Gregor Dorfmeister
Encyclopedia
Gregor Dorfmeister is a German journalist and writer. Under the pseudonym Manfred Gregor Dorfmeister published three novels. The second is best known in the United States, where it was made into the movie Town Without Pity
, with Kirk Douglas
and a featured song of the same name as the movie.
, where he attended high school. In the spring of 1945, he became part of the People's Army
convened and adopted the latest fighting in his home region. In 1946 he finished high school and then worked for a construction company and in the wood processing industry. From 1948 he studied drama, journalism and philosophy at the University of Munich. During this period he completed an internship at a Munich newspaper. From 1954 he was Außenredakteuer of Munich
Mercury in Tegernsee
, from 1957 in Miesbach
and 1960 in Bad Tölz. From 1962 he headed the local paper Tölzer Courier.
Dorfmeister, who in addition to his journalistic work has been committed to the support for disabled people, now lives in retirement in Bad Tölz. In 1981 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Dorfmeister released three novels under the name Manfred Gregor:
Town Without Pity
Town Without Pity is a 1961 American, Austrian and West German international co-production film drama starring Kirk Douglas, directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. It was made by Mirisch Productions for United Artists....
, with Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
and a featured song of the same name as the movie.
Life
Gregor Dorfmeister grew up in Bad TölzBad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
, where he attended high school. In the spring of 1945, he became part of the People's Army
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
convened and adopted the latest fighting in his home region. In 1946 he finished high school and then worked for a construction company and in the wood processing industry. From 1948 he studied drama, journalism and philosophy at the University of Munich. During this period he completed an internship at a Munich newspaper. From 1954 he was Außenredakteuer of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
Mercury in Tegernsee
Tegernsee
Tegernsee is a town in the Miesbach district of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the shore of Tegernsee lake, at an elevation of 747 m above sea level....
, from 1957 in Miesbach
Miesbach
Miesbach is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and is the capital of the Miesbach district. The district is at an altitude of 697 metres above sea level. It covers an area of approximately 863.50 km² of alpine headlands and in 2004 had a population of 93,942. The town is located 48 km southeast...
and 1960 in Bad Tölz. From 1962 he headed the local paper Tölzer Courier.
Dorfmeister, who in addition to his journalistic work has been committed to the support for disabled people, now lives in retirement in Bad Tölz. In 1981 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Dorfmeister released three novels under the name Manfred Gregor:
- In his highly autobiographical first novel Die Brücke (1958), The Bridge, he describes the senseless VolkssturmVolkssturmThe Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
use of a group of seven sixteen-year olds at the end of the Second World War against the advancing Americans to defend a bridge. Six of the boys are killed, only one survives. The book was domestically in Germany, and internationally, a great success and the film of the same name by Bernhard Wicki (1959) is a classic anti-war film, Die BrückeDie Brücke (film)Die Brücke is a West-German anti-war novel written by Gregor Dorfmeister, under the pseudonym of Manfred Gregor, and published in 1958 by Heyne Bücher....
. In 2007 ProSieben produced a television adaptation directed by Wolfgang Panzer with Franka PotenteFranka PotenteFranka Potente is a German film actress and singer. She first appeared in the comedy After Five in the Forest Primeval and gained critical recognition in the action thriller Lola rennt . Potente received Germany's highest film and television awards for her performances in Run Lola Run and...
in the role of the teacher Elfie Bauer. - Dorfmeister's second novel, Das Urteil (1960), The verdict, is about a rape case against a soldier of the American occupation troops in a southern German town. The book was made into a film by Gottfried Reinhardt called Town Without Pity. The film featured a song of the same name recorded by Gene PitneyGene PitneyEugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
, Ronnie MontroseRonnie MontroseRonnie Montrose, is an Amercian rock guitarist who has headed his own bands as well as performing with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar...
, and others. The Pitney version was featured in the 1988 John WatersJohn Waters-Entertainment:*John Waters , American film director, active 1926–29 and 1947*John Waters , American film director, writer, visual artist, actor and cult figure...
movie Hairspray. - In his third novel, Die Straße (1961), The Road or The Street, Dorfmeister describes a group of young people whose inner emptiness and aimlessness can lead to a slide into crime.
Works
- Die Brücke. The bridge. Novel. Desch, Munich 1958
- Current paperback edition: Bertelsmann, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-570-30361-0
- Das Urteil. The verdict. Novel. Desch, Munich 1960
- Die Straße. The Road or The Street. Novel. Desch, Munich 1961