He laughed so as not to go crazy: the main Odessa citizen Boris Sichkin is 100 years old

Boris Sichkin was a man with a fantastic sense of humor, who firmly believed in his healing power. “Humor can easily deal with nostalgia, depression, inflation, devaluation, lack of money and other ailments. If humor is healthy, it will definitely win” – this phrase belongs to him. As well as another, even more important: “Many parents leave oil rigs, factories, big money to their children. This is certainly good, but it is equally important to leave children with a sense of humor as a legacy. Of course, with a sense of humor, one oil rig will not hurt. Let him pump oil for laughs.”

Fact number 1. Buba Kastorsky, the original coupletist, tried hard to make everyone believe and learn how “Our Father” – Boris Sichkin was born in Odessa. Where else are such witty, original types born? Of course, “by the Black Sea”, as Utyosov sang, a true Odessa citizen. But I will disappoint you – Sichkin was born not in Odessa, but in Kyiv. He introduced himself with humor: “By origin – a nobleman, since he was born in the yard. To the right of our yard was Yevbaz, the Jewish bazaar, the cultural center of the city, opposite it was a colony of juvenile delinquents.

Fact number 2. Sichkin began his career as an artist early, purely out of need. Boris was the youngest, the seventh in a family where only boys were born. His father died when he was not even five years old. In order to somehow feed himself and make life easier for his mother, who works hard at several jobs, he began to earn money early. In the bazaar, next to the house, little Borya danced for … the criminal element of Kyiv – burglars, pickpockets, who flocked here in the evening one by one or with young ladies. By their order, he beat the tap dance, danced “Lady”, “Apple”, tore from the heart “Gypsy”, which of all the dances he loved the most. Later couplets were added to the dances. With a novice artist, criminals paid off with a natural product.

Fact number 3. The love for gypsy dances and gambling character led the boy to the gypsy camp. In addition, the bazaar dancer was expelled from school for bad behavior, in such a simple way getting rid of a bad example, which, as you know, can be contagious. The tabor became a university of life for the boy: “There were no problems with food, everyone guessed, everyone stole, and then they sang and danced until late at night. And only then, having become a professional artist, I famously performed gypsy dances in ensembles and theaters, ”recalled Sichkin.

Fact number 4. He did not have a professional acting education, although all his film roles (and there are more than 30 of them in his portfolio) are marked by acting talent. Before the war, he seriously studied at the choreographic school and even performed as part of a folk dance ensemble, and then was called up for military service.

Fact number 5. Boris Sichkin did not fight, but at the front he performed in front of the soldiers as part of a song and dance ensemble. And he was even awarded two medals – “For Courage” and “For Military Merit”. In the army, an incident happened to him, after which he was threatened with punishment, and as a result, a promotion came out. Somehow he confused the battalion and landed in the thick of battle. The commanders did not understand and considered him a deserter, they almost punished him to the fullest extent of wartime, but when they found out that the dancer did not chicken out in battle, they presented him with a reward.

Fact number 6. Few people knew how to sing couplets like Boris Sichkin. Easily, artistically, freely: “I am from Odessa, I am from Odessa, hello! I want to tell you a little secret…” The elegant, witty king of the stage in Edmond Keosayan’s film “The Elusive Avengers”, who sympathizes and helps the Reds. But few people know that even before the main Soviet western about the Civil War, Sichkin shone with verses in the film “Intervention” directed by Poloka. In “Intervention”, which also starred Vysotsky, Zolotukhin, Kopelyan, Aroseva, Boris sang verses, as in his childhood, in front of the bandits. A bright red vest on a naked body, a white butterfly around the neck, a red checkered cap on her head. Partner – his wife Galina Rybak.

In Valikhovsky Lane,

They found a dead man there.

He was in a leather jacket

Eight wounds on the chest …

There is a dead man on the table

Candles burn brightly

It was the raider who was killed

He will be avenged…

The thieves’ verses, announced as a “vocal-choreographic number”, are preceded by Boris Sichkin’s contagious laughter and smile, which in a few years will be passed on to his next movie hero, Buba Kastorsky, as branded “by inheritance”.

Fact number 7. The small, in essence, role of the coupletist Kastorsky will bring the artist unprecedented fame, joy, good earnings and … grief. He traveled extensively throughout the country with performances. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture launched a campaign to combat “leftist” concerts, and compromising evidence was collected on Sichkin, as well as on his other colleagues. The actor was summoned to the OBKhSS, they sewed an article about “embezzlement on an especially large scale.” He was given a deadline. In the pre-trial detention cell, the head of the bullpen in front of his subordinates mocked the famous actor: “How did you sing there? “I don’t cry, I never cry?” It was you who did not cry in the cinema, but here you will still be here! The artist spent about a year in a Tambov prison. Immediately after his release, with his wife Galina and son Emelyan, he decided to emigrate to the United States.

Fact number 8. Sichkin began his life in exile from scratch. It was not easy, and his family did not even unpack their suitcases, hoping to return home. But gradually, Boris Mikhailovich began to act in American films and perform on the stage in a duet with his wife. For the episodic role of Brezhnev, he received … six thousand dollars. During filming, he even had a separate house with the inscription “Brezhnev”. It was his highest fee. And for shooting in the USSR in The Elusive Avengers, he received only 115 rubles a month. In America, he also starred in the films “Nixon”, “Housekeeper” and several more.

Boris Mikhailovich recalled about his life in the USA: “Our diaspora is not very reading, not very theatrical. Somehow one person comes up to me and says: “I remember you when you were still charming.” I tell him: “Fool, you can take away my money, but don’t touch the charm, this is the only thing I have.” He didn’t mean to offend me, he just wanted to talk to me, but he didn’t know how to do it.”

Fact number 9. After the collapse of the USSR, Boris Sichkin visited his homeland more than once and even starred in several films. The most popular of them is the television series Turkish March. And the last film work of the actor was the film “The Last Place of Residence”, released on screens in 2001.

Fact number 10. He spent the last day of his life wonderfully. “In the morning, he starred in a screen test for another American film, in which he was offered to play the role of a Russian mafia,” recalled the son of the artist Emelyan. – Everything went well, and the father was already promised to send the script. He was in a wonderful mood – after all, it was on this day that they sent him advance copies of his book “We laugh so as not to go crazy.” Father flew home on wings. The elevator in our house did not work, and he climbed to the sixth floor on foot. Obviously, this has become a critical load for the heart, which has recently been very junk. He changed his clothes, sat down at the table and immediately dropped his head into his hands. I tried to help, did artificial respiration, but it was all over in one second. His body was cremated, and the urn with the ashes was buried in Moscow at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

PS “Oh, how many people, events and organizations have tried to take away my humor! The Soviet authorities did their best. But nothing happened. I joked, I joke and I will joke. Because I can’t do otherwise … ”(Boris Sichkin).