Ursula Porwollik

Monday, 11 October 1976:
Concert of my favourite band SAILOR in the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund - A fan-review from cult-times by Ursula Porwollik
For others it might have been a normal day, but for me it was something very special: This Monday I was to see my favourite band SAILOR in the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and this was to happen live, in front of all our eyes....
I, Ursula, was to go to this event together with my classmate Sabine! I was so happy: Finally I was able to see Georg, Grant, Henry and Phil "in reality" and not - as usual - only on television. I would like to describe the most important events of this day.....
At 6.40 am I woke up - and I was instantly awake because I knew which day it was! At school I couldn't think and talk about anything else but the concert, that was to happen later today. The 4 lessons went by very fast. The homework was finished by me before I came home at the bus station.
My best friend Monika wished me good luck for Dortmund, so that I could come to the very first row of the audience and manage to shake the hands of Georg and his guys. Let's see.....
Sabine and I talked about when I was going to come to her. I wanted to be there at 1.45 pm.
Back home, after lunch, I started to dress and prepare myself SAILOR-like, while I played the SAILOR LP "Trouble" over and over again. Afterwards I was satisfied with the outfit that I had chosen: Black trousers, a blue-white striped shirt and a black neckerchief, it all matched very good. Then I quickly combed my hair, that looked very good this day, which didn't happen so often. Finally I took my anchor-earrings and my black leather-jacket, which was very "in" at that time. The perfect outfit! My mother didn't expect me to leave so early and wished me a nice and not dangerous evening. The worried one!
I took my handbag and the plastic bag including the letters and presents for SAILOR and went to Sabine by bus. The sun was burning and soon my black clothes became hot. When I arrived at Sabine's place she had also gotten ready, so we only packed a few things and then took off. We reached the Langendreer railway station, because we had to go to Dortmund by train. Sabine's mother had agreed to pick us up on the way back.
I cursed; because of all the hurry I had forgotten my SAILOR autograph-card at home, what should cause some trouble later today. And I was also angry because I didn't take a camera with me, but not because I didn't have one myself - another friend of mine owned a pocket-camera, but she wasn't allowed to give it to me, and Sabine, who owned everything that a teeny could wish for, had forgotten her camera at home when we left. What a shame!
SAILOR were inside my head all the time now. I had all kinds of strange fantasies. I wondered how they were going to look in reality. Even if I couldn't take any photos.
In Dortmund we spent the time in all the different shops and boutiques - especially in record stores - waiting for the evening and the concert. But after a while I couldn't walk any more. We ate French-Fries and then went to the "Westfalenhalle". The concert was to start at 8 pm, and now it was just 4 pm, but I was too impatient to walk through any more shops. I only wanted to get to the concert hall. So I hurried Sabine out of the record stores in which we had been looking for SAILOR, Queen and similar stuff (Sabine was a passionate Queen-fan), and we were lucky because there was a tram-station from which we could go directly to the Westfalenhalle....
When we arrived I couldn't think of anything else than how the SAILORs might be "in reality". Soon we could see the "Westfalen"-halls. Sabine quickly went closer to them, while I followed her carefully. It was exasperating - where was this hall number 2? There we discovered it in front of us.
I had expected not to meet anybody else here yet, but I was wrong. Two girls were waiting in front of the hall. Sabine and I looked at them as suspiciously as they looked at us. Both of them had come from Wesel to Dortmund. The one, taller than the other and obviously the funny one of them, was a blonde beauty, who introduced herself as Gerti - and who kept on talking all the time (a real "Schnabbelschüssel" A note from MARINERO: no way to translate this ;-)). The other one, calmer - was no SAILOR-fan; she liked "Sweet" - was 14 - just like Gerti - and sceptical concerning SAILOR. But Sabine and I liked her more than the "Schnabbelschüssel". But that didn't really matter - I thought it was great that there already were some other people. Sabine and I decided to take a walk around the hall and took a seat on a bench. Sabine told me that she envied me because I would soon be able to see my favourite band live on stage. She hadn't seen "her" Queen live yet. I replied that she would surely be able to see Queen soon, for sure.
When Sabine and I returned to the hall there were much more people than before, also two other "girls". This time they were a blonde beauty with curls and a little "flea" with an anchor on her cheek. Both of them wore striped shirts so that it was obvious where they wanted to go. They came from a town which we didn't know - Verl, wherever this was.
5.10 pm. About 30 people were already waiting in front of the hall. Sabine and I went back to the "Schnabbelschüssel". We started talking; she also liked Georg very much, just like myself. She also told me a couple of new things - e.g. that Georg had fake curls in his hair and so on. This girl then got on everybody's' nerves with all her long stories.
A strange dark-haired girl, who stood next to us, was whispering something about how much she liked Georg all the time. Yes, the true fans were all in the same situation. When we couldn't stand the "Schnabbelschüssel" any longer, Sabine and I went away and got closer to one of the smaller doors. Next to us was a huge security-guy with a huge belly. Behind him I discovered the poster announcing SAILOR's tour once again. I looked at it and sighed. Would it belong to me later tonight? Now a lot of people were coming from all sides. Some real crazy fans had painted anchors on their left and right cheeks, wore sailor's caps and striped shirts. Totally SAILOR-like. Suddenly Sabine said to me: "Well, what would you do if THEY would pass us by with their car right now?"
"Stop it!" I told her, because that was the last thing I needed now. What was that? In this moment a yellow Mercedes with a licence-plate from Düsseldorfer was slowly driving past the bigger and bigger growing audience. This Mercedes, which stopped about 10 or 12 meters away from us while the engine was still running, was completely new, very noble. "I would start laughing if that was them", I heard Sabine say once again.
I was just about to give her my final answer, when I suddenly wasn't able to give any answer at all any more! Because I was looking into a familiar face which was curiously looking into our direction through the window of the Mercedes. The face belonged to a blonde guy with a funny smile. I recognized that guy because of his nose and his glasses; there was no doubt: it was Henry Marsh!
Would Sabine believe this now? Yes, she did, because I heard her giggle silently while she shook me: "Hey, I think I've seen this guy, Henry!" So I hadn't dreamed it! And so we stupidly began to stare into Henry's direction. Four people were in the car in addition to the driver. SAILOR!? Could this be true?
In this moment a dark haired guy who sat next to the driver, also turned his head into our direction. Sabine sighed in a shocked way, and I was even more speechless. We saw a green jacket, a charming face with a brand new hair dress - and the face was also smiling at us through the Mercedes-window: Phil Pickett?
Yes, it really was Phil! But he quickly turned away again. Maybe he was shy. Sabine and I looked at each other without talking and then stared back at the car and the possible and impossible people inside. Strangely enough, only the two of us seemed to have noticed what was happening, because we were standing a bit away from the others. How big would the chaos be if the others noticed the Mercedes as well and realized who was sitting inside!? Better not think about that!
It all seemed so unreal that none of the others became curious or attracted. Sabine and I were rather calm and checked out the situation. And the situation was terrible. "Third time is a charm", I thought to myself, until I tried to get back to my senses, while Sabine whispered: "I would like to know whether Georg or Grant are in the car too!"
"Be quiet!" I tried to say with a smile, but then I was totally shocked. Wearing a black jacket and a tie to a white shirt, looking very nice with dark sunglasses HE was now looking out of the car window: Georg Kajanus. For sure. Now we knew who it was.
But now Georg wasn't there in our imagination, no - he was real, just like the two others! I started to feel sick. It was unbelievable! Georg looked at the two of us, a bit strange but nice at the same time. He looked kind of serious. Sabine watched all this and worriedly looked at me and then back to Georg again. It seemed as if he was flirting with us. But why not?
Sabine was flabbergasted as well. And then: Suddenly the driver of the car - a funny looking, thin guy - got out and walked to our thick security-guy. The highlight followed: Silently - but Sabine and I could hear it in spite of this - he whispered into the ear of the security-guy: "Here are the musicians!" Somehow the two guys seemed to ignore us completely, although we were standing quite close to them, not like SAILOR in their Mercedes.
Sabine and I exchanged frightened looks. We could hardly believe it, but it happened right in front of our eyes - but the truth was shocking!! Meanwhile I was still looking at Georg, who still looked at the surroundings in a nice way - mostly into our direction. Of course he had to look interested; as he could see all the fans who were waiting in front of the hall quite well.
