Tulip Time

Nobody knows them in their motherland, but in the thirties and during WW II, the Dutch/Jewish Lescano's were immensely popular in Italy. Begun out of necessity as dancers with a travelling circus, they were scouted by the influential radio tycoon Carlo Prato. He turned Sandra, Judith and Catharina into the new Andrew Sisters, who sold no fewer than 350 thousand copies of their hit song Tulipan. Their fame was so huge that Mussolini called them 'the stars of the century' and even danced with one of the Dutch Jews. People from that time, including a member of the then also popular group Primavera, talk about the singing sisters in Italy. Together with footage from the day, the account from one of the sisters, film and photo material, the story is told of the rise and fall of the Lescano's, of whom nothing remains but two LPs, some pictures and a bouquet of tulips. (Nederlands Film Festival)