Clearly, the sixth episode around our four friends and dog Oskar from "Irgendwoindeutschland" Targets with proven precision on the topic "Civility in everyday life" and this in the double sense. Quite blatantly, the topic of foreigners or the public is also discussed here. The driver of the car has to deal with guest workers, which today – still on a daily basis – would probably be summarized under the banner of migration.
I find it bravura, how openly and courageously this matter, which in my opinion has never really been honestly discussed in our society, is brought into focus. Certainly the subject matter was much more interesting and challenging in 1981, when the radio play was released, than it probably is today. In this time, I went just into the second class, fellow citizens, who had moved from abroad, were still rather the exception and already something special – at least in our area. For example, in my class there were 21 students – including two Turks, a girl from Poland and a boy (with the first name "Fernando", which was unbelievable to me at the time) from Brazil.
"They hunt foreigners!", reports the desperate Italian Maria Estate about an evil biker gang. The leader of the group, who likes to be called "King" and whose real name is Otto Seibold, also has a score to settle with Maria's boyfriend Fabio Leone, since she turned him down because of him. He would be thus in the matter of foreigners quite willing to compromise. All the more so because he is also happy to do some dirty work for the car dealer Antonio Borello – for a fee, of course. Money puts everything into perspective – even resentment against non-nationals. Thus the self-proclaimed "King" is not too bashful to terrorize the ex-wife of the car salesman, so that these would have probably bad maps in the custody controversy around the common son Marco as psychologically struck wreck. At first sight completely detached from "King. His rockers play out the titular story of class 9a. Their actually popular teacher Mrs. Müller-Borello is regularly beaten up by the latter, with two students, Bettger and Drechsel, standing out in particular and setting the tone. Both are instrumentalized by Mr. Borello, as well as by the rocker boss Otto Seibold. Mrs. (Müller)-Borello – again an Italian name. And yes, this fact makes it relatively easy to see the connections between the teacher, the mafia car salesman, poor Maria and her boyfriend and the rockers. Nevertheless, I find this quite simple structure ingenious, and it is probably also the art of a youth radio play to interweave several storylines so skilfully that a mental passage through the construct is still possible without any problems. In my opinion, this plan is fully and completely.
I also find the person of the dubious Mr. Seibold Senior (spoken quite authoritatively by Hans Irle) quite refreshing. If the proverbial apple doesn't seem to fall far from the tree, it was obvious that "King's" father can't be much good either. And of course, in his garage, stolen cars are reconditioned and repainted so Antonio Borello can sell them at his dealership. As said, the Story is quite well comprehensible – cheaply is it therefore however still far not.
I find the lecture that Tarzan gives to class 9a at the beginning of a school lesson very significant. A real plea for civil courage. That made a big impression on me. Surely everyone would like to have such a Tarzan for a friend. Great character. And then, of course, as always, there are the many clichés, apt names as well as the funky dialogs, which actually make almost every (early) "TKKG" episode something special.
"You must be stupid, wop!", says, for example, the nice Mr. Seibold, when he counters the leader of the "TKKG" gang. How good that thanks to Tarzan we now all know that black hair also exists north of the Alps. I've also always found it astonishing that a ninth grader can already get into an appropriate establishment in his "Crying beer" can – if he wanted to. Also Klößchen's sayings are once again adorable and super funny – even when it's not about his beloved chocolate. "I'm not stupid either, but what do my certificates look like? …"
And then, as I said, the names: Mrs. Müller-Borello. Double names, especially popular with women who had married foreigners at the time and did not want to give up their German names altogether. Fabio Leone – it doesn't get more Italian than this (just imagine Fabio, the son of "Mama Leone") – laugh.). And then Maria Estate, which translates as "summer" means. Italy, summer, sun, sea … Here German Ur-Sehnsüchte of the 60'er/70'er years are woken up. Maria Estate, probably the counterpart to Suzanne Hivers from the "blind clairvoyant" (episode 2), where Hivers in French is "Winter" means. Furthermore a classmate, who is called Ulrich Kanter-Ranke – better it probably does not go – special stored.
I also find the idea that the waiter of the trattoria is played by Wolfgang Draeger (who otherwise always plays Inspector Glockner) and the policeman by Andreas Beurmann (who plays Uncle Titus from the "three" movies) quite funny ???" Radio plays) is spoken. Is something different – you could have used Gaby's father again. On the other hand, I would never have thought that Wolfgang Draeger could make such a convincing Italo waiter – the high art of speaking.