The German Films of Edgar Wallace German Cinema
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making it the longest running series in the same cast over and over again. The The German films of Edgar Wallace German cinema. Other producers tried most famous of the recurrent Wallace by Cora Buhlert to cash in on Wendlandt’s success, thus film actors is certainly Klaus Kinski. He A personal view of the German Edgar Wallace film adaptations some sources list up to 40 German starred in 17 of the films, mostly Wallace films. Not even all of playing madmen and killers, though he I still remember the first time I heard of revelation. Here police inspectors were Wendlandt’s movies were true Edgar was only rarely the mastermind behind Edgar Wallace. I must have been about dashing young gentlemen, murderers Wallace films, however. Especially the the crimes. The only actor to star in ten, an age when being allowed to stay were mysterious hooded figures, crimes later ones tended to stick the Wallace more Wallace films than Kinski was up late and watch a movie on TV is still were committed in ancient haunted label - at that time an almost certain Eddi Arent, who was in 21 films a special treat. One evening I was castles and on fog-shrouded quays, guarantee for box office success - to altogether. Eddi Arent usually played allowed to watch a film called Der bodycounts were huge and the films that had nothing to do with Edgar comic relief roles, mainly butlers, Gruene Bogenschuetze (The Green unfortunate victims were dispatched by Wallace’s works. though he was the murderer in Der Archer, 1961), a crime movie. means such as poisoned arrows and Key to the economic success of the Unheimliche Moench (The Mysterious For a child whose idea of crime chambers slowly filling with water. films was the fact that they were Monk, 1965) Das Raetsel des silbernen movies had been shaped by Inspector This crime movie was anything but cheaply made. Sets, props, stock Dreiecks (The Mystery of the Silver Derrick and his rather mundane mundane, and at the age of ten I was footage, even sounds were all recycled, Triangle, 1966). investigations, The Green Archer was a convinced that it was the scariest thing which gave the series a very distinctive Siegfried Schuerenberg holds a I had ever seen. look. For example, Die Toten Augen special place among the recurrent Below: Video cover for The Green Archer (1961) Even the very beginning of the film von London (The Dead Eyes of London, Wallace actors, because he was not signalled that this would be something 1961) and Der Gorilla von Soho (The simply playing similar roles over and entirely different from anything I had Gorilla of Soho, 1968) did not only have over again, he played the same character, seen before. Twelve shots fired at the roughly the same plot, but exactly the Sir John, head of Scotland Yard. Sir John screen. Twelve drops of blood, slowly same murder device (a glass-topped is best remembered for his stupidity (he forming into letters. A scream. And a tank in which unfortunate millionaires came close to arresting his own ghostly voice with a British accent were drowned as part of an insurance inspectors several times) and for the way saying the magic words, “Hallo! Hier scam) was used in both films. he lusted after every young and attractive spricht Edgar Wallace.” (Hallo, Edgar But the recycling did not stop at sets female that came along. In his last Wallace speaking). and props, it also extended to the crew Wallace film, Der Hund von Blackmoor Later, I found out that Edgar Wallace and cast. Often the same directors and Castle (The Hound of Blackmoor Castle, was a British author of crime fiction screenwriters were employed for 1967), Schuerenberg’s Sir John character and that he was definitely not the several films. The most notable of the was finally allowed to solve a crime on person speaking at the beginning of the Wallace directors are Alfred Vohrer his own, assisted by his secretary (played movie, since he died in 1932. I also with 15 films to his credit and Harald by Ilse Pagét, another Wallace regular). learned that the movie I had seen was Reinl with 5. The most renowned Schuerenberg starred in 14 Wallace films part of a whole series of films, based on screenwriters are Herbert Reinecker and probably would have made more, the works of Edgar Wallace. and Wolfgang Menge, both of whom had he not died shortly after The Hound In Germany, Edgar Wallace is still a went on to successful careers in of Blackmoor Castle was released. In household name, though he is far better German television. It is ironic that the later films, the role of Sir John was taken known for the films based on his