”FYRTØJET” Prehistory

The picture is from a scene in the long-running cartoon "Fyrtøjet", where the healthy and handsome soldier marches along the country road, on his way home from military service. His goal is the big city, where he hopes to find a suitable job. But along the way, he meets an old witch, who is standing by the roadside in front of his large, hollow tree - and thus the magical world of adventure begins to open up to him. The soldier is drawn and animated by Børge Hamberg, and the background is painted by Finn Rosenberg. - Photo from the film: © 1946 Palladium A/S.

"A soldier came marching…"

These introductory words to H.C. Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet" were to have both good and bad consequences for the world in several ways, and not least for little Denmark. The winters of 1939, 1940, 1941 and also the winter of 1942 were the most severe so far of the century, and during the latter winter the lowest temperature since 1893 was measured. of scarcity due to the restrictions on imports that were a consequence of the war situation. Denmark had previously mainly imported coal from England, but now it was dependent on coal imports from Germany, where they themselves needed the coal, especially in the war industry. In addition, the large amounts of snow during the winter caused serious traffic difficulties, and the capital's milk supply had to take place in part by means of sleigh transports.

But it was actually the severe winter of 1941/42 that was a major reason why Nazi Germany's attacks and attempts to conquer Russia were turned into a crippling defeat for the Germans. So in a sense, the severe winters served a good purpose, although they were hard to get through for the people, not least in German-occupied Denmark.

Incidentally, the years and days largely went its calm and accustomed way in little Denmark, occupied as most were by the small and big joys and sorrows of everyday life. And of course people enjoyed the sun and heat of the summer months as before. The entertainment life almost flourished and the cinemas also had reasonably good conditions in these years and had not yet been hit by such restrictions, which were soon to be the case. But even shortly before the outbreak of war on September 3, 1939, noticeable societal restrictions were introduced, including in the form of export bans for a large number of goods, as well as rationing of gasoline, gas, water and electricity. In addition, aid workers were called in to protect the civilian population from the effects of possible airstrikes. A well-known phenomenon in the big cities was the sandbags that were stacked up in front of basement windows and many other places, especially by public buildings, just like public statues, such as. the equestrian statue at Amalienborg Castle Square, was protected by a stack of sandbags hidden by a large wooden box.

April 9, 1940 was the day of fate for Denmark, among others, when German troops outwitted the still sleeping population early in the morning and invaded and occupied the country, first and foremost the capital and the larger provincial towns. These places confiscated the German occupying forces without regard to owners and users the buildings and other facilities they found necessary. In Copenhagen, the German army command seized the Hotel d’Angleterre, the Navy Hotel Phønix, and the Waffen-SS Persil-Kompagniet’s property in Jernbanegade. Part of Dagmarhus was also used, but the cinema was temporarily allowed to continue showing public performances. In the ensuing time, the Shell House was seized as the headquarters of the infamous Geheime Staats Polizei, abbreviated Gestapo. Vægtergården, Vesterport, Sankt Annæ Palæ is also used for German purposes, and the Palads Teatret was transformed into the amusement park Deutsches Eck. In 1944, Dagmar Bio was included in the Armed Forces cinema, which Danes usually did not have access to. Some of the building's offices were set up for interrogation rooms, where a number of Danish resistance fighters were subjected to rough interrogation methods and violent and bloody torture. On the roof of Dagmarhus, the Germans also had heavy anti-aircraft guns set up, which came into use when English bombers attacked and bombed the Shell House on March 21, 1945.

But before it had come this far, there had been fighting in several places between the Danish troops and the occupying forces at the border crossing in Southern Jutland, and in Copenhagen between German troops and Danish police, who protected Amalienborg, where the royal family lived and stayed during the attack. Here, however, the Germans gave up the fight and withdrew, leaving the place to the Danish police. A few soldiers on both sides lost their lives, but it soon became clear that the Danish defense could not provide qualified resistance to the well-organized and strong German war machine. The supremacy was simply too overwhelming, which the country's Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning and King Christian X quickly realized why, allegedly in protest, orders were issued to end all military resistance. At the same time, a proclamation was made in the form of posters and readings on the radio, in which the population was urged to unreservedly observe good peace and order, and otherwise not act outspoken and provocative towards the occupying power.

Thus began the admittedly forced co-operation with the Germans, who would later give the government the name of co-operative government. This co-operation was to last until around the end of August 1943, when the Germans no longer believed that the Danish government would be able to prevent the overriding sabotage actions and strikes that actually bothered the German authorities and interests significantly.

On May 3, 1942, the popular "father of the country" Thorvald Stauning had passed away, and Minister of Finance Vilhelm Buhl then took over the leadership of the government until November 9 of that year. It was a German demand for the government to impose a state of emergency, with a ban on strikes, curfews, German press censorship, standard courts, and the introduction of the death penalty for sabotage, which became the turning point for cooperation with the German authorities. The demand was rejected by the government on 28 August 1943, which led to the German Commander-in-Chief in Denmark, General Hermann von Hanneken, on August 29 proclaiming a state of military emergency throughout Denmark. The army and navy's crew and officers were interned, but before that they managed to sink most of the navy's ships, including those that were at anchor or at the quay in the port of Copenhagen. However, some of the ships escaped to Sweden.

As a countermeasure and to create fear, the Germans arrested a large number of well-known Danes, some of whom were probably resistance fighters, while others were quite ordinary law-abiding citizens. This prompted the government to immediately file its resignation with the king, after which it ceased to function. The government was at that time led by the pro-German ex. Foreign Minister Erik Scavenius, as the Germans on November 9, 1942 had demanded that he replace Vilhelm Buhl. The latter returned with the Liberation Government on May 5, 1945, of which he briefly became leader. Scavenius had then become so compromised that he was finished in Danish politics.

However, the Germans' harsh measures only increased the Danish resistance and the number of sabotage actions and strikes increased and culminated in the so-called "People's Strike" in June-July 1944. Virtually all work was stopped, the factories kept quiet and the shops closed. And even though the Germans responded again with the so-called schalburgtage, it did not stop the Danish resistance movement from continuing the resistance against the Germans, especially not when one gradually began to glimpse a German defeat on all fronts.

The war, the occupation and the film industry

However, the year 1943 was to be the year for Denmark, when the population really began to feel that the war had moved closer, especially in the form of increased sabotage against factories and companies that cooperated with the Germans, and in the form of increased restrictions and lack of basics goods. On January 9, new restrictions were introduced on electricity consumption in shops and restaurants, and e.g. shop windows were not to be lit. The ban also affected the S-trains, which were not allowed to be heated due to a ban on electric heating.

From January 16, the austerity efforts also had an impact on theaters, cinemas and not least the radio, which in the winter months all had to end at 22 and in the summer at. 22.30. Restaurants may not be open longer than until 23, tram ride and the S-trains were to end at. 23.30.

There was still strict rationing of various daily consumer goods, and in January many butcher shops had to close temporarily due to shortages of meat. This was mainly due to the fact that the Germans had "bought up" a large number of pigs and slaughter cattle and transported them to Germany.

On January 27, an event took place that shook Copenhageners, but at the same time also gave many new courage and hope. That day, six English bombers stormed the city, dropping bombs on Burmeister & Wain's workshops between the harbor and Strandgade. Christians Church was damaged on this occasion, but even more unfortunate was that the properties in Knippelsbrogade 2-6 and the sugar factory at Langebrogade were also hit, and violent fires broke out. Bombs also fell in the neighborhood around Islands Brygge, so that several thousand people had to be evacuated due to time bombs and bombs that had not exploded. The bombing claimed 7 lives and injured many.

On February 2, the extreme frugality with the use of wrapping paper was imposed. This led to e.g. to that if one got the bread wrapped at all when one bought it, then it was in the form of a narrow strip of paper around the middle of the French bread or the rye bread. It was probably not very hygienic, but experience showed that people quickly got used to the restrictions, prohibitions and injunctions that were constantly imposed both before, during and for some time after the occupation. However, the increasingly serious shortage of raw materials led to the start of a nationwide cloth collection for the manufacture of new raw materials in March.