When the car stood there and nobody else watched it, Sabine told me: "Come on! Get yourself an autograph!" "I - I can't! I said while trying to smile, although I would have loved to run to the Mercedes. Sabine didn't stop. "Why can't you do it? Come on, get yourself an autograph!" "No," I moaned shyly, "I don't dare to do it, honestly - and I don't even have a photo they could sign. Damn!" "That doesn't matter". I couldn't to argue Sabine out of it, "You have a piece of paper, and they will surely have a pen in their glove compartment!" Could anyone believe this? What did this woman want me to do. Even if this was THE chance - I was much to scared, and that was it. I had seen that the small "flea" from Verl had two autograph-cards. I could have bought one from her quickly - and then? Then everybody else would have noticed it too, would have gone mad, and SAILOR would have been angry! Or did they expect something like that? I didn't know it. I didn't know what they would think about a coward like me, who didn't even dare to fetch an autograph, either! In this moment I couldn't do or say anything. I was paralysed. Sabine could say whatever she wanted - it was like a ban that couldn't be stopped. But I still kept on looking intensely at the car, in which Georg Kajanus was constantly watching us, too. It was like heaven; but then the car had to drive to the dressing rooms, as we heard. What a shame. That was a special experience for a sensitive SAILOR-soul like myself. I couldn't cope with all that had just happened, and then there was the next highlight: Another car was coming, dark red, a VW van, and the opening act, the band Smith & D'Abo, were inside, accompanied by - Grant Serpell !! The VW caused more attention than the Mercedes; but the fans stayed calm, not a single girl started screaming. I was totally enthusiastic, but I tried to stay calm. Not even Sabine was to notice my feelings, I decided.
After this, Sabine and I returned to the other fans. During the following minutes I noticed that a new girl from Hagen had a large "G" on her scarf. She reacted rather unfriendly when Gerti asked her, for whom the "G" should stand. My head began to get clear again. But that was still too much: Because all of us who were standing here and who hadn't known each other before - I sadly noticed - didn't really like each other! Somehow we all seemed to be rivals - one person wanted to know more about SAILOR than the next one, one loved Georg or Henry or Grant or Phil more than the others. The things we seemed to have in common, the talks - all just smattering. But it was good to experience something like this. That was life.
In the meantime I started to freeze. It was cold, in the middle of October, in spite of my leather-jacket. More and more people joined us, they kept on coming from every direction like magic. I was happy because it would surely become full, but I also wondered where we would be seated in the end. I was afraid because I wanted be as far in the front as possible to see Georg and SAILOR, and then of course because of my letters and presents for the SAILOR-boys. I was really afraid because many people had bought tickets for 20 DM and I had only paid 16 DM. Yet another rivalry-fight, I thought. And the doors weren't even open yet. That was going to be exciting!
It became fuller and fuller, the fans got hysterical and impatient. Some tried to look inside the hall to see one or the other SAILOR. When a security man inside the hall was just walking up the stairs and some fans saw him, the "small one" from Verl started shouting: "Georg, Georg - I have just seen Georg gesehen!" And all the others also started shouting. But no! They had only seen one of the security guys. A short time later something similar happened because of Henry. So the mood remained very tensed. Finally some guys opened the box office. Everybody was running to the box office because there had just been coupons for the tickets so far. When I had finally received our tickets I noticed that our seats unfortunately were further at the back! What a shock! I would never sit down there, that was sure! Sabine neither! Of course we HAD to be somewhere else! More and more security guys appeared inside the hall and watched what was happening outside. At about 7.15 they finally opened the main doors! We ran inside. It was as if the whole world was running to a place were something was for free. Inside the concert hall there were refreshments and lots of mirrors, where people could fix their dishevelled and frozen looks. I was more than comfortable with myself, yes, I thought I looked really good that night. That had a special reason, and I beamed with joy - when I wanted to see my boys on stage I just HAD to look good! For sure.
First, Sabine and I got ourselves something to drink. Then we checked out the concert hall. There were so many people that we wondered, what seats we might get. We also searched for posters or other stuff from SAILOR that they might be selling, but there wasn't anything like this. I still wanted to have one of those concert posters, maybe just take one from the wall, but I didn't do it yet. At 7.40 pm Sabine and I finally went back into the hall again. It was so full inside! We hectically looked for our seats. We found them, oh my god - some people were already sitting there. First they reacted angrily, but then they told us that they had first been in the 34th row and decided to go further to the front, and that we should try this too, so we told them that they could stay and tried to do the same. Let's see if this was going to work! I mean, if all the others did this, we could do it too....
At first we went to the 16th row. Sabine had to go to the toilet. Me too. When we came back into the hall I didn't want to go back to this terrible 16th row any more. So we went to the 9th row. There the sight was great, but Sabine didn't like it yet. It was still too far away from the stage. Soon we found ourselves in the 6th row - where we stayed.
I got more and more excited - I would take Sabine's right arm and hold on to it to calm myself down. Sabine was nervously sitting on her chair too. All the time I would look at my letters that would soon reach their destination. I still had to think of how Georg had looked at us out of the Mercedes, as well as Phil and Henry. And in my thoughts I saw the little presents that I had put into the letters for Georg and the others, which I would throw up on the stage in my unlimited adoration and love. What would they think of this?
At about 8.05 pm the show started. The opening act Smith & D'Abo started to play. Their performance was super-great. In the meantime there war a chaotic mixture including cafés and strip-bars, cables, two drumkits - one from Smith & D'Abo - behind them on the stage. And some bright disco-ball lighted the scene. Later the chaos disappeared.
Smith & D'Abo left the stage at about 8.30 pm. Now the set was changed. What were Sabine and I to do in the last minutes? But I didn't want to get myself one of the concert posters that - I thought - were still hanging at the entrance, yet. But when I had bravely reached the door in order to get a poster - some other fans had already taken them. What else had I expected? What a shame.
The final SAILOR-audience of the evening consisted - read and believe it- mostly of adults. that means people OVER 21. couples and several groups of boys and men. Then the female fans followed!!
My sadness because of the poster disappeared when I came back to Sabine who proposed to change the seats one more time because she had seen two vacant seats in one of the very first rows. Right behind a group of boys, from which one - what a coincidence - owned on of the concert posters. So our final seats had changed to the 3rd row on the right. Sabine had agreed to this final change just for me. Lucky us! - And others did just the same, so that there was a big movement in the whole hall. Others preferred to remain standing or get close to the stage, what wasn't officially allowed and kept the angry security people busy. The boys in front of us introduced themselves as Scottish soldiers from Soest "near the Moehne-See". It was funny and strange for Sabine and me to discover their accent and guess whether they were from Holland or England. If we hadn't asked them we would have thought about it forever! Just when we were about to start to talk about SAILOR, English and the city Bochum, which the guys didn't know, the lights went out!
Now it started! It was quarter to nine.
My heart was beating up to my throat: I knew what was going to follow. I looked at Sabine as if this was my execution. "Don't panic", was the last thing I heard from her, before she - like myself and everybody else in the full concert hall - listened to the announcer who said: "Meine Damen und Herren - heute Abend live hier in Dortmund - hier sind - SAILOR!!!".....
In this moment I felt as if I was going to explode. The curtain opened. Something white or bright was visible in the dark. I thought that I had to be Georg's shirt. And then the lights went on, while I was staring at the stage like mad: The stage was lighted in all humanly possible colours, on which the Nickelodeon stood on the left side with lots of red and yellow lights. Of course the café and strip-bars were now used as the stage-background. A big palm tree stood behind Grant's drums. On the right side next to Georg there was a streetlamp, and behind him a half-opened jalousie with a hardly dressed girl.
I saw SAILOR in reality and not through a camera. And then I saw Georg as the first one of them. He was really wearing a white shirt, dark trousers and a black neckerchief. On his head he had his dark sailor's cap. I thought I saw that he didn't wear an anchor on his left cheek, like on the TV shows, for the first time. Henry, who stood on the left side at his beloved Nickelodeon, wore a black jacket, which he would take off later, white trousers and a red neckerchief that advantageously completed his outfit. Instead of the panama hat he wore a black hat. Philly Pickett, further on the right with his bass, looked funnier than all the others. He had a huge earring on his right ear which was shining like mad. With his kerchief he looked like a charwoman (but for sure his outfit was to resemble a pirate)! A shirt with frills, black-cord-trousers and a red scarf around the hips also decorated the lovely boy. And last, but not least - Grant, or what I could see of him: A white sailor's cap, a black shirt, which underlined his unbelievable brownness - how on earth was that guy doing that? Then I noticed that Grant was wearing white trousers and white shows. All this happened just within the first few seconds of the boys' concert. I listened carefully and wondered with which song they would start. But this was the beginning of a song I didn't know yet, I noticed piano-sounds with the familiar rhythm, and I liked it immediately. Then Georg began to sing.
