Max Michaelis Ehrlich (7 December 1892 – 1 October 1944) was a German
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...
,
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
, and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
on the
German theater, comedy and cabaret scene of the 1930s.
Ehrlich began his career in the 1920s at various theatres, including leading roles in
Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most promi ...
productions and
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own du ...
s. He appeared in 42 films, ten of which he directed, and on eight records. He wrote several books, including ''From Adelbert to Zilzer'', his best-selling humorous collection of stories and anecdotes about sixty-two of his best known
show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...
friends and colleagues.
Career in Nazi Germany
In 1933, the
National Socialists
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Naz ...
seized power and stopped Ehrlich and his other
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
colleagues from working in Germany. As a result, he left for
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
to appear with the Rudolf Nelson Revue. However, there too, Austrian
anti-Semite
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Ant ...
s interrupted the show with cries of "Jews, get out of Vienna." Consequently, the troupe left for The Netherlands, stopping en route for stage appearances in Switzerland.
In 1935, homesick for his native land, Ehrlich returned to
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Jewish entertainers once again were permitted to perform there but only within the framework of the
Jüdischer Kulturbund
, or (with the definite article) , was a Cultural Federation of German Jews, established in 1933. It hired over 1300 men and 700 women artists, musicians, and actors fired from German institutions, and grew to about 70,000 members, according to som ...
(Jewish Cultural Union) and exclusively in front of Jewish audiences. Ehrlich was named director of the Kulturbund's light theatre departments. However, following the 1938
pogrom
A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian ...
"
Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung, (SA) paramilitary and Schutzstaffel, (SS) paramilitary forces along ...
," he decided to leave Germany definitively. Both of his farewell performances immediately sold out, so that a third presentation on 2 April 1939 was added. Here, in front of a full house of fans, calling out their affection and encouragement, Ehrlich made his final appearance in Germany.
Westerbork
Subsequently, he returned to the Netherlands once again and joined
Willy Rosen's "Theater der Prominenten" (Theatre of Celebrities), until in 1943 –like so many of his colleagues– Ehrlich was imprisoned in the
Westerbork concentration camp. While at Westerbork, he created and became director of the "Camp Westerbork Theatre Group," a cabaret troupe that during its eighteen-month existence staged six major theatre productions, all within the concentration camp's confines. A majority of the actors were famous Jewish show business personalities; prominent artists from Berlin and Vienna, such as
Willy Rosen, Erich Ziegler,
Camilla Spira
Camilla Spira (1 March 1906 – 25 August 1997) was a German film actress. She appeared in 68 films between 1924 and 1986. She was born in Hamburg, Germany, of Jewish ancestry on her father's side, and died in Berlin, Germany. Her father was ...
, and
Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron (11 May 1897 – 28 October 1944) was a German Jewish actor and film director. He and his wife, Olga were murdered in the Holocaust.
Life
Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he studied medicine before being ca ...
; or well known Dutch performers, like Esther Philipse,
Jetty Cantor, and
Johnny & Jones
Johnny & Jones is the name of the Amsterdam jazz-duo Nol (Arnold Siméon) van Wesel (Johnny) (3 August 1918 – 15 April 1945) and Max (Salomon Meyer) Kannewasser (Jones) (24 September 1916 – 20 March 1945).
Van Wesel and Kannewasser worked toge ...
. At its high point, the group counted fifty-one members, including a full team of musicians, dancers, choreographers, artists, tailors, and make-up, lighting, and other technicians, as well as stage hands.
Most of the shows combined elements of revue and cabaret –songs and sketches– but, on one occasion, the program included a revue-operetta, ''Ludmilla, or Corpses Everywhere''—a production whose theme sadly was a premonition of the actors' and other prisoners' fate. While some scenes were implicitly critical, of course, the Theatre Group at no time produced openly political cabaret or directly attacked the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
regime. To do so would have violated the most fundamental condition for the troupe's and its members' survival, as life in Westerbork was dominated by the persistent threat of
deportation
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
on the next transport to an unknown but deeply feared fate in the East. So, standing helplessly and unaided before the
fascists
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
' executioners and their lackeys, the Theatre Group, of necessity, limited itself to entertaining its audiences and to momentarily distracting them from the surrounding horrors. But in so doing, it also gave their captive audiences renewed hope and the courage to face an otherwise unbearable existence.
