Erich Schellow: Germany’s Sherlock Holmes and a genius of the theatre
Erich Schellow was born on February 27th, 1915 in Berlin. He was the son of a merchant. Already in his school days he often appeared on the stage. In 1937 he graduated from the Prussian State Theater’s drama school. From 1937 until 1940 he was an ensemble member of the Deutsches Volkstheater in Hamburg-Altona. From 1940 until 1945 he was engaged at the Preußisches Staatstheater in Berlin. Apart from another brief engagement in Hamburg and guest performances in Zurich and Vienna, Berlin remained the center of his artistic work. From 1948 on, Schellow was a member of the ensemble of the Staatliche Schauspielbühnen in Berlin and remained a constant in Berlin’s cultural scene until the theatre was closed in 1993.
Erich Schellow was deeply indignant at the closure and his outrageously degrading dismissal. He took legal action and even demonstrated together with other fellow actors against the closure of the venue so rich in a tradition dating from 1907. Schellow suffered a severe stroke in 1993 from which never recovered. Close friends hint that the closing of his theatre, that he regarded as his home for decades, broke his heart.
Erich Schellow is regarded as one of Germany’s most important stage actors of the twentieth century. In his long and brilliant career he played almost all of the great roles in classical theatrer: from the radiant youthful hero to the mature and complex character. He was honored with several high awards for his artistic work.
Schellow’s unmistakably sonorous voice was particularly praised. One critic wrote enthusiastically: “He speaks like a god!”
Schellow often made recordings of classical literature and several radio plays.
As a voice actor, an artistic activity that he did not particularly appreciate and therefore only performed occasionally but brilliantly, he lent his voice to fellow actors like Peter Cushing, Rex Harrison and Mel Ferrer.
The theatre was always the most important medium for Erich Schellow, so he only very rarely took roles in films and televsion movies. The film producers didn’t quite know what do with him. So Schellow was often only cast for his good looks and his elegant manner. But nevertheless he played some impressive roles.
In “In jenen Tagen” (“In Those Day”), an episode film about a car and the fates of the people associated with it in the period from 1933 to 1945, he played his first film role: a young man named Karl, a former soldier, who is now scrapping the car. In “Der 20. Juli” (“The 20th July”), a film about the the unfortunately unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hitler) he played a protestant pastor, who openly preaches against Nazi barbarism and is arrested for his heroism. His later fate is only alludd but he is undoubtedly sentenced to death for his heroism. In “Hotel Adlon”, a family saga about the famous Berlin hotel, he played Louis Adlon, the son of the founder of the hotel. In a touching scene set in the final phase of the Second World War, he begs his staff to leave the hotel to seek refuge elsewhere. Nobody leaves him and he is deeply moved by their loyalty. In “Tragödie auf der Jagd” (“Tragedy on the Hunt”), a television film based on the novel by Anton Chekhov, he plays the cynical examining magistrate Kamyshev who kills his lover Olenka but is not punished for his crime because he
throws suspicion on another man, who is falsely imprisoned for the murder.
In 1967 the WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), a local TV channel of the West German television, produced a six episode television series about the English master detective Sherlock Holmes. Strangely enough, the series was not broadcast under the title “Sherlock Holmes” but the opening credits name the author Arthur Conan Doyle. The series was based on translated scripts written for the BBC series starring Douglas Wilmer.
Erich Schellow played Sherlock Holmes, while his faithful friend Dr. John H. Watson was played by Paul Edwin Roth. The actors knew each other from their theatre work in Berlin and got along very well during the filming.
Paul May, a renowned director in film and television with a long-standig career, had a certain idea of Sherlock Holmes from the start. He wanted an impeccable, dignified, and noble master detective. To create a contrast to other television detectives at that time May avoided any action scenes. Erich Schellow wanted to play a bit more depraved Holmes including the use of cocaine but May refused strictly. In 1991 Erich Schellow was made an honorary member of the German Sherlock Holmes Society.
Paul Edwin Roth were allowed more liberties to portray Dr. Watson and he gladly took the opportunity. He is not a buffoon but instead he is amusing and witty (sometimes he even philosophizes), has a perfect name and address memory, he knows how to handle a weapon (usually his army revolver) and is a faithful friend in all situations. His favorite words are “very interesting”, a fact on which he comments ironically in “Das Haus bei den Blutbuchen” (“The Copper Beeches”)
While the use of cocaine was refused by the director, the consumption of tobacco and alcohol by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is immense. Even dear Mrs. Hudson (Austrian actress Manja Kafka), who is not only a devoted maid (not a landlady as she actually is) but also amusingly cheeky, is hard-drinking. The running gag within the series is that the cane of the umbrella of Dr. Watson serves as a vessel for alcoholic beverages.
The series was first aired on Sunday afternoons from from October 1, 1967 to March 18, 1968. It is incomprehensible that the series was never repeated until 1991 and never since. Germany’s Sherlock Holmes was never given the the attention and appreciation it deserves until this gem was released on DVD on on September 21, 2012 at last.
In February 1995 an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, author Uwe Somerlad, visited Erich Schellow in Berlin and conducted an interview with the actor on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. Schellow spoke in very affectionate words about the series and his fellow actors and especially about Paul Edwin Roth who died in 1985 of cancer at the age of 67. This interview, a curriculum vitae of Erich Schellow, a summary of all episodes and several stills of the series were published in a brochure in 1995. Since the edition was limited to only a hundred copies, the booklet is now completely out of print. I was lucky enough to get a copy at an exorbitant price and I am very happy about it.
