Percy Stuart
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Percy Stuart |
 | |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Year (s) | 1969, 1970-1972 |
| length | 25 minutes |
| Episodes | 52 in 4 seasons |
| genre | adventure |
| idea | Karl Heinz Zeitler |
| music | Siegfried Franz |
| German-language first broadcast |
March 19, 1969 |
| occupation | |
The club members
and Günter Lüdke : Butler | |
Percy Stuart was an adventure series on ZDF that ran weekly in the early evening program (Wednesday, 7.10 p.m.) . Screenwriter Karl Heinz Zeitler wrote a total of 52 episodes, which were first broadcast between March 12, 1969 and January 19, 1972. They were produced by Horst Lockau and the "Hamburgische Film- und Fernsehproduktion".
Originally Percy Stuart was the main character of the booklet novel series Lord Percy from the Excentric Club , which appeared in 1913-1927.
Plot template
At the Mignon publishing house in Dresden came in late 1913 under the title Lord Percy from the Excentric Club . The hero and daring adventurer in 197 mysterious tasks out a new dime novel series. The publisher had rashly limited the adventure series to 197 episodes without suspecting the success this series would trigger.
Adaptation
The idea of making a television series out of it came from Karl Heinz Zeitler . Instead of 197 tasks, Percy Stuart, an American multimillionaire, only has to solve 13 tasks (adapted to the quarterly series rhythm of the time on German television), which are based on the present day. Percy's late father had decided that he should apply for admission to the exclusive "Club of 13" or "Excentric Club" in London.
The club consists of former presidents, generals, ministers and judges who, however, actually do not want to allow further admission into their circle. An “entrance exam” is proposed as a solution. Each member has a special task for Percy Stuart. Solving them results in dangerous, turbulent, but also cheerful adventures that take place in different places and countries. As the series became more and more popular, Percy does not pass the 13th task and is now given 13 new tasks by the club members. In the end, four seasons with 52 episodes were shot (duration of each episode: 25 minutes, Wednesdays at 19:10), the first two seasons still in black and white. The series was very successful. The names of three club members (Snyder, Pommeroy and Winterbottom) are allusions to Dinner for One .
Actor and director
The role of Percy Stuart was taken on by Claus Wilcke , to whom Horst Keitel was assigned as a peculiar lawyer Reginald Prewster, who has to watch over whether the tasks are actually solved in the interests of the club members. Both actors were hugely popular with the television audience.
Guest appearances were u. a. Ferdinand Dux , Helga Feddersen , Jan Hendriks , Bernd Herzsprung , Benno Hoffmann , Gerda-Maria Jürgens , Karl-Heinz Kreienbaum , Heidrun Kussin , Katharina Mayberg , Barbie Millowitsch-Steinhaus , Werner Riepel , Wolfram Schaerf , Heidi Schaffrath , Friedrich Schütter , Jochen Sehrndt , Frank Straass , Günther Ungeheuer , Alexander Welbat and Gerhard Wollner .
The series had two directors: Ernst Hofbauer (episode 1–26), known for his schoolgirl report cinema films, and Hans-Georg Thiemt (episode 27–52), who had previously been a crime series (e.g. Commissioner Brahm or John Klings Adventure ). The shooting took place between 1967 and 1971.
The title song "Percy Stuart, this is our man ... a man, a man, a man who can do everything" was composed by Siegfried Franz and sung by Claus Wilcke. After the end of the series, the popular Wilcke quickly disappeared from the screen, while Horst Keitel was able to continue with the series On behalf of Madame 1972.
successes
Up until the very end there were high audience ratings. For the last three episodes, the ZDF determined a rate of 54%. In 1970 a Spanish version was created, which was also broadcast in South America .
consequences
1st season
2nd season
|
3rd season
4th season
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DVD release
With the Strassenfeger Edition, ARD Video publishes the best crime novels of the 60s and 70s on DVD. With great attention to detail, box sets were put together and published in an excellently restored version.
- Street Sweeper 03 - Percy Stuart - Season 1 + 2 [4 DVDs]. October 24, 2008.
- Street Sweeper 04 - Percy Stuart - Season 3 + 4 [4 DVDs]. October 24, 2008.
Filmography
- 1917: The wedding in the Excentric Club , with Käthe Haack , Bruno Kastner , Harry Liedtke . Director : Joe May , Script : Fritz Lang (an early silent film adaptation of the Percy Stuart story )
expenditure
- Percy Stuart. The new Excentric Club . 15 delivery books. Reprographic reprint of the Dresden 1920 edition. Hildesheim u. a .: Olms. 1972. (= sources for trivial literature)
- Karl Heinz Zeitler: Percy Stuart. A journey with obstacles. A television book . Vienna u. a .: Broadhead. 1970.
- Karl Heinz Zeitler: Percy Stuart. Abduction to Puerto Rico. A television book . Vienna u. a .: Broadhead. 1970.
literature
- Heinz J. Galle: Groschenhefte. The history of German trivial literature . Frankfurt am Main – Berlin: Ullstein. 1988. ISBN 3-548-36556-6
Others
On the radio show Frühstyxradio there was a parody under the name Percy Hotte. The main character spoke Oliver Kalkofe , who had a character in the show as the storyteller Uncle Hotte.