Doubtlessly, this artistic activity provided the means for everyone concerned, audiences and actors alike, to retain a small measure of humanity, free their minds –if only momentarily– from the tragedy of daily life and nourish the illusion of survival.
Death
During the summer of 1944, increasing numbers of transports carried Westerbork's prisoners to the
extermination camp
Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
s in the East. Of 104,000 camp inmates, fewer than 5,000 survived. In the last transport to leave Westerbork, on 4 September 1944, Ehrlich was number 151 on the list of victims. Eyewitnesses recount that, after reaching
Auschwitz, he was recognized by a
Hauptsturmführer
__NOTOC__
(, ; short: ''Hstuf'') was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organizations such as the SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Hauptsturmführer'' was a mid-level commander and had equivalent seniority to a c ...
. As a result, Ehrlich was subjected to additional torture: brought before a group of
SS officers holding their loaded guns aimed at him, he was ordered to tell
joke
A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laughter, laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with ...
s.
On 1 October 1944, Ehrlich was murdered in the Auschwitz
gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide.
Histor ...
s.
On 12 April 1945, British troops liberated Westerbork. By then, only 876 prisoners were left: 464 men, 309 women, and 229 children; only two were Theatre Group members.
Filmography
Actor
* ''
We'll Meet Again in the Heimat
''We'll Meet Again at Home'' (German: ''In der Heimat, da gibt's ein Wiedersehn!'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Leo Mittler and Reinhold Schünzel.Ashkenazi p.135 It shares its name with a popular song title.
The film's art directi ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Family Gathering in the House of Prellstein
''Family Gathering in the House of Prellstein'' (German: ''Familientag im Hause Prellstein'') is a 1927 German silent comedy film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring S. Z. Sakall, Erika Glässner and Sig Arno.
Cast
*S. Z. Sakall as Sami B ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Herkules Maier'' (1928)
* ''
The Blue Mouse
''The Blue Mouse'' (german: Die blaue Maus) is a 1928 German silent comedy film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Jenny Jugo, Harry Halm, and Brita Appelgren.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Jacek Rotmil
Jacek Rot ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
'' (1928)
* ''Die tolle Komteß'' (1928)
* ''
German Wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Palatina ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Her Dark Secret'' (1929)
* ''
The Black Domino'' (1929)
* ''
Vienna, City of Song'' (1930)
* ''
Hocuspocus'' (1930)
* ''
Fairground People
''Fairground People'' (german: Die vom Rummelplatz) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Anny Ondra, Sig Arno and Margarete Kupfer. The film was made shortly after the sound revolution, which had damaged Ondra's caree ...
'' (1930)
* ''Der Korvettenkapitän/Blaue Jungs von der Marine'' (1930)
* ''
Leutnant warst Du einst bei deinen Husaren'' (1930)
* ''
Susanne Cleans Up'' (1930)
* ''Kabarett-Programm Nr. 2'' (short film, 1931)
* ''Kabarett-Programm Nr. 6'' (short film, 1931)
* ''
Madame Pompadour'' (1931)
* ''Der Tanzhusar'' (1931)
* ''In Wien hab' ich einmal ein Mädel geliebt'' (1931)
* ''Um eine Nasenlänge'' (1931)
* ''Der Storch streikt. Siegfried der Matrose'' (1931)
* ''
The Soaring Maiden'' (1931)
* ''Der Schlemihl'' (1931)
* ''
Der Hochtourist
Der or DER may refer to:
Places
* Darkənd, Azerbaijan
* Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US
* Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq
* d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...
'' (1931)
* ''Goldblondes Mädchen, ich schenk Dir mein Herz – Ich bin ja so verliebt...'' (1931/32)
* ''
The Magic Top Hat
''The Magic Top Hat'' (german: Der Glückszylinder) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Rudolf Bernauer and starring Charlotte Ander, Felix Bressart and Oskar Sima.Hake p. 142 It was shot at the Grunewald Studios in Berlin., The film's sets ...
