Ludwig Manfred Lommel(1891-1962)

Lommel was born January 10 1891 as a son of a clothier at a town called Jauer in Silesia. In the First World War Lommel served as a reserve officer, when it was said that he was an involved more in amusing than in martial enterprises. After World War I he tried to travel "in wines", however, within a short period, he changed to the topic, the laughter, which was more obvious to him. He drove by bicycle through his home country Silesia and pleased each small or larger village with his one man show as cashier, usher, lighting master, supervisor and of course as artist at the same time. Lommel could replace whole radio play ensembles with his tongue impacts and he invented the radio station "Runxendorf on wave 0.5", operated by the couple Paul and Pauline Neugebauer and the coachman Hermann, who served also on the piano. To this fantasy town Runxendorf - a typical village, which could have existed everywhere in Silesia - he invented the figures of Paul and Pauline Neugebauer, Kantor Stockschnupfen, Baron Ruelps von Knullrich and many others. He interpreted all voices personally and gave to everyone a characteristic quirk. His Paul Neugebauer became silesian Till Eulenspiegel. Coming to Breslau Lommel had the improbable luck that new techniques were given a trial there: The silesian radio hour had taken up its activity. Thus Lommel for the first time had a large public (the whole of Germany could receive it) and it went down extremely well there. In the 1930s Lommel was the most popular German record humorist. He also wrote books, shot films, further played theatres and was theatre manager of the "Großes Lustspielhaus" of Berlin at the Friedrichstrasse for one year (1938), but today hardly nobody knows about it. After World War II he gave guest performances as "Hauptmann von Koepenick" at several German theatres, acted in the circus, toured around Germany and worked for the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (the predecessor of the NDR and WDR, two german broadcast services). During these times he discovered and promoted some actors which today are still well known in German radio, TV and theatres like Anita Kupsch (born 18 May 1940) or Gisela Schlüter (born 6 June 1919); he was on stage for several years with them. After living in Bremen and Berlin, Lommel found a new home in Bad Sachsa , where he supported the building of a disabled veteran home and called a relief organization for distressed silesian compatriots into being. At his 65th birthday he was distinguished with the German medal "Order of Merit 1. Class". He died on 19 September 1962 during a tour in Bad Nauheim at nearly 12 o'clock from a heart attack.