As mentioned, the sabotage had already begun during 1942, and it was further increased in 1943. In an attempt to bring the sabotage and the saboteurs to life, Captain Lieutenant K.B.Martinsen (1905-49) formed a military corps on April 1 this year , which consisted of Danish citizens. The corps was inspired by Himmler's idea of a joint Germanic SS organization and was originally called the Germanic Corps, which name, however, was soon changed in favor of the name Schalburg Corps, in memory of C. F. von Schalburg (1906-42). It was the latter who in the summer of 1941 established Frikorps Danmark, a military unit of Danish volunteers under the German Waffen SS. It was Germany's attack on the Soviet Union that gave rise to the corps' creation, and its purpose was to fight on the Eastern Front. The corps' first commander was Lieutenant Colonel C.P.Kryssing (1891-1976), who was later succeeded by i.a. C. F. von Schalburg. The corps was disbanded in 1943 because at that time it had played its role, and the rest of the crew was transferred to the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.

The actual Schalburg Corps was military, but also housed a civilian unit, called the National Guard. The corps consisted of a total of 500-600 men, and its main task was to fight the resistance movement, and the corps members participated extensively in terror, clearing murders and stabbing.

It was especially the Schalburg Corps' plainclothes intelligence service, E.T., that was hated by the Danish population, especially in the big cities. After the dissolution of the Schalburg Corps in January 1945, E.T. as an independent terrorist group that carried out a series of so-called Schalburgtager during the rest of the war. However, the activities of the Schalburg Corps were greatly reduced in the summer of 1944, when the Freedom Council demanded that the corps be removed during the people's strike. The majority of the corps' crew was then transferred to the so-called SS training battalion, which had the barracks in Ringsted. During the last months of the war, the members of this so-called SS guard battalion Zealand served as sabotage guards.

The so-called Schalburgtage, the word formed as an allusion to the word sabotage, set in especially after Hitler's decree of December 30, 1943, and it was aimed at amusement establishments, newspaper editors and companies that did not supply war-important goods. In some cases, they wanted a confusion with the actions of the resistance movement, i.a. at railway-schalburgtage. The intention was to make sabotage unpopular with the population, but in reality only the opposite effect was achieved, as significant sections of the population could relatively easily see through when it came to sabotage and when about schalburgtage. The illegal newspapers also helped to inform people about when it was about what.

Even while co-operation policy was at the forefront, the Danish police did what they could to apprehend, remand in custody and bring charges against saboteurs and resistance fighters, who were officially still regarded as harmful to society and criminal elements. On February 24, 1943, it was officially announced that the city court had handed down sentences of up to 10 years to 12 people who had helped English paratroopers. Several of the convicts, along with 12 others, were sentenced to long prison terms for publishing and distributing the illegal magazine "De Frie Danske". The term free Danes applied to Danes who, outside the countries occupied by the Axis powers, made an effort to promote the Allied war effort. As a single example of a free Dane, mention may be made of J. Christmas Møller (1894-1948), who had left Denmark illegally on May 14, 1942 and had traveled to London, where he became leader of the Free Danes, and from where he left the rest. of the war became a fiery speaker in the BBC's Danish-language broadcasts, which we could hear illegally in Denmark.

The resistance movement's sabotage actions increased and became more extensive and effective, which led the Riksdag's co-operation committee until 3 April to make an urgent appeal to the population, pointing out that the actions were contrary to the king's command of April 9, 1940, moreover, can have the most serious consequences for the country and the population.

Speaking of the king, Christian X, on May 15, he again took over the leadership of the government following the illness resulting from His Majesty's riding accident on October 19, 1942. The king marked the day by speaking on the radio, recalling his earlier call. to all in town and on land, to show "a fully correct and dignified conduct," implied not to provoke the Germans.

For most smokers, the shortage and rationing of goods during the war and occupation were a pure plague, especially when the tobacco factories from the summer of 1943 had to mix the tobacco into cigars, ceruts and shag Danish tobacco. From the summer of 1944, cigarettes were also mixed with Danish tobacco, and in the first months of 1945, only cigarettes made from 100% Danish tobacco were available in the shops. But the illegal market or "black market", as it was called, which in some cases was even run from tobacco shops, could still supply foreign tobacco products and cigarettes, but at sky-high prices, and often against the customer buying e.g. a pipe in addition. Heavy smokers of cigarettes at that time were therefore often in possession of a collection of pipes, which was of no use to them.

One of the more petite moments in 1943 was the fashion that had at least become widespread in Copenhagen, and it was a small, crocheted hat or cap in the Royal Air Force colors, i.e. a red ring surrounded by a white and a blue ring. While I was going to school, I myself and a few other of my peers wore such a cap on my head almost daily, but where I had gotten mine from, I do not remember. On July 9, 1943, a ban was imposed on wearing this skullcap, but it had no practical significance for me, because I stopped using the skullcap at the end of May this year when I left school and a short transition became a piccolo in a plumbing company in Frederiksberg.

It was at that time that I myself applied as a student at Reklamebureauet Sylvester Hvid in Frederiksberggade, and thereby in reality came a few steps closer to my real goal, namely, to make cartoons.

On the film front, the war had the consequence that the Germans immediately after the beginning of the occupation banned the showing of English feature films in cinemas. These films had otherwise been popular with many cinema-goers, but could nevertheless not compete with the American feature films, which were also in large numbers in the country's cinemas, at least in the big cities. Danish feature films, on the other hand, were extremely popular in most parts of the country, but the production could not meet the cinemas' demand and needs.

The German authorities' pressure on the Danish authorities to increase the import and rental business around German feature films, which took place via UFA's Danish branch in Nygade 3 in Copenhagen, did not have much success. The Danish cinema owners made almost all efforts and twists and turns, to avoid showing German films, among other things by keeping Danish or American films on the repertoire longer than usual. The situation was also favorable for Swedish films, and the then fantastically popular Swedish farce Landevejs-Kroen with Edvard Persson in the lead role, was held on the poster in Nørreport Bio in Copenhagen from 29 January 29, 1940 to October 7, 1941, i.e. for almost 2 year! This is probably the record for a feature film in Denmark.

On April 24, 1944, the Germans closed all cinemas in Greater Copenhagen because some saboteurs, who were called derogatory by the resistance, had forced the operators in 15 cinemas to show a slide with a caricature of Hitler and play a gramophone record with anti-Nazi speech. The cinemas were closed for just over a month and were not reopened until May 20.

It was in the political and societal ‘climate’ outlined above that the Danes lived their daily lives during the Occupation, and it was in the same climate that the feature-length film “Fyrtøjet” was created. Therefore, we must return here to the mention of the prehistory of the film and the conditions and circumstances that prevailed around its creation.

Two of the key people in the production of the feature-length film "Fyrtøjet": On the left the cartoonist Finn Rosenberg Ammitsted, the inventor of the film, and on the right director Allan Johnsen, who at the fate or decree became the film's energetic promoter and producer. - © 1946 Palladium A / S.

The feature film "Fyrtøjet": Prehistory

As previously mentioned, the idea to make a long cartoon about H.C. Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet", was conceived by the cartoonist Finn Rosenberg Ammitsted. But whether he may have been aware of and had been inspired by the cartoonist Richard Møller's plans for a shorter cartoon about the same adventure, is unknown. However, it cannot be completely ruled out, although I have never heard Rosenberg mention it. He also did not mention that at first it had been imagined that the cartoon "Fyrtøjet" would be produced as a short film. However, the cartoonist, later advertising manager at the pharmaceutical factory "Ferrosan", Helge Hau, claims that he has heard, but mag. nature. Henning Pade, who was involved from the beginning of the cartoon's organization, i.e. from the autumn of 1942, has stated in writing that he does not think it is probable that Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A/S 'production of "Fyrtøjet" should originally have been a short film. (Note 1)

In the time after the premiere of "Fyrtøjet" on May 16, 1946, the film continued to be mentioned in several newspapers and weeklies, and in it the claim was repeated that it should originally have been a 10-minute pre-film. This was the case, for example, in the magazine "BM" (?), Which in an undated issue i.a. could tell that Allan Johnsen and Co. however, quickly realized that such a short film would not have opportunities to play its cost home.