'' (1932)
* ''Wer zahlt heute noch?'' (short film, 1932)
* ''
When Love Sets the Fashion'' (1932)
* ''Herr Direktor engagiert'' (short film, 1932/33)
Director
* ''Revierkrank'' (short film, 1932)
* ''Die erste Instruktionsstunde'' (short film, 1932)
* ''Kaczmarek als Rosenkavalier'' (short film, 1932/33)
* ''Hugos Nachtarbeit'' (1933)
Film writer
* ''
It Attracted Three Fellows'' (1928)
* ''
Honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Miss Chauffeur
''Miss Chauffeur'' (german: Fräulein Chauffeur) is a 1928 German comedy film directed by Jaap Speyer and starring Mady Christians, Johannes Riemann, and Lotte Lorring. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Ger ...
'' (1928)
* ''
In Werder the Trees are in Bloom'' (1928)
* ''
The Weekend Bride'' (1928)
* ''
The Crazy Countess'' (1928)
* ''
The House Without Men
''The House Without Men'' (German: ''Das Haus ohne Männer'') is a 1928 German silent comedy film directed by Rolf Randolf and starring Ossi Oswalda, Iwa Wanja and Ida Renard.Krautz p.139
The film's art direction was by Heinrich Richter.
Cas ...
'' (1928)
* ''
A Small Down Payment on Bliss
''A Small Down Payment on Bliss'' (german: Ein kleiner Vorschuß auf die Seligkeit) is a 1929 German silent comedy film directed by Jaap Speyer and starring Dina Gralla, Paul Hörbiger, and Imre Ráday.Gerhard Lamprecht. ''Deutsche Stummfilme, ...
'' (1928/29)
* ''
Mascots
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fic ...
'' (1928/29)
* ''
The Copper'' (1930)
* ''Hugo's Nachtarbeit'' (short film, 1933)
References
* Original Max Ehrlich Family Documents (notably: Max Ehrlich's birth certificate, Ehrlich family wartime and post-World War II correspondence with the International Red Cross, personal letters from Max Ehrlich, etc.) from the Max Ehrlich Association Archive, Geneva Switzerland
* ''Zwischenwelt: Zeitschrift für Kultur des Exils und des Widerstands'': "Kabarett im Exil"; ISSN 1606-4321; 20th year, Nr. 1, May 2003
* ''Getekend in Westerbork:Leven en werk van Leo Kok 1923–1945'' (''Westerbork drawings: Life and work of Leo Kok'');
* ''Metzler Kabarett Lexikon'', by
Klaus Budzinski /
Reinhard Hippen; J.B. Metzler 1996;
* ''Verehrt Verfolgt Vergessen, Schauspieler als Naziopfer'' by Ulrich Liebe; Beltz/Quadriga 1992;
* ''Geschlossene Vorstellung, Der Jüdische Kulturbund in Deutschland 1933–1941''; Akademie der Künste 1992;
* ''Berlin Cabaret'', by
Peter Jelavich;
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the reti ...
1993;
* ''Jüdisches Theater in Nazideutschland'' by Herbert Freeden; J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck) Tübingen 1964
* ''Theatrical Performance during the Holocaust'' by Rebecca Rovit and Alvin Goldfarb; Johns Hopkins University Press 1999;
Bibliography
* ''Heulen und Zähneklappern, Das Buch der Faulen Witze'' by Max Ehrlich and Paul Morgan; Eden-Verlag Berlin 1927
* ''Von Adelbert bis Zilzer'' by Max Ehrlich; Eden-Verlag Berlin 1928,
* Special Max Reinhardt Jubilee edition: ''Blätter des deutschen Theaters'' by Willi Schaeffers, Max Ehrlich and Paul Morgan
External links
Max Ehrlich Association Website*
The Westerbork Serenade*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrlich, Max Michaelis
1892 births
1944 deaths
German male stage actors
Kabarettists
German male film actors
German male silent film actors
German male screenwriters
German people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp
German civilians killed in World War II
Male actors from Berlin
20th-century German male actors
People killed by gas chamber by Nazi Germany
German male writers
Film people from Berlin
German male comedians
Jewish German male actors
German Jews who died in the Holocaust
Jewish writers
20th-century German screenwriters