I stared at the stage like under a charm and couldn't believe that I was experiencing this here and now. It still seemed like a dream. The song was called "One Drink Too Many", which I got to know later, - and it was sweet! I was taken aback because it seemed as if the four of them were each playing just for themselves at the beginning. The looked serious and concentrated. The loudness and acoustic in the hall was not too bad. Now I looked at each of the guys. Georg seemed shy and unsure; obviously he needed some time to "warm up". Grant didn't care about what was happening around him; he played his drums in a clear and experienced way. Phil, the little whirlwind, wasn't so relaxed either. He concentrated on his bass. And Henry seemed to be happy to be at the Nickelodeon because it helped him to overcome the first insecurity. The didn't seem to know what was expecting them here in Dortmund. But even now the audience was enthusiastic. When the first big applause came, Georg's face lit up visibly. I didn't know the next song they played either, it was called "Give Me La Samba". And now it was Georg, who - although a bit shy - smiled at the audience. I looked at Sabine who looked very impressed. Also Phil and Henry were relieved and started to smile at the audience. Grant did the same. It was so wonderful. After "Give Me La Samba" the last ice between the band and the audience had melted, and the band looked relaxed and happy because of their good start. Then it was Georg who cleared his throat, laughed and said: "Guten Abend, meine sehr verehrten Damen und Herren, wir freuen uns, heute abend hier bei Ihnen zu sein!" I looked at Sabine in shock. He had done his first announcement like a newsreader. In German! "German, Sabine - German!" I shouted and shook my friend in enthusiasm, "HE speaks German!". Sabine smiled widely and said: "Yes, yes Ursula - he's just in front of you!" and I turned back to the stage. It had been German without any accent! I was taken aback. Then Georg explained that SAILOR meant "Matrose" in German. "Let's go back to English now..." Georg said in his usual manner, "the first songs we sang were from our new album 'Third Step'. The song we're gonna sing now is one you might remember - One, two three...." He started to play, but in a much more relaxed way. It was the beginning of "The Old Nickelodeon Sound". Wow! And they did it even better than on the record. We all moved our arms in the air, and Sabine said with an enthusiastic laughter: "I think I'm becoming a SAILOR-fan!" I looked at her in surprised; what was that special thing about those guys? Well.... After this song there was a loud applause. SAILOR were very happy.
Then Georg got away from his microphone and tuned his guitar. Henry came to the microphone and - having taken his jacket off - said: "Is there a girl who would like to come on the stage naked?" Shocked noises in the hall. I noticed how Georg and Phil were smiling at each other; Georg couldn't help laughing. Grant was also laughing behind his drums. Henry made faces, looked at his watch and said: "Please hurry - we don't have so much time!" Now there was laughter and the first rows of the audience too. After a little while Henry said: "Thank you - we have found a girl - the others can get dressed again! And", he added, "here's our girl!" In this moment a picture of an almost naked girl was shown on a huge screen. Everybody laughed. Georg looked at the painted, nearly undressed girl on the picture in rapture. Then Georg turned to the audience, still laughing, and said that the next song was going to be "Josephine Baker". When this song started I looked at the four of them closely again. Even from about 8 meters away Georg looked better than on TV; he was so charming and polite, a little naive, but also a bit like a dare-devil. Phil seemed to be the funny one, he was friendly, sweet and very open. He obviously wore make-up. Grant was totally different, he looked as if eh had just returned from a Mallorca-holiday and he didn't need make-up. Very brown, with very white teeth - that's how he positioned himself behind his drumkit. Grant was a very thin guy, but nice and charming, as ever. I had always thought that Henry was thinner than Grant, but I was wrong. Henry was a little stronger and thicker than him. Henry's face was attractive and smart, his temperament funny. Henry was paler than everybody else in the band; he looked like a living shroud. In other respects Henry Marsh seemed snobby and cosily-sarcastic in comparison to Grant, who seemed serious and discrete. Later I would discover more about the four of them.
SAILOR played "Josephine Baker" better than on the LP, too, it was faster, and they got a huge applause. Soon there were the first "Champagne"- and "Girls"-shouts became hearable in the audience. But SAILOR continued their set and started "Blame It On The Soft Spot", which also sounded different than on the record. A long intro, that didn't seem to stop, was what we all liked - oh yes! - and in the end the whole audience was singing along! It was marvellous! I was surprised about this concert.
After SAILOR had finished "Blame It On The Soft Spot", which left us all into ecstasy, Georg had to tune his guitar one again. Then it was Henry's big moment, as he was to announce the next song, an instrumental piece in which Georg played the Charango. With a light smile he went to the microphone and announced "something very special": "And now..." he looked at Phil in a daffy way, "our Philip is going to play the Guitarron" - while Phil looked a bit strange - because of the "Philip" - but then started laughing again as he picked up the huge Guitarron. Then Phil went next to Henry, who continued to explain: "And our handsome Georg....!" he made a funny gesture to Georg who made a bemused grimace and left Henry smiling again. "Yes - our handsome Georg....!", Phil repeated with the same gesture and looked at Georg longingly. Georg didn't look at any of them again and took his Charango. "And our handsome Georg", Henry said once again - but then he let out a funny scream that made everyone in the concert hall laugh.
"Our handsome....." - there it was again! The audience couldn't stop laughing! Even Grant couldn't help it and had to laugh loudly. One last zime Henry tried to make his announcement, this time with success. "And our handsome Georg is going to play his little Charango". He said it silently, but the audience had to laugh again, when they realised the difference of the size of Charango and Guitarron. Now Georg was smiling too. And then they played the long-announced instrumental song. The lights on stage seemed to go crazy during this song. The instrumental was a fast, sweet song that had also been written by Georg. He was still smiling and he obvioulsy had a lot of fun playing the Charango!
Then Phil and Georg went closer together and played like mad! They really got crazy on stage! When this song was finished, the applause didn't seem to stop. No Henry was back at the microphone. Henry, the funny one, smiled (but when didn't HE smile?!) and looked at Grant and Georg. Georg had picked up his guitar and looked at Henry in a funny way. Phil had meanhwile got rid of the Guitarron and returned to his bass. Henry used the time agaon for some jokes with the audiencen. He looked at the audience. Thousands of flashs hit the stage. He didn't seem to like it. Or did he? He laughed at the photographers and said: "Would you please give me your cameras?" One again the audience laughed. What did he want? Cameras? But I should have expected this.... "Of course I need cameras!" "What does he want?" I looked at Sabine, who looked as confused as myself, and laughed. "Of course," Henry didn't seem to understand the people who didn't understand him, "in Panama you need cameras!"
That was it! Georg started "Panama" again with "One, two, three...". EVERYBODY in the hall seemed to sing along. Everybody seemed to know the lyrics. Georg tried to hide his sweet smile when he noticed that. The lyrics were not G-rated, but who cared? When the instrumental part of "Panama" started, Georg left the micophone and looked at the stage-set, palm-tree and the girls in the window behind him; he had turned around and presented his nice back to the audience! Not bad!
When "Panama" was over the hall was filled with applause that seemed to last for 10 minutes. Of course it didn't, but it seemed like this, - so incredible was the enthusiasm of the audience. Then SAILOR performed another song without announcing it, it mostly consisted of Georg's guitar and the Nickelodeon - another instrumental song. I listened carefully, just like during the songs before. I was on another planet, in another world - wherever! But now and here was my home. Again and again I stared at Georg and the others. But then I became afraid of my own courage, that I might go closer to this stage. But I had wanted it. Only - how could I do it?
I had also told Sabine about the letter to the four guys, and she had encouraged me that I would manage to get to the front without any problems. No matter if I was shyness or not - I couldn’t sit still on my seat any longer. I had to go to the front, no matter how! Sabine understood, nodded, and I got up. My friend was still right next to me, carrying my handbag and my jacket. I took the letters with me in the bag. We looked at each other. It had to be now. I had to go to the front without running into one of the security guys who had strictly sent all the other people who had tried it before back to their seats. Sabine whispered something like: “Come on, you can do it and I’m going to help you!" Well said, I thought to myself. And when the instrumental song was over, my difficult work started. I slowly went to the front with the letters in my hand, passing photographers, the amazed audience and distracted secrurities. I stopped and turned around. Where was Sabine? She was placidly standing a few metres behind me and gave me signs, telling me to go on