After these lines had been written, the artist and author Lars Jakobsen published the book "Mik - a biography of the artist Henning Dahl Mikkelsen" on April 20, 2001 ", and from this it appears that Jørgen Myller and Dahl Mikkelsen in 1934 made an English language 8-minute cartoon, whose plot is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet". But this cartoon, if it has been made at all, is believed to have been distributed only in England. As far as is known, it has never been mentioned in Denmark, neither in books, newspapers nor magazines, except in 1934, when it was mentioned in Drenge Bladet (Boys Magazine), nor between man and man in the cartoon industry. Only very few besides Mik and Myller in Denmark have known of the film's existence. Therefore, it is also unlikely that it may have played any role in Finn Rosenberg's and Allan Johnsen's choice of the same fairy tale as the basis for the feature film "Fyrtøjet". (See more about Myller and Mik's "Fyrtøjet" in the section DANISH CARTOON 1930 - 1942).

Photo by the artist Richard Møller approx. 1939-40 at the time, when he was well underway with the production of his ambitious short, 10-minute cartoon based on H.C. Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet”. The then ca. 25-year-old cartoonist, despite his enthusiasm and diligence, unfortunately did not succeed during this production, which was primarily due to his lack of experience, especially in the demanding art of animation. When the later internationally acclaimed animator Børge Ring several years later had the opportunity to see some of the animated drawings from Richard Møller's film, he was certainly not impressed. - Photo: © 2007 Knud Møller.

Situation from Richard Møller's short cartoon version of H.C. Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet" (1940). - Image: © 2007 Knud Møller

On the other hand, it can probably not be completely ruled out that the story of the cartoonist Richard Møller's cartoon version of "Fyrtøjet" may still have been a joke at the time when the plans for the feature film of the same title began to emerge. It is a fact at least that Richard Møller had received his education as a cartoonist from Jørgen Müller, while he had a cartoon studio in Vesterport in 1932-34. And he probably got a job again with Myller and Mik, who from April 1939 had become artistic directors of the Danish, German-owned cartoon company VEPRO.

However, it is documented that Richard Møller was inspired to make a short film about the fairy tale "Fyrtøjet", partly by reading the film director Carl Th. Dreyer's article "Nye veje for dansk Film - og H.C.Andersen" in the magazine "Avertering" January 2, 1939, and partly by thinking back on Müller's and Mik’s possibly unrealized project from 1934. Re. Richard Møller and his career, Børge Ring can tell the following:

"Answers to questions about Richard Møller (RM):

As a fairly young man, RM was celluloid markers with Jørgen Müller at the Vesterport studio. When Jørgen went to England again, RM started a company as a cartoonist. His drawing style was very similar to Jørgens from the same time ..you know: Columbus, Fyrtøjet and Carmen. I liked his cartoons… EVERYTHING was interesting then for a boy from Funen: Disney, Fleischer, Skibstrup, Møller, Myller, Bramming, Engholm.

MIK was probably not "invented" yet… not with me at least. He first came to Svendborg as a Ferd’nand strip in Svendborg Avis.

Several years later (1938?), When I was an apprentice with Jørgen Myller at Gutenberghus, Richard Møller appeared in B.T. with a still by a cartoon soldier that resembled one of Jørgen's drawings for Anson Dyer's "Sam, pick up tha 'musket" and the announcement that NOW H.C. Andersen's fairy tale about the Fyrtøjet was filmed (that you know it) at Teknisk Film Compagni.

The newspaper received a flush of letters… among the Protestants were Arne Ungermann and Carl Th. Dreyer and several Andersen experts. They were all interviewed by phone the next day. Dreyer called for a renewal in the drawing style. "Why is a cartoon never made in a warm red chalk tone?"

RM kept a low profile for several years. Bjørn and I had meanwhile become playmates and daydreamers and one fine day we were both called out to Teknisk Film Compagni, where RM and the nice director Hjortø handed us the pencil drawings for a scene of the soldier with a giant puppet walking on a horizontal pan- background. It was not a cycle [repeat]. There were new drawings for each step, but the soldier became smaller and smaller without perspective involved (and uglier and uglier and more and more despairing).

They asked if we would like to take over the stage, but we apologized. Since then, I have not heard of or from RM. ”

On an autumn holiday in 1936 or 1937, I saw a lot of cartoons by RM, as Vibe Hastrup's Shoe Cream at an exhibition about film had set up a cartoon stand, where RM sat at an animation desk and drew "little men" in Myller-Iwerks-style. In the end, he wrote "Vibe Hastrup Skocreme" on every magazine. There were four walls around him full of cartoons in color. A special frieze showed that "it takes thirty-six drawings to get" Goofy "to take just one step". ”

(Børge Ring in letter of 12.11.01. To Harry Rasmussen).

However, with Børge Ring it must be stated that Richard Møller's version of "Fyrtøjet" from 1940 allegedly did not meet the quality expectations, which is why the producer Knud Hjortø interrupted it to begin with such a promising collaboration. This had thus taken place sometime before Finn Rosenberg and Allan Johnsen around the summer of 1942 agreed to try to start the production of a feature-length film project based on the same fairy tale. However, Richard Møller's plans for a shorter cartoon version of the fairy tale "Fyrtøjet", with Knud Hjortø, Teknisk Film Compagni, as the starting producer, were not intended for cinema use, as it was shot on 16mm film for use in the private home cinema. However, Richard Møller had already aired his plans to make a short cartoon about "Fyrtøjet" for B.T. January 3, 1939, reportedly inspired by film director Carl Th. Dreyer's article in the January issue of the monthly magazine "Avertering", which had been published the day before. The next day, January 4, Politiken brought an interview with Richard Møller, who on that occasion had made a quick drawing for the article. It did not appeal to intellectual and artistic readers, and at the time it caused a number of readers to protest strongly against Richard Møller's plans. Among the protesters were well-known as well as unknown names, as well as several literary H.C. Andersen experts. (Note 2)

As mentioned, it can be stated that Richard Møller's cartoon project was at least partly inspired by Carl Th. Dreyer's article, which as mentioned was read in the magazine "Avertering" for January 2, 1939. This article may probably also have inspired Finn Rosenberg, who as an advertising cartoonist must undoubtedly have read the mentioned magazine. In the article entitled New Roads for Danish Film - and H.C. Andersen, Dreyer states, among other things:

"There is agreement that Denmark is closer to shooting an H.C.Andersen film than any other country. There is also agreement that such an effort must be made in money and work that the film becomes a worthy expression of our great , national poet and acts as propaganda for Danish culture and art.

It is a high and justified goal to set, and it is to be hoped that those who have the courage to put up with this great task are also aware of both the difficulties and the responsibilities. "

Dreyer then discusses whether the film should be a biographical depiction of H.C. Andersen's life, and after reviewing the various possibilities for such a film, he continues:

"How it goes now or not, the biographical H.C.Andersen film, then there is another H.C.Andersen film that the world is waiting for and longing for, an H.C.Andersen film, which sooner or later will be made, and which we should get started with the sooner the better, all the more so as its economic opportunities are far more favorable than for the biographical film.

