Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
And that people from “normal” upbringings still have a boatload if baggage too.
Speaking of Jeeps, is the Kübelwagen a "Thing" in TTL? <Pun intended>
Can't get a picture to load properly. ARRRGGGHHH,
Can't get a picture to load properly. ARRRGGGHHH,
Your image isn't workingSpeaking of Jeeps, is the Kübelwagen a "Thing" in TTL? <Pun intended>
The VW Type 181 AKA "Thing" was an updated Kubelwagen built for the German Army in OTL during the 60s and 70s. In TTL with the Golf/Rabbit series coming early as the Fohn the German Army is going straight to the Type 183 "Iltis" in the second half of the 1950s.
There was mention earlier of Horst in Russia sitting in a Kubelwagen reading his paper.
Part 69, Chapter 1010
Chapter One Thousand Ten
5th May 1953
Wolfsburg
Nancy could see Ernst Preis and his circle of friends in the doorway of his office from her desk. They had gotten a couple copies of the script from UFA and the rally modified blue and white two-tone Föhn 1200 dubbed “Alpina” was in nearly every scene along with a number of other VW cars. They were practically hopping with joy.
It seemed that with the production of B-Reel films the studio moved extremely fast, once they had a script they moved forward with production, shooting was supposed to start in less than a month in Greece. This was due to a sweetheart deal they had cut with the Greek Government, but Nancy suspected that the idea of shooting scenes on Greek beaches there causing men stampede into theaters was the real motivation. Then in July the remainder of the filming was to be completed in Upper Saxony and Berlin. If they could stick to the timetable they had the film would be released to theaters in English and German just ahead of the Christmas season, and by happy coincidence right when the new Volkswagen Models reached showroom floors. The fact of whose car the one in the film looked exactly like wasn’t lost on Nancy.
The script itself was mortifying, and not just because of the title Catch a Tiger by the Tail. It revolved around a fictional Constantinople to Berlin Rally Race with the unoriginal name of Orient Express. Entering the race was an all-women team led by Viola “Tiger” Martz, a tough as nails driver played by Nicol Scheer. Nancy had no idea where they had found Nicol Scheer, but she was a coarse, working class bad girl who was uncomfortably close to the very woman she was playing was based on. Her friend and navigator, Felicitas von Schultheiss, played by Hildegard Knef, is along for the ride and is the daughter of the team sponsor, Graf von Schultheiss. Into all of this is Anna Berg played by Edda van Heemstra, as the representative from an unnamed automotive corporation, like if the audience couldn’t guess which one. She is trying to be impartial to the different teams but happens to be living in Viola’s house until she can figure out her complex personal situation.
Anna’s boyfriend has been forbidden from marrying her by his father, a Luftwaffe Oberst, for murky reasons. But the boyfriend, Derik follows Anna to Greece to apologize but ends up a prisoner of Percival Abbot an amoral English rake and his Irish sidekick John Berne. It turns out that Derik’s father is hunting Percival Abbot and that Percival is using the race as cover to advance a nefarious scheme of his own.
It was a screwball comedy that made most of what Nancy had gone through over the last few years seem like an absurd series of accidents and errors. Nancy was forced to conclude that Kat was not going to be satisfied with merely killing her. There was also the aspect of Anna getting a happy ending after both Derik’s father and Percival Abbot get their just deserts involving a thermobaric bomb and a particularly randy mountain goat. Nancy’s ending was yet to be written and there was no guarantee that anything remotely like that would ever happen for her.
Berlin
“She’s afraid that she’ll be like her friend Zella” Kira said, “We did our best to make this easier for her. Didn’t we?”
Kat had been abruptly summoned to the Palace that was in the midst of preparations for the move to the Summer Residence in Potsdam. Kat had talked to Maria about that subject a few days earlier, Zella had gone from a precocious, confident girl to an unpredictable moody little shrew seemingly overnight. Oddly, Zella didn’t cause nearly as much trouble as she had before at school or at home, but it was hard to argue that apathy was much of an improvement.