Ok, I did it, while Georg announced the next song. "And now we're going to sing about two girls who look for love and romance - on a corner. Just 'Two Ladies On The Corner', which is another track of our new LP!" Again a brand new, unknown song that they performed here! I really liked the song. Phil and Henry sang through a kind of pipe , which sounded fantastic. I got closer and closer to the stage. Metre for metre. And there was one of the securities who, just like the audience, was listening ecstatically to the songs and gazed at the show. I hesitated and watched the guy full of fear. Would he send me back? Oh god no! Just the opposite - he grimaced and said: “Well, come on and go to the front, I don’t care!" That was the highlight I was astonished, but instantly did what he had ordered and continued to make my way to the front. My face was burning, my head was buzzing with excitement. I had never done anything like this before. And then I had reached my aim, the edge of the stage. The securities didn’t seem to care about the fans who stood close to the stage any more, because more and more people were standing there mow. Right next to the stage, to the right of the aisle , I spotted a free place. Then I suddenly realised that I was only about one metre away from my favourite band! Was I afraid? Oh my god! My face was still hot, but my hands were cold. Deep inside I was glowing with excitement. And now I was able to gaze at all the four SAILORs really close – right next to the huge loudspeakers next to the stage. Georg was looking fantastic! Different than from a distance, different than on television. Better. His eyes were so deeply blue, and he rolled them around quite often. Georg was unshaved, a bit at least. He seemed frisky like a schoolboy and at the same time wicked like a sailor. Perfect. Once more bewitched, I stayed at my place. I didn’t cream with excitement, didn’t wave my arms in the air, didn’t have any ambitions to lose my containment, like others maybe. Why should I? All of my feelings and thoughts were happeneing where they belonged: In my heart and in my head. The next one I saw was Phil – he wore a lot of make-up, what was really unnecessairy because of his pretty face: Lipstick, eye shadow – nothing was missing. Phil also looked better than on television. He looked really great! His eyes were icy blue. Henry was charming and likeable, wore hardly any make-up in his face, what was absolutely ok. Grant, well, some more wight on his hips might have been good for him – he was so very thin, but not unattractive. He wore blue eye shadow, and his eyes were blue too. Grant had the fatherly charm that I had always loved about him. Then "Two Ladies On The Corner" was finished. Henry went back to the microphone, smiled at Georg and then announced the next song: "Now we want to sing somthing that you might know," he said recklessly (Henry seemed to be a perfect actor). "Something", he went on, "that was played in a couple of discothecs, that you might have heard on the radio, and that you might even have bought as a record!" That rogue! I checked my watch and realised that it was 9.30 pm already. Then I looked back at the stage. Which " decent Song" was Henry announcing? "Watch out, listen carefully – maybe you regognize the song!" Without saying anything mor they started to play “Girls, Girls, Girls!"
This song had been my very favourite song for nearly half a year! And who did not know it? Joker! Phil didn’t have to do so much work at his bass, instead he walked around on the stage, teasing people. He also went to Georg, watched his hands while he was playing, and then his penetrating Scorpio-view discovered some girls who were standing next to the stage, adoring their SAILORs. I think Phil liked blonde girls or women – he was close to them immediately! He waved, telling them to come close to him and talked to them, what ended in an enthusiastic palaver with them which ended with lots of waving and handshakes. The girls then went away from the edge of the stage as if they had been kissed by a prince, and trickster Phil enjoyed it.
SAILOR did "Girls" really great! I had expected them to do it as an encore and not right in the middle, but that was ok! I stood right in front of them, more and more bewitched, metamorphosed, still shy, but I had the power not to run away. "Girls" got a frenetic applause that got louder with every gigantic song from SAILOR. All four were happy about their success and let the audience know how they felt. Then Henry suddenly appeared with xylophone in his hand and made an announcement for the next song.
"And now", he cheeky joked into the microphone, „we want to sing about a man who gets his money from light girls!” He looked at Georg who was smiling. Henry continued: "You will surely know a man like this....", and made a short dramatic pause in order to wait for the audience’s reaction. "A pimp!" someone was shouting from the right side of the front row. Everyone started laughing, me too. And then Grant, Georg and Phil got next to Henry and – oh my god – performed the next song right in front of me on the stage... Oh my god! Now I was able to check out each of them closely: Henry seemed so cute as he was standing there with this xylophone and started to sing, Phil, whose face now looked like the one of a baby, started singing too. Wow, this guy was so charming! Henry stood on the left, then next to him Phil, Grant and Georg. Each of them sang one verse of this unknown, marvellous song!
At first Henry, who had a strange but nice voice, then Phil with his unusual sounding voice! Grant was nexz, whose voice was just the oposite to Phil's, very deep. And Georg - well, we already knew his voice of course. I had never expected the four of them to be so nice, as they were standing there, right in front of me, singing. None of them seemed unfriendly or arrogant. They were so sweet! My fear was gone. I couldn't stop looking at the four guys, especially not at Georg, and I started wondering when I would be able to give them my letters and my presents, whether to throw them onto the stage or give them to them directly! When the band had finished the song about the strange pimp - I really liked the naughty lyrics as well as the melody - it got very darf in the concert hall. While Georg put his guitar aside, Henry went back to the microphone and started smiling again, while he announced the next song.
"Hey, you!" Henry shouted to the roadies, "can you help us to turn the sun into the moon?" No answer. "Oh well!" Henry look disappointed. "Then we'll do it differently." He turned to the audience. "Can you help us to turn the sun into the moon?" Of course we could! And so everyone was shouting aloud "YEEEES!". "I'm counting to three", Henry said, "and then we will do it!". We all counted together with him. Three seconds later the sun in the stage set had disappeared and a moon had risen! The stage was lit in a strange dark red. "May we introduce...", Henry pointed at Georg and his harp, "the Veracruziana! It is important for our next song!" And so they began to play. Insider-fans knew of course that this was going to be "Jacaranda". A fascinating instrumental piece, played by Georg on his harp. "Jacaranda" sounded just like on the record. SAILOR were a super live-band, no mistakes, the voices fantastic - some songs were even better than on the records. A loud applause followed at the end of this song. SAILOR thanked the audience. Then the lights went on again. I remained right in front of the boys in the front row. Phil took his guitarron, and for the second time the audience laughed. Georg went next to him.
"Ladies and gentlemen", Georg said, "Mr. Phil Pickett with his guitarron!" Mr. Pickett laughed. The four of them seemed to enjoy everything, and it was unnecessary to say that they were really good friends. Phil sang this sad song together with Georg, which dealt with an unhappy love. I still don't know the title of the song, but they did it great.
"And now I want the lights to go out!" Georg suddenly said. I looked around me; no it was completely dark! What were they up to? "Is everybody there?" we heard Georg ask through the darkness. "Yeeeeeees!" everyone was shouting. And then a small green spotlight illuminated Georg. He then stared another new song. It was strange, sad, but really great. It was called "Dancing" and really made me sad too. Georg sang it adorably. Everyone in the concert hall started to sway to the left and to the right, I could see that in spite of the dark light. The only disturbing thing were the constantly blinking flashlights from the cameras all around me. But of course everyone wanted to take photos and get a memory of all those fantastic events. Except me. Stupid. Grr. "Dancing" also got a huge applause at the end.
The concert hall was illuminated again. Henry quickly announced the next song and said: "I'm looking for a keyl!". He sounded strange. Georg got closer to him and asked: "What are you looking for, my friend?" "A key, so I can open up the door!" He had said it in a confused way, but everyone had understood him. "Open Up The Door" was to follow. A song, oh my god - completely naughty! Everyone in the hall was screaming and shouting when the four of them stared to play. Phil stood right next to Henry now. He had left his bass-side of the Nickelodeon and played four-handed together with Henry. I was secretly hoping that he might look down at me, but nothing happened. Oh well..... But should something like this happen, I would never forget it....
While Georg was still singing "Open Up The Door" gab, Phil suddenly got his "big 5 minutes" or something like that. He was waving and jumping around. What was going on with him? The applause of all applauses followed when "Open Up The Door" was finished. Wow! More people joined me at the edge of the stage. Girls with their friends, other alone like myself. It was quite full. And now something funny was to follow, if there was any possible kind of cumulativeness. Grant Serpell had left his drumkit and got to the microphone at the front. He smiled and welcomed everyone. He was such a nice guy! Georg had left his place at the microphone and stood back, while he was tuning his guitar. Grant's German seemed to be a bit bumpy, but heartily and really sweet. "Wenn mein Deutsch nicht besonders ist, müssen Sie das entschuldigen; ich bin Franzose - und da kann man Englisch besser. Aber - ich wollte auch einmal etwas sagen, und da habe ich mir eine kleine Rede für heute Abend ausgedacht!" A speech? Well, what a surprise. Georg smiled at Grant who continued to talk in German: "Mir gefallt es hier sehr gut. Sie sind ein sehr nettes Publikum - doch nun wollte ich meine Rede eigentlich halten!" He searched his pockets, obviously for a piece of paper, but didn't find it in the one pocket, nor in the other pocket, nor in the ones at the back - oh my god, how many pockets did his trousers have? - but he didn't find it. After an endless search he finally found the piece of paper in his shirt, but when Grant wanted to continue Georg tapped him on the shoulder and said: "Come on Grant, we don't have enough time because we have to sing the song!" He looked sad - well acted - and wanted to continue with his speech! "But I wanted to....", but then he got back behind his drums - while a huge applause accompanied him. And then Grant Serpell looked into my direction for the first time, to the fand who stood at this side of the stage. And he looked straight at me. I returned an enthusiastic look and he smiled back! Great! But the show wasn't over yet. "Do you want to come with us?" Grant asked from behind his drumkit. But the audience didn't quite understand what he wanted.
