The Legend of Tim Tyler
Encyclopedia
Timm Thaler is a 1979 children's television series based on the 1962 children's novel
by German writer James Krüss
. The series originally aired in Germany as the first Christmas series (Weihnachtsserie) on German national broadcaster ZDF
. In 1983, the series was dubbed into English and retitled The Legend of Tim Tyler for broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The screenplay was written by Justus Pfaue
and Peter M. Thouet and differs somewhat from the original novel. Directed by Sigi Rothemund, the series became a hit in Germany and made then 14-year-old Tommi Ohrner, in the lead role of Timm Thaler (Tim Tyler), a popular teen idol
of the era. The role of the Baron was played by Horst Frank
.
for devil, like "lived" is in english), a grumpy and very wealthy businessman always wearing a black carnation in his buttonhole, tries unsuccessfully to buy Timm's laugh. Timm's father is a flight instructor and dies during a flight for the Baron. It is indicated that this is caused by the Baron. Timm, after having lost his beloved father, is vulnerable to the Baron.
To financially support his stepmother, Timm no longer resists the Baron and swaps his laugh for the ability to win any bet he makes, no matter how absurd it is. If one of them tells about this pact, he loses his rights from the contract. The Baron and his servant Anatol use this new gift for business success. Timm however grows increasingly unhappy. He decides to get his laugh back. He tries several tricks only to realize that it takes a bet to get his laugh back.
Timm's bullying stepbrother is missing in the series, and his stepmother is depicted in a positive way, which is a stark contrast to her character in the novel. In the book, Timm's father is not a sports airplane pilot, thus, Timm originally meets the Baron, not at a family celebration at the local airport, but at the racetrack, a place he associates with his father who died in a building site accident when Timm was four.
The demonic but polite and urbane Signor Grandizzi from Genoa
was replaced in the series by the dark servant Anatol. Several other characters are also changed or "exchanged" in the series, including the nun, Sister Agathe instead of Kreschimir and the ship's cook, Heinrich instead of the helmsman, Jonny. Also, Several new characters were introduced both on the protagonist's and the antagonist's sides.
as well as the artificial pool of the Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote
, both designed by Cesar Manrique
. These were used as the setting for the Baron's futuristic mountain lair. Additional loactions were the Restaurant "La Era" in Yaiza, Arrecife
and the national park Timanfaya.
The city scenes were shot in Hamburg
, e. g. at the Landungsbrücken
and the airport in Hartenholm
, 50 km north of Hamburg
. The final parts were shot in the Radisson-SAS-Hotel at the Congress-Centrum Hamburg (CCH). The final scene, where Tim gets his laugh back, was shot in front of the district court Hamburg
and todays Brahmsplatz (Karl-Muck-Platz then).
Timm Thaler (novel)
Timm Thaler oder Das verkaufte Lachen is a 1962 children's novel by famed German author James Krüss...
by German writer James Krüss
James Krüss
James Krüss was a German poet and writer.James Jacob Hinrich Krüss was born as the son of the electrician Ludwig Krüss and his wife Margaretha Krüss on Heligoland. In 1941, during World War II, the inhabitants of the island were evacuated to Arnstadt, Thuringia, later to Hertigswalde, near...
. The series originally aired in Germany as the first Christmas series (Weihnachtsserie) on German national broadcaster ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
. In 1983, the series was dubbed into English and retitled The Legend of Tim Tyler for broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The screenplay was written by Justus Pfaue
Justus Pfaue
Justus Pfaue is a German writer and scriptwriter.-Biography:Pfaue studied law and forensic psychology. In 1965 he published his first novel, and later specialized in books on youth...
and Peter M. Thouet and differs somewhat from the original novel. Directed by Sigi Rothemund, the series became a hit in Germany and made then 14-year-old Tommi Ohrner, in the lead role of Timm Thaler (Tim Tyler), a popular teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
of the era. The role of the Baron was played by Horst Frank
Horst Frank
Horst Frank was a German film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1955 and 1999. He was born in Lübeck, Germany and died in Heidelberg, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Der Stern von Afrika...
.
