Private Schulz
Private Schulz | |
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BBC2 |
Private Schulz is a 1981
Plot summary
Over six 50-minute episodes, it tells the story of Gerhard Schulz, a German fraudster and petty criminal who is forced against his will to serve in the
Production
Many of the main characters are based on real people (though some of the characters carry different names). Dialogue in the series is in English and in situations where Schulz interacts with English characters, his delivery is deliberate, like that of a non-native speaker not used to speaking English, or attempting to conceal his native accent. Billie Whitelaw played the role of a prostitute working at Salon Kitty, where German officers were secretly recorded by the
Cast
- Private Gerhard Schulz – Michael Elphick
- Major Neuheim, Gerald Melfort, Stanley Kemp – Ian Richardson
- Bertha Freya – Billie Whitelaw
- Gertrude Steiner – Rula Lenska
- Iphraim "Solly" Solikoff – Cyril Shaps
- Schumacher – Terence Suffolk
- Professor Bodelschwingh – David Swift
- Herr Krauss – Ken Campbell
- Bus Conductor – Hugh Walters
Episodes
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "Part one" | 6 May 1981 | |
Schulz is released from prison and is drafted into the SS Counter-Espionage division, under Major Neuheim. His first assignment is eavesdropping on clients at the Salon Kitty brothel where he meets Bertha, the madam of the establishment. Schulz recommends to Neuheim the forging of British five pound notes. He is tasked with assembling a group of forgers. | |||
2 | "Part two" | 13 May 1981 | |
The initial difficulties of forging the five pound notes is overcome, the last hurdle due to Schulz blackmailing Professor Bodelschwingh to solve the serial numbering sequence. After stealing some of the money to use at Salon Kitty and to impress Bertha, Schulz is discovered by Neuheim and must either face a firing squad, or parachute into Britain in an attempt to distribute two million pounds of forged currency. | |||
3 | "Part three" | 20 May 1981 | |
After landing in Britain, Schulz buries most of the money, using a milestone as a landmark. While trying to blend in among the populace, his behavior arouses suspicion amongst the villagers, and he escapes to make contact with the Nazi agent Melfort. He discovers Melfort is controlled by the British and runs to the coast, crossing the Channel to arrive at the Dunkirk evacuation. He eventually enters a deserted Chateau, where he is double-crossed by a countess, then captured by the German army. | |||
4 | "Part four" | 27 May 1981 | |
Schulz is returned to his post with Neuheim where he suggests using the forged money to pay German agents and buy treasures from occupied countries. He then plans to steal a shipment of the money. After his first plan fails, he attempts again with Neuheim's secretary, Gertrude Steiner, as his accomplice. He is once again double-crossed, captured, and sent to a labour camp for three years. | |||
5 | "Part five" | 3 June 1981 | |
It is now late 1944 and war is going poorly for Germany. The forging operation is moved by Neuheim to the labour camp Schulz is in. He maneuvers to once again be posted to act as Neuheim's clerk. As a last ditch effort Neuheim puts Schulz in charge of taking the forged money and equipment to the Alps for safety. With the help of the other forgers, Schulz dumps the equipment and money in a lake, but is then caught by an American patrol. Now penniless in late 1945, he is found by Neuheim and forced to retrieve the money from the lake. The plan quickly falls apart. | |||
6 | "Part six" | 20 June 1981 | |
Once again, Schulz is penniless and a released convict. He accidentally discovers he still has the map showing the location of the buried money in Britain. He travels back and recruits Stan, a local criminal, to help him dig for it beneath the public lavatory built over the spot. They recover the money, but Stan and his gang try to double-cross Schulz. He manages to escape with the canister of money and is pursued by Stan, only to have the booby-trapped canister to explode and destroy all the money. He later meets Bertha and after they realize they are both poor and homeless, they agree to settle down together. |
Reception
Michael Elphick's performance was praised in a 1983 review in The New York Times and noted the script by the late Jack Pulman "manages to be almost wickedly clever as it hones in on the foibles of not only the Germans but also of the British."[1]
Novelization
Concurrent with the airing of the
References
- ^ a b O'Connor, John J. (26 October 2002). "'Private Schulz' Series from Britain gets start". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ a b Screenonline – Private Schulz
- ISBN 978-1476603698.
- ^ The Medium is Not Enough