The character Åsa-Nisse's real name is Efraim Erik Nilsson and appeared for the first time in a short short story in the weekly magazine Tidsfördrif 1944.
In the first film, Åsa-Nisse was played by actor Johan Elfström, he continued with the lead role until 1969, when Arne Kriesud took over.
After that, it was 42 years before the last film, Åsa-Nisse - Wälkom to Knohult , came in 2011. Then with Kjell Bergqvist in the lead role. Like all films before, it also had a traditional premiere at Sagabiografen.
"Little Hollywood"For a period of twenty years, the film team entered the city partly for the traditional premiere of Sagabiografen and partly for recording.
Because although the recordings largely took place in a film studio outside Stockholm, many scenes were taken in, and in the areas around, Vetlanda.
- The first year everything was recorded here in Vetlanda. At that time, the film studio was a gymnasium in Mogärdeskolan, but then Swedish speech films bought an old dance track outside Täby and there were many scenes then recorded, says Sven-Anders Almén.
13 years of rock ringVetlandasonen Sven-Anders Almén participated as a statistician in the movie Åsa-Nisse is celebrating from 1959. In it you can see the then 13-year-old Sven-Anders dancing rock ring in front of the Stadshotellet on Stortorget.
He says that the many film recordings made a clear impression on the city and that many vet country labs followed the recordings with great interest.
- We experienced it a bit like a "little Hollywood". The traffic was shut down in many places and the director Ragnar Frisk judged not only with the ensemble but also with us vetoes. When he had said that no one was allowed to cough or sneeze, says Sven-Anders Almén.
Not everyone knows the connection to Vetlanda