RADIO PLAY FROM THE WORLD-FAMOUS NOVEL

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 39, 5 April 1935, Page 48

RADIO PLAY FROM THE WORLD-FAMOUS NOVEL

Jew Suss

Adapted by

Robert

Waldron

from the famous novel by Lion Feuchtwanger

RESUME PRECEDING AOTS IT the Inn at Wildbad, Josef Suss Oppenheimer and his friend Landauer meet Karl Alexander, a cousin of the reigning Duke of Wurttemburg. Suss has a presentiment that the Prince is his stepping stone to power and ingratiates himself with Karl, His belief is confirmed by the prophecy of his uncle, Rabbi Gabriel. Karl Alexander will shortly be the Duke of Wurttemburg.. The prediction is veritied, Karl becomes the Duke of Wurttemburg with Suss as his Financial Counsellor. Unknown to Karl, Suss has a fifteen-year-old daughter, Naomi. The Jew understanding his: master’s weakness for the opposite sex guards his motherless child by placing her in the custody of the Rabbi, who resides in the quiet forest of Hirsau. To the coronation ‘ball Suss invites Magdaline Sybille, the daughter of the Lord President of the Council, Weissensee. | He had fallen in love with her at their first meeting on the Wildbad Road... Karl, espying the Demoiseile Weissensee, orders Suss to arrange that the girl be conveyed to his bedroom. Suss objects. Karl insists, and the Jew, rather than endanger his power, sacrifices the girl he loves. Weissensee, notwithstanding Suss’s ° offer of honour and promotion, is embittered at the outrage of his daughter and resolves to be revenged on the Jew. He has learned of the existence of Naomi. . Meanwhile Suss; having secured the release of Seligman, accused of the murder of a Christian girl, has become the greatest of the Jews. He is surprised at his uncle’s insinuation that he isnot a Jew. In answer to his questioning, the Rabbi tells him his mother, residing in the distant city of Frankfurt, has sent for him to explain everything. Arriving at’ Frankfurt, he learns from his mother that Josef Oppenheimer was not his father. From love letters handed to him by his mother, he discovers that he is the son of Field Marshal von Heyersdoérf. Suss is furious at the deception practised upon him. He is at a loss to know what to do. Will he proclaim himself a Christian or will he remain a Jew? He resolves to leave the decision in the hands of his daughter. While Suss is absent from the capital, Weissensee seizes the opportunity for revenge. Conducting the Duke to the home of the Rabbi he reveals to him Suss’s secret, the existence otf his: daughter. Karl’s passions are aroused by the beauty of Naomi, He attempts to commit an outrage aryl the child driven to frenzy jumps from the window of her bedroom. Weissensee, finding the girl dead, urges the Duke to depart, but Karl is. determined to wait the Jew’s arrival. Suss is completely overcome by the tragedy. Notwithstanding his acceptance of the Duke’s friendship, he swears revenge over the body of his dead child. Returning to Stuttgart he is appointed YWinance Director.

Suss immediately uses his appointment to further his revenge and issues an edict, knowing full well its executtion will arouse the people of Wurttemburg against the Duke. So the fourth act concludes, ACT V. Suss: His Highness, Karl Alexander, Duke of Wurttemburg and Teck, wishes to buy me off, to repay me for the death of my child. The fool! The seven-fold blinded fool!.... wrong .my Lord Duke! Wrong my most exalted Lord Murderer! Jew Suss is not so simple and dense; -he is no serf or peasant or yokel, that an ordinary obvious revenge should content him.... he plans his -vengeance more subtly... . he seethes and stews and cooks it with great care... . revenge Naomi revenge, . (music). And now curtain rises on a mob assembled in the market place of Stuttgart protesting against the edict and denouncing the Duke (angry murmur of mob). Leader: Silence, fellow citizens, silence! Leader: Our liberty and our riches * are being torn from us.... illegally, against the Constitution which is our’ only protection .... there is no emergency in . -. Wwe are not surrounded by We have only ONH.enemy ... and who is-he? Cries of the Crowd: The Duke!

Leader: The Duke, yes, the Duke sets his seal to the new taxes, but does he get them? Voices of Crowd: Down with the Duke and his Jew! Leader: If we Wurttemburgers are to hold up Our heads, we must take a strong line (sound of prancing horses). Cries of Crowd: Here’s the Jew! Here’s his Excellency, the Finance Director! Suss: Go ‘on-continue your speech. What ' is the strong line you are going ‘to take? Ah. a am wait- ' ing. Leader: Pardon Excellency,’ I didn't think. ... oo Suss: You-rat! +... you dare: to insult your Duke and his ministers. . back to your houses every one of you. And learn this lesson once and for al! -your first duty under the'Constitution is to ‘respect and obey’ your Duke. (Cries of the crowd fade oul, sound of prancing horses and swishing of whip. SCBNE II. ‘Suss: Your humble servant Highness . .. may I repeat: Highness, your servant. f Karl:. Jew, you’ ve got me ifto a pretty mess. Why in hell’s name have you tightened the screw just lately? Have you lost your cleverness? Before ‘ long you’ll turn the whole country

\ \ against me, The coyncil’s buagzing round me like hornets to get rid o: you, Suss: If your Highness has more conAdenos in the gentlemen of the counci ee @ Karl: What’s that? Susy: I do not care to give my ser vices where they are not wanted. Karl: How can you say that? Wheu I adjourned the council without answering them. How dare yvii stand there complaining when I stick by you in the teeth of all my minis ters, of all my people. Suss: You stick by me, Highness,- be cause you know that I alone can help you to be a King... . perhaps even an Emperor. ...a second Alex: ander the Great. ... ,

