My Blog List
Friday, September 27, 2024
Jess Franco, the walking death of Eurocrime (Part VIII): The case of Ilsa, the Wicked Warden
Monday, September 23, 2024
KRIMI! - The new magazine for central european crime culture out soon.
The first issue will be issue #0 that we will just put out to get familiar with the technology and the economy behind this. There will be newly revised and extended features in it though. So it will be worthwhile, even if you have already read about these topics in the blogs. But then, this is #0 and we will delete it, once #1 has come out (that will feature completely new topics and insights), making it a collector's item.
We have chosen Amazon as it has the best platform for us and it will be available worldwide. Issue #0 will be available both as kindle-epub and as printed paperback but we're thinking about going print-only as we feel that will do justice to the weight of the contens.
- an extended and completely revised entrance on Jess Franco and (Bryan) Edgar Wallace
- an extended and completely revised entrance on Heather Gardiner, who wrote the crime-novel "Money on Murder" on which "Das Hotel der Toten Gäste" is based and had a very interesting but untold (worldwide!!) life.
- a new feature on how the Fantomas-series was ended although being the most successful of all of eurospy (including James Bond).
- and a definitive definition of Krimi with the best Krimi-Movies presented for each example given.
We're not finished so things might change. But we will keep you informed.
KRIMI has its own blog, so you might check this one out regularly....
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Women in Krimi (IV): Laya Raki (1927-2018)
A lot has been written about the leading Krimi/Giallo ladies like Karin Dor, Karin Baal or Edwige Fenech, but looking into the lives and works of the lesser known "starlets" that starred in the european trash movies of the 60ies and 70ies often shows another, more complicated and interesting side: These were women who stood on their own and made their way by using the rules to their advantage instead of trying to change them.
Laya Raki
One of them is Laya Raki. Why her? Well she co-starred in "Die Nylonschlinge" which is part of the EC Dietrich Strangler-Krimi-Cycle and by researching that movie I suddenly realised what an interesting person Raki must have been.
1. The Origins
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Back from Moscow, Adolf Althoff presents "The Tiger on the Horse" - oh dear. |
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Laya (to the left) is some kind of assistant |
2. The Krimis
a. Die Nylonschlinge (1963)
b. Das Geheimnis der roten Quaste (1963)
c. Das Haus auf dem Hügel (1964)
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ooh, cats, I always wanted to have some kitty- pictures in my blog |
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around 1955 |
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On the cover of the british "TODAY" magazine |
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Double A side with the french version "Faire L'Amour" on the other side. |
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A more introverted picture |
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Oh come on, this is an official still for the austrian movie "Haus auf dem Hügel"... .oh those austrians |
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The movie novel to "House on the Hill" |
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With her husband, Ron Randell |
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There is even a duochromatic 3D magazine out there....
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Gerald Flood (to the left) and Laya on the set of Crane |
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Early model shoot (pre-op) |
Friday, September 13, 2024
Women in Krimi (III): Ingrid Steeger (1947-2023)
Unknown photo-models were often put into minor "sexy" roles in the Wallace-like Krimis. Their fates show remarkable similarities and even more remarkable differences. Very few stayed in the movie-business, even fewer made it big. Others just dropped out and I had/have a hard time finding them.
So I start with something easy (for me):
Ingrid Steeger
Born April 1st 1947 in war-torn Berlin into the not-so-ideal familiy of PTSD soldiers, returning from POW-camps, women raped by russian soldiers and kids playing in minefields she is basically both neglected and abused throughout her childhood. Having to live in one room as family in a bombed- out city, does not help either.
Predictably bad at school, the only way out of this greyish nightmare that is Berlin in the 60ies are the newly opened discotheques where she and her older sister Julia become regular visitors and due to her unusual combination of being both boyish-slender and buxomesque, a well photographed motive for the reporting newspapers.
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Ingrid, having won a bauty contest - but not the car. |
First nude shoots bring her to the attention of Horst Wendland of Rialto who explores the possibility of bringing their Edgar Wallace up-to-date with fresh female faces and bodies. They give her and another model - Heidrun Hankammer - their first roles in the ill-planned and ill-executed "Gorilla von Soho", which stars Uschi Glas.
In Gloria's Club, she is a barmaid and is seen in two short segments. In the first one she comes in with a tray, walking down the stairs. She hits the behind of the male model with that tray and walks on.
In the second scene she just serves Whisky.
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Completely harmless scene from "Ich, ein Groupie" |
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Gaby making it big on the cover of Germany's biggest (and only relevant) youth culture magazine. |
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Iris Berben, Ingrid Steeger and Theo Lingen |
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Re-enacting her Role as Gaby in the later years in Sesame-Street, to the right is Liselotte Pulver |
The later years see her struggling to get a steady income, writing and selling multiple memoirs that show a passive-agressive streak, maybe she thought her misfortunes would boost sales or maybe she was that way... As of now, her last book "Meine Mannschaft" (My team of men) in which she just talks about her numerous lovers and nothing else can be bought as overstock: 2000 units for 500 EUR/US-$.
She finally has got to move in and live with her older sister but steadily refuses to become part of the burnt-out-stars cycle of endless humiliating shows, admirably.
She died in 2023, making, for the last time, national news.
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Late 1980s |
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1980s |
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Czech Poster for "Dead Girl from the Themse" |
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The Klimbim-Family whith Elisabeth Volkmann, another "Report" veteran who later worked with Fassbinder |
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"Housewife-Report", here already co-starring with Elisabeth Volkmann |
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With Horst Wendland 1979 |
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Winning the "Miss Filmfest" competition. |
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Klimbim Family Reunion ca 2000 |
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"Fly Me", the title song of "Two heavenly daughters" was sung by her |
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In "Klimbim" she sang a lot. Most notably "And then I slit my dress and think it's marvelous" becomes a hit. |
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Totally and utterly politically incorrect advertisment for "Rolo" the candy-roll... |