Colonel Kurt von Strohm
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| Kurt von Strohm | |
|---|---|
| 'Allo 'Allo! character | |
| File:Colonel Erich Von Strohm.jpg | |
| First appearance | Pilot: "The British Are Coming" |
| Last appearance | "A Winkle in Time" |
| Portrayed by | Richard Marner |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation |
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| Family | Rosa Von Strohm (wife) |
| Nationality |  German |
Colonel Kurt von Strohm[dubious – discuss] is a main character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. He was played by the actor Richard Marner in all episodes of the show.
Strohm is a German army officer with the rank of Colonel, which translates the rank of Oberst in the Wehrmacht. He is the town Commandant in Nouvion, France, and often visits the Café René with his assistant Captain Hans Geering and his secretary Private Helga Geerhart. In the later series, after Geering goes missing, Strohm mostly comes to the café with Lieutenant Gruber. In some episodes, Strohm appears with Captain Alberto Bertorelli of the Italian Army, until the departure of Roger Kitter, who played Borelli. In the last such episode, René reveals that the Italians have withdrawn from the war.
As revealed in the first few series, but rarely mentioned after that, Strohm enjoys 'special treatment' from the waitress Yvette Carte-Blanche in exchange for paraffin, petrol, sugar, and butter.
He also forces René Artois to hide some silver, the first cuckoo-clock ever made, and the world famous The Fallen Madonna by van Klomp or "The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies" as known to Strohm, Geering, and Helga. These valuable artefacts were found in the town's chateau, which is owned by General Erich von Klinkerhoffen, and Strohm wants to sell them after the war to provide a good pension, but he has to share this ambition with Hans, Helga, René Artois the café-owner, and later on with Gruber. To increase his pension, he also plans to sell the well known Vase With Twelve Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh (or "The Cracked Vase with the Big Daisies"), which was found in the café. Its original owner is Madame Edith's mother Madame Fanny La Fan. She got it as a present from the later popular artist. But the Colonel fears the Gestapo and his superior General von Klinkerhoffen, who is a ruthless man. He gives orders for forgeries of the paintings to be made, so that Herr Flick of the Gestapo can send them to Hitler as a birthday gift for Eva Braun. But Flick also wants to get rich, so he makes more forgeries. The General is also rapacious, and wants to get his hands on the paintings too.
Later Lieutenant Gruber is also involved, as he is ordered to make copies. The artifacts were hidden in various places, like in knockwursts sausages, in wardrobes, in René's cellar, in his kitchen, at the old sawmill, etc.
But the paintings were never sold. In the last episode Gruber finds The Fallen Madonna by mistake in the statue of René. By this time the Madonna has only one big boobie. But Helga has the other one in her possession, so the painting is complete again.
In this episode we also find out that many years after the war Gruber married Helga and hired Strohm as his chauffeur. We also find out that René and Yvette have adopted a son, and they later elope to Spain in Gruber and Helga's new car, while the three are still in Café René.