The idea has been put forward that no better characterization of the poet's personality can be given than by retelling in pictures one or some of his adventures. This is of course true, but not if one imagines the adventures filmed, played and photographed like a regular movie. The photographic lens is excellent at reproducing the tangible reality, but is only a poor help when it comes to producing an illusion of the unreal, and in the face of the fairy-tale spider web of fairy tales, it will quite fail. In order to recreate on the screen the enchanting grace of the fairy tales, the film must resort to other means. The real H.C. Andersen adventure film must be made by a Danish painter.

When the first cartoon appeared many years ago, the more foresighted could predict that one day a "painted" film would emerge as opposed to the "played" film, a "living painting" similar to the "living drawing". The doubters of that time will hardly doubt any more, and if they do, they should go in and watch the Snow White movie. "(Note 3)

In his article, Dreyer then touches on the preliminary history of the cartoon genre and mentions names such as Oskar Fishinger, Willem Bon and Lotte Reiniger, after which he discusses what he calls "the entertaining cartoon". As a tentative highlight in this category at the time, Dreyer again mentions the Snow White film, which he does not consider a significant work of art. He justifies this in the following way:

"Measured by the acre of art, it is not a significant work, and its many pleasing and endearing qualities can be unspoken - pointing out imperfections, especially the somewhat glamorous psychology of the protagonists as well as the often scratchy and grinding, often flat and fresh color effects. Walt Disney is an entertaining and inventive cartoonist and well into the craft of cartooning, but he is certainly not a great artist. "

It is Dreyer's view that, in terms of stylistic as well as literary content, the cartoon does not have to "trample on the heels of the somewhat childish comics of the magazines," but both can and should rise to a truly artistic level. He believes that it will be possible to do this in Denmark, where there are a number of significant drawing and painting artists, and this, together with the fact that with H.C.Andersen’s adventures we own one of the largest literary assets in the world, could end up with a good result.

In Dreyer's opinion, cartoons of especially H.C. Andersen's lyrical fairy tales would be of artistic quality if they were made on the basis of drawings or illustrations of e.g. Vilhelm Pedersen, Axel Nygaard, Mogens Ziegler, Arne Ungermann, Hans Bendix or Jensenius. As examples of humorous adventures, Dreyer mentions Little Claus and Big Claus and the Fyrtøjet, which he assumes that especially artists like Arne Ungermann, Hans Bendix and Jensenius would be self-described to design. And for the dramatic fairy tales, he believes that painters like Niels Larsen Stevns, Hans Scherfig or Fritz Syberg would be suitable. Dreyer also highlights Larsen Stevns as the obvious "designer" of a biographical H.C. Andersen film, which he justifies with the collection of colored illustrations (watercolors), which he had painted for a then intended image version of "My Life's Adventure". The watercolors were exhibited at Den Frie in the autumn of 1938 (?). The picture edition with Larsen Stevns' illustrations was published in 1943. (Note 4)

In 1914, Dania Biofilm Kompagni shot a "feature film" about the fairy tale "Little Claus and Big Claus". The screenplay for this was designed by the author and then director of Gyldendals Forlag, Peter Nansen (1861-1918), who also sat on the board of Dania Biofilm Kompagni. He was for a time married to the famous actress Betty Nansen, b. Müller (1873-1943), who from 1917 until her death was director of the Betty Nansen Theater in Frederiksberg. As director of "Little Claus and Big Claus", he chose the actor and author Elith Reumert (1855-1934), who was considered to have a good knowledge of H.C. Andersen and his writing. As a boy he had met the great poet alive, just as he had a personal acquaintance with some of the persons who had known H.C. Andersen closely. However, it was not until 10-11 years later that he wrote a few books about the man H.C. Andersen in particular. The first, H.C. Andersen and Det Melchiorske Hjem, was published in 1924, and the second, H.C. Andersen as he was, was published in 1925, both at H. Hagerups Forlag, Copenhagen. (Note 5)

The one main role as Store Claus was played by the then actor Benjamin Christensen (1879-1959), who later distinguished himself as one of Danish silent film's artistically best directors. After many years as a film director in Germany and then in Hollywood, he returned to Denmark in 1939 and directed the feature film "Divorce children", for which he had also written the screenplay. In the years 1940-42, he was responsible for four more significant Danish feature films. In 1944 he received a grant for Rio Bio at Roskildevej 301 in Copenhagen. The second lead role as Little Claus was played by the actor Henrik Malberg (1873-1958), who had made his film debut in 1910 in Regia Kunstfilms Co.'s film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's short story "Dorian Grays Portrait", and who as late as 1955 got a lead role in Carl Th. Dreyer's film adaptation of Kaj Munk's play "The Word". Robert Storm Petersen had a minor role as a farmer in "Little Claus and Big Claus". In a still photo from the film, he is seen with Benjamin Christensen next to a horse-drawn carriage, on whose belly sits a man in a hat and behind him a figure bends forward. The latter two persons have not been identified. The image is one of the few still photos preserved from the film. (Note 6)

Under the title Store Klaus og Lille Klaus, the fairy tale "Lille Claus og Store Claus" was made in 1930 as a puppet film by the photographer Christian Maagaard Christensen at the then newly established Nordisk Tonefilm, which, however, had nothing to do with Nordisk Films Kompagni. The film was dubbed by "Lange Lyd" alias tone- or sound master Henning O. Petersen (1894-1988), who 1928-46 was tonemaster at Nordisk Film in Valby and then workshop manager at Nordisk Films Teknik in Frihavnen. The film, which is about 600 m = approx. 22 minutes, was shown in Kinografen 24.8.-8.9.1930. (Note 7)

However, hardly everyone was or will agree with Dreyer's assessment of the Snow White film as well as of Walt Disney, but his view was largely shared by the fine cultural establishment, both then and later. The question is, however, whether the assessment can be characterized as factual, as one must ask oneself what prerequisites the otherwise well-respected and world-famous feature film director Carl Th. Dreyer had to be able to assess the cartoon medium and its special history, terms and possibilities.

Dreyer, who at the time apparently had great and optimistic confidence in Danish film producers, also expresses the opinion that the task of producing a Danish H.C. Andersen fairy tale cartoon must be stumbling close to a Danish film producer, and he continues:

"[...] Whether the interested producer would then try to realize the film in this country by summoning foreign technicians (if we do not already have them good enough, which I am inclined to believe) - or would prefer to ally with an English or American partner is in the first place a subordinate question. The important thing is that there is a need for the "drawn" or "painted" H.C.Andersen adventure film, and that Danish film should not wait until this rich, national treasure is taken out of the hands of us, but without delay step to the work. The risk is small, because you know in advance exactly what you are getting along with and can follow the realization step by step. movies without major difficulty can be dubbed in other languages. " (Note 8)

Speaking of cartoons based on one of H.C. Andersen's adventures, Storm P.'s photographer Karl Wieghorst had already in 1928 and 1930 tried to film some of Andersen's adventures (See note 7). And in 1931, Walt Disney was able to present his cartoon short version of The Ugly Duckling ("Den grimme Ælling"). It was redrawn several years later in a new and modernized version, which premiered in 1939 and won an Oscar for best short cartoon that year. In both cases, however, there was an even very free reproduction of the action in Andersen's fairy tales, and the moral or aim of the fairy tale was trivialized beyond recognition. However, this does not prevent the latter version from being a very beautiful, touching and technically good cartoon, which both children and adults have been able to enjoy both then and at the later screenings in cinemas around the world, and yet later in television and in video editions of the film.

Above are the two most prominent figures in the Danish cartoon industry in the 1930s-40s. To the left Henning Dahl Mikkelsen (Mik) and to the right the undisputed nestor of Danish cartoons, Jørgen Müller (Myller), both photographed around Christmas time 1941. In 1942-43 both were in question as directing animators on the feature film "Fyrtøjet". - Photos: Excerpt from a group photo taken at VEPRO's Christmas party in 1941. - Dansk Billed Central.

