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Karl May: German Westerns, Winnetou and Old Shatterhand

by | Jul 25, 2022 | , | 0 Comments


If you’ve never heard of Winnetou, Old Shatterhand, Kara Ben Nemsi or Old Surehand, you probably didn’t grow up in Germany or another German-speaking country. Those characters created by the German author Karl May (1842-1912) are as well-known in Germany and a few other European countries as the Lone Ranger and Tonto, or Tarzan are in the English-speaking world. Unlike traditional American-style Westerns, May’s stories favored the Indians over the cowboys/frontiersman (Westmänner in May parlance). He portrayed his Native American characters as intelligent, noble people who appreciated Nature and were generally more honest and trustworthy than the paleface frontier people they encountered. In doing so, May (pronounced MY) also romanticized the life and culture of American Indians, sparking a longtime cultural and literary debate in Germany that continues to this day. May also had errors and inconsistencies in his novels, which were written and revised over many years at different times.

Book: Winnetou II

The Apache chieftain Winnetou (left) is one of Karl May’s best known fictional characters. His German friend Old Shatterhand is equally famous. This book, Part II (Vol. 8) of the Winnetou trilogy, was first published in 1893, although May had first invented an early version of Winnetou in 1878. The book pictured here, part of the classic “green volumes” (grüne Bände), was published in Bamberg, West Germany by the Karl-May-Verlag (founded in 1913) with a 1951 copyright. The postwar German division and the Soviet Occupation Zone led to the publisher moving operations from East Germany to Bamberg. A Radebeul office opened in 1996. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

Neither the Tonto nor the Tarzan portrayals in American movies and television managed to avoid stale stereotypes and tropes. Neither Tonto nor Tarzan spoke English very well. The original Tarzan, as written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and first published in 1912, was well-spoken, but none of the Johnny Weissmuller movies were based on the original novels. On the other hand, Winnetou, Karl May’s Apache chieftain, speaks perfect German/English: Er sprach ein reines Englisch. (“He spoke perfect English.”) – Winnetou I.

The Tonto sidekick character was invented (for the radio series) so that the Lone Ranger, played by Clayton Moore in most of the later TV episodes, would have someone to talk to. The good part was that the TV Tonto was at least played by the indigenous Canadian actor Jay Silverheels, a rarity in movies and TV of the 1950s. The US television series aired on the ABC network from 1949 to 1957, with an amazing 221 30-minute episodes. For the 2013 Lone Ranger movie, there was criticism aimed at a non-indigenous actor (Johnny Depp) playing Tonto. (See Hollywood Indian Sidekicks and American Identity from Essais.)

Tonto and the Lone Ranger

The LONE RANGER television series featured Clayton Moore as the masked title figure and Jay Silverheels as Tonto, his Indian sidekick. PHOTO: American Broadcasting Company

In the German Winnetou “sauerkraut Western” film adaptations of the 1960s, as with Tarzan, the movie scripts often deviated from May’s original stories. Many Europeans’ understanding of the Winnetou character (and American Indians in general) are still based on the film versions, over which May’s estate had little control. American actor Lex Barker (Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr, 1919-1973), who also played the film Tarzan, portrayed Winnetou’s friend Old Shatterhand – who comes from Germany. To this day, Barker is best known in German-speaking Europe for his Old Shatterhand role, for which he even received German film awards. The French actor Pierre Brice (pron. BREECE; Pierre-Louis Le Bris, 1929-2015) had a long career based on his Winnetou role on screen and in live pageants. In East Germany, the popular “Indianerfilme” (not “Westernfilme”!) featured the German-Serbian actor Gojko Mitić as Winnetou. More recently, in the 2016 made-for-TV movie Winnetou – Der Mythos lebt (“…the myth lives on”), Winnetou was played by Nik Xhelilaj of Albania. No, none of these guys was a Native American or even related to one. read more…

Going to the Movies in Germany

by | Jul 11, 2022 | , , , | 0 Comments

As Berlin steamed with temperatures in the mid to high 30s C (90 degrees F) over much of the last month, I looked for ways to cool down. My family hit a lot of the classics, including copious park hangs, elaborate ice cream sundaes, visiting the pool, and even planning a beach vacation. But with this many hot days in a row, we were still looking for ways to keep cool.

