The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz

{{Infobox film

| name = The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz

| image =The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz-large.jpg

| caption =

| director = George Marshall

| producer = Edward Small

| story = Ken Englund

| screenplay = Albert E. Lewin
Nat Perrin
Burt Styler

| narrator =

| starring = Elke Sommer
Bob Crane
Werner Klemperer

| music = Jimmie Haskell

| cinematography = Jacques Marquette

| editing = Grant Whytock

| studio = Edward Small Productions

| distributor = United Artists

| released = {{Film date|1968|01|03}}

| runtime = 113 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063805/|title=The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz|via=www.imdb.com}} The screenplay concerns an East German athlete who defects to the West by pole-vaulting over the Berlin Wall.{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/65436|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207071650/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/65436|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-02-07|title=The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1967)}}

Plot

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.

Cast

Elke Sommer as Paula Schultz
Bob Crane as Bill Mason
Werner Klemperer as Klaus
Joey Forman as Herbert Sweeney
John Banner as Weber
Leon Askin as Oscar
Maureen Arthur as Barbara Sweeney
Theodore Marcuse as Owl (as Theo Marcuse)
Larry D. Mann as Grossmeyer
John Myhers as Boss
Barbara Morrison as Klabfus
Fritz Feld as Kessel

Production

The film was based on an original screenplay by Ken Englund that Edward Small bought in 1966.{{Cite news|title=Elke Signed for 'Wicked Dreams'|author=Martin, Betty|date=Aug 11, 1966|work=Los Angeles Times|page=d13}} Harry Tugend was hired to rewrite it.{{Cite news|title=Movie Call Sheet: Liz Signed for 'Comedians'|author=Martin, Betty|date=October 4, 1966|work=Los Angeles Times|page=c15}}

Bob Crane was offered the lead role because of his success in Hogan's Heroes,{{Cite news|title=New Time Angers Hogan's Heroes Star |author=Gowran, Clay|date=June 12, 1967|work=Chicago Tribune|page=a10}} along with three other members of the series, and the film was shot during the show's summer hiatus in 1967.Royce, Brenda Scott Hogan's Heroes: Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13 St. Martin's Press, 10 December 2013 Several other guest stars from the series also appeared in the film.

Paperback novelization

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|date=July 2021}}

Reception

Reviews were poor."Paula Schulz' Wicked Dreams Are a Nightmare at Keith's" By William Rice The Washington Post and Times-Herald 15 February 1968: E24."'The Wicked Dreams of Paula ...': Lively athleticism" By Alan N. Bunce. The Christian Science Monitor 2 February 1968: 4.{{Cite news|title=The Screen: A Teutonic Striptease: 'The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz' Opens Elke Sommer a Victim of the Cold War|last=Adler|first=Renata|date=January 4, 1968|work=New York Times|page=28}} 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|date=July 2021}}