The Olsen Gang of Würchwitz

A four-part docusoap for the MDR 2015

Episode 1
The Olsen Gang of Würchwitz – that is the former mayor Friedrich-Karl Steinbach as Egon Olsen, the village blacksmith Andreas “Mäxchen” Schaller as Kjeld, the painter Steffen Gruner as Benny and the bank employee Steffi Pöschel as the flamboyant Yvonne. They have a plan, concocted by the former biology teacher Helmut “Humus” Pöschel and by the dentist Thomas “Peng” Linzner. They want to shoot a new feature film that will be shown in the cinema on 5th of December 2015. The amateur film makers begin the shoot of their fifth film with the last scene – the conviction of the Olsen Gang. The shooting takes place at the higher regional court in Naumburg with a real prosecutor, the former district administrator of the Burgenlandkreis district and more than 30 extras, one of them a courtroom artist.
After the long shoot all actors get back into their everyday roles: Mäxchen, who practices an old craft in his forge of 1749, the dentist Thomas Linzner on his construction site. In six weeks he wants to open a new practice. Steffi and Steffen are looking for garish fabrics, so that Steffen can sew a new film costume for her. Earlier the two were a couple. Now, Steffen is only Steffi’s “personal tailor”. Friedrich-Karl looks after his horses and sheep, and the latter have very special tasks. Humus and Peng make new grandiose new plans – they want to engage a famous TV commissioner for their new episode. Will they succeed? And who will it be?

Episode 2
Today the Olsen Gang of Würchwitz has to deal with a famous investigator. The famous TV commissioner must be picked up from Leipzig’s main station. But it is the gang which causes agitation there. Egon has to sign autographs and when a schoolclass from Nowosibirsk starts singing the theme song of the Olsen Gang the actors from Würchwitz are beside themselves with joy. They almost forget to welcome Jacki Schwarz, who agreed to hunt Egon Olsen as a supreme commissioner without pay. The Egon Olsen is the Danish crook who has cracked a safe of the brand “Franz Jäger Berlin” in a train from Zeitz with flair and a stethoscope. After the long shooting, which the professional actor finishes blindfoldedly, they go to the former “film-Benny” to the vineyard Triebe in Würchwitz, where Jacki Schwarz celebrates with the Olsen Gang until late into the night.
But the next high-ranking visitor is just around the corner: a mite cheese professor from Japan, who wants to discover the secrets of mite cheese in Humus’ mite cheese museum. A specialty made of low fat curd cheese and rye, which millions of mites allow to mature. Connoisseurs regard the cheese as the truffle of cheeses, but in the internet it is part of the list of the ten most disgusting delicacies. The mite professor from Japan is impressed by the mite cheese from Würchwitz.
Karl-Friedrich Steinbach needs a new horse shoe for his horse and therefore takes it to his Gang colleague Mäxchen. Mäxchen has major worries. He got a major contract and wants to give up filming. Cameraman Peng is stunned when he hears the news. And so this day of filming with a URSUS made in 1948 goes completely wrong.

Episode 3
In Sieglitz the police parades in uniforms and with real weapons in order to catch Egon Olsen. The three policemen from the precinct of the Burgenlandkreis use their free time to play law enforcement officials who hunt Danish crooks. For free of course. Just for fun and enthusiasm for the crazy villagers. For the first time Peng has brought his son to the shooting because he hardly managed to spend time with him lately. Because the filming and his construction site are very time consuming. Still, there is no end in sight when the new rooms for his practice are going to be ready. The blacksmith has a bad conscience. Can he let the gang down? No. Therefore he works day and night in his forge unless he’s filming. In the meantime Steffen displays designer qualities. He has finished the costume for the flashy Yvonne – without any pattern. The dress is amazing, and the hat Steffen makes from an old one has international design qualities. Steffi is enthused and beams during the shooting at the horse racecourse in Leipzig.
Shortly thereafter she even takes off. With a plane that the gang – of course – got for free. From a dentist and hobby pilot from Zeitz who was earlier a fan of the Danish Olsen Gang and is now delighted by the film project of the villagers of Würchwitz. Therefore he even organized a second plane, so that Peng can film from outside how the crazy Yvonne searches for the Olsen Gang. In the evening Humus presents a surprise in their favorite bar in Bockwitz. As a thank you to the gang, their families and all helpers he planned a weekend trip to Switzerland. Steffen is excited. He hopes to be able to indulge in his passion in Zurich – shopping. But these plans will go awfully wrong, at least for him. Peng hopes that his practice rooms finally will be finished, because he still has to cut the film. 1000 tickets for the cinema premiere on 5th December are already sold, and he hasn’t even finished the first scenes.

Episode 4