Arne Elsholtz looks nothing like Tom Hanks, and it's hard to mistake Helmut Krauss for Mister Ed.
Though their faces may be unfamiliar, their voices are well-known to millions of German TV and movie fans. Elsholtz and Krauss are among scores of actors in West Germany's dubbing industry, which for 40 years has been putting German words into the mouths of American stars from Mickey Mouse to Tom Cruise.In his 20-year career, Arne Elsholtz has been Tom Hanks in "Splash," Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda" and Bill Murray in "Ghostbusters." He has translated and directed scores of other dubbing projects at West Berlin's renowned Berliner Synchron studios.
"I don't think of myself as being like Tom Hanks, but I do like to have fun, and that's important for dubbing a funny American movie like `Splash,' " said the 47-year-old Elsholtz.
Krauss, who also has a contract with Berliner Synchron, is the German voice of Mister Ed, the talking horse in the popular American TV series.
American fans might lift an eyebrow to hear the garrulous horse uttering a cheerful "Guten Tag, Wilbur!" instead of "Hiya, Wilbur." But it's the job of the dubbers to make a production understandable to Germans.
Every evening millions of Germans cozy up to their television sets to watch some of their favorite German programs. But some of the most popular shows are American imports like "Dallas," "The Bill Cosby Show" and "Dynasty" - all dubbed.
American films are also immensely popular among Germans. Hollywood movies often dominate film listings in West German TV program guides as well.
Why the fascination with Hollywood movies and sometimes ancient American television series?
It's pretty much a money matter combined with the vast availability of American video entertainment, said Joachim Kuester, head of Berliner Synchron. "The German television networks have hours to be filled, and it is too expensive to produce much stuff. So they fill it up with American productions."
Kuester said it is far less expensive to dub an American film or television program under contract with its U.S. owners than to make one from scratch.
And, "Our audiences won't accept subtitles," he said. "It's more relaxing to sit there and listen to the movie in German."