Graf Yoster
Encyclopedia
Graf Yoster
Graf (Count
) Yoster was a TV series (1967–1976) which succeeded in particular in Germany
and in France
.
in the TV series The Avengers
and the fictional English solicitor Reginal Prewster who had to accompagny Percy Stuart
during his missions on TV. Although he lived in a castle in Bavaria
(where especially in the beginning a great deal of the show was shot) he wouldn't have the slightest Bavarian accent and his car was as British as his appearance.
played Ioan (or in German: Johann), the count's butler
. The idea a butler could make a hero was for German audiences already established by Butler Parker
. Ioan would sometimes engage in investigations and then bring the count up to speed as well literally while he drove the count's Rolls Royce. Moreover he would instantly transform into the count's bodyguard whenever somebody indulged himself to endanger the count's well-being by trying to approach him in any kind of inappropriate manner. He used to apply his highly efficient close-combat techniques in a very businesslike way which was completely different from any Hollywood boxing or Hongkong manners and would rather resemble the way British soldiers are taught to dissolve comparable issues. He was portrayed as a man of modest origin and it was repeatedly implied that he had even been entangled in criminal activities before he had entered the count's services. Of course Ioan fitted a certain popular cliché and in a British film he would most likely have spoken Cockney English
.
. His cases were accordingly wodunnits although in the end Ioan would frequently have to give him a hand disarming the detected offenders.
.
.
Graf (Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
) Yoster was a TV series (1967–1976) which succeeded in particular in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Main character
Graf (Count) Yoster was a very nice and elegant gentleman of impeccable behaviour. He used to wear a traditional suit, a bowler hat and an umbrella just like John SteedJohn Steed
John Steed is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the popular British series The Avengers and The New Avengers, played by Patrick Macnee and Ralph Fiennes in the movie....
in the TV series The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
and the fictional English solicitor Reginal Prewster who had to accompagny Percy Stuart
Percy Stuart
- Synopsis :Percy Stuart tried to fulfil his father's last wish by becoming a member of his father's English club and in order to get accepted he has to prove that he is worthy. Since some of the members do not like the idea he is confronted by a number of actually impossible missions. Whenever he...
during his missions on TV. Although he lived in a castle in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(where especially in the beginning a great deal of the show was shot) he wouldn't have the slightest Bavarian accent and his car was as British as his appearance.
Sidekick
Wolfgang VölzWolfgang Völz
Wolfgang Völz is a German actor. He is known for his roles in theatre plays, feature films Wolfgang Völz (* 16 August 1930 in Danzig) is a German actor. He is known for his roles in theatre plays, feature films Wolfgang Völz (* 16 August 1930 in Danzig) is a German actor. He is known for his roles...
played Ioan (or in German: Johann), the count's butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
. The idea a butler could make a hero was for German audiences already established by Butler Parker
Butler Parker
Butler Parker is a fictitious English character who was in spite of his ostentatious Britishness created by a German pulp fiction author and became eventually the protagonist of a German TV series .- Author :...
. Ioan would sometimes engage in investigations and then bring the count up to speed as well literally while he drove the count's Rolls Royce. Moreover he would instantly transform into the count's bodyguard whenever somebody indulged himself to endanger the count's well-being by trying to approach him in any kind of inappropriate manner. He used to apply his highly efficient close-combat techniques in a very businesslike way which was completely different from any Hollywood boxing or Hongkong manners and would rather resemble the way British soldiers are taught to dissolve comparable issues. He was portrayed as a man of modest origin and it was repeatedly implied that he had even been entangled in criminal activities before he had entered the count's services. Of course Ioan fitted a certain popular cliché and in a British film he would most likely have spoken Cockney English
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
.
Genre
Graf Yoster was very much an amateur detective in the tradition of Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter WimseyLord Peter Wimsey
Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a bon vivant amateur sleuth in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries; usually, but not always, murders...
. His cases were accordingly wodunnits although in the end Ioan would frequently have to give him a hand disarming the detected offenders.
Directors
Among the directors was Imo Moszkowicz, who had also directed a German TV series starring Josef Meinrad as Father BrownFather Brown
Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor , a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922...
.
Evolution
Originally the show was shot in black and white and with only German actors but then it had an unforeseen success in France. When the show became a European co-production it was eventually shot in colour and featured French guest stars such as Béatrice RomandBéatrice Romand
Béatrice Romand is a French actress best known for her work with director Éric Rohmer in such films as Claire's Knee, Chloe in the Afternoon, A Good Marriage, Le Rayon vert and Autumn Tale....
.