works rather dull and mundane German TV over by actor Hubert von Meyenrink who than for the books themselves (even series I watched as a child in the early starred in 5 more movies. though they were still available in the 80s were often made by the same Other Wallace regulars include mid eighties and might even be today). people who had worked on the Wallace Joachim Fuchsberger (11 films) and 32 Wallace films were produced by films 20 years earlier. Heinz Drache (8 films), both of whom Horst Wendlandt and his Rialto Film Most notable to the viewer is the played mainly heroic police inspectors. company between 1959 and 1972, fact that the Wallace films seem to use The best known of the Edgar Wallace Thus, usual suspect Klaus Kinski was produced both in a German and an allowed to play a policeman once, English version, partly with different while the eternal comic relief Eddi actors. Others produced in co-operation Arent and perennial victim Karin Dor with Danish and Italian film both were revealed as murderers. And companies. However, the Wallace wave two of the best known Wallace villains, never quite seems to have caught on The Red Circle (1959) and The outside Germany. Squeaker (1963), were played by In Germany, the Wallace films have Klausjuergen Wussow and Guenther long attracted a cult following. Video Pfitzmann respectively, two actors best editions are available, and the films are known for playing kindly doctors in perpetually rerun on TV (at the moment long-running soap operas. a cable station is showing them in The most famous of the German prime time again). In the mid 1990s, Wallace films seems to be Der Hexer three new Edgar Wallace films were (The Ringer), made at the height of the produced for TV, but failed to reach the series’ popularity in 1964. The plot has appeal and success of the originals. a mysterious vigilante known as the Despite their success, the Wallace Ringer return from his Australian exile films are still largely ignored by film to avenge the murder of his sister. Three historians, dismissed as typical light police inspectors, played by Wallace entertainment fare, which dominated regulars Joachim Fuchsberger, Heinz German cinema in the 1960s. Over 40 Drache and Siegfried Lowitz, are years after the series debuted, there are Above: Poster for The Red Circle (1959) stumbling over each other’s feet while a lot of faults to find. Characters and the Ringer kills off criminal after settings are stereotypical, the plots heroines is Karin Dor (5 films), who criminal, assisted by his lovely wife often illogical and a lot of what is was married to Wallace director Harald (Margot Trooger) and faithful butler Above Video cover for The Ringer (1964) shown in those films (such as deformed Reinl. She went on to star in the James (Eddi Arent). The story is pure pulp, in villains and heads of Scotland Yard Bond film You Only Live Twice in 1967, which the Ringer, a master of disguise seems an unlikely choice to play Edgar slapping their secretaries on the making her the second Wallace cast using latex masks (two years before Wallace’s most famous vigilante, behind) does no longer fit into this age member to play in a Bond film (the first Mission Impossible), is finally revealed proving that even in the 1960s pulp of political correctness. Of course, the was Gerd Froebe who played to have been posing as one of the three heroes did not have to be young and Wallace films are entertainment fare, memorable villains in The Green inspectors all along. handsome. they were never meant to be anything Archer and in Goldfinger). The identity of the Ringer was kept Due to its success, The Ringer was else. But they are exceedingly well Another notable Wallace actor is absolutely secret during the filming. In the only Wallace film to spawn a direct made entertainment, despite the low Ady Berber. He was only in a handful of a move reminiscent of the secrecy sequel, Neues vom Hexer (The New budgets. The cast lists read like a who films, most notably Die Toten Augen surrounding blockbuster projects such Adventures of the Ringer) in 1965. The is who of German actors of the 1960s, von London (The Dead Eyes of London, as The Phantom Menace, the final surviving members of the original cast and many of the regulars went on to 1961). Berber usually played deformed pages of the script were kept locked up returned to reprise their roles, but national and international fame. servants and dumb but devoted killers. in a safe in producer Wendlandt’s office while still fun, the film was nowhere In this age of serial killer and teen His grotesque apelike appearance to prevent the secret from leaking to the near the quality of the original.