The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz | |
---|---|
Directed by | George Marshall |
Screenplay by |
Albert E. Lewin Nat Perrin Burt Styler |
Story by | Ken Englund |
Produced by | Edward Small |
Starring |
Elke Sommer Bob Crane Werner Klemperer |
Cinematography | Jacques Marquette |
Edited by | Grant Whytock |
Music by | Jimmie Haskell |
Production company | Edward Small Productions |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz is a 1968 DeLuxe Color American comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Elke Sommer, Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer and Leon Askin. [1] The screenplay concerns an East German athlete who defects to the West by pole-vaulting over the Berlin Wall. [2]
Paula Schultz ( Elke Sommer) has been preparing to compete in the Olympic Games, but instead pole-vaults over the Berlin Wall to freedom in West Germany.
A black-market operator, Bill Mason ( Bob Crane), hides her in the home of an old Army buddy, Herb Sweeney ( Joey Forman), who now works for the CIA. Bill is willing to hand her over for a price, to either side, so a disappointed Paula returns to East Germany with propaganda minister Klaus instead. At this point, Bill comes to his senses, realizes he loves her, then disguises himself as a female athlete to get Paula back.
The film was based on an original screenplay by Ken Englund that Edward Small bought in 1966. [3] Harry Tugend was hired to rewrite it. [4]
Bob Crane was offered the lead role because of his success in Hogan's Heroes, [5] along with three other members of the series, and the film was shot during the show's summer hiatus in 1967. [6] Several other guest stars from the series also appeared in the film.
In advance of the film's release, per the practice of the era, Popular Library released a novelization of the screenplay credited to the pseudonym of Alton Harsh (the actual author may have been Al Hine).[ citation needed]
Reviews were poor. [7] [8] [9] Quentin Tarantino appropriated the titular character's name for the title of Chapter 7 ("The Lonely Grave of Paula Schultz") for his film Kill Bill Vol. 2. Tarantino also used the name for the wife of the character Dr. King Schultz ( Christoph Waltz) in the film Django Unchained.[ citation needed]