For Kiki, Kat had last seen her only a few days earlier excitedly planning her upcoming birthday party in July. She had been happy then and she was about as far from that now as she could be. She was currently curled into the smallest ball she could manage to make of herself against her mother’s side.
“It’s a mixture of hormones and a society with terrible messages” Kat said, “My Aunt Marcella says that we should celebrate their coming of age and welcome them. Instead we fill their heads with contradictory, and frequently impossible things.”
“How did your Aunt handle it with you?” Kira asked only to watch Kat set her jaw and realized the implications of what she had said too late.
“Just be glad that Kiki has a great deal of personal protection at all times” Kat replied with a tone that was strangely flat. Kira had realized that if she angered Kat then there would be no outward displays of anger. However, Kat’s phone would be left off the hook a lot in the following days. “And that no one would dare to think of her as a mere plaything.”
“She has you as a protector” Kira said.
“Yes” Kat said as she pushed Kiki’s hair out of her face, Kiki was refusing to open her eyes, but Kat knew she was awake and listening to every word. “But I cannot protect her from the painful experiences that happen to everyone growing up.”
5th May 1953
Wolfsburg
Nancy could see Ernst Preis and his circle of friends in the doorway of his office from her desk. They had gotten a couple copies of the script from UFA and the rally modified blue and white two-tone Föhn 1200 dubbed “Alpina” was in nearly every scene along with a number of other VW cars. They were practically hopping with joy.
It seemed that with the production of B-Reel films the studio moved extremely fast, once they had a script they moved forward with production, shooting was supposed to start in less than a month in Greece. This was due to a sweetheart deal they had cut with the Greek Government, but Nancy suspected that the idea of shooting scenes on Greek beaches there causing men stampede into theaters was the real motivation. Then in July the remainder of the filming was to be completed in Upper Saxony and Berlin. If they could stick to the timetable they had the film would be released to theaters in English and German just ahead of the Christmas season, and by happy coincidence right when the new Volkswagen Models reached showroom floors. The fact of whose car the one in the film looked exactly like wasn’t lost on Nancy.
The script itself was mortifying, and not just because of the title Catch a Tiger by the Tail. It revolved around a fictional Constantinople to Berlin Rally Race with the unoriginal name of Orient Express. Entering the race was an all-women team led by Viola “Tiger” Martz, a tough as nails driver played by Nicol Scheer. Nancy had no idea where they had found Nicol Scheer, but she was a coarse, working class bad girl who was uncomfortably close to the very woman she was playing was based on. Her friend and navigator, Felicitas von Schultheiss, played by Hildegard Knef, is along for the ride and is the daughter of the team sponsor, Graf von Schultheiss. Into all of this is Anna Berg played by Edda van Heemstra, as the representative from an unnamed automotive corporation, like if the audience couldn’t guess which one. She is trying to be impartial to the different teams but happens to be living in Viola’s house until she can figure out her complex personal situation.
Anna’s boyfriend has been forbidden from marrying her by his father, a Luftwaffe Oberst, for murky reasons. But the boyfriend, Derik follows Anna to Greece to apologize but ends up a prisoner of Percival Abbot an amoral English rake and his Irish sidekick John Berne. It turns out that Derik’s father is hunting Percival Abbot and that Percival is using the race as cover to advance a nefarious scheme of his own.
It was a screwball comedy that made most of what Nancy had gone through over the last few years seem like an absurd series of accidents and errors. Nancy was forced to conclude that Kat was not going to be satisfied with merely killing her. There was also the aspect of Anna getting a happy ending after both Derik’s father and Percival Abbot get their just deserts involving a thermobaric bomb and a particularly randy mountain goat. Nancy’s ending was yet to be written and there was no guarantee that anything remotely like that would ever happen for her.
Berlin
“She’s afraid that she’ll be like her friend Zella” Kira said, “We did our best to make this easier for her. Didn’t we?”
