Former Detroiters On
The 'Zine Scene

Linda Grekin Is
Directionally Challenged . .84

nt ertainme n

The Harmonists, played by German
actors, front to back, Max Tidof,
Ulrich Noeten, Heino Ferch, Ben
Becker and 1 leinrich .Sehafinei,ier

The rise and fall of the
legendary Berlin singing
group banned by the Nazis
comes to the screen in a
new German film.

SERENA DONADONI
Special to The Jewish News

IV

hen Adolf Hitler rose to power in
Germany, the Comedian Harmonists
were already famous. The five singers
and their pianist had fallen in love with
the complex harmonies of black American singing
groups like the Revellers, and adapted this style to
their particular sensibilities.
Their repertoire included not just new arrange-
ments of popular songs, but wordless tunes where
these versatile men would use their voices to recreate
the instrumental prowess of, say, Duke Ellington's
orchestra. They were not only consummate profes-
sionals, but performed their songs with a buoyant
humor.
So the Comedian Harmonists naively believed that
their immense fame — best-selling records and sold-
out concerts — shielded them from the Nazis. When
they formed in 1927, the one criterion was that each
be an accomplished singer and willing to try some-
thing new. But three of the six members were Jewish,
and that was something that now mattered very
much.
When German director Joseph Vilsmaier was

HARMONISTS

on page 88

otos COUTta

3/19
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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