratthult´s alter ego, Owe “Clapson” Carlsson, entertains with the old songs. Together with his orchestra he tours the Swedish America and will entertain the visitors at the Emigration Conference in Mellerud, August 16 2008.
In 1906, Hjalmar Peterson, a 20 year old bricklayer immigrated from Munkfors in Värmland, Sweden to the USA. In his new country he did not earn his living as a bricklayer but as an artist. Under the name of “Olle i Skratthult” (“Olle from Laughterville”) he became one of Swedish–America´s most beloved entertainers.
He worked for a short time as a bricklayer but very soon found that his mission in the new world was to entertain. He had his first great success at an exhibition for farmers in Willmar, Minnesota. In 1909 he returned to Sweden with three friends who were singers and musicians. Under the name of “The Swedish American Quartet“ they toured Sweden for one and a half year. After that Olle went back to America.
Back in America he continued his singing career and became the leading entertainer in Swedish – America, and the only one who made his living entirely as a performer throughout his whole life. In his costume of squeaky boots, overcoat, long scarf, peasant cap with a big flower and a blackened tooth under the strawcolored wig, Olle would recite poems, tell jokes and sing comical songs in his Värmland dialect.
His most sucessful song was “Nicolina”. In different renderings on gramophone records,
“Nicolina” was sold in over 100 000 copies! Olle and his company toured coast to coast in the 1920`s. The group´s base was Minneapolis. Through his touring and his records, a few together with his wife Olga Lindgren – Peterson, Olle i Skratthult became a familiar name all over Swedish America. Olle`s shows were very successful because the group not only entertained, but they also provided the link with the old country and they promoted togetherness among the immigrants.
Then times changed. An immigrant quota law was introduced in 1924 and the depression in the 30 `s lead to fewer and fewer Swedes immigrating to America. And fewer and fewer spoke the Swedish language. Olle i Skratthult (who always performed with Swedish texts and in Swedish) was no longer coming through the area once or twice a year. Instead people had a movie theatre to go on Saturday nights.
Olle i Skratthult was quite wealthy until the depression but the stock market crash was hard on him.
In the 30`s he and his new family moved to Marquette, Michigan where they formed a new dance orchestra. The last years of his life, Olle i Skratthult were spent playing religious music, as a member of Minneapolis Swedish Division of Salvation Army.
Text: Owe Clapson
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