Kat had been abruptly summoned to the Palace that was in the midst of preparations for the move to the Summer Residence in Potsdam. Kat had talked to Maria about that subject a few days earlier, Zella had gone from a precocious, confident girl to an unpredictable moody little shrew seemingly overnight. Oddly, Zella didn’t cause nearly as much trouble as she had before at school or at home, but it was hard to argue that apathy was much of an improvement.
For Kiki, Kat had last seen her only a few days earlier excitedly planning her upcoming birthday party in July. She had been happy then and she was about as far from that now as she could be. She was currently curled into the smallest ball she could manage to make of herself against her mother’s side.
“It’s a mixture of hormones and a society with terrible messages” Kat said, “My Aunt Marcella says that we should celebrate their coming of age and welcome them. Instead we fill their heads with contradictory, and frequently impossible things.”
“How did your Aunt handle it with you?” Kira asked only to watch Kat set her jaw and realized the implications of what she had said too late.
“Just be glad that Kiki has a great deal of personal protection at all times” Kat replied with a tone that was strangely flat. Kira had realized that if she angered Kat then there would be no outward displays of anger. However, Kat’s phone would be left off the hook a lot in the following days. “And that no one would dare to think of her as a mere plaything.”
“She has you as a protector” Kira said.
“Yes” Kat said as she pushed Kiki’s hair out of her face, Kiki was refusing to open her eyes, but Kat knew she was awake and listening to every word. “But I cannot protect her from the painful experiences that happen to everyone growing up.”
And no doubt, Dick Dastardly (Or in this case, Percival Pusillanimous) stops to cheat even with a clear advantage. The plot sounds very much like the old Wacky Races cartoon.
I was thinking more like the original Cannonball Run crossed with some Gumball Rally.
Part 69, Chapter 1011
Chapter One Thousand Eleven
10th May 1953
Potsdam
There were times to be angry and there were times like these that reminded Kat that she didn’t control anyone other than herself. The day before Kat had listened to Nancy explain what had happened as Doug had tried not to laugh. Catch a Tiger by the Tail sounded like in was one of dozens of movies UFA put out every year, stupid comedies that people watched as a couple hours of escapism. That this movie was effectively a long commercial for Volkswagen would probably go over most of the audience’s heads, but it basically insured that Nancy would have a job for that company for as long as she wanted one. What that meant was that Kat found it difficult to be too angry with Nancy. Still, Nancy had been frightened of Kat’s reaction for days until she had found the courage to tell her. That part was a bit more difficult. Finding out that her friends feared her reactions wasn’t easy. It wasn’t not like this was the first time a character based on her had made it into production. Gerta had played that character on a TV television show. Then there was Andrea Herzog from the James Bond film and a sequel was being made. In the meantime, life continued to grind forward.
“The Greek Government has reported that Leon Trotsky has died at the age of seventy-three at his home in Pyrgos on the Island of Santorini” Kat read aloud.
“They are going to be popping Champaign corks in Moscow when the news reaches there” Kira replied.
“You might want to issue a statement yourself” Kat said, “Your family was sent into exile by the Bolsheviks and he was one of the leaders.”
“There is nothing for me in Russia and I have little to say to the people there” Kira said, “I’ve done my best to build a life for myself here and see no reason to dwell on a past I can barely remember.”
“Very well” Kat said, “But you know that the press will probably see things differently.”
Kira had been child at the time the Russian Revolution, her family spending years in exile. First in Finland and later France. After some difficulty finding a suitable match she had found herself betrothed to the younger brother of the German Crown Prince. That was when Kira’s life had taken a turn. Wilhelm died in Spain, and Louis Ferdinand became next in line for the throne. She had been presiding as the Empress of Germany when the Soviets had been removed from power and had never said a word about it. She had donated a considerable amount of money to the Orthodox Church but had only set foot in Russia once to go to the funeral for the members of the Romanov family who had died in British Columbia. Kat figured that if she went to Russia in the company of either Gia or Kiki it would probably do wonders for the relations between Germany and Russia.