Karl: Yes, but surely you ean find other ways than flouting the consti tution. .. Suss: Constitution... , if it stands i: your way, Highness, tear it up. sarl; You mean. .... Suss: Yes. Take back the right whicl God gave you and which has been stolen from you by the so-called Gon stitution. Be in reality the ruler o! your country. Be Wurttemburg, ikurl: How can it be done? Suss: The plan is here. You wil’ spend next Thursday night in your hunting lodge with your Major you Roder and your hoysehold: cayalry.: At the given hour General Remeliingan Will arrest all the heads of. the Constitutional Party, He will then disarm the militia. And on: Wednes day morning King Karl Alexander

swill enter Stuttgart .... here isa list of people to be arrested. Karl: It’s possible... . by heavens! lt can be done! It's all here. Suss: Yes, but a password may be needed. Karl: Yes, I have it... my motto. Attempto....I dare: Suss: Hyerything is prepared, Highness, You give your instructions. leave for your hunting lodge Tuesday and you return to Stuttgart, u King on Wednesday. Karl: Attempte-I dare! Snes, you are clever--very cleyer, But leave me now to consider ony plan. We must make no mistuales WU) mistakes, Suss: Yes, Highness. , Karl: If only I could get rid of that (Continued on next page)

(Continued .from previous page.) cursed Jew .. dammit, I have it! ... I'll snare the devil in his own trap. : SCENE Ii. Suss: But this is ‘too charming, »Demoiselle Weissensee ... all the more since your. visit is so. . Magdalen: There is no time for gal

lant speeches, Suss, and’ no need for them. I have brought you this. (Produces paper). ; Suss: The. list. of arrests 1 gave Highness. . How did you get it? Magdalen: His Highness paid me the honour of visiting me this evening. He was very triumphant.... and very drunk. He drank still more and then flourished: that paper at me. When I read it, I arranged that he should forget to take it away. Read it. ' Suss:. Wherner .. Steatsmann.... Don Pancorbo. ..Hrnst Pflug... and Josef Suss Oppenheimer, .. . Josef Suss Oppenheimer! . , the old fox . . the old fox. -Did_you bring this to me, because my name was on:it? Why.... Magdalen: Because every day since I met you in the Hirsau Woods I've _been listening to my heart beating out three words-I hate him.:. I hate him. and then suddenly to night when I saw your name on that paper, I realised-those were not the | words. ‘Suss: Look at me.... mo man has | ever been more vile to a woman than | I have been to you. I deliberately destroyed what might have been In spite of all that you bring this to me to-night and in return I ean still give you nothing. Magdalen: But you’ save yourself . you won’t let them. Suss: You needn’t fear for me, nor fo1 your father: that at least I can prom , ‘ise you ~ but I must still follow my star . Wherever it leads me but follow it I must SCENE IV. (General murmur of a gathering, clink ing.of glasses, scraping of chairs).

Roder: Gentlemen ... . gentlemen, attention please... . gentlemen, I give you a toast. His Majesty Karl Alexander ... . first king .of Wurt-: . temburg. (Olinking Of glasses and rising). : To, Voices: His Majesty. . (Men -reséat-. ing). ‘ . Karl:. Why doesn’t that courier come? (Subdued murmur of voices). . Roder: Oh it’s the storm and bad road, Highness. He'll be here any minute now. Servant: Pardon Highness, Karl: Yes, ig it. the "courier? Servant: No. Highness, . your medicine Karl: Give it to me. Where’s that dancing wench? Servant: Waiting in. the private cabinet, Highness, she has been. there two hours. Karl: I suppose she can wait a little longer can’t she? Business before pleasure Roder: Some more wine, Highness. Karl: No. The Doctor said... . yes, to hell with the Doctor! He's bied me until I’m as weak as a rat. Says I earry too much blood. Al nonsense. . give me some wine, Ah! Can’t the stuff till I: get the news. Roder: There’s nothing to worry about, Highness. The plan is fool-proot. Karl: .Of course, it is. Didn’t. my Jew work it out for me? That’s the funny part... that he should have worked it out and now he’s (door opening; footsteps). Servant: The courier, Highness. Karl: I’ll see him myself. (Sound of Karl rising. Door opening and closing. Increased murmur. Door opening and closing). Karl: You!..,. . then you arenot.... Remchingen has not? . . Suss: No, Highness, General Remchingen has not arrested me.... No one has been arrested to-night at Stuit-gart-except General Remchingen. If -was: the people’s militia who used the password, Attempto! And it is your royal troops who have been disarmed. In short, Highness, the coup d’etat has failed. Karl: Did ‘you . .. did you Suss: Yes, Highness, I did. Karl: Oh. ..Oh . Oh... my heart. (Sound of Kari falling into chair). , Suss: So . you’d try and escape me by dying would you? But I won't let you die till you have listened to me. You killed my child. .. and as I faced you across her dead bods, because I didn’t spring at you and squeeze your butcher throat, you believed you had escaped my vengeance. You wretched sot . this has been my vengeance .. to have puffed you up and made you dream of being a King-a Caesar-an Emperor... and then to show you what you really are-just an absurd lump of flesh, utterly ridiculous to the whole world and yourself And, all the time we cowd have been friends, Karl Alexander if you had fostered in me the best, instead of .the worst, there would have been no end to the things we could have done together, you. ‘ great prince and hero! Karl: Ah-h-h... (Door opens) Roder: His Highness is ill? Suss: The Duke is dead. END OF ACT V..