The Empress's courier

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Television series
Original title The Empress's courier
Country of production Germany
original language German
Year (s) 1970-1971
Episodes 26th
genre Adventure series
Director Hermann Leitner
idea Hans Dieter Schreeb and Hans-Georg Thiemt
music Peter Thomas
First broadcast September 28, 1970
occupation

Kurier der Kaiserin is a 26-part television series that was produced for 24 weeks in 1968/69 on behalf of ZDF and ORF and first broadcast on September 28, 1970. The German actor Klausjürgen Wussow can be seen in the main role.

action

The series took place in the time of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa during the Seven Years' War , ie in the years 1756–1763. Probably the noble family of the prominent Karl von Rotteck from Freiburg, at that time in front of Austria , was the model for the role of the noble courier. His first name is also Karl - he is called that in several episodes and also introduces himself in Die Brücke . On all adventures Rotteck had the officer boy Padua as a loyal companion. The humorously played Prussian lieutenant von Buckow was mostly his opponent. Rotteck explained to him in the episode Die Brücke that his own grandfather was a Prussian and served as an adjutant to Prince Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau . Occasionally, historical events are incorporated, such as the battle of Kunersdorf in August 1759, which ended with a victory for the Russians and Austrians over the Prussians . Occasionally he is drawn into acts of war and espionage assignments, as in the episodes The Bridge and A Free Dutchman . Rotteck regularly gets entangled in random love affairs, which, however, usually get him into trouble. During his assignments, he met famous personalities of his time in many European countries, such as Louis XV , King of France, Casanova and the Turkish Sultan .

Development of the series

Originally, the scriptwriters Hans Dieter Schreeb and Hans-Georg Thiemt planned a TV series that would have a post rider as a hero. As they worked, they realized that the figure of an imperial officer gave them many more opportunities for high-profile adventures.

The officer's companion was a Moor , as they were often to be found as servants in aristocratic palaces in the 18th century. This idea was rejected and so Lieutenant von Rotteck was finally put to the side of the gypsy boy Padua.

actor

In addition to the main cast, some actors appear in several episodes, such as Wolfgang Spier twice as Ludwig XV. and as an imperial secret agent of Section 7, with the cover name "Doctor" in Death or Siberia . Also Eckart Dux as a French envoy Captaine Rochelle and Heinrich Schweiger play as a Russian envoy General Putov in at least two episodes. Erika Pluhar , Marianne Wischmann , Willy Harlander , Walter Janssen as sultan, Hans Wyprächtiger as harem guard Boris, Franz Muxeneder and Til Kiwe can be seen in individual episodes . Well-known television and theater actors such as Hans Baur , Erik Frey and Christine Buchegger also played the Weinmüller family in smaller roles in the episode Ein Preuße in Vienna . The actors Dieter Eppler (as the captain of Schmalz), Martha Wallner , Carlheinz Heitmann and Herta Konrad , who mainly work in the theater, also appeared in the episode Der Kapitän von Zimmer 12 . In the episode Geld aus Sachsen , Günther Haenel plays a Saxon minister and Lotte Ledl the attractive sister of a criminal dance master. Jan Hendriks , Werner Abrolat , Isolde Miller and again Til Kiwe play in Komödianten . Erika Pluhar, Wolfgang Lukschy and Kurt Heintel can be seen in Die Polin . In the episode The alchemists are Richard Lauffen as Adolf van Houten, Trude Marlen and Kurt Zips the guest stars. Other well-known actors from the episodes Der Fall Madelaine and Staatsstreich are Ilona Grübel , Helma Seitz , Karl-Georg Saebisch , Georg Hartmann , Herta Kravina , Horst Keitel , Senta Wengraf and Peter Neusser .

background

According to the ZDF managers, the main role should actually be offered to Peter Kraus . When Klausjürgen Wussow was offered the role, he could hardly ride and at the start of shooting he had only had four lessons behind him.

Even in dangerous scenes, the main actor could not be doubled. Most of the filming took place in Vienna as well as in the surrounding area and on the Austrian-Czech border.

Since the ZDF did not want to produce an endless series that was losing quality, “ Der Kurier der Kaiserin ” was not continued after the 26 episodes despite public protests. However, the series was repeated in 1972 and 1973 on ZDF, later on ORF1 (1980 and 1989), 3sat (1986, 1993 and 1996). The series last ran on ZDF in 1992 and 2012 in ZDFkultur.

In the Netherlands , the series ran from September 17, 1971 under the title " De Koerier van de Koningin ".

Episodes

  • The new colonel
  • The thing about palapolo
  • The bridge
  • The duel
  • Black Mary
  • The inheritance
  • The well poisoners
  • The sultan's treasures
  • Enemies
  • War games
  • Henry the Bear
  • A free Dutchman
  • Fortress imprisonment
  • Secret negotiations
  • A Prussian in Vienna
  • Witchcraft
  • The captain of room 12
  • Money from Saxony
  • Press command
  • Comedians
  • The polish woman
  • Death or Siberia
  • The gold maker
  • The marriage
  • The Madelaine case
  • Coup

literature

  • Hans Dieter Schreeb, Hans Georg Thiemt, Manfred Jenning (eds.): The Empress's courier: Lieutenant Rotteck. Walt-Disney Musikverlag Ges. 1974.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ repetitions according to fernsehserien.de