Timm Thaler (1979 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Timm Thaler |
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| Genre | Children, mystery |
| Written by | James Krüss Justus Pfaue Peter M. Thouet |
| Directed by | Sigi Rothemund |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Christian Bruhn |
| Opening theme | Timm's Theme |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Original language(s) | German English (dubbed) |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
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| Original network | ZDF (Germany) BBC1 (United Kingdom) |
| First shown in | 1979 (Germany) 1983 (United Kingdom) |
Timm Thaler (also known as The Legend of Tim Tyler: The Boy Who Lost His Laugh) is a children's TV show from 1979. It's based on a 1962 book by German writer James Krüss. The series first aired in Germany on the ZDF channel.
In 1983, the BBC brought the show to the United Kingdom. They called the English version The Legend of Tim Tyler. It was shown on Children's BBC during weekday afternoons. The story for the TV show was written by Justus Pfaue and Peter M. Thouet. It's a bit different from the original book.
Sigi Rothemund directed the series. It became very popular in Germany. The main actor, Tommi Ohrner, was 14 years old at the time. He became a popular teen star because of his role as Timm Thaler (Tim Tyler). The famous actor Horst Frank played the Baron.
Contents
The Story of Timm Thaler
Timm Thaler, a 13-year-old boy, has a laugh that everyone loves. It's so special that people can't help but like him. A mysterious and very rich businessman, known as the Baron, notices Timm's amazing laugh. The Baron is always grumpy and wears a black flower on his jacket. He tries to buy Timm's laugh, but Timm refuses.
Timm's father, a flight instructor, dies during a flight that was arranged by the Baron. It's hinted that the Baron might have been involved in what happened. After losing his father, Timm feels very sad and vulnerable.
To help his stepmother with money, Timm finally agrees to the Baron's strange offer. He trades his laugh for a special power: he will win every bet he ever makes, no matter how silly it seems. If either Timm or the Baron tells anyone about their deal, they lose the benefits of the contract. The Baron and his helper, Anatol, use Timm's new gift to become even more successful in business.
However, Timm becomes very unhappy without his laugh. He misses it terribly and decides he must get it back. He tries many different plans. Soon, he realizes that the only way to get his laugh back is to make another bet with the Baron.
Meet the Characters
Here are the main actors and the characters they played in the series:
- Tommi Ohrner as Timm Thaler (Tim Tyler)
- Horst Frank as Baron de Lefuet (Baron Lived)
- Richard Lauffen as Anatol
- Bruni Löbel as Sister Agatha
- Stefan Behrens as Heinrich
- Gerhart Lippert as Friedemann Tyler
- Marlies Engel as Annemarie Tyler
How the TV Show Differs from the Book
The TV show changed some parts of the original book. Here are a few key differences:
- In the book, Timm's journey to get his laugh back takes four years. But in the TV show, it only takes a few weeks. This way, one actor could play Timm for the whole series.
- The book talks a lot about how society and money work. The TV show doesn't focus as much on these ideas.
- Timm's mean stepbrother from the book is not in the TV series. Also, his stepmother is shown as a kind person in the show, which is different from how she is in the book.
- In the book, Timm's father is not a pilot. Timm first meets the Baron at a racetrack, not at an airport family party. His father died in a building accident when Timm was four.
- A character named Signor Grandizzi from the book was replaced by the dark servant Anatol in the TV show. Other characters were also changed or replaced, like Sister Agathe instead of Kreschimir, and the ship's cook Heinrich instead of the helmsman Jonny. The show also added some new characters.
Filming Locations
The TV series was filmed in some interesting places.
- The Mirador del Río and the pools of the Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote were used for the Baron's futuristic mountain hideout. Both places were designed by Cesar Manrique.
- Other locations in Lanzarote included the Restaurant "La Era" in Yaiza, Arrecife, and the Timanfaya national park.
- City scenes were filmed in Hamburg, Germany. This included the Landungsbrücken harbor and the airport in Hartenholm, which is about 50 km north of Hamburg.
- The final parts of the show were filmed at the Radisson-SAS-Hotel near the Congress-Centrum Hamburg (CCH).
- The very last scene, where Timm gets his laugh back, was shot in front of the district court in Hamburg. This area is now called Brahmsplatz.
Fun Facts
- The BBC showed the series again in 1991, but they surprisingly left out the last episode. Only episodes 1-12 were shown that time.
- In 2002, an animated TV series based on the same book was made. It had 26 episodes.
