No one knows why the Germans are obsessed with watching a 1963 short comedic film called "<keyword id="7885339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dinner-for-One">Dinner For One</keyword>" on New Year's Eve, and yet the tradition remains wildly popular. I observed it first hand last year in <keyword id="100128" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cologne">Cologne</keyword>, with a group of Germans who planned our evening (including traditions like raclette and telling fortunes with melted lead) around which of the many broadcasts of the film we would watch. Starring <keyword id="7885338" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Freddie-Frinton">Freddie Frinton</keyword> and <keyword id="1357034" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="May-Warden">May Warden</keyword>, the film shows an old woman and her butler at a dinner table where they pretend her deceased friends are sitting. The butler asks, "The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?" The woman replies, "The same procedure as every year, James!" Then the butler proceeds to pour many rounds of drinks for the table, impersonating her friends giving toasts, and drinking all of the alcohol himself. The film ends as the very drunk butler walks the woman to her room and asks, "By the way, the same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?" She responds, "The same procedure as every year, James!" He says, winking, "Well, I'll do my very best!" 
Why do half of Germans watch this movie every year, gleefully reciting lines as they happen? 
The group I was with could not have a good answer. 
<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/12/26/same-procedure-germans-celebrate-new-years-eve-with-dinner-for-one/">WSJ's Todd Buell recently offered some speculation</a>: 
A short chat with German colleagues revealed a variety of reasons: it debuted in Germany in a time when items from the English-speaking world were very popular. Also the English dialogue is so simple that it allows even those with limited English skills to understand what's going on. 
Another colleague pointed out that Germans' affinity for the show is linked to a nostalgic longing for a more secure past. The "same procedure" means, obviously, that nothing will change as James stumbles and spills, Germany can remember an allegedly happier and simpler time. The action is also so at odds with "normal" German activity that it gives people an escape valve from everyday life, said another co-worker. 
"Dinner For One" has become popular in other northern European countries and various parts of the world, becoming <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2005/12/the_mystery_of_dinner_for_one.html">the most frequently repeated TV show ever</a> despite not being broadcast in the U.K. or the U.S. 
The film has also generated some controversy regarding the butler's heavy drinking, leading to censored cuts in some areas. I would not be surprised if someone has turned the original into a drinking game. 
Here is a version of this strange and wonderful movie: 
<iframe width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/b1v4BYV-YvA"></iframe>

Germans Are Bizarrely Obsessed With This Old British Short Film On New Year's Eve

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53bd0da7ecad041f3fb89f29-1200-800/rtr3xp7m.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Germany" width="800" />REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci</div></div>
Following Germany's 7-1 drubbing of the hosts, here are seven facts you didn't know about Germany - and one you didn't know about Brazil.
Germany
1. Watching the slapstick 1963 British comedy sketch "Dinner for One", starring Freddie Frinton and May Warden, is an essential part of the German New Year's Eve celebration.
2.The word Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz (law delegating beef label monitoring) was removed from the German language this summer, but there are still some crackers - kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung (automobile liability insurance) and donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitaenswitwe (widow of a Danube steamboat company captain), to name but two.
3.If you ask a German the time and are told "halb drei" (literally "half three") the time is in fact half past two (half two in English). Germans count the minutes to the next hour rather than after.
4. The Munich Oktoberfest actually starts in late September. Don't worry too much if you miss it: there are 60 beer gardens in and around the city that are open all summer.
5. In 1888 Germany had three emperors: Wilhelm I, Frederick III and Wilhelm II. Frederick III died from cancer of the larynx aged 56 having ruled for just 99 days. A liberal by disposition, he would have been a very different emperor to Wilhelm II.
6. There is a Barbie doll modelled on Germany's current Chancellor Angela Merkel.
7. The opening of Berlin's long awaited new international airport has been delayed five times and it is still not exactly clear when it will be ready for service. What happened to Teutonic efficiency?
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10223647/Twenty-things-you-didnt-know-about-Germany.html">Find out more fun facts about Germany</a>
Brazil
1. Osama Bin Laden-themed bars are something of a trend in Brazil. Well, there's at least two, anyway. Bar do Bin Laden in Sao Paulo - run by an Osama lookalike - and Caverna do Bin Laden, or "Bin Laden's Cave" - can be found just in Niteroi, around 25 kilometres north of Rio de Janeiro.
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/southamerica/brazil/10824584/Brazil-30-fascinating-facts.html">Find out more fun facts about Brazil</a>
Read more
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Germans Are Bizarrely Obsessed With This Old British Short Film On New Year's Eve

Gus Lubin

7 Fun Things You Probably Didn't Know About Germany

The Telegraph