Vääpeli Körmy

Vääpeli Körmy (Sergeant Major Körmy) is a character played by famed Finnish comedian Heikki Kinnunen in a series of five Finnish comedies released between 1990 and 1997, as well as in a cameo appearance in Uuno Turhapuro herra Helsingin herra. The films each parody aspects of the Finnish Defense Forces but also Finland's international relations, its presidents and various political and social aspects of Finnish life.

The films take primarily place in the fictional guerrilla garrison in Räyhäranta. Being unrealistically small for a standard Finnish garrison it only houses one of each rank of officer between Sergeant Major (Körmy) and Colonel (Tossavainen), as well a group of four sergeants who start off as privates in the first film of the series.

The films have also included a bizarre element of foreshadowing two real-life events that both occurred in 1995. The first film features a joke of Finland winning the Ice Hockey World Championships against the USSR. Finland would eventually win the championship in 1995. Also two films in the series poked fun at the idea of women joining the military. In 1995, women were allowed to serve voluntarily in the military.

Körmy

The character Körmy describes himself as "the meanest bastard of a Sergeant Major" to the privates in the first film. His very presence and voice seems to incite fear in those who rank below him. However, Körmy's ire tends to rise more from the private's own actions, such as private (later sergeant) Friman who continually uses Körmy's office to conduct his personal business ventures. Körmy is also prone to playing practical jokes on his privates, some of which could be classified as hazing. However, many of his pranks also backfire instead making Körmy seem like a fool in the eyes of others.

At times Körmy is also the subject of simple rotten luck, such as when his parked army jeep slid down hill and pushed a row of cars into the Gulf of Finland.

Körmy can however be extremely soft-spoken at times. Sometimes for the sheer gag effect but also genuinely towards higher-ranking officers and especially his wife. Körmy is also quick to take action and is generally displayed as being far more competent than most of the officers that outrank him in Räyhäranta. For instance he was quick to track down spies who stole the briefcase of the Defence Minister. He also later tricked the said spies when they tried to intercept an American contact wearing a bowler hat on a cruise liner, by somehow having several of the other guests wear bowler hats as well.

However, Körmy's initiative has also turned against him when he once chased a man onto a train believing him to be a bank-robber and who then turned out to be the bank's manager.

Recurring characters

Soldiers in Räyhäranta

Officers in Räyhäranta

Others

The films

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