“Just think about it” Kat said, “This might be an opportunity to mend fences.”
“Thank you, Katherine” Kira replied, “I’ll consider it.”
Kat had heard Kira say things like that before, usually when she had no intention of doing anything.
“By the way” Kira said, “Elizabeth of England has decided that there is no reason for there not to be Lady Companions of the Garter. She thinks that you would make a wonderful addition to the Order, it will give you another medal to wear on your uniform.”
“I’ll consider it” Kat replied.
Berlin
“You don’t have help, but you can at least come down and talk to me” Emil said when he had ordered Zella out of her room.
He was at loss in how to relate to his daughter, she had always liked to help him in the garage when he worked on his motorcycles. Maria had told him to just let her brood and there wasn’t anything that he could do. Eventually, she would find a new equilibrium, or she would start University and they would see a lot less of her. Emil could except that he couldn’t repair Zella like he did with one of his motorcycles. He could at least be in her company as he worked. The brand-new R68 wasn’t in need of anything but the older surplus R75 with the sidecar needed a bit of work. The Harley-Davidson he had bought on a whim a few years earlier needed the engine rebuilt. It was something he’d not had the time to work on.
As Emil worked he was getting Zella to hand him the tools he needed until he noticed that she wasn’t paying attention to him. Looking up he saw that instead she was working in one of her sketch pads. He didn’t say anything as he got a 12mm wrench from the tool box and resumed working, turning on the radio he listened to classical music.
After a while, Zella got up and changed the radio station. This station played Berliner Gutter Blues. Heavily influenced by American Blues music, this song featured a guitarist and saxophonist playing off each other in the breaks between verses. The crooner was singing about how his girlfriend had thrown him out, as the song went on it became clear that he had deserved exactly what he had gotten. It was a lot more self-aware then anything he had heard before in this sort of music.
“What have you got?” Emil asked with a smile.
“Nothing” Zella said as she paused in her work.
He could see that she drawn a pencil sketch of him working on the motorcycle that was already better than most people could do. She really did have a gift.
10th May 1953
Potsdam
There were times to be angry and there were times like these that reminded Kat that she didn’t control anyone other than herself. The day before Kat had listened to Nancy explain what had happened as Doug had tried not to laugh. Catch a Tiger by the Tail sounded like in was one of dozens of movies UFA put out every year, stupid comedies that people watched as a couple hours of escapism. That this movie was effectively a long commercial for Volkswagen would probably go over most of the audience’s heads, but it basically insured that Nancy would have a job for that company for as long as she wanted one. What that meant was that Kat found it difficult to be too angry with Nancy. Still, Nancy had been frightened of Kat’s reaction for days until she had found the courage to tell her. That part was a bit more difficult. Finding out that her friends feared her reactions wasn’t easy. It wasn’t not like this was the first time a character based on her had made it into production. Gerta had played that character on a TV television show. Then there was Andrea Herzog from the James Bond film and a sequel was being made. In the meantime, life continued to grind forward.
“The Greek Government has reported that Leon Trotsky has died at the age of seventy-three at his home in Pyrgos on the Island of Santorini” Kat read aloud.
“They are going to be popping Champaign corks in Moscow when the news reaches there” Kira replied.
“You might want to issue a statement yourself” Kat said, “Your family was sent into exile by the Bolsheviks and he was one of the leaders.”
“There is nothing for me in Russia and I have little to say to the people there” Kira said, “I’ve done my best to build a life for myself here and see no reason to dwell on a past I can barely remember.”
“Very well” Kat said, “But you know that the press will probably see things differently.”
