Emil and the Detectives (Disney) (1964)

Grand Artist, Walter Slezak, Portrays Sophisticated Crook in Disney Comedy The first time Walter Slezak raised his voice in a theatre he got a severe tongue lashing from his mother. Fifty years later he raised his voice in the same theatre, the New York Metropolitan Opera House, and received not punishment, but reward in money and applause. In that fifty-year span, Walter developed from the excited little boy yelling to his father, the brilliant tenor Leo Slezak, to watch out for the snake in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” to the accomplished actor, author, connoisseur, humorist, painter, traveler, musician, and noted lecturer on almost anything that pops into his razorsharp, well-educated mind. One of the highest paid speakers in the United States, Walter was tempted away from the podium by Walt Disney’s offer to play the seriocomic role of “Baron,” a sophisticated mastermind of the underworld, in Walt’s latest comedy feature, ‘Emil and the Detectives.” It is hard to imagine anyone but Slezak being both sinister and funny at the same time. He alternately has been making audiences shudder with fright and rock with laughter for better than 35 years. Walter began his career as the juvenile lead in director Michael Curtiz’s Viennese production of “Sodom and Gomorrah.” Curtiz had spotted Slezak, then a discouraged medical student, sitting and sipping at a sidewalk cafe in the cathedral city, and offered him a chance to begin a career in acting. After a number of leading roles in European pictures, Walter signed on with the Shuberts to star in their musicals. He made Broadway his home and starred in stage hits like “Music In The Air,” “Ode To Liberty,” “Meet My Sister,” “May Wine,” and “I Married An Angel.” In 1942, producer Leo McCarey called him to Hollywood for “Once Upon a Honeymoon” with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. Slezak stayed to do “This Land Is Mine” and “The Fallen Sparrow,” then gave his most widely acclaimed performance as the menacing German U-Boat Captain in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat,” which established 964 Walt Disney Productions § Mat EM-1B “SKRINKING AROUND" the corner is this little skrink (bad guy) called “The Mole,” played by Heinz Schubert in Walt Disney's Technicolor comedy-thriller, ‘‘Emil and the Detectives.”’ ©1964 Walt Disney Productions Mat EM-1A WALTER SLEZAK him as an acting talent without bounds. Among the many successful motion pictures in which he starred are “The Pirate,” “The Inspector General,” “Call Me Madam,” and “Come September” with Rock Hudson. In recent years he appeared on Broadway in “My Three Angels” and “Fanny.” Walter married Johanna Van Rijn, a singer, in 1934. Ingrid Elizabeth was born in 1945, Erika Alma in 1946, and Leo Lauritz Slezak in 1948. Walter’s love of family life stems from his own priceless experiences as a child with his mother and famous father. It was as a child in Europe that he rubbed elbows with kings and ambassadors, and developed a tireless devotion to the pursuit of the finer things in life. He grew up in the grandeur of good music, leisurely living and reflected glory, yet it was his determination to succeed on his own that has made him the well rounded artist he is today. THE PLOT (Synopsis—Not for publication) Emil Tischbein (BRYAN RUSSELL), a handsome tenyear-old, is on a bus bound for a holiday in postwar Berlin. Pinned inside his coat are 400 marks that his mother has placed there to be delivered to his grandmother. During the ride the boy falls asleep and Grundeis (HEINZ SCHUBERT), a petty crook who shares the seat with him, takes advantage of the situation and lifts the money. When Emil discovers the marks are missing he pursues the thief to a cafe. He tries to get a Berlin policeman to arrest Grundeis, but is unsuccessful because of lack of evidence. Gustav (ROGER MOBLEY), a sharp, little urchin, befriends Emil and offers the services of his young band of detectives to help recover the stolen money for a modest fee. Emil’s_ inquisitive cousin, Pony (CINDY CASSELL), discovers the detectives’ plans and attaches herself to the group. The kids track Grundeis to a meeting with the notorious Baron (WALTER SLEZAK) and his accomplice, Muller (PETER EHRLICH), and learn that the trio are planning to rob a bank by digging a tunnel from the cellar of a bombed out building. Trailing the three to the scene of the crime, the boys lose them inside the ruins. Emil accidentally stumbles into a cavity in the floor and plummets to the cellar of the building where he is captured by the Baron. When the bank vault is blown open the Baron and Muller make off with the loot and double-cross Grundeis by sealing him and