Enter one of my American hot weather habits – searching out the AC (Klimaanlage). Malls in the USA are usually cooled to the point of near freezing, but no such luck in Berlin. Cars with A/C are another typical option in the USA, but we are public transport only in Germany. S-Bahns are notoriously an inferno with open windows frequently snapped shut with a curt “Es zieht!” (rumour has it new S-Bahns may come with A/C). Buses and trams can offer some relief, but it is not reliable while U-Bahn is the best option with its (mostly) subterranean setting and fairly consistent A/C. So where else could provide precious A/C?

…enter the movie theater, or Kino. While the open-air movie theater (Freiluftkino) is at the mercy of whatever German weather throws at people, traditional Kinos almost always offer air conditioning. We’ve been twice in the month-long heat wave.

Of course you don’t just go to the theater to escape the heat. It is also a great form of entrainment and can offer valuable cultural insight. Hyde has covered the history of cinema in Germany including German Academy Award Winners. Berlin is also the site of a renowned film festival every February, Berlinale. You don’t have to reserve a trip to the Kino for a special time of year. Here is how to make the most of going to the movies in Germany.

Berlin Film Fest Awards

Prizes from Berlinale PHOTO: Erin Porter

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Bad Medicine: Germany and Homeopathy

by | Jun 27, 2022 | , , | 3 Comments

Samuel Hahnemann and “Like Cures Like”

If Samuel Hahnemann had remained a linguist and translator, or even a physician, rather than moving into experimenting with a new type of medical treatment, he and the world could have saved themselves a lot of headaches and other ills. As it was, the German Hahnemann became the founder of homeopathy (Homöopathie in German) around 1796.

Born in Meissen in the Electorate of Saxony (Kurfürstentum Sachsen) in 1755, Hahnemann showed a talent for languages, becoming proficient in English, French, Italian, Greek and Latin. To help support his medical studies in Leipzig, Hahnemann worked as a translator of medical works and a language teacher. Before long he had added Arabic, Chaldaic, Hebrew, and other languages to a collection of exotic tongues that eventually totaled over 20 languages.

Homeopathy globules

Homeopathic globules (Globuli in German) are made from an inert substance (usually cane sugar, sometimes lactose), upon which a drop of liquid homeopathic preparation is placed and allowed to evaporate. These sugar pills are not just ineffective but actually dangerous when used instead of legitimate medical treatment. Homeopathic remedies are typically biochemically inert, and have no effect on any known disease. PHOTO: Dr. Moumita Sahana (Wikimedia Commons)

In fact it was Hahnemann’s translation work that got him started with the pseudoscience of homeopathy. Around 1784, while translating a work in English by William Cullen titled A Treatise on the Materia Medica, he noticed Cullen’s claim that cinchona, the bark of a Peruvian tree, was effective in treating malaria. In the process of doing his own experimentation with that bark and other natural substances Hahnemann stumbled onto the theory of “like cures like” (similia similibus curentur in Latin). Homeopaths (Heilpraktiker in German), believe that a (diluted) substance that causes symptoms of a disease in healthy people can cure similar symptoms in sick people. But in practice, homeopathic remedies are so extremely diluted that their effectiveness is virtually zero. At most a homeopathic patient may experience a placebo effect.

Which is why some people claim there is little harm from homeopathy and other “alternative” treatments. But in truth there is harm. People who turn to homeopathy may suffer no harm from the treatment itself, but by delaying real medical treatment, they risk not getting curative care that could prevent or alleviate serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and other ailments. And in fact, self-treatment with homeopathic “cures” or the actions of quack homeopaths does sometimes lead to bad outcomes. One example: A mother brought her young daughter in to see a medical doctor for an ear ailment that was not responding to homeopathy. To his astonishment, the physician discovered that the child’s ear canal was packed with sugar pills placed there by a homeopath. The jammed-together pills had caused a severe infection in the child’s ear. read more…

Driving a Boat in Germany

by | Jun 13, 2022 | , , , | 0 Comments

Last Thursday I left the freeways, conference center, and Funkturm of Messe Nord by bus and was swiftly whisked back into nature. Buildings gave away to tree lined roads and before long you could glimpse the water. Stepping off the bus I wandered by several residences, a closed restaurant, and then spotted my address at the marina. It was a confusing complex of buildings, many boats, and even a lawn with a small train and swing for children. We found the boat school near the water and stepped inside to learn the basics of boat right of way, knots, and more. In short, this was not my typical Thursday.

