Kein Pardon (1993)

The clumsy Peter Schlönzke works as a canapé deliveryman in the family business and is a big fan of the variety show *Witzischkeit kennt keine Grenzen*, hosted by Heinz Wäscher. His mother secretly enters him in a talent contest on the show. Although he fails to make the grade in the competition, he happens to meet Ulla, a sound-effects artist, at the broadcaster’s building, and she gets him a job as a cable assistant. He now gets a glimpse behind the scenes of his favorite show and discovers that Heinz Wäscher is nothing like the nice man he always seems to be on television. Instead, he is a self-absorbed hothead who bullies the crew with his arrogance and unbearable star behavior. Moreover, Peter’s grandfather’s vehemently voiced suspicion that Wäscher is “an old groper” turns out to be true. During a live broadcast, Schlönzke is drafted at short notice to play the “Funny Lucky Rabbit.” When, during the show, he loses his temper over Wäscher’s habit of always blaming others for his own mistakes and insults him on live television, the audience and the program director are so delighted that Schlönzke takes Wäscher’s place as the show’s host. A year later, Schlönzke lives in a luxurious apartment and torments those around him with the same kind of star behavior Wäscher once displayed. He has little contact with his family, and his relationship with his girlfriend Ulla has all but petered out because he has no time for her. When criticism mounts over falling ratings and Schlönzke’s family unintentionally embarrasses him during a live broadcast, he too is fired. At least this allows him to reconcile with Ulla. His place on the show is taken by little Bettina, who won the talent contest back then, even though she stubbornly remains silent apart from occasionally stating clearly that she wants to become a hairdresser, while her ever-present mother constantly speaks for her.