Povel Ramel

**Povel Ramel** (1 June 1922 – 4 June 2007), was a Swedish entertainer, composer, singer, actor and author.

### Early life

Ramel was born in Stockholm to Märta Tesch and Karl Ramel. His parents died due to a car crash in 1937, and then Ramel lived with his aunt while he studied. When he was 17 years old, he directed and wrote his first revue. The same year he was on a trip to London where the British music inspired him, with artists like Harry Roy and Billy Cotton.

### Early career

Povel Ramel did get a little bit famous when the singer Alice Babs did a cover on _Vårt eget Blue Hawaii_, which Ramel had written. The real breakthrough was in 1944, when his work _Johanssons Boogie Woogie vals_ got very popular. A year later Per-Martin Hamerg hired him to the biggest radio station in Sweden. There Ramel did humorous programs. He also met his future wife, Susanna Ramel, when he worked for the radio station. The reviewers in the local newspaper didn't like Ramel's jokes and songs, but the listeners liked him.

### Knäppupp

With Felix Alvo, Ramel did found Knäppupp AB in 1952, a company who wrote and composed revues. The first year the company features their first revue, called _Akta huvet_. It premiered at Cirkus in Gothenburg, and in the following 16 years Knäppupp produced, wrote, and composed many revues. The company also directed and wrote movies, such as I rök och dans (1954), Hoppsan (1955) and Ratataa (1956).

In 1969, the whole area Knäppupp used to work at was demolished, and soon after Knäppupp's activity stopped. Their last revue was _De sista entusiasterna_ from 1968.

### Late career

The Norwegian singer Wenche Myhre launched a cooperation in the late 1960s. Together they acted in the revue _Pow Show_ in 1969. The sequel _POW Show II - Andra varvet runt_ later premiered in 1974.

Ramel later acted in the TV-series Semlons gröna dalar (1977) and Affären Ramel (1986).

New revues was written and composed by Ramel in the 1980's and 1990's, such as _Minspiration_ (1981), _Tingel Tangel på Tyrol_ 1989 (with the swedish actor Hans Alfredson), _Knäpp igen_ (1992) and _Kolla klotet!_ (1996) (written together with the swedish actor Thomas von Brömssen).

In the 2000's Ramel was getting more and more inactive, and his last revue _Povel á la carte_ premiered in 2005.

### Death and health problems

When Ramel only was two years old, in 1924, he stepped on a nail at a beach in Belgium. He had to get surgery in Bruges. Ramel was in the hospital in three weeks. The surgery failed and he almost died. The damage on the foot did stop, but he had surgery as an adult too.

In spring 2007 Ramel had emergency heart problems and had to get a pacemaker. A month later he got more sick again, and he died 4 June, 2007.

## After death

Shortly after Povel's death, his fan-club _Povel Ramel-sällskapet_ was founded. This was on 13 October 2008. In 2022, a statue of Ramel in bronze, designed by Lasse Åberg, was built. Now it stands outside _Cirkus_ in Stockholm.

## Other works

Ramel has a career as an author and in 1945, he published his first book _Från Asar till Wasar_. His career as an actor has lasted for long, for more than 50 years.

### Select bibliography

- _Från Asar till Wasar_ (1945)
- _Min galna hage_ (1957)
- _Lingonben_ (1978)
- _Min ordkynniga penna_ (1987)
- _Följ mig bakåt vägen_ (1992)
- _Som om inget hade hänt_ (1999)

### Select filmography

- _Tre söner gick till flyget_ (1945)
- _Ung och kär_ (1950)
- _Puck heter jag_ (1951)
- _Oss fakirer emellan_ (1951)
- _I dur och skur_ (1953)
- _I rök och dans_ (1954)
- _Hoppsan!_ (1955)
- _Ratataa_ (1956)
- _Kortknäpp_ (1957)
- _Den store amatören_ (1958)
- _Falsk som vatten_ (1985)
- _Tarzan_ (1999)

### Karamelodikt-scholarship

In 1983, Ramel invented the Karamelodikt-scholarship, in Sweden known as _Karamelodikt-stipendiet_. It is handed out every year to Ramel's honor.

## Infobox (biography)

- **name**: Povel Ramel
- **image**: Povel Ramel, 1955.jpg
- **birth place**: Östermalm
- **death date**: June 4 2007
- **death place**: Lidingö
- **nationality**: Swedish
- **citizenship**: Sweden
- **partner**: Susanna Ramel
- **children**: Mikael Ramel, Lotta Ramel
- **parents**: Märta Tesch, Karl Ramel
- **website**: https://povelramelsallskapet.se/