We have already written about the theatre Rokoko and we have also mentioned that the theatre became an incubator of new young singers about whom the theatre cared with almost motherly love but also managed them well. The star trio Helena Vondráčková, Marta Kubišová and Václav Neckář decided to leave Rokoko in the year 1968 when their popularity was almost peaking. It was upon the suggestion of composer and able producer Bohuslav Ondráček (‘Boban’ was a real pioneer – the profession of a producer had not existed in out country until that time) and conductor Josef Vobruba that they established the trio Golden Kids. Zdeněk Rytíř, who was having a close relationship with Helena Vondráčková then, thought up the name – kids as in young goats.
The official date of birth of the Golden Kids is 1 st November 1968, being the day of Marta Kubišová´s twenty-sixth birthday. What were they so innovatory with? They were the first in our country to start a big classical commercial project, dance and acting forms of stars were of use in their concert program Music Box No.1, it was a dynamic dance and music show. Let’s not forget that until that time singers stood motionlessly by the microphone, such classical performances were represented for example by the duo Simonová – Chladil. They were accompanied by an orchestra made of members of TOČR (Dance orchestra of Czech sound broadcasting) together with the experienced conductor Josef Vobruba. Prague Lucerna experienced the concert premiere on the 25 th November 1968. A successful performance in Cannes followed and other possibilities came to light…
But the group managed to produce only two albums and prepare three concert programs in the face of the changes of the political climate in Czechoslovakia. The last concert with the Music Box No. 2 program took place on 27
th January 1970 in Ostrava sports arena. Exactly one week later Václav Neckář was called to the office of the new controlling Pragokoncert director JUDr. František Hrabal, where he was shown three forged pornographic snaps which were supposed to discredit Marta Kubišová. This was the end not only of Golden Kids, but significantly of Marta Kubišová´s career – for nineteen long years.
I still think that break up of Golden Kids had not only political background but also competition was involved,
Václav Neckář speculated some time ago. Of course everything was added together for the singer, the favor which she showed towards Alexander Dubček in 1968, her attitudes right after the invasion of the armies (the song Modlitba, performance of Filosofská historie in Rokoko) etc.
Václav Neckář was filming a new co-production with Kolonie Lanfieri with the director Jan Schmidt in Georgia in Kavkaz in August 1968. He starred a mute lunatic Bekek. How symbolic of those times…
The president Ludvík Svoboda invited about forty celebrities to some kind of ceremony, it was a sad little banquet at the Prague castle in September 1968 – among the celebrities were performers from Rokoko, Semafor, Apollo (Petr Spálený, Pavlína Filipovská), the composer Jiří Jakoubek, Jaromír Klempíř, the lyricist Ivo Fischer and others. Matuška sang Po starých zámeckých schodech, Jiří Šlitr played the piano, Eva Pilarová together with Matuška sang Láska nebeská and Marta Kubišová Modlitba. In the end all of them sang the folksong, Aby nás pánbůh miloval. (So that god loves us).
Berta Štenclová