When Dreyer thought or assumed that we in Denmark had people who would technically be able to make such a film, he probably thought of Jørgen Müller and Henning Dahl Mikkelsen and their employees, who at the end of 1938 until the spring 1939 worked for Gutenberghus Reklame Film. In the article, however, Dreyer does not content himself with presenting airy ideas, but throws himself into a budgetary calculation of what a so-called all-night cartoon would cost to produce in 1939 awards. He assumes that "a technically impeccable cartoon in color and with tone is at home at about 60 kroner per meter. Let us be large and count twice as much for the adventure film. We will then see that an all-night cartoon of 2000 -2400 meters will cost less to produce than just the Danish version of the played H.C.Andersen biography, but while the cartoon can easily be "translated" into other languages and thus can be shown all over the world, the Danish version of the feature film can only be performed at home." (Note 9)

If you count on Dreyer's indication of the price for a Danish cartoon of 2000-2400 meters, which means a playing time of 72-86 minutes, we come up with a price of DKK 120 per. meters to a budget of 240,000-288,000 DKK, well noticeable in 1939 prices. In comparison, it cost around DKK 1,000,000 to produce the 76-minute-long "Fyrtøjet" in the years 1942-45, i.e. approx. five to six times as much as the price estimated by Dreyer! For further comparison, it cost 1.7 mill. dollars in 1937 prices to produce the 80-minute-long Snow White film, which also took about 3 years to produce, but with a staff of 900-1000 people. The comparison lags, however, as the work procedure at the Disney studios was organized and rehearsed through years of experimentation and practical experience, gained during the production of a large number of short cartoons, both in the Mickey Mouse series, the Donald Duck series and others, but perhaps especially in the generally more 'serious' Silly Symphony series.

Danish cartoon production had been discontinuous until 1939, and the few leading cartoonists who were at that time actually consisted of only two people, namely the aforementioned Jørgen Müller and Dahl Mikkelsen, who had both learned the profession in England. However, a slightly younger generation of Danish cartoonists was gradually on their way with names like Bjørn Frank Jensen, Børge Hamberg, Erik Rus, Kjeld Simonsen and Erik Christensen. They had all at the time when "Fyrtøjet" was put into production, been employed by the cartoon company VEPRO.

But producing a cartoon without a storyboard was unthinkable at Disney, on the contrary, it was such an obvious and indispensable part of the production process. In addition, his staff, including especially instructors and animators, for the reasons listed above were significantly more well-trained and experienced than was the case with the animators who worked on "Fyrtøjet". And when it comes to finances and budgets, Danish cartoon production does not stand comparison with American cartoon production, which operates with budgets of millions of dollars when it comes to feature films, where in Denmark you only have to calculate a maximum of millions of kroner. A direct comparison between the terms and conditions of Disney's cartoons and the terms and conditions of production of "Fyrtøjet" is therefore neither possible nor reasonable. One should, however, apologize to Dreyer for being well-meaning, but objectively inexperienced and ignorant in cartoon production.

But very much speaking of Dreyer's above-mentioned and partly quoted article, this was of course read with particular interest by the cultural and film journalists of the rest of the press. At least it gave the morning paper "B.T." on the occasion of an interview with the undisputed first man of Danish cartoons, Jørgen Müller, who read in the newspaper for Saturday, January 7, 1939. Under the headline H.C.Andersen-Filmen: A Danish Cartoon is possible, Jørgen Müller is asked what possibilities there are will be in Denmark to make an all-night cartoon based on one or possibly more of H.C.Andersen’s adventures. Müller optimistically estimates that 12-14 people would be able to produce such a film in the course of a year, and that it would cost approx. DKK 250,000 to produce. (In comparison, it took about 200 people around 3 years to produce the "Lighthouse", which, as previously mentioned, came to exceed the original budget by an amount that was about six times higher than anticipated and planned). (Note 10)

In the article, Jørgen Müller, as a professional, speaks objectively about which expense items one can count on. He states that approx. 7000 meters of raw film, 3000 meters of raw film for sound and a cut copy of both strips, a total of approx. 4500 meters. In addition, there are 10 copies of the finished film, which would all cost around DKK 70,000. To this must be added fees for screenwriter (s), composer, musicians and actors, who for the latter must record the lines of the cartoon characters.

Next came salaries for the artists, which Müller estimated to include 12-14 people, namely an artistic designer and three key artists, and some middle artists, as well as three women with the felt-tip pen to "trace" the pencil drawings on celluloid boards, and three or four young ladies to color these. Müller further estimates that the total number of celluloid sheets will cost approx. DKK 7-8,000 (Note 11)

Neither Jørgen Müller nor the journalist who signs Maurice directly mentions anything about the fact that the intended feature film could possibly be about a cartoon film adaptation of the fairy tale "Fyrtøjet", but the possibility appears indirectly from the article's introduction, which states the following:

"Carl Th. Dreyer's proposal to create a Danish H.C.Andersen adventure cartoon is now being eagerly discussed among cartoonists and filmmakers. One of the most important problems is this: Is it technically possible to produce such a film at home? To get this question answered, BT has approached Jørgen Müller, who for half a dozen years has been involved in the production of advertising cartoons both here and in England, where he originally learned the technique. the other day announced his private H.C.Andersen-Film, saying: etc. etc."

Apart from the fact that Richard Müller was named Møller by last name, he had, as previously mentioned, plans to make a short cartoon about the fairy tale "Fyrtøjet", intended for a then growing market for 16mm film. The project had shortly before been mentioned in the press, just as it was later mentioned again in the Copenhagen newspaper B.T. According to the mentioned newspaper, Møller had entered into an agreement with Teknisk Film Compagni for the production of an approximately 5-6 minute long cartoon, based on H.C. Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet". It was director Knud Hjortø, the founder of Teknisk Film Compagni, who was the initiator of the film, and the company's co-founder, the film photographer Fritz Jensen, who was to photograph the film. However, Richard Møller's "Fyrtøjet" was discarded by the manufacturer, allegedly because it did not live up to expectations in terms of quality.

However, Knud Hjortø did not give up the idea of producing entertainment cartoons for the 16mm home cinema. The same company therefore produced the following year, in 1940, the cartoon Peter Pep and Shoemaker Lace Boot, which the cartoonist Erik Rus (Christensen) (1920-87) was partly the author of, and which he was partly also the main animator, with Børge Hamberg (1920-70 ) as an assistant and in-betweener. Fritz Jensen is credited as a photographer on this cartoon. The following year, the same company and team produced a two titled Peter Pep's Attempt. (Note 12)

Above is Nordisk Film's version of the fairy tale "Fyrtøjet". The film was produced in 1907 and had a running time of 8 minutes, which was the normal length for "feature films" at the time. To the left is the director Viggo Larsen in the role of the soldier, and to the right Oda Alstrup in the role of the princess. The dog, which in this case has brought the princess from the castle to the soldier's accommodation, is clearly a black-clad man with a cardboard making head. - Photo: © 1907 Nordisk Films Kompagni A / S. The photo is reproduced from Arnold Hending: The film and H.C. Andersen. Kandrup and Wünsch. Copenhagen 1935.

However, it was far from a new idea to make a cartoon about H.C. Andersen's fairy tales at all, nor specifically about the fairy tale "The Lighthouse". In the book Filmen og H.C.Andersen, the author Arnold Hending says, among other things, that Nordisk Films Kompagni's first film director, Viggo Larsen, in the year 1907 directed a total of three H.C.Andersen adventure films, namely "Lykkens Kalosker", "Fyrtøjet" and "Ole Lukøje", each of 8 minutes of playing time, which was considered a considerable length for films at the time. But neither director Ole Olsen, photographer Axel Graatkjær or Viggo Larsen himself were particularly satisfied with the result when the films were finished. After first mentioning "The World's First H.C.Andersen-Film!", "Galoshes of Fortune", 1907, which took two working days to record, and which did not arouse the expressed joy or enthusiasm of those involved, Arnold Hending continues to tell specifically about "Fyrtøjet":

"And also not very reverently, they started with "Fyrtøjet", in affordable surroundings, conjured up by the painter Robert Krause and donated free of charge on Roskilde Landevej by Vorherre.