Kira had been child at the time the Russian Revolution, her family spending years in exile. First in Finland and later France. After some difficulty finding a suitable match she had found herself betrothed to the younger brother of the German Crown Prince. That was when Kira’s life had taken a turn. Wilhelm died in Spain, and Louis Ferdinand became next in line for the throne. She had been presiding as the Empress of Germany when the Soviets had been removed from power and had never said a word about it. She had donated a considerable amount of money to the Orthodox Church but had only set foot in Russia once to go to the funeral for the members of the Romanov family who had died in British Columbia. Kat figured that if she went to Russia in the company of either Gia or Kiki it would probably do wonders for the relations between Germany and Russia.
“Just think about it” Kat said, “This might be an opportunity to mend fences.”
“Thank you, Katherine” Kira replied, “I’ll consider it.”
Kat had heard Kira say things like that before, usually when she had no intention of doing anything.
“By the way” Kira said, “Elizabeth of England has decided that there is no reason for there not to be Lady Companions of the Garter. She thinks that you would make a wonderful addition to the Order, it will give you another medal to wear on your uniform.”
“I’ll consider it” Kat replied.
Berlin
“You don’t have help, but you can at least come down and talk to me” Emil said when he had ordered Zella out of her room.
He was at loss in how to relate to his daughter, she had always liked to help him in the garage when he worked on his motorcycles. Maria had told him to just let her brood and there wasn’t anything that he could do. Eventually, she would find a new equilibrium, or she would start University and they would see a lot less of her. Emil could except that he couldn’t repair Zella like he did with one of his motorcycles. He could at least be in her company as he worked. The brand-new R68 wasn’t in need of anything but the older surplus R75 with the sidecar needed a bit of work. The Harley-Davidson he had bought on a whim a few years earlier needed the engine rebuilt. It was something he’d not had the time to work on.
As Emil worked he was getting Zella to hand him the tools he needed until he noticed that she wasn’t paying attention to him. Looking up he saw that instead she was working in one of her sketch pads. He didn’t say anything as he got a 12mm wrench from the tool box and resumed working, turning on the radio he listened to classical music.
After a while, Zella got up and changed the radio station. This station played Berliner Gutter Blues. Heavily influenced by American Blues music, this song featured a guitarist and saxophonist playing off each other in the breaks between verses. The crooner was singing about how his girlfriend had thrown him out, as the song went on it became clear that he had deserved exactly what he had gotten. It was a lot more self-aware then anything he had heard before in this sort of music.
“What have you got?” Emil asked with a smile.
“Nothing” Zella said as she paused in her work.
He could see that she drawn a pencil sketch of him working on the motorcycle that was already better than most people could do. She really did have a gift.
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Ahhh the Teen years. I can imagine Zella, when she comes around, and Aurora deciding to break Kiki out. Speeding out of the palace on a motorcycle and sidecar with official plates on them, borrowed from Emil of course. That or using a Fohn that someone asks VW if Maria or Emil can test out.
I understand the Greek island climate is good for the health, which would explain how he got to 73. An illness can steal many years off of your life. Not as fast as an icepick, but still...
So--product placement a bit early--clever. I hope that they included a Schwimmwagen; I can see that being seen as a cool machine to sell. Amphibious cars generally aren't great successes, but Volkswagen doesn't know that, and this one does have reasonable off road capabilities.
I'm just amazed, still, at the quantity and quality; this is professional grade writing.
I'm just amazed, still, at the quantity and quality; this is professional grade writing.
I can see Fleming laughing at the portrayal of him and trying to think of ways to get back at Kat in his books and films.
Jack is going to wonder what did he do to deserve this.
Volkswagen should kick in a few extra Marks to have the film shot in color.
BTW how is the movie about The Battle of the South China Sea going?
Jack is going to wonder what did he do to deserve this.
Volkswagen should kick in a few extra Marks to have the film shot in color.
BTW how is the movie about The Battle of the South China Sea going?
However, no fashionable movie star or trend setter would ever been seen around town without one.
Something about "if it's good enough for Grafin Kat then it's good enough for me"?