So, how did I find myself here? I work for a Berlin startup and along with the usual fine line-up of perks like free drinks and snacks in our sleek office, flexible hours and option to work fully remote from practically anywhere, funds for transportation, gym, as well as an education benefit, we have great events – some of which take place on the company boats. As an added bonus, you can even take the boats out yourself, provided you have been approved as a captain with some basic training. It is a great perk.

For that reason, I had joined our latest round of boat training. Good thing as I had already scheduled my first boat trip a little more than a week away and there was a lot to learn! While a license isn’t necessary for many boats it is always best to understand the rules of the water before taking a boat out for a spin. Here is some of the information I learned over our two-day session on how to drive a boat in Germany.

Bootsschule Berlin

Boat School in Berlin PHOTO: Erin Porter

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The Two German Academy Award Winners for Best Actor

by | May 30, 2022 | | 0 Comments


The Very First Academy Awards Ceremony
Only two Germans have ever won an Academy Award for Best Actor or Actress in a Leading Role. One of them did so at the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. Since then many other German-speakers have also won or been nominated for an Oscar.

In modern times the annual Academy Awards extravaganza is seen by millions of viewers on television. (You didn’t miss the Will Smith debacle in 2022, did you?) But the very first Academy Awards event in 1929 was not even broadcast on the radio (there was no television), and the ceremony lasted all of 15 minutes. There are many other things that made the first event unique and unusual compared to today’s Oscars. For one thing the statuette was not yet called an “Oscar” and, for another, the names of the winners were released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) three months before the event took place in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Only 270 people paid the $5 for a ticket to attend the event (almost $80 adjusted for inflation).

1929 Academy Awards

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. On 16 May 1929, the German actor Emil Jannings was not present when his award for Best Actor was announced. He had already returned to Germany. PHOTO: AMPAS

Emil Jannings (1884-1950)
The first ever Academy Award for Best Actor was awarded to a German actor – who was not even at the Roosevelt Hotel to accept it. Emil Jannings had already collected his Academy statuette months before the ceremonies took place on the night of 16 May 1929. At the time of the event in Hollywood Herr Jannings was already back Germany with his “Oscar” in hand, having made six Hollywood films. The 1929 Academy Awards event distributed awards for films made in 1927 and 1928. Jannings had won his Best Actor award for two silent films: The Way of All Flesh (1927, a “lost” film) and The Last Command (1928). There were only 12 categories of awards, compared to many more today. Although sound films were already being made in Hollywood by 1929, the Academy felt it was unfair to have the new talkies compete against silent films. As a result, Warner Brothers’ talkie The Jazz Singer received a “Special Award.” Wings received the award called “Outstanding Picture,” which later became “Best Picture.” read more…

Road trip from Berlin to Austria

by | May 16, 2022 | , , | 0 Comments

As we near the summer season, I am still thinking fondly of a trip I took this winter. After two plus years or restricted travel, we have kicked 2022 off strong with a visit to our family in the USA, a week in Austria, and 10-days in Andalusia. It has been amazing to be on the road again and experiencing friends and family, new places, and the feeling of possibility.

So back to this trip to Austria. I covered our snow-filled days in mountain-perched Raggal, but – like they say – the journey is half the fun. The drive between our start point and ultimate destination was about 6 hours. In USA norms, this is a total doable drive. But we had time and wanted to take things slower, go at a more European rate. So we picked several places for stops, plus two mid-way destination to stay overnight.