With a minimum of confidence that "Fyrtøjet" should pay off, Nordisk made a new scratch for the taste. They took some pictures on the wooden floor and then went, provided with a hollow tree, to the country road where, curiously enough, the great H.C. Andersen acquaintance Jean Hersholt had made his debut in front of the camera for 7 kroner the year before.

The director and first actor Viggo Larsen says about this recording: When I (it must be in consultation with Ole Olsen) chose "Fyrtøjet" it was not because Andersen was so famous abroad - it was not known at all at home. The Danes have always taken a long time to discover that a countryman was known abroad. No, the cheerful, naive Aladdin theme appealed to me. But there it was with the dog! Where do I get a dog with eyes as big as the Round Tower, or just as teacups? My director managed this point using three sets of black tricot and three mighty cardboard dog heads. We were at this point bloody amateurs, yes in decorative terms almost illiterate, but we possessed the courage bred by youth and naivety. We worked after the release: It must go fast, it must not cost anything, and the film must not be over 165 meters long. One imagines the whole adventure game in 8 minutes. One cannot even read it from the magazine at that time.

It was difficult to find a piece of road untouched by civilization, Larsen continues, but he succeeded. Petrine Sonne played the witch and I myself the soldier. Of the other players, I remember today only belly talker Lund as the king, the adorable Oda Alstrup as the princess and Storm P. as one of the servants in the "room", where the soldier has fun wasting money on unknown people. - Of course, there had been occasion to show lively street scenes in old costumes between old houses, but such luxury footage would only prolong and make the film more expensive. The final scene was taken in Søndermarken, where we had built a throne next to the tree, where the master had thrown the rope, which was to be placed around my neck, around a thick branch. It was of course only an extract of the fairy tale we got made - and why I deliver this memory from 1907 and smile sadly when I think back ... yes, it is due to the memory of the moments when Oda Alstrup twice lovingly wrapped her lovely arms around my throat!

But I also remember that Viggo Larsen's lack of hope for a successful outcome of an adventure film was this, that it was his opinion (long before cartoons were created) that only in cartoons could the right result be achieved. The camera was him, and here he probably looked right, too realistic! "(Note 13)

Above is another scene from Nordisk Film's version of the fairy tale "Fyrtøjet". On the left, Gustav Lund is seen in the role of the king, then Oda Alstrup as the princess and in the middle Clara Nebelong in the role of the queen, while the director Viggo Larsen is seen in the role of the soldier held back by a pair of lackeys. - Photo: © 1907 Nordisk Films Kompagni A/S. The photo is reproduced from Arnold Hending: The film and H.C. Andersen. Kandrup and Wünsch. Copenhagen 1935.

The lyricist and author Arnold Hending, who had specialized in the history of Danish film since the mid-1930s, also mentions the feature film "Fyrtøjet" in the book "Filmen og H.C.Andersen", about which he writes the following:

With improbable courage and willingness to sacrifice, however, the cartoon "Fyrtøjet" was led to a Danish, European and American premiere. competition, had almost the sound of fanfare.

That it took a small army of employees just three years to produce the fairy tale, one hints at the Sisyphus battle. It had started with a few cartoonists, under the production manager Allan Johnsen's chambriere, but gradually the staff of cartoonists developed to 200, and it was learned that these had a total of one and a half million drawings made under the supervision by Svend Methling. The film became the most expensive yet produced in Ole Olsen's homeland.

A few figures will be a surprising projector on the scope of the work: Produced pencil drawings: 543,000 - Drawn on celluloid: 433,500 - Colored drawings: 433,500.

There were six main characters. Børge Hamberg created the healthy soldier, whom Poul Reichhardt voiced, Preben Dorst drew the princess, and Bjørn Frank Jensen struggled with the work with the humorous characters, but all the efforts did not lead to the great success. After the premiere in Palladium, it was said: "When you have chosen to build the film over H.C.Andersen’s adventures, it is probably because you wanted to create something that was not only known around the world, but was also specifically Danish. That Andersen's genius did not and can not be translated into film and therefore only the action that remains is a matter in itself, but characteristic of the whole enterprise is that one looks in vain for the Danish in the film. All landscapes and cityscapes - even if they reproduce the Round Tower - is so obviously made with an alas, far too squinting eye for the fantasy - or pancake world we know from the Technicolor movies from across the Atlantic. In other words, the result was as expected - that is, not so good."

There was, however, a remark that the film offered glimpses of reconciling moments, such as a funny physiognomy or a musical passage that rose above the instantaneous forgotten - and then the film was free of flatness - it was called reconciling.

The audience liked the film and perhaps not least the music composed for the occasion by Vilfred Kjær and Eric Christiansen, but when "Dansk Farve og Tegnefilm A/S" next time dreamed conquering dreams in color, all stars went out.

It was stated in the magazines, in the spring of 1949, that, after the so successfully completed task with "Fyrtøjet", it had now been decided to produce an all-night film about "Klods-Hans", and that the company from the Ministry of Education had been notified that the state would support the enterprise. It was no wonder that, after that solar bulletin, one got started. Svend Johansen made the drawings for the background sketches, and Hans Schreiber was ready to interview his muse, the screenplay was by Johnsen and Henning Ørnbak, and negotiations with the actors who were to cast voices for the event had begun.

And while the sore-nosed baby "Fyrtøjet" is still being built in London, disaster strikes. Allan Johnsen, who is ostentatiously shy of statements of a solid nature, simply tells the press that he obviously does not want to hide that he is disappointed - but, he adds - now he no longer wants cartoons to order. A collaboration that had begun in the spring of the happiest hopes has broken down. Farewell then to new advances on domestic soil in Technicolor.

With "Klods-Hans" a Danish effort with many possibilities collaborated. [...] "!! Arnold Hending: Filmen og H.C.Andersen, p.30-32. - The quote from one of the reviews of "Fyrtøjet" is from May 17, 1946 and was under the heading "Den danske Tegnefilm, der kostede en Million” to read in Berlingske Tidende.

Arnold Hending's brief description of the creation of the feature film "Fyrtøjet" and its reception in the press is largely in line with the facts and events. It was as previously mentioned mag.art. Peter Toubro, who - with literary assistance of mag.art. Henning Pade - wrote the screenplay for "Fyrtøjet". But it is not correct when Hending writes that the screenplay for the feature film "Klods-Hans" was written by Allan Johnsen and Henning Ørnbak. It was instead written by the playwright Finn Methling and with mag.art. Henning Pade as a literary consultant. We must return to this cartoon and its ill fate in a chronological context.

The knowledge of the feature film "Fyrtøjet"'s prehistory, which is the basis for this portrayal, is partly due to what I, Harry Rasmussen, have been told personally by especially Finn Rosenberg, and partly by other parties involved, including not least by Henning Pade, who was also involved from the very beginning, but who was arrested by the Gestapo on September 3, 1944, on suspicion of participating in the resistance struggle. He was remanded in custody until the day of liberation, May 4, 1945. Finally, additional information about the film's prehistory and origins is taken from several places, including with some still living people who were employees of "Fyrtøjet".

In Niels Jørgen Dinnesen and Edvin Kau's "Filmen i Danmark", Akademisk Forlag 1983, "Fyrtøjet" is mentioned in connection with the mention of Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A/S 'next feature film production "Klods-Hans". The mention is accompanied by a single image from "Fyrtøjet", which comes from the front page of the film program for which Bjørn Frank Jensen has specially made drawings.

The cartoon "Fyrtøjet" is also mentioned in a caption in Erik Nørgaard: Live pictures in Denmark, page 179, where under a close-up of the witch it says the following:

"The Witch in the first Danish animated feature film," Fyrtøjet "from 1946, staged and organized by Svend Methling. It was a more daring than successful experiment."

