History Series / PrivateSchulz

* BringingRunningShoesToACarChase: After the war Schulz enlists the help of a gang of British criminals. After their sudden yet inevitable betrayal, Schulz is able to jump on a bus with a parachute container full of the notes. The leader of the gang starts running after Schulz and continues to do so for the entire bus route (he's assumed to be a marathon runner by the conductor) [[spoiler:only to have the notes blow up in his face when a panicked Schulz throws the booby-trapped container into a boat in his attempt to get away.]]

* SpotTheImposter: On his mission to England, Schulz gives himself away the moment he steps into a pub and asks for a coffee.
** TruthInTelevision: Nazi spies in Britain genuinely were that incompetent, and usually gave themselves away in similar situations (one example was a spy who tried to pay for a restaurant meal with ration coupons).
*** That worked both ways: A French-speaking OSS agent was captured in Paris because at a restaurant, he used the fork and knife in a un-French manner.

In UsefulNotes/NaziGermany on the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, small-time ConArtist Gerhardt Schulz (Michael Elphick) is released from prison to do his bit for the war effort. Using his skill with languages to land what he thinks is a safe, comfortable job in Postal Censorship, Schulz is instead transferred to SS Counterintelligence. Their commander -- the fanatical Major Neuheim (Ian Richardson) -- is less than impressed, but immediately ropes in Schulz for a mission to abduct two British agents from UsefulNotes/{{Holland}}, where his ability to hot-wire a car gets them out of a very sticky situation.

-->'''Count von Frick:''' "You are despicable, Major Neuheim. Despicable! Killing is one thing! That is inevitable in time of war. An army may burn a church, sometimes even with a congregation in it, though that would be deeply regrettable. But when you attack the integrity of the British pound, and encourage others to do the same to the German mark, you strike at the roots of European law and order!"

* HoneyTrap: The Salon Kitty bordello, which is wired for sound in the hope that its high-ranking clients will reveal state secrets and subversive talk. All this does is aggravate Schulz, who has to sit on the other end of the microphones listening to everyone else have a good time.

* DeadlyEuphemism: Neuheim's SexySecretary helps Schulz at one point with a scheme that amounts to betraying Neuheim and the Party. In a later scene, Neuheim makes a comment about her [[ColdBloodedTorture "ripping out her fingernails in grief"]].

-->"Finally we questioned him and ah ''(slaps Schulz's shoulder heartily)'' when he recovered we questioned him again..."

->''"Well what do you do when the lunatics take over the asylum? It's every man for himself."''

In Nazi Germany on the eve of WorldWarTwo, small-time con artist Gerhardt Schulz is released from prison to do his bit for the war effort. Using his skill with languages to land what he thinks is a safe, comfortable job in Postal Censorship, Schulz is instead transferred to SS Counterintelligence. Their commander -- the fanatical Major Neuheim -- is less than impressed, but immediately ropes in Schulz for a mission to abduct two British agents from Holland, where his ability to hot-wire a car gets them out of a very sticky situation.

When the nefarious British start air-dropping forged ration coupons over Germany, Major Neuheim suggests to [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] that they retaliate with forged British five pound notes. Hitler gives his covert approval, and top forgers are rounded up from prisons and concentration camps all over Germany; including Solly, a Jewish former cellmate of Schulz.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Schultz is more likable than his superiors, but he's not exactly a con artist with a golden heart -- he was jailed for bilking poor widows during the Depression following WorldWarI. When Schultz encounters people from the Allied powers, they are just as greedy and corrupt as the Nazi characters in the story.

* NotWorthKilling: [[spoiler:After Schultz blows up all the money, the British gangster is so disgusted he just walks off.]]

* HypocritcalHumor: "How dare you come back alive!"

* {{Determinator}}: After the war Schulz enlists the help of a gang of British criminals. After their sudden yet inevitable betrayal, Schulz is able to jump on a bus with a parachute container full of the notes. The leader of the gang starts running after Schulz and continues to do so for the entire bus route [[spoiler:only to have the notes blow up in his face when a panicked Schulz throws the booby-trapped container into a boat in his attempt to get away.]]

* ActingForTwo: Ian Richardson plays three characters in separate episodes; Major Neuheim (all except 3 and 6), English DoubleAgent Melfort (episode 3), and Scottish villain Stan (episode 6). Not counting a brief cameo as a waiter in the last episode. All of these characters foil Schultz's attempts to keep any of the forged notes for himself, even the waiter.
* AuthorExistenceFailure: Although he survived to complete the scripts, Jack Pullman died before seeing the series produced, and before he could finish the novelisation.

When the nefarious British start air-dropping forged ration coupons over Germany, Major Neuheim suggests to {{Hitler}} that they retaliate with forged British five pound notes. Hitler gives his covert approval, and top forgers are rounded up from prisons and concentration camps all over Germany; including Solly, a Jewish former cellmate of Schulz.

-->''"Well what do you do when the lunatics take over the asylum? It's every man for himself."''

** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bernhard Operation Bernhard]], the German plan to forge British five pound notes, involving prisoners at Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

* NaziGold: Not involving gold of course, but in much the same spirit.

* NoSenseOfHumor: Major Neuheim is totally lacking in warmth and anything resembling a sense of humor. However, his humorlessness is itself a source of comedy.

* TheStarscream: The warden of Spandau Prison is rather dismayed when his former inmate returns as an SS officer, though Schulz just requisitions his office and drinks his booze.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: [[spoiler:At the end of the series, Schulz only succeeds in getting his hands on a single five pound note. Which is then plucked from his hand by a waiter who thinks it's a tip.]]

* ActingForTwo: Ian Richardson plays three characters in separate episodes; Major Neuheim (all except 3 and 6), English DoubleAgent Melfort (episode 3), and Scottish villain Stan (episode 6).
** Not counting a brief cameo as a waiter in the last episode.

* ActingForTwo: Ian Richardson plays three characters; Major Neuheim, DoubleAgent Melfort, and British villain Stan.

* VideoInsideFilmOutside: Except episodes 3 and 6 which are shot and edited entirely on film.

* {{Newsreel}}: Used for exposition, and to show what time period events are taking place in.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Hilariously averted with the Nazi officers towards the end of the war, walking out of the vault where the banknotes are kept with conspisciously bulging uniforms.