Emil in the tunnel with a charge of dynamite nearby, its fuse burning furiously. Gustav arrives in time to save the entombed couple. The rest of the detectives alert hundreds of neighborhood children. They surround the escaping Baron and Muller and hold them until the police arrive. Emil is given a reward from the bank for the return of the money, which he shares with his associates and his mother, who arrives in Berlin to find her son a hero. Little Man Named Heinz Schubert Makes Big Comic For Walt Disney Charlie Chaplin tip-toed the thin line between pathos and humor, looked down and covered his eyes in mock-terror, then fell backwards into a heap of trouble and immortality as a comedian. Now a newcomer, bBerlin-born Heinz Schubert, treads the same humorous line, manages to avoid everything except calamity, but always comes out a belly laugh ahead. In Walt Disney’s “Emil and the Detectives,” the little German with big, bold checks on his suit, twitches his nose, shifts his eyes, and falls unceremoniously into the arms of the Berlin police. Schubert, considered one of Germany’s foremost character actors, came to the attention of Disney’s associate producer, Peter V. Herald, while serving a long-term contract with a Munich theatre company. Spotting Heinz’s comic potential, Herald alerted Disney, who gave him a screen test. When the tests were completed, Disney knew he had the comedy find of the year and the right man to play “Grundeis,” a sneak thief who makes a living digging tunnels with a spoon as well as stealing. Schubert is described by Disney director Peter Tewksbury as “one of the most outstanding actors I have worked with in recent years. He’s a superb technician with a fantastic sense of timing and incredible control. Why no one has thought of casting him in a comedy role before, I shall never know.” In color by Technicolor, “Emil and the Detectives” stars Walter Slezak, Bryan Russell and Roger Mobley and features Cindy Cassell. Mat EM-2C “THE MOLE,” played by Heinz Schubert, dips into the pocket of Bryan Russell, who is on a bus ride to adventure as Emil in Walt Disney's Technicolor comedy, ‘‘Emil and the Detectives.” WALT DISNEY’S ‘EMIL’ IS LOADED WITH EXCITING YOUNG TALENT There was method behind Walt Disney’s calculated move when he cast five rank amateur moppets as the sleuths in his latest comedy adventure, “Emil and the Detectives.” Walt chose the inexperienced, but talented youngsters to avoid the kind of overly-stylized, even precocious performances which are often delivered by some professional child actors. Hundreds of boys were interviewed before the difficult final choice was made. Disney selected each player by matching personality and appearance to the type of character needed, then the boys were coached to merely play themselves in the picture. In the two leading juvenile roles, much too extended and demanding for first-timers, Walt cast Bryan Russell in the title part, and Roger Mobley as the chief detective, both versatile youngsters with plenty of acting experience. For the “professor,” a pedantic chap in the story, who is impervious to his companion’s jibes, Brian Richardson was selected. A twelve-year-old from Escanaba, Michigan, young Brian is a quiet, scholarly boy who has already written two novels and a collection of poems. — Bob Swann plays Hermann, the artist and errand boy who talks too much and almost spills the beans on the detective’s latest oper Mat EM-2D ation. Bob, who is also twelve, was born in Stafford, Staffs, England, son of an American father and English mother. He is a complete extrovert, loves acting and all kinds of sports. From Weedsport, New York, serious minded sixth-grader, David Petrychka, was assigned the part of Dienstag, who is forced to man headquarters as secretary and liason officer for the movie’s sleuths. The smallest of the group, he dotes on anything that smacks of science. For the twins, Hans and Rudolf, whose combined energies make almost as many problems for their fellow detectives as they solve, Walt found Ron and Rick Johnson of Kane, Pennsylvania. The fourteen year olds are so identical that they cannot be told apart, unless one is able to compare the size of the chips on their two front teeth. Rick’s main interest is food, Ron’s is money, and since they share everything, including their enthusiasm for bowling, they get along just fine. In color by Technicolor, “Emil and the Detectives” stars Walter Slezak, Bryan, Roger and features Cindy Cassell. c 1964 Walt Disney Productions MORE FUN than a basket of money is Walt Disney's ‘Emil and the Detectives.’’ And that’s what everyone is after in this scene from the Technicolor adventure-comedy. Shown here clinging to the loot are Walter Slezak and Peter Ehrlich.