Tran and Helle was a popular series of propganda shorts in Nazi Germany, aired from October 1939 onwards.
The shorts always followed the same basic script: Tran, played by actor Ludwig Schmitz (1884-1954) was portrayed as a gullible, easy to fool character, who would regularly believe British propaganda, while Helle was portrayed as a "good German" who would regulary explain the "truth" (in the Nazi propaganda sense) to Tran.
The shorts were only a few minutes long and were usually played in front of newsreels or movies. The series was stopped in Autumn 1940, because it was getting extremly popular and the Nazis feared people could identify with Tran and his anti-Nazi views.
This short is from March 1940 and deals with the topic of listening to foreign radio stations, which was, despite being illegal, regulalry done on a wide scale in Germany. - Subtitles made by me.
Helle: That's nice that you've finally bought yourself a radio.
Tran: Didn’t expect that, huh? The dear boy knows what's right.
Well done, you've finally dropped the penny, haven't you?
Now you can experience what an interesting time we are having, and you can listen to great rallies from all over the Reich.
That's what I've always wanted.
Nobody can fool me now.
Here, I'm getting everything from the original source now.
You know, maybe I can also, from time to time, sometimes, listen to foreign stations.
What do you mean, you want to listen to foreign stations?
Yes, foreign news. London, for example.
London?
Yeah, London. Can't you tell me how you can get that?
Haha, well I don’t know how you get London. But what you get, when you get London, that I know.
Well, what?
Prison.
Haha, prison, as if…
Even Zuchthaus.
Even if nobody notices?
Whether someone notices or doesn't notice doesn't matter.
A good German doesnt do something like that.
Well, but you have to find out what's going on outside.
Yes of course the foreign stations, they tell the pure truth right?
Of course.
Of course, you idiot. Have you never heard of our enemies' news system?
Well, but…
No but, then you should know that everything is only aimed at weakening our resistance power.
Jesus, I'm old enough to know what's true and what's not.
[Radio:] "...was sentenced to 2.5 years Zuchthaus for listening to foreign stations."
See, what did I say?
Yes, but I can listen to music.
Paris, nice music, Paris atmosphere, naked girls, hmm?
Well, thats also forbidden.
You can listen to your dance music on German stations, watch this.
[Song: Nachtexpress nach Warschau]
Isn't that wonderful?
And all of that for just two Marks per month, right?
Just for two Marks, that’s….you know, maybe I could get a price reduction?
What, why do you want to have a reduction?
Well, because I'm not allowed to listen to foreign stations anymore!