But according to what Finn Rosenberg has personally told me while we were still working on "Fyrtøjet", it was he who got the idea and took the initiative for the film. Which partly also appeared from the press coverage of the film, and partly later also has been confirmed in writing by Henning Pade. How Finn Rosenberg had come up with exactly that idea, he did not mention anything himself, but the idea of an H.C. Andersen fairy tale cartoon was, so to speak, in the "air" at the time, and especially after Carl Th. Dreyer with his article in "Avertering" had nurtured the idea, and after the expert Jørgen Müller had commented on the practical possibilities that one in Denmark would be able to implement such a project. For Finn Rosenberg, it happened in practice in such a way that when he was employed as an advertising designer at the advertising agency Monterossi around 1942, he was one day given the task of illustrating the book "Fra Dyreskind til Celleuld", which was written by manufacturer and wholesaler Allan Johnsen . On the back of the book was the following text:

"Here is a book for the inquisitive reader, not only the young man who seeks information about the day and the practical questions of the road, but anyone can in this interesting depiction find something new and expand their knowledge. It is the first time a Danish author on a popular Maade has described the history of the spinning fabrics, and it has been made so amusing and easy to read that the book will find its way to the largest audience." (Note 14)

The book, which according to Henning Pade was written during the summer of 1942, tells about the raw materials that have been used throughout the ages to spin textiles with linen, wool, silk, artificial silk, cell wool and milk wool. The depiction of the various substances is richly illustrated with cheerful drawings and enlightening, schematic drawings of the processes behind the technical production of the substances' creation. Cell wool, commonly referred to simply as "cell wool", which in the latter part of the war came to play a major role in the textile industry, was made with spruce cellulose as a raw material, and after a mechanical and chemical process, the wood mass was transformed into fine threads, which one could spin and weave textile fabric off.

Above is the front page and table of contents for Allan Johnsen's book "Fra Dyreskind til Celleuld", Schønbergske Forlag 1942. The book's illustrator was advertising designer Finn Rosenberg Ammitsted, who at the time was employed by the advertising agency Monterossi. - Drawings © 1942 Allan Johnsen and Schønbergske Forlag.

Two examples of Finn Rosenberg's illustrations, resp. pages 70 and 75, for Allan Johnsen's book "Fra Dyreskind til Celleuld". As can be seen, the drawings emphasize the slightly comical and humorous. - Drawings © 1942 Allan Johnsen and Schønbergske Forlag.

The new product was originally developed and manufactured at two factories in Germany: Cologne-Rottweil A.G. and Dynamit AG, and the new product was called "Vistra", a name composed of the two companies' telegram addresses "Sivispacem", an abbreviation of "Si vis pacem para bellum" ("If you want to win the peace, then prepare war"), and "Astra", which means "star". Page 231 Johnsen states, among other things:

"[...] As early as 1922, the garment factories in Germany began to take an interest in the Celleulden, which also found its way to several of Europe's countries. Germany created the Celleulden, and it made rapid progress. the cell wool that was to liberate Germany from England and America's monopoly. The stranglehold of the English blockade was no longer to hit Germany's industry. Germany had enough wood, especially after Austria had come under German territory." (Note 15)

It was allegedly during the collaboration on the book that Finn Rosenberg presented to Allan Johnsen the idea that one should make a preferably longer cartoon about H.C. Andersen's fairy tale "Fyrtøjet". And Johnsen, who as a result of the war and the occupation at that time, otherwise, like other textile manufacturers, had problems obtaining textile fabrics for his manufacturing and wholesale business, was immediately involved in the idea. He, who lived in Gentofte and was an avid sports rower, had in 1938 been a co-founder of Skovshoved Roklub, and among its members was spoken mag.art. Peter Toubro and mag.art. Henning Pade. Johnsen now got these two literary-savvy men interested in the film project, and together with Finn Rosenberg they wrote the screenplay for the film in the summer of 1942. According to Henning Pade, however, it was Toubro who was primarily responsible for preparing the screenplay.

Also according to Henning Pade, it started around the same time, i.e. the late summer of 1942, some "consultations" and negotiations, including with director Holger Brøndum (1899-1970), Nordisk Films Kompagni. The negotiations were about financing and company formation, but Brøndum was a trained and tough negotiator, who naturally looked at his own company's interests in the context. In addition, Brøndum was a member of the board of the cartoon company VEPRO, and as such he naturally knew who the artistic directors of this company were. Furthermore, it was he who in 1939 had the cartoonist Kjeld Simonsen placed as an animator student with Jørgen Müller and Dahl Mikkelsen at VEPRO. But Brøndum has obviously not had confidence that Allan Johnsen and Co. would be able to cope with the daring task of producing a long cartoon á la "Snow White" or "Gulliver" film, so therefore it has probably been his opinion that VEPRO would be a significantly more responsible producer of such a cartoon. It can probably therefore be considered to have been Brøndum who made sure that the relatively more experienced cartoonists Müller and Mik were involved in the negotiations. But Allan Johnsen, for his part, was at least as interested in the project not slipping out of his own hands, and it therefore ended up that he interrupted the negotiations with Nordisk Film and instead decided to form an independent company. On December 5, 1942, "Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A/S" was founded, with the production of "Fyrtøjet" as its immediate purpose. If all went well, other similar projects would later be put into production.

Above is the letterhead that Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A / S used from 1942 and at least up to and including 1952. The company's office address was Frederiksberggade 10, 3rd floor, the telegram address "ALLANJO" and the telephone number Central 16432. - The letterhead is scanned from a reply letter, dated November 1, 1952, which Harry Rasmussen received the next day.

As far as is known, it was first and foremost Allan Johnsen himself who raised money in the limited company, but he also got several other textile manufacturers and textile wholesalers interested in joining.

But since cartoon production on a larger scale was a hitherto untested area in Denmark, at least in terms of entertainment cartoons that lasted longer than 8-10 minutes, the prospects of getting the invested money back home were very uncertain. The fact that trade with foreign countries, with the exception of Nazi Germany, had largely ceased at that time, has probably played a large part in this, as it led, among other things, to a form of wealth, especially among wealthy people. In addition, investors dared to invest their money in such a special film production as a Danish feature film was at the time, because the German occupying power had from the very beginning banned cinemas from showing English films, and after America joined the war in 1941 also made big obstacles to the showing of American films.

This meant, among other things, that Walt Disney's long cartoons, both the new and the slightly older ones, could not or had not been shown in Danish cinemas. On the other hand, the Germans so far allowed American short cartoons to be shown in cinemas. This meant that the hugely popular Metropol's Christmas Show could still be shown on the program at Christmas time, just as short Disney cartoons - and by the way also Max Fleischer's short cartoons - still had to be shown as pre-movies, as long as the relatively few remake films were still allowed. However, it was only the American cartoons that had come to this country before the German occupation of Denmark on April 9, 1940, that had to - and could - be shown. Therefore, in the years 1940-44, Metropol's Christmas Show consisted only of cartoons that were from 1939 and backwards. (Note 16)

But even though Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm's shareholders and management could not know how long the German occupation of Denmark would last, or whether Germany would eventually win the war, which only a few hoped for, it was expected to be able to finish the film so timely that it would in any case be able to avoid any competition from the sovereign American cartoons. European cartoon production was extremely minimal at the time, but it did exist, not least in France. This also applied to the German cartoon production, of which in 1944 a couple of short cartoons were shown in D.S.B.-Kino, which was housed at Copenhagen Central Station, where the highlight was usually the Popeye (Skipper Skræk) films. But when the planning of the "Fyrtøjet" film began in 1942, only a few people believed that the war would soon be over, in favor of the Allies, so they continued comfortably with the very ambitious cartoon project.

