Leon Schuster's life and legacy explored in a new kykNET documentary series

Leon Schuster, for decades, has been known as a jokester, prankster, filmmaker, and storyteller. 

Last week, Schuster was honoured at the Silwerskerm Awards for his contribution to the entertainment industry in South Africa, and now South Africans, for the first time, will get to hear his life story in a five-part documentary series.

News of the documentary series comes as Multichoice lifted bans on Schuster’s older films, allowing them to return to DStv and Showmax after removing them from its platforms for alleged racial insensitivity.

“It always struck me as strange that his story had never been told in depth before. I wanted to take on the challenge and, in the process, help immortalise his legacy,” said Rian van Heerden, from production company Provoco, behind the documentary series “Schuster”. 

Across five episodes, the series explores Schuster’s childhood in Bloemfontein, his early years as a radio presenter and the success he later had with films like “You Must Be Joking” and “Mama Jack”.

“There are many highlights in my career, but my very first candid movies (‘You Must Be Joking’ and ‘Oh Shucks… It’s Schuster’) really stand out, because that’s where everything started,” said Schuster. 

“ ‘Oh Schucks.... It's Schuster!’ put me on the map, and I’ll always be grateful that audiences loved it so much. But ‘Mama Jack’ was the biggest learning curve. Developing that character was a huge challenge, but I loved it. 

“Not everyone was crazy about the movie, but my heart was in that role and I learned so much from it.

“I hope viewers get the truth. The raw truth. Not the Schucks truth, the Mr Bones truth or the Mama Jack truth, the Leon truth. Comedians are usually associated with clowns and jokers, but inherently, they are actually very deep people. And I think a little of that depth shines through.”

The series also features interviews with people who have worked alongside Schuster and some of those on the receiving end of his famous pranks. Eddie Eksteen, Carike Keuzenkamp, Jack Parow, Helen Zille, Alfred Ntombela (aka Shorty), Rob van Vuuren, and Desmond Dube are among the well-known faces sharing their stories.

In recent years, Schuster has faced health challenges, particularly with his back, which has left him in near-constant pain. For the first time, he speaks candidly about these struggles, as well as the mistakes he has made in both his professional and personal life.

“Schuster” premieres on Wednesday, October 1, at 20:00 on kykNET (DStv channel 144).

IOL