Suvenirnye Karty Odesskie

This is a 36 card pack with the text on the box written in Russian rather than Ukrainian. The pack was printed by “Moryak” in Odessa, the author was R. Leiderman and the artist Yu. Litvinenko. Each of the court cards are named: the knaves are R. Kartsev, V. Il’chenko’ Z. Gerdt, and Ia Levinzon. The queens are: L. Dolina, G. Pol’skikh, A. Romaiskaia and L. Litovko. The kings are: S. Livshin, M. Vodianoi, S. Govorukhin, and S. Pelishenko. Unfortunately I have only been able to identify two of the above individuals: Roman Andreyevich Kartsev was a Russian entertainer of stage, theatre and cinema. He was Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, People's Artist of the Russian Federation. He was an actor in the Moscow Theater of Miniatures under the leadership of Mikhail Zhvanetsky. For several decades he performed in a duet with Viktor Ilchenko.

Victor Leonidovich Ilchenko was born in Borisoglebsk on January 2, 1937. From 1963, he worked at Arkady Raikin's Leningrad Theatre of Miniatures, where Roman Kartsev and Mikhail Zhvanetsky also worked. Within the framework of the theatre, Ilchenko and Kartsev had their own concert program. In 1969, Ilchenko and Kartsev left to create their own Odessa Theater of Miniatures, which released three programs: "How to get to Deribasovskaia", "Met and scattered" and "Sincerely yours". Viktor Ilchenko died of stomach cancer on January 21, 1992, at the age of 56 and was buried in Moscow.

Above: Pack printed by “Moryak” in Odessa illustrated by artist Yu. Litvinenko, 1992. 36 cards in box.