Cologne “Tatort” anniversary: Josef Hader honors himself
Created: 10/23/2022 3:16 p.m
By: Astrid Kistner
Cabaret artist Josef Hader (left) plays the mobile home rental company Frank Baumgartner, who tries to support the inspectors Freddy Schenk (Dietmar Bär, middle) and Max Ballauf (Klaus J. Behrendt).
© WDR
For 25 years, Klaus J. Behrendt and Dietmar Bär have been investigating as Ballauf and Schenk in the “crime scene” in Cologne.
On Sunday (October 23, 2022) the anniversary event "Trace of Blood" (ARD, 8:15 p.m.) will run.
As a guest, cabaret artist Josef Hader is honored.
The cowboy boots have long been mothballed.
"I always got blisters from them," remembers Dietmar Bär, for whom the screenwriters wrote the uncomfortable shoes in the role profile 25 years ago.
Freddy Schenk, inspector in Cologne, family man, vintage car fan and lover of extravagant western boots, was in the profile from the very beginning.
The lonely cowboy is actually his partner Max Ballauf, played by Klaus J. Behrendt.
Together they have been investigating the
"Tatort"
crimes in Cologne for a quarter of a century.
The first shows her 85th case this Sunday (October 23, 2022).
One that is absolutely worthy of the anniversary of Bär (61) and Behrendt (62) and is honored by a special guest star.
"Tatort: Trace of Blood" is Ballauf and Schenk's 85th case
Actor, director and cabaret artist Josef Hader is doing the honors in a “crime scene” for the first time.
A format that the 60-year-old himself watches from time to time, as he explains in an interview with our newspaper.
“Not every Sunday, but again and again.
Because with 'Tatort' you never know exactly what to expect, I like that better than classic TV series," says Hader.
Josef Hader plays for the first time in an ARD "crime scene"
The Episode
"Trail of Blood"
remains true to the proven principle of the Cologne duo: no experiments, but a cleverly knit criminal case that surprises with clever twists (book: Arne Nolting, Jan Martin Scharf).
Two best friends roam through the cathedral city, high-spirited, hungry for life and unfortunately also addicted.
They finance their drug addiction with prostitution.
When one of the two is found tortured and murdered in the drainage basin, the usual investigations begin at first glance.
coroner dr.
Roth (Joe Bausch) is able to secure several foreign DNA traces.
Forensic technician Natalie Förster (Tinka Fürst) takes a close look at them.
But right now, when the inspectors Max and Freddy need their expertise so urgently, the colleague doesn't seem to be really focused.
Forensic scientist Natalie Förster (Tinka Fürst) plays a special role in this anniversary "crime scene".
© WDR
The clues lead to three suspects who the grizzled people of Cologne pursue with finely dosed irony.
They're "too old for that shit," say the inspectors when pimp Mike (Robert Stadlober) tries to flee from the interrogation.
The good old hare-and-hedgehog technique makes up for their lack of fitness and makes for one or the other smile in this otherwise quite difficult case.
Josef Hader is an ARD cast coup
With the Austrian Josef Hader, who only has his big appearance in the last third of the thriller, director Tini Tüllmann succeeds in a brilliant casting coup.
He plays Frank Baumgartner, manager of a mobile home rental company, who gives young offenders a second chance and thus becomes the focus of investigators.
Hader's virtuosic playing makes it difficult for the viewer to assess this Baumgartner.
A challenge in terms of knowledge of human nature.
Also for Hader, who describes himself as a skeptic: "But not for professional reasons, but out of conviction!
Skeptical people have it much easier in life, they can only be positively surprised.” The cabaret artist finds it flattering that he would definitely make a fine inspector, “but it would be too time-consuming for me, with all the other construction sites”.
The stage star is currently touring the country with his cabaret program "Hader on Ice".
However, he would make an exception for another "Tatort" guest performance: "I would very much like to be murdered in a crime novel.
I've never had that before."