"Downtown!" Georg said, and then everyone understood that "Let's Go To Town" was to follow, and I thought that was really good. At the end of the song they would play their instruments like mad! I went mad too and my hands were completely red from clapping. That song was a good change after all those dreamy songs before. After the applause Georg announced that they were now going to play the last song of the evening, having introduced the other SAILORs. I was shocked like all the others in this moment!? They already wanted to leave after 80 minutes? That was impossible! Then I listened to what Georg had to say. I thought that we could all hope for an encore - and then my big moment might come, the moment when I wanted to throw my letters onto the stage!....
Georg introduced all his colleagues. First Grant, then Phil and Henry. Afterwards he introduced himself. All four of them received an overwhelming applauset! I was so happy for my boys because they received so much love and enthusiasm. Georg announced the last song of the concert: "And now we want to sing about a girl who likes to walk around in stiletto heels!" It was "Stiletto Heels", and that was their brand new song which would surely become a hit soon. Phil started the song with his bass - and the whole audience joined in!
Georg began to sing in an unequalled way. "Stiletto Heels" was fantastic. Having finished it they disappeared from the stage very quickly, to my disappointment. There was a big uproar, people began shouting "Zugabe, Zugabe!" and pushed and pressed. I was afraid of being squashed. In the meantime the stage was lit dark red, which looked kind of eerie.
I had read that people usually got hysterical at the end of SAILOR concerts, and I was afraid that I might experience the same here. Everyone was shouting "We want more!", everyone was screaming, pushing, shouting. Fortunately the enthusiasm remained non-violent. After a short while and "SAILOR, SAILOR"-shouts that did not die away - it seemed like eternity for me - the four SAILORs returned to the stage. The announcer behind the stage shouted once again: "Here they are again: SAILOR!" and everyone joined his shouting! My hands were cold and I was shaking. More and more "Georg"-, "Phil"-, "Henry"- und "Grant"-shouts came from girls and boys behind me. An arrant blonde on my right tried to flirt massively with Phil, who seemed to enjoy it. What the fans got away with! Oh well. When the four of them were back together, Georg picked up his guitar again. The other three guys went back to the drums, the Nickelodeon and the bass and - without announcing it - started "A Glass Of Champagne"! This was of course the favourite songs of the audience, and they had waited long enough for it to come. Everyone went nuts at the first few seconds of the song. My moment had come. When this song was over I wanted to throw my letters for the four guys onto the stage... in spite of my giant fear.
I was fascinated and stared at SAILOR on the stage; no I was feeling terribly sad because I didn't take a camera with me to takje some photos of this dream-event. I could have made the best photos, seriously!
I started thinking about my plan again, and I hoped that none of the security-people would take my letters and presents away and that SAILOR would see them at all. I had bought something for each of them. Of course I wanted them to know how much they meant to me.
I was still busy thinking about it, when I suddenly noticed that a person was looking at me from the stage. Georg was standing right next to me, playing a guitar-part of "Champagne", and he looked straight into my face! First I thought that he might mean somebody else, maybe some of thr girls behind me. But no! When I turned around there were no girls behind me, only three or four boys. And then I realised that it was me Georg was looking at. Oh no! He smiled at me, a bit mechanically, but he smiled at ME! At me and at nobody else in this moment! I was so happy, nobody could imagine it! They were still playing "Champagne", but it was the last instrumental part at the end. I was still shocked from this eye contact, but my moment for throwing the present onto the stage had come! I was just thinking about throwing them - "Champagne" was just finished - when somebody came close to me and reached for my bag!
A bit surprised at first I realised that it was Henry Marsh! Henry was faster than Phil Pickett who was also heading towards me in order to get my presents. I was confused, but it got even worse when Henry didn't just pick up the bag with my presents but also shook my hand, thet I squeased enthusiastically! What was happening? While Henry smiled amd looked into the bag and the applause for "Champagne" was still as loud as before and Phil danced closely around Henry and my bag, I couldn't believe my luck. They had got my presents. This calmed me down! In this moment - I still waved my arms in the air and shouted for Phil - he suddenly came closer to me and shook my hands - both at the same time!! He smiled and looked at me as if we had known each other for a long time. I was so excited! I would always appreciate what Henry Marsh and Phil Pickett had just done, that was for sure!
Henry looked at me, my presents in his hands, in a curious way, before the four of them left the stage - this time with my presents. I couldn't figure out what had happened so quickly. My favourite musicians had touched my hands! Oh my god!
I couldn't believe it, tried to imagine what Sabine would say when I turned around, but I couldn't see Sabine between all those people any more. It didn't matter. More "Zugabe!"-shouts followed, the people were enthusiastic. The stage was lighted dimmly, I stood there and couldn't say a word! None. No wild gestures, no "Zugabe, Zugabe!", no names that I could shout. I was calm now and starred to the stage, intrigued. And after a while the lights went on once again. SAILOR came back and were celebrated like the saviours.
There was hardly anything to add. The second encore was another instrumental, which I didn't know. But a wonderful one, that I really enjoyed. You hardly noticed how tired SAILOR must have been from this night.
Now I wanted to know it: After things had started so well for me, I wanted to shake the hand of the two others. I also discovered the little "flea" from Verl and the "Schnabbelschüssel" from Wesel quite close to me at the front. Finally? Where had the two of them been for so long?
Full of expectations I spent the remaining heavenly time here in front of the stage. The instrumental song was over, and I noticed that Grant Serpell had also left his drums to thank the fans for the great night, at the edge of the stage. He also started to shake the hands of the fans. But Grant was still too far away from me. I was terribly afraid and wondered what Georg would do? - and then it happened! First he shook the hands of two girls who had fought their way to the front, and then, yes it was my turn! Georg bent down to me and gave me his hand, while he looked me serioulsy in the eyes. I felt dizzy, but I had to be strong, no please not! Oh my god... His hand seemed big and was hot from playing the guitar, but it was soft. Georg held my hand for a short moment of my life. Thanks god I was strong and didn't behave like an insane teenie. No, I enjoyed this fabulous moment calm and totally misty-eyed. But then it was over, just like a short charn. Georg then of course turned to the other fans.
In spite of this - now was the moment for me. Before my knees became even weaker I wanted to reach Grant's hand as well - and I managed to shake it as one of the last fans whose hands he shook, accompanied by his very nice smile. Grant was such a sweet guy, unbelievable! But then all the four SAILORs left the stage, and the concert was over.
Some people started to whistle and shouted that it was much too short, but I could have listened to the band all night long anyway! It was 10.20 pm. SAILOR had played for their fans for more than 90 minutes. Tears nearly came out of my eyes, no, it had all been to much for me! Like in trance I tremulously tried to walk back to Sabine who stood several metres away from me at the edge of the first row, waiting for me. "I touched the hands of all four!" was the first and only thing I managed to say cumbersomely, before I fexhaustedly fell into Sabine's arms and remained there for a moment. She was happy for me and wanted to know all the exact details later on. I was hardly able to walk out of the hall, and I couldn't stop talking. Sabine listened enthusiastically and also a bid jealous.
I front of the concert hall my head began to clear and I felt a little stronger. The boys had make me weak! But it had been worth it - and it would be worth it forever. Sabine's mother was expecting us in the car near the hall and wanted to bring us back to Bochum. Of course I didn't have anything else to do than to talk about my endless love for SAILOR in a very enthusiastic way during the whole drive.
I told Sabine that I never wanted to wash my right hand again, what would not be possible, of course, because reality would have caught me on the next day. But why shouldn't I be crazy just once? At least I wasn't the only one. There were so many stories from happy, enthusiastic fans. I never thought I could feel or think like this myself - but I couldn't help it, I was blown away.
I couldn't get any tour-poster, I never got to know what SAILOR thought about my letters and present, but this concert had been so fantastic, so great and marvellous, that I would never forget it - neither my fantastic boys nor the whole 11th of Octocer 1976. I knew that.
After this concert I loved SAILOR even more, and I knew that I would love them forever.
It was simply great.
Was there anything to add?
Ursula