There is no exact and verified information on how Nordisk Film and Holger Brøndum, and thus VEPRO and Jørgen Müller and Henning Dahl Mikkelsen, came into the picture in connection with the cartoon "Fyrtøjet". But according to Henning Pade, it was Allan Johnsen who approached Brøndum in the hope of having Nordisk Film as a co-producer of "Fyrtøjet".

As far as is known, it is not documented that any negotiations have taken place with VEPRO's management at this time, but as mentioned above, it is highly probable that this has happened. In a newspaper interview in B.T. for January 7, 1939, Jørgen Müller - he was probably still employed by Gutenberghus Reklame Film - had indirectly stated that he believed that a staff of about 17 employees could undertake to carry out such a large-scale project as a feature film, and it was precisely a staff of well and good this order of magnitude that was later available at VEPRO. According to the previously quoted article from Mandens Blad for February 1941, VEPRO had plans to expand production to also include cartoons, but only after the war, which at the time was apparently expected by the Germans to win. A possible production of long cartoons did not materialize, however, because VEPRO closed as mentioned earlier in the autumn of 1942, possibly in indirect connection with the deteriorating relationship between the Danish civilian population and the government on the one hand and the German occupation authorities on the other. The relationship reached a critical climax in August 1943 with the resignation of the Danish government. This was a direct result of the German military state of emergency, which in practice made it impossible for the Danish government to function. (Note 17)

The precondition for at all hoping for funding for a film project of such dimensions, as was the case with the feature film "Fyrtøjet", had to first have a script or a screenplay. One of these was started as early as the summer of 1942, as Finn Rosenberg, Peter Toubro and Henning Pade met with Allan Johnsen almost daily, either at his office, Frederiksberggade 10, or at home in Johnsen's private home in Klampenborg.

Of the persons mentioned, Finn Rosenberg acted as artistic consultant and supervisor, in modern parlance called art director. Peter Toubro was given the task of being primarily responsible for the design of the screenplay, in the broadest possible accordance with H.C. Andersen's intentions. Henning Pade participated as a literary consultant, also with special knowledge of H.C. Andersen's literature and time, while Allan Johnsen was automatically given the role of financial, financial and administrative responsible for the project's practical implementation. He was also the only member of the team who had the personal authority and authority to act as the day-to-day manager of the project. As recently as 1985, Henning Pade can tell about this:

"[…] It was a - a little too - exciting time, back then. No Danish film has a more motley (and spooky) origin story. There were problems and difficulties on all joints and edges: with the financing, recruitment of employees, procurement of working materials (raw films, colors, etc. plus, of course, some useful stuff). I am pleased with the correction you are giving Stegelmann with regard to the manuscript work, because a great deal of work was put into it. […] ” (Henning Pade in a letter dated New Year 1985 to Harry Rasmussen).

In a letter dated January 29, 1985, Henning Pade could, among other things, add the following:

”Thank you for your letter (dated January 10) with such a rich description of incidents and things and cases in Frederiksberggade 10 (and 28) THEN with the FIREWORKS. It is moving to be reminded of all that much of which is remembered exactly as you narrate, while other things are less clear to me now, so many years later. I really hope you hear from Peter Toubro, he is the main witness. We were closely connected throughout the period, but have unfortunately not had much contact with each other in recent decades. […]

It probably all started with the fact that we were rowing friends, Allan, Peter Toubro and I, in Skovshoved Roklub, of which Allan was a co-founder and for many years chairman. In 1941 we rowed around Zealand together. In the summer of 1942, Allan wrote "Fra Dyreskind til Celleuld", which I, among other things, read proofreading, and in that context I was very often with the illustrator, Finn Rosenberg Ammitsted. He infected Allan with the cartoon bacillus (Allan's activities were greatly reduced during the war, and his enterprise had to be drained in other ways), and thus the plan for "Fyrtøjet" matured - as the first Danish all-night color cartoon. Rosenberg, of course, had to create the visuals (he became, as you know, especially responsible for the background drawings), and the main man on the script and screenplay was Toubro. A series of tense "hearings" and negotiations now followed about financing and company formation (I remember some tough meetings with director Brøndum, Nordisk Film) quite impassable, it all seemed for a while. But at the beginning of December (still 1942), probably exactly on the 5th, DANSK FARVE- OG TEGNEFILM A/S was founded - with the production of "Fyrtøjet" as the immediate purpose. No one at the time dreamed that the realization would take so many years. […] ”

According to Henning Pade, the screenplay for "Fyrtøjet" was written during the autumn of 1942, so that one could partly start negotiations on financing and partly think about hiring a qualified staff to oversee and perform the artistic and technical side of the film's production. The most important thing, of course, was to secure employees who were familiar with the cartoon's technique in advance.

Above is Peter Toubro on the left, who was mainly responsible for the design of the screenplay for the feature film "Fyrtøjet". To the right is the literary consultant Henning Pade, who was also involved from the very beginning of the planning of the film until 3 September 1944, when he was suddenly arrested by the Gestapo and put in Vester Prison until his release in May 1945. Pade was - according to himself rightly - accused of being a member of the resistance movement, which the Germans, however, could not prove. - Photos: The portrait of Peter Toubro belongs to his son Michael Toubro. The photo of Henning Pade has been reproduced in SE & HØR no. 8, 1988.

In any case, on the basis of Henning Pade's information, it can be stated with certainty that in the summer of 1942 Allan Johnsen contacted director Holger Brøndum, Nordisk Films Kompagni A/S, which they hoped to recruit as co-producer and distributor of "Fyrtøjet". Dealers were Allan Johnsen, Finn Rosenberg, Peter Toubro and Henning Pade on one side of the table, and at least Holger Brøndum on the other side of this, and possibly also Olaf Dalsgaard-Olsen, who was director of Nordisk Films Film distribution.

The negotiations were primarily about financing company formation, and since the seasoned 'tycoon' in Danish film production, Holger Brøndum, from the beginning was skeptical of the enthusiastic, but in terms of production, completely inexperienced people he had in front of him, it is highly conceivable him who has brought Myller and Mik into the picture. It was the case that Brøndum was a member (probably chairman?) Of VEPRO's board, and in that capacity he probably knew who was artistically and professionally responsible for the company's cartoon production. Seen against this background, it is quite probable that Brøndum wanted to secure the expert expertise that Myller and Mik were the only ones at that time represented in Denmark.

But after some hard and tough negotiations, these broke down, allegedly because the parties could not agree on the terms of a new company formation. One is probably allowed to assume that Brøndum thought that it would be most appropriate and natural if the film were produced under the auspices of either Nordisk Films or VEPRO. But this was obviously not what fighter Allan Johnsen had imagined. He could under no circumstances accept to be run off on a siding, and therefore he set out to raise shareholders and thus share capital to start the company Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A/S and thus start the production of the feature film "Fyrtøjet".

At the time of the company's establishment, Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A/S placed several advertisements in the capital's newspapers, in which they were looking for cartoonists who would rather have some experience in making cartoons. There were several who had, namely the former employees at VEPRO, and it was mainly these who volunteered for service. This applied to the cartoonist Bjørn Frank Jensen, who had been an assistant on several of the advertising cartoons that Dahl Mikkelsen had made for the advertising agency Monterossi in the period 1935-37, just as in 1938 as Mik's assistant he also occasionally worked for Jørgen Müller at his cartoon studio at Gutenberghus. Advertising Film. Like artists such as Kjeld Simonsen, Børge Hamberg, Erik Rus and Erik Christensen, Bjørn Frank had been employed by VEPRO in 1939, in his case most likely at the instigation of his teacher Dahl Mikkelsen, who apparently had come to put price of the usually silent and reticent but also very skilled young artist. In his remarks, Bjørn Frank Jensen himself told about his employment as a key animator on "Fyrtøjet", and that he came in contact with Dansk Farve- og Tegnefilm A/S via a job advertisement in the newspaper.

With these considerations, we will now move on to take a closer look at how the start-up of the production of the feature film "Fyrtøjet" began and proceeded.

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Next section:

"The Startup"