Teddy Scholten

I am a chauvinist, to be honest. At least once a year. Yes, I am a European and I do like - nearly - all European film stars, but at the annual European Song Contest I hope that the Netherlands win. Every time when a jury member from Bosnia and Herzegovina or Malta declares: "Pays-bas... douze points", passionate yells rise from our home. Happily for our neighbours this does not happen too often and the last time 'we' won the event was in 1975 (!) with the band Teach-in and the song Ding-A-Dong. Today's post is about the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, Dutch singer Teddy Scholten (1926-2010) .


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 4018. Photo: 't Sticht, Utrecht. Great hat!

A Little Bit

Teddy Scholten was born Dorothea Margaretha van Zwieteren in 1926 in Rijswijk, close to The Hague, the capital of the Netherlands.

She met Henk Scholten, who became her fiancé in 1945. They married two years later. In the 1940s Teddy and Henk performed on stage as the duo Scholten & Van 't Zelfde.

In 1959 she was invited by the Dutch broadcasting company NTS to participate at the National Song Contest. She came, sang and conquered with the song Een beetje (A little bit), composed by Dick Schallies and with a text by Willy van Hemert.

Then, at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 in Cannes, she became first again. Later, she would sing the song also in French, German and Italian versions. In 1965 as well as in 1966 she presented the Dutch National Song Contest.

During the 1950s and 1960s Teddy and her husband Henk hosted several TV programmes for the Dutch broadcasting company KRO, including the candid camera show Kiekeboe (1963). With her husband, she also recorded several albums, many of them containing songs for children.

Teddy Scholten died in 2010. She was 83. With Henk she had a daughter, René Scholten.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 4000. Photo: 't Sticht, Utrecht.


Teddy and Henk Scholten. Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5124. Photo: Decca Records / Editions Altona, Amsterdam.

The Amazing Conchita Wurst

So tonight the fun starts again with the first semi-final in Vienna, Austria. Tuesday 21 is the second semi-final and Saturday 23 is the big final!

Last year, the amazing Conchita Wurst won for Austria with the song Rise Like a Phoenix, and the Common Linnets came in second for the Netherlands.

This year, forty countries (including Australia!) will participate this in this 60th Eurovision Song contest and Trijntje Oosterhuis (try to say her name loud and proud, if you dare!) will represent the Netherlands tonight with the song Walk along.

We hope Trijntje does as well tonight as Teddy Scholten did in 1959. An the Dutch pronunciation of her name isˈtrɛiɲcə ˈoːstərˌɦœys];


Teddy Scholten at the airport Schiphol after her siege at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. Source: IISG (Flickr).


Teddy Scholten, winner at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with Een beetje. Source: God Kveld Norge and Oslo! (YouTube).


Clip of Trijntje Oosterhuis singing Walk along. Source: Eurovision Song Contest (YouTube).

Sources: nu.nl, Wikipedia and IMDb.