Plot summary
Thirteen year old Timm Thaler (aka: Tim Tyler) has an irresistible laugh and is thus very popular. The mysterious Baron (in the novel his last name Lefuet is a German ananymAnanym
An ananym is a word whose spelling is derived by reversing the spelling of another word. It is therefore a special type of anagram. There is a long history of names being coined as ananyms of existing words or names for entities related to the thing named by the ananym.-Examples:...
for devil, like "lived" is in english), a grumpy and very wealthy businessman always wearing a black carnation in his buttonhole, tries unsuccessfully to buy Timm's laugh. Timm's father is a flight instructor and dies during a flight for the Baron. It is indicated that this is caused by the Baron. Timm, after having lost his beloved father, is vulnerable to the Baron.
To financially support his stepmother, Timm no longer resists the Baron and swaps his laugh for the ability to win any bet he makes, no matter how absurd it is. If one of them tells about this pact, he loses his rights from the contract. The Baron and his servant Anatol use this new gift for business success. Timm however grows increasingly unhappy. He decides to get his laugh back. He tries several tricks only to realize that it takes a bet to get his laugh back.
Cast
Differences from the novel
The most prominent story change is the odyssey of Timm, which in the novel takes four years but was reduced to several weeks in the screenplay so that a single actor could play the role of Timm. The screenplay also differed in that one of the themes in the novel, the criticism of social moirés and capitalism is no longer a prominent element of the story. By portraying several of the protagonists as Catholic clerics, the narrative was instead imbued with a pseudo-religious tint.Timm's bullying stepbrother is missing in the series, and his stepmother is depicted in a positive way, which is a stark contrast to her character in the novel. In the book, Timm's father is not a sports airplane pilot, thus, Timm originally meets the Baron, not at a family celebration at the local airport, but at the racetrack, a place he associates with his father who died in a building site accident when Timm was four.
The demonic but polite and urbane Signor Grandizzi from Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
was replaced in the series by the dark servant Anatol. Several other characters are also changed or "exchanged" in the series, including the nun, Sister Agathe instead of Kreschimir and the ship's cook, Heinrich instead of the helmsman, Jonny. Also, Several new characters were introduced both on the protagonist's and the antagonist's sides.
Locations
One of the central filming locations was the Mirador del RíoMirador del Río
Mirador del Río is a viewpoint situated on an approximately 475 meters high escarpment called Batería del Río in the very north of the Canarian island of Lanzarote....
as well as the artificial pool of the Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
, both designed by Cesar Manrique
César Manrique
César Manrique was an artist and an architect.-Biography:Manrique grew up in the area of San Ginés lagoon. At age 23, he participated in his first exhibition in Arrecife. He attended the University of La Laguna. In 1945, Manrique attended the art school San Fernando in Madrid for five years...
. These were used as the setting for the Baron's futuristic mountain lair. Additional loactions were the Restaurant "La Era" in Yaiza, Arrecife
Arrecife
Arrecife is a city in the Canary Islands situated in the centre-east of the island of Lanzarote of which it has been the capital since 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef which covers the beach located in the city...
and the national park Timanfaya.
The city scenes were shot in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, e. g. at the Landungsbrücken
Landungsbrücken
The St. Pauli Landungsbrücken , part of the Hamburg Harbour, are in the quarter St. Pauli of Hamburg, Germany, between the lower harbor and the Fischmarkt directly on the Elbe River. The Landungsbrücken today are a major tourist attraction and a central transportation hub, with S-Bahn, U-Bahn and...
and the airport in Hartenholm
Hartenholm
Hartenholm is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
, 50 km north of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. The final parts were shot in the Radisson-SAS-Hotel at the Congress-Centrum Hamburg (CCH). The final scene, where Tim gets his laugh back, was shot in front of the district court Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and todays Brahmsplatz (Karl-Muck-Platz then).
Trivia
- After first airing in the UK on BBC1 in 1983, the series was aired again in the UK on the Children's BBC in 1988.
- Among the few German series to be broadcast by the BBC are also SilasSilas (TV series)Silas was a 1981 ZDF Adventure TV mini-series based on the Danish children's book „Silas og den sorte hoppe“ by Cecil Bødker who kept on writing instalments until 2001....
and Patrik PacardPatrik PacardPatrik Pacard was the sixth ZDF-Weihnachtsserie , and aired in 1984. The series was broadcast in Germany on ZDF, and consisted of 6 episodes. Broadcasting in Germany began on December 25, 1984. The series was also broadcast in Switzerland, and constisted of 12 episodes...
. - In 2002 a 26 episode animated series based on the novel was produced.