As all of us are long-term residents in Berlin, we’ve visited the usual culprits of Leipzig, Halle (Salle), Jena…. we needed to look further afield. We poured over maps looking over our route and checking lists of “Under-rated towns in Germany” and “Best small towns”. Here is the road trip we took from Berlin to Raggal, Austria and back again, with a side trip thrown in for fun.

Naumburg

Naumburg (Saale)

Stop in Naumburg Photo: Erin Porter

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The Art and Tragedy of Albert Bierstadt

by | May 2, 2022 | | 0 Comments

The German American landscape painter Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)

The painting depicted below is not what most people consider a typical Albert Bierstadt landscape. It was created during the “tragedy” period of Bierstadt’s life and career. Many art critics, art historians, and collectors regard this particular painting as one of Albert Bierstadt’s best. Yet, when it was created in the 1880s, the artist could not find a buyer for it. At a 2018 Sotheby’s art auction the 18 by 32-inch oil-on-canvas painting had a suggested bid price of $700,000 to $1 million USD.

View of Nassau Harbor - Bierstadt

View of Nassau, Bahamas (c. 1880) is not a typical Bierstadt painting. It differs in significant ways from his better known American West mountain landscapes. PHOTO: Public Domain (Private collection)

It was created in a place that Bierstadt had come to know very well during the 17-year segment of his marriage to the love of his life, Rosalie “Rose” (née Osborne) Bierstadt, when she was battling tuberculosis by spending months at a time in Nassau at the Royal Victoria Hotel. The Royal Victoria was then a popular TB sanatorium for wealthy Americans who could afford lengthy healthcare stays in the Bahamas. Rosalie usually spent six or more months out of a year in Nassau, avoiding New York’s cold weather. Albert would visit her by taking a steamer from New York.

Rosalie was only 52 years old when she died in Nassau on 1 March 1893. Albert was in New York at the time. Her death came unexpectedly, and it plunged Albert into deep sorrow and depression. But the death of his beloved wife was not the only tragedy in Albert Bierstadt’s life. His wife had been diagnosed with consumption, the common term for tuberculosis at the time, in 1876. In 1882 a fire destroyed his mansion and art studio (known as the “Malkasten,” German for “paint box”) overlooking the Hudson River in Irvington, New York. Along with his studio, many of his paintings and other personal belongings collected over the years were lost forever. The house was never rebuilt.

Overriding all of this was yet another unavoidable dark cloud. By 1880, shortly after the time of his wife’s TB diagnosis, Bierstadt’s paintings had fallen out of favor with collectors and art critics. His artistic career had skyrocketed in the 1860s. His paintings of European and American scenic landscapes were highly sought after by wealthy art collectors and respected art museums and exhibitors. At his zenith, Bierstadt was getting $20,000 for his large landscapes, including his 1866 work, A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie in Colorado, named for his wife (but later renamed Mt. Evans*), and his paintings were in very high demand. But nothing lasts forever. Stubborn to the end, Bierstadt felt that the critics were wrong not to appreciate his art in a style that had fallen out of favor. read more…

Quirks of Vacation Days in Germany 

by | Apr 18, 2022 | , , , , , | 0 Comments

It is the day after Ostern (Easter) when this post goes up, so still a holiday in most European countries. As I am on vacation in Spain, I was pleased I wouldn’t have to take Friday or Monday as vacation days as they are public holidays throughout Germany. That isn’t always the case: the first little quirk I’ll cover in this post.

Number of Public Holidays in Germany Differ Between States

Even as an American with over 10+ years under my belt in Berlin, I still scramble understanding which days are officially off. This is partially because there are no nationwide public holidays in Germany. Each federal-state gets to decide which days are public holidays, meaning more traditionally religious Bavaria gets 13, Baden-Württemberg and Saarland land on their feet with 12, while Hamburg and Bremen get a measly 10. Berlin used to be on that bottom list but its recent embrace of International Women’s Day on March 8th has given it the fair number of 11 public holidays.

Poster for Women's Day from 1914

Poster for Women’s Day from 1914 that was banned by the Second Reich By Karl Maria Stadler

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