(originally written by Ursula Porwollik - translated by Katrin Wagner, October 2003)

Review: SAILOR in Elspe (Germany) 27 May 1995:

My most lovely experience with SAILOR happened in May 1995 at the Oldie festival in Elspe in the so-called Sauerland. This festival has still got a very special meaning for me in connection with SAILOR. Here I had the first opportunity - after Dortmund 1994 - not only to meet them backstage for a short time, but the four of them also signed T-shirts for me and my daugther (6 years old), who has meanwhile also become a great SAILOR fan just like myself. When I mentioned my wish for a photo together with the four guys they agreed and made my wish come true in such a lovely way that I was really surprised!
Later at the hotel I also had the great opportunity to talk to Grant and also to Georg for a short while, and it the fact to be able to talk to Georg has always been a personal wish for me that came true that evening.
What I liked most - and what I like everytime I see them - was that the four of them were so nice and friendly to everybody. Even Georg talked to me in such a nice way that I soon forgot my excitement and fear.
The experience in Elspe made me very happy and until today it is my greatest and best experience with SAILOR.
Copyright by Ursula Porwollik, 1996 - as published in the former fanclub magazine "Nickelodeon" issue August 1996

The end of the street
written by Judith Amaro alias - Ursula Porwollik
(originally written under the above name (for fun, because the author had to have a name) in 1977)
Story by Ursula Porwollik (written down originally in April 1977)
Inspired by the pop group SAILOR and their song "Hanna" from the successful hit album "The Third Step" (1976)
Dedicated to SAILOR, to honour the group's unique flair and fascination, as well as the unrivalled music and idea of Georg Kajanus.
English version translated and finished on November 26, 2003

Santiago, Chile, somewhere in the early 20th century:

Jenny Mason, a 17-year-old British girl, spends her life apparently satisfied and happy together with her foster father James Harvest, on his part a Britishman and the mayor of a district in Santiago, Chile, within the scope of a transitional administration there. 4 years before Jenny's parents were killed in a terrible ship accident on the Pacific ocean. Jenny who accompanied her parents on that voyage, however, survived the accident and the sinking of the ship, which should have taken her and her parents to the new world America and so to a new home. James Harvest is a sought-after politician and a widower without children of his own, so he neglects his foster daughter emotionally very much because of his duties. Whenever Jenny needs him, his nearness or his advice, he is not around. As well Harvest isolates the girl with strict educational methods like private school tuitions to keep her away from the outside world and so to hide her from real life. In the meantime more mature and on her way to be a woman, the girl realises that for her it will not go on like this any more without friendships and contacts to this unknown world there outside. In a Winter night she escapes from her home in a horrible thunderstorm, up and away from the too much protected home. She does not take anything with her except a talisman and a blanket. Jenny leaves without writing a farewell letter, not even a notice. So she tries to avoid that James Harvest will search for her and probably finds her too soon.

Jenny escapes to a nearby forest on the edge of Santiago town and will spend the next two nights there, finding herself next to a small river and freezing. She gets hungry and at that moment she does not really know where to go. Finally she falls asleep completely exhausted in a decayed hut she had discovered on the outskirts of the shining capital of Chile, Santiago. For the moment this hut offers the girl little protection from the cold.

When she wakes up the next morning, at first thoughts of a warm bed and the imagination of an opulent breakfast buffet spring to her mind - but it is too late to return; despite hunger and cold - Jenny has made up her mind and has smelled freedom. For the following weeks she will try desperately to fight her way through as a thief, just for survival, and she will be surprisingly skilful at stealing. But it soon turns out to be difficult for Jenny not to be recognized and caught. All of a sudden the so far blameless and innocent young girl will be searched for in the whole town of Santiago and as well further away in other Chilenian regions. More and more unusual ways she has to choose to go into hiding as she can never stay at one place for long. Her hideouts are very soon discovered by the police.

Furthermore there was made out a considerable reward for the arrest of Jenny, in the meantime being a notorious master thief in and outside Santiago. The reward comes from no less a man than James Harvest, who does not want to believe which way of a career his foster daugther chose to go. So naturally he wants to have her seized again to save what still can be saved. As Jenny is able to escape and to run away every time nobody finds out where she is.

One day, however, Jenny does not have any idea where to go or what to do any more. In the meantime far away from Santiago town her last resort only seems to be the redlight quarter of the harbour town Valparaiso, the ill-reputated domicile of prostitutes, pimps, suckers and hustlers. Just like herself, these people are hated and feared of by the other side of society, the "respectable" and honorary citizens of the town. Jenny faces herself being amongst equals in the redlight quarter and hopes intensively for protection from police and justice. At first sight being fascinated of the redlight quarter and its colourful scene, Jenny's enthusiasm then soon fades away and changes into irritation and fright as she has to watch cruel hustling of pimps and sailors so many nights, struggling and messing with prostitutes. The helpless policemen in town can hardly deal with that. Seing all this hidden in dark places pretty blonde Jenny decides that she will never end up as a prostitute herself. Again she remains constantly hidden.

But then, one night something moves Jenny to enter the street. Finally she dares to step into the light, again - just out of her dull hideout in hope of finding someone who can eventually accommodate her. And she is going to find such a person. In the red light of a lantern Jenny notices a girl just as young as she is. At first Jenny fears for her anonymity and the shelter many dark corners of the quarter had offered to her, and at that moment she is angry to have revealed herself to this strange person. Surely this unknown woman is going to report her to the police, Jenny thinks. But she will definitely be wrong. In fact, she does not have the slightest reason to be scared because she is has met Hanna, one of the most profiled prostitutes in the redlight quarter of Valparaiso, probably the toughest in town. Hanna is a breath-taking young female. She appears neither cheap nor dirty like many other of the women Jenny already watched in the streets of the redlight - no! This young woman - that is obvious - has got personality and style in a rather indefinable way. Hanna eyes the rag doll standing there in front of her very thoroughly, being just as surprised of Jenny as Jenny is of this prostitute godess Hanna, presenting herself in a provocatively tight skirt and laque stilettos with especially high heels, something Jenny has never seen before. Decorated with a cool and cheeky kind of look in her eyes Hanna's extraordinarily pretty face was framed by a river of dark-brown curls. First Jenny is afraid of the other woman and keeps gazing at Hanna carefully, but in a mysterious way she feels sympathy for Hanna and fascination.

The two so different young women like each other at once. In the long run this new-born sympathy will lead to a deep woman friendship. Jenny is still untouched and innocent sexually; so it could never enter her head what made an intelligent and very attractive young woman like Hanna go in the street and straight into the arms of the sometimes worst types of guys you could meet in one night. Later Jenny will come to know the motivation of Hanna to do this. Hanna's mother already used to walk the streets in this quarter of the town. Hanna was her only child and the daughter of a missed Russian sailor. When her mother died, Hanna was all alone in this not very inviting town. Friends of Hanna's mother first took care of the little girl but it did not last long and Hanna introduced herself to the wicked milieu as she had always been attracted by the redlight quarter and she especially liked the young, good-looking sailors she had watched accidentally and sometimes met in the streets when she was a little girl.

The 16-year old young woman soon becomes very popular in her quarter and trade, and even if she sometimes meets the most dubious examples of men it seems that this does not matter to the vicious and callous Hanna. Although it is a risk, night by night, not all guys you met in one night were mistaken. So what.

Just the opposite is the case: Hanna finds it very exciting to delight men just for and in one night. It was in fact for only one night. When it was over the next morning - where was the problem? Sometimes one night could be as long as a whole life. Anyway there was a lot to experience. Hanna is a person with cool deliberation as she has goals for her life. She aimes at bigger things to happen later. Hanna dreams of richdom, to find her luck and somehow to get out of all this when the right time comes - when Hanna would be sick and tired of the whole milieu and all the men in it.

Her plan is, in fact, quite clear: Still Hanna is poor, still she has only little choice to make, but - this is important - she has a direction. Furthermore she has to settle an account with somebody. Hanna's mother did not die a natural death, a fact Hanna is still painfully aware of. Hanna's mother was beaten to death by a pimp with the name of Ed Santos, when she refused maintaining her shady horizontal trade under his dirty thumb. In fact she intended to stop being a prostitute and to throw her still young body away every night, but she was not able to succeed with her intention as Ed Santos strictly forbade Hanna's mother to give up her profession. Little Hanna had to find her mother covered with blood. When she died the tearless Hanna held her mother in her arms. At that time the definite plan and target was born in the heart of the traumatized little girl: One day she would meet Ed Santos again and then get even with him. One day. Blood for blood. For her mother.

When Jenny comes to know all this from the audacious Hanna, she freezes with horror. It is just too frightning what comes to her ears. How protected, how peaceful had she lived with James Harvest before, remembering her own parents and having not the slightest idea of such things that happened elsewhere! But Jenny as well had lost beloved people by death, and like Hanna she had no one else any more. Now they had found each other. Now they were already two.

Hanna's strong-willed personality does not want to be dictated or leaded to and by anything. She defends herself against the police who try to get her as well as they tried to get at Jenny, and she would hold on until she would be grown out of all this. She fights against the so-called "decent people", who point at her with fingers most of the times.

The funny thing is that too often she has to recognize wellknown faces of insincere and usually pretending husbands of "decent" wives out of the rows of the "good" citizens usually acting as judges against Hanna, but then those men would like to have something different: They would not want anything more in this world than to become customers of Hanna when they dare to stand below her brothel-room window, yearning at her! Of course most of these guys have hardly any chance to get at her.

Apart from such occurrences Hanna enjoys her trade to the full every night, but constantly - for well-known reasons - the keeps all pimps out of her hair as best she can.

The woman Hanna will be protection for her new friend Jenny, the shelter Jenny has desperately needed and a first real and living contact to the world outside. Jenny is glad to have found the new friend, her first girlfriend at all, though their views of life and personalities are worlds apart from each other. Hanna and Jenny will live together in Hanna's lonely little appartment just in the middle of the redlightquarter, above the town, and in the shortest time their friendship grows that strong that they will know each other inside and out. Hidden so massively for such a long time, Jenny again soon gets bored, not knowing what to do with her life. So Hanna makes up an idea of something to let her take part in the public life outside even if this would only be confined to the redlight quarter. Because of her popularity in the quarter Hanna has aquired a certain predominance from which her friend Jenny is going to take profit for the times to come. Jenny will be a salesgirl for watches and jewellery - all those things she used to steal with redilection, and she will as well sell souvenirs to sailors and other quite witty customers. Very soon the blonde Jenny becomes just as famous and well-known as an attractive and sweet salesgirl, similar to Hanna in her trade, but Jenny sells other things than naturals.

The dazzling world of sailors, adventurers and gamblers will then be Jenny's true world to live in and to be happy with it ever after. One final day, all debts and criminal offences Jenny once committed by pickpocketing and escaping right after all this are settled and somehow she tries to give everything back to the victims of her thefts in return for the raids. Time goes by and then hardly anyone searches for Jenny anymore, neither in Valparaiso nor in Santiago, not even James Harvest, very much to the disappointment of Jenny who does not have an idea why the search for her stopped all of a sudden.

Three exciting years later:

Nothing has changed in the great woman friendship of Hanna and Jenny. Still they live together in Hanna's appartment, however now much more luxuriously equipped. Hanna's business booms, so does Jenny's. Both women plunge into their nocturnal pursuits, night after night, and they are not unhappy doing it.

One day a strange ship enters the harbour of Valparaiso; a British merchant ship. The ship will stay in the harbour for some days in order to load foodstuffs and freight for the next longer sailing trip. Hanna and Jenny are impatient to take a look at the boys who might disembark the ship and they run down to the docks in the harbour curiously to see the sailors. A subliminal presentiment takes possession of Hanna that very soon she might meet her true luck even a woman like her longed for. In opposite to this Jenny meets an old man in the harbour at the same time making a rather depressing prophecy to her. But she does not tell Hanna.

It happens: Out in a bar that evening Hanna comes to know a strange sailor by the name of George, standing there and feeling lost. George is the steersman of the "Angel", so is the name of the British merchant ship. To their great distress both the star prostitute and the lonely sailor will fall in love with each other at first sight, something Hanna never felt before in her life, the sensible, good-looking George as well not in this way. Both will spend the rest of the night together and Hanna does not waste a thought of possible other customers. This is indeed quite unusual for a woman like her. But that night the young woman is carried away because she has met the love of her live mentally and sexually - in opposite to all experience she gained before. In the meantime Jenny who is still all by herself turns this night into day together with a group of strange but funny sailors in a bar outside on the town.

Next day Hanna and George can be seen strolling and walking hand in hand in the redlight quarter, in love and happy - against all odds which rule the milieu usually - and additionally to the great displeasure of one man: Mario Everard, the captain of the "Angel". Mario, an unrestrained, quite desperate type of guy, once before was coldblooded turned down by Hanna in a bar - a thing he neither had expected nor experienced before. No woman at all pushed Mario Everard away, and all the more no cheap slut! He had to have his vengeance for this. For a short time George returns to the "Angel" and has to tell his best friend Kevin of what had happened to him the night before. Kevin, on his part navigator of the "Angel", had not been keen on shore leaving the other night but he agrees to accompany George the next time he goes out to town. When Kevin then all of a sudden faces Jenny in the harbour, straight away he is as thrilled as she is and they as well fall in love.

Out of her love for George Hanna overcomes her own nature more and more. For for some wonderful and hot nights the otherwise so cool and smart here turns out to be a loving and warm woman.

Jenny spends a rather harmless night together with the shy Kevin and afterwards some extraordinarily marvellous days before the "Angel" has to leave Valparaiso harbour. As the ship will return to the town again some months later - so is the plan - first Hanna and Jenny do not worry so much about it and how things will turn out for the two new-born couples.

Some weeks later only Hanna will receive the surprising news to be pregnant. She can hardly believe this but yet it makes the prostitute so happy that even Jenny, herself being overjoyed because of her relationship with Kevin and the good news of Hanna, does not give attention any more to the the bad prophecy from the old man in the harbour weeks before.

Hanna is immoderately looking forward to her baby and Jenny longs for the reunion with Kevin. Once again the "Angel" lands in the harbour of Valparaiso. A fact nobody of the four could know this very moment was that for a very long time it would be the last occasion for the "Angel" to enter Valparaiso harbour... A row oeeures between George and Hanna as George first is reluctant to settle down in Valparaiso or Santiago for ever and to give up sailing - or even to many. But when she tells him that she is pregnant his unwilling attitude quickly changes into euphorism and George comes to the conclusion to marry Hanna right away the next day already as soon as he would have left the "Angel", when he would have his leaving and his last pay. What both do not know: Two other persons have had similar plans! Jenny and Kevin marry the same night secretly in a little chapel outside the town of Valparaiso. In Kevins arms Jenny experiences her first night of love which will as well not remain without consequences.

When both Kevin and George want to leave the "Angel" the next morning, they will be confronted with a nasty surprise: Their captain will force them to stay on the ship - and they are seized The boys do not have a choice or chance to escape because Mario Everard threatens to kill them if they refuse to stay on the ship and would not leave the harbour with him on the ship. So the "Angel" leaves Valparaiso unexpectedly in the early morning without a notice or explanation for Hanna and Jenny, what had happened and why George and Kevin had to stay on board instead of disembarking for ever. So both women do not know what is going on. At least Jenny has a outrageous presentiment......

Of course both women hope for a soon return of their men - and a clarification what might have occured. But time goes by without any proof of life of the sailors. Hanna gives birth to her child, a son she calls John. At that time Jenny as well is pregnant but she does not yet know.

Immediately after the birth of Hanna's son both women receive the unbelievable bad news that the "Angel" is said to have come into heavy sea within a thunderstorm, broke asunder and in the end had sunk. Nobody had survived. This plunges Hanna into a serious crisis and she suffers a nervous breakdown. Some time later she will have recovered from this, but she remains depressive and unhappy. For Jenny things turn out to be even harder: She will suffer a miscarriage after the receipt of the news about the accident of the "Angel". After she wakes up from fainting she will come to know that she had been pregnant. Jenny's life will be in danger for weeks and her mental state will later lead to a complete breakdown from which Jenny hardly recovers.

What both women could not know: Mario Everard had caused considerable trouble in Valparaiso and somehow had to escape very quickly. So now the right time for his vengeance with regard to Hanna had come. The "Angel" was deliberately driven into the thunderstorm by the hateful captain but the excellent steersman George miraculously leads the ship through thunder and lightning. Later Mario forces George to steer the ship to Singapore harbour although the crew knows that there is still an epidemic decease of tuberculosis raging and so refuses to go there. Mario argues with the men and runs them in on the ship exept George and Kevin who have have go on steering and leading the "Angel" according to the dangerous orders of Mario. When Mario discovers symptoms of having tuberculosis himself he keeps the crew constantly in their cabins and commits suicide in a horrible manner. George and Kevin become witnesses of this but still keep on doing their best to navigate the great ship throughout all problems.

Hours later a strange coast appears in front of their eyes as they could not maintain the old course and had lost then- bearings in the thunderstorm. When they finally reach the shore the next incomprehensible thing happens: Not Singapore they find - they land in a strange harbour somewhere in deepest South Asia. They will enter a dark town which not only has to suffer from tuberculosis like so many regions there at that time but beyond that the crew is confronted with another fatal welcome: They will be seized and - by error - be accused of piracy! For this the whole "Angel" crew will be imprisoned and thrown into dirty Asian dungeons.

In fact all men of the crew are innocent and unaware of the things that go on right here - but it turns out that during his lifetime Mario Everard had his fingers in several shady deals his crew now has to pay for. As the sailors of the "Angel" are unable to prove their innocence they are cruelly tortured and sentenced for their lives by a corrupt Asian tribunal.

At that time it is quite unclear how long the "Angel" crew can overcome torture and disease. Hanna has trouble to raise her little son of love facing the social conditions and restrictions of society both in her quarter down in Valparaiso and in Santiago as well which is now her home town. She is not married and has always been a doubtful person - everywhere Hanna goes she has to cope with rejection and loathing. A thing little John has to experience as well pretty soon. The only people Hanna still can call friends and who are good to her apart from her prostitute sisters are a man by the name of Chris Lofthouse - he is an Englishman and the doctor who brought Hanna's son to birth - and a Swedish scientist named Sven Angstrom. Hanna instructed this man to urgently develop a possible medicine which could help Jenny, still her best girlfriend, to recover and to be rescued again from all she suffered from for a long time already. Chris Lofthouse, the doctor, would assist Sven Angstrom with his knowledge as best he could do.

But was there at all a rescue for the unstable and soft Jenny? Deadly pale she lies in her bed. She seems to be absent as her eyes constantly stare at the walls of the room she is lying in. Her beloved husband is dead, so is her unborn child - Jenny is hardly in the position to fight against the shock she suffers from and the news she had to cope with. Again she had lost people she had loved, like her parents. Jenny is weak and hopeless as her ill mind and soul poison her body as well.

Although Hanna nurses her friend devotedly - she has given up her trade and prostitution and now owns a small and quiet house in Santiago - Jenny's state of health goes downhill more and more. In fever dreams Jenny sometimes visualizes the crew of the "Angel"; she stammers confusing stuff that they live, then again the late Mario Everard appears in front of her. Hanna does not understand anything of Jenny's fantasies. She has to deal with other problems in reality as she still helps and protects other prostitutes from cruelty or danger, which still is a fact that leads to her persecution from the "respectable" outside world of moralists and judges. But Hanna puts up with it constantly thinking of Jenny's recovering and being strong for her little son John. As well she cannot forget her so much loved, supposed-to-be dead man George.

Ed Santos, the pimp and murderer of Hanna's mother so many years ago, gets wind of the matter from hearsay after such a long time, mainly because there seems to be nothing that can bring the extraordinary and exceptional woman Hanna down. Although she is getting weaker and weaker, Jenny's will to live is still there. Hanna can not believe that this was it and implores Chris Lofthouse and Sven Angstrom insistently to help her and Jenny. Sven Angstrom secretly notices that he has fallen in love with Hanna and he is trying to do his utmost to help the woman and her friend But all his attempts fail to find a possible medicine or a solution for the mysterious cause and the symptoms which turn Jenny's state of health constantly into such a decease.

Another four years pass by.

Many men of the "Angel" crew have died, either because of tuberculosis or other serious injuries they had to suffer within their unspeakable, undeserved torture and pain in the Asian prison. George and Kevin have suffered as well, but they both still live. They become obsessed thinking of their two girls waiting in Valparaiso town and they are constantly thinking of an escape. Will they ever see Hanna and Jenny again? Both men do not get their two women out of their heads - for years. Hanna, the sinner but in a special, unrivalled way she seems to be a saint as well - and Jenny - for Kevin the most wonderful female on earth at all.

After hard and exhausting negotiations between representatives of the "Angel" crew and the uncompromising Asian tribunal have led to virtually nothing, one night is the night to come when George and Kevin succeed in escaping out of prison and away from Asia, together with a group of sick and weak men who once represented the "Angel" crew. After five years and the help of a clever Asian solicitor the men can free themselves and reach the dock in the harbour where the old "Angel" still lies, unbroken and ready to sail. The sailors enter their ship and manage to sail away that same night. The helpful Asian, however, is killed when the sailors' escape was discovered.

Nearly nothing has changed at the same time in Santiago. So far it had not been possible to find the right medicine for Jenny, who's state of health is only worse after sometimes hopeful periods of recovering. Now she seems to be dying and there is hardly any hope for her. Hanna is obliged to work in the streets again for money still to finance the desperate search for a medicine as a solution for Jenny. One night Hanna is raped in a meeting with a strange new customer, a thing that affects her very much. She has to realize that for a woman like her times will only be harder and harder each day - and that something very sinister is irresistibly coming closer to her.

Sven Angstrom has not yet lost his hope for finding a possibility for Jenny to recover and to reveal himself to Hanna as he loves her more and more. In finding the right medicine, so he thinks, he might find the way to Hanna's heart as well. One day an apparently strange ship reaches the coast in front of Valparaiso. At that time in Santiago the doomed Jenny tries to get at her appartment window in order to look out of it as she feels an unexplainable restlessness. She had a terrifying dream the other night - she had dreamt that the "Angel" was coming home to its harbour Valparaiso....

Hanna, being at the docks in Valparaiso this very moment, watches the strange ship and does not believe her eyes. In fact the "Angel" is back! During the past years and the exhausting sailing trip back to Chile many of the crew boys had lost their lives due to everything they had suffered in Asia, and Mario Everard as the captain as well had passed