''Des Teufels General'' is a 1946 play written by German author and playwright

Carl Zuckmayer Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer. His first two dramas were failures. In 1929, he wrote the script ...

, translated as ''The Devil's General''. The title character of the play, General , is based on the

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

Ernst Udet Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was a German pilot during World War I and a ''Luftwaffe'' Colonel-General (''Generaloberst'') during World War II. Udet joined the Imperial German Air Service in April 1915 at the age of 19 ...

. The play is based upon his struggles during the war, simultaneously working under and openly being against the Nazi Party. Despite the serious scenario of it, a comical and satirical tone is often used throughout the play.

Characters

*', aviation general. *''Lüttjohann'', ' adjutant. *''Korrianke'', '

chauffeur A chauffeur () is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or a limousine. Initially, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to s ...

. *''Friedrich Eilers'', colonel & leader of the war front and military. *''Hartmann'', aviation officer. *''Writzky'', aviation officer. *''Hastenteuffel'', aviation officer. *''Pfundtmayer'', aviation officer. *''Sigbert von Mohrungen'', president of the Office for Procuring Crude Metal. *''Baron Pflungk'', Attaché for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. *''Dr. Schmidt-Lausitz'', cultural leader. *''Der Maler Schlick'', the painter Schlick. *''Oderbruch'', engineer in the

Ministry of Aviation The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...

. *''Anne Eilers'', wife of Friedrich Eilers. *''Waltraut von Mohrungen'', who goes by the alias ''Pützchen''. Anne's sister. *''Olivia Geiss'', diva. *''Diddo Geiss'', Olivia's niece; love interest of General , despite being much younger than he. *''Lyra Schoeppke'', named , which means "The Gas Station." *''Otto'', restaurant manager. *''Francois'', French speaking restaurant waiter. *''Herr Detlev'', restaurant waiter. *''Buddy Lawrence'', an American journalist. *''Zwei Arbeiter'', two workers. *''Ein Polizeikommissar'', a police commissioner.

Screen adaptations

In 1955, ''Des Teufels General'' was adapted into a black and white film of the same title. The film features

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in ''Des Teufels Gener ...

as ,

Marianne Koch Marianne Koch (; born 19 August 1931) is a German retired actress, best known for her appearances in Spaghetti Westerns and adventure films of the 1960s. She later worked as a television host and as a physician. Career Between 1950 and 1971 ...

as Dorothea 'Diddo' Geiss,

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

as SS-Gruppenführer Schmidt-Lausitz,

Eva Ingeborg Scholz Eva Ingeborg Scholz (16 February 1928 – 21 March 2022) was a German film and television actress. Biography Eva Ingeborg Scholz made her debut in the title role of the 1948 film '' 1-2-3 Corona'' and appeared regularly in films over the follo ...

as Waltraut 'Pützchen' Mohrungen, and

Harry Meyen Harry Meyen (born Harald Haubenstock; 31 August 1924 – 15 April 1979) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films and television productions between 1948 and 1975. In the 1960s he also worked as a theatre director in West German ...

as Leutnant Hartmann. At the

German Film Awards The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

of 1955 Marianne Koch won the Film Award in Silver for Outstanding Individual Achievement: Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. A BBC TV adaptation of the play in the ''Sunday Night Theatre'' strand was broadcast on 18 December 1955. Translated by Robert Gore Brown, and directed by

Rudolph Cartier Rudolph Cartier (born Rudolph Kacser, renamed himself in Germany to Rudolph Katscher; 17 April 1904 – 7 June 1994) was an Austrian television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who worked predominantly in British television, excl ...

, it starred

Marius Goring Marius Re Goring (23 May 191230 September 1998) was an English stage and screen actor. He is best remembered for the four films he made with Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in ''A Matter of Life and D ...

as ,

Margaretta Scott Margaretta Mary Winifred ScottBrian McFarlane, "Scott, Margaretta Mary Winifred (1912–2005)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 201available online Retrieved 30 August 2020. (13 February 1912 – 15 Apr ...

as Olivia Geiss, Helena Hughes as Diddo Geiss, and

Cyril Shaps Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades. Early radio Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father ...

as Doctor Schmidt-Lausitz. The play was remounted as part of the ''Summer Theatre'' strand, broadcast on 14 August 1960, again with Cartier directing. Goring, Scott, and Shaps reprised their roles, with

Jill Dixon Jill Dixon (born 1935) is an English actress. Personal life and career Jill Dixon was born in England in 1935. She made her debut as an actress at the age of three, appearing as a water nymph at the London Hippodrome. Although she appeared in s ...

replacing Hughes as Diddo Geiss. Both versions no longer exist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teufels General Plays by Carl Zuckmayer 1946 plays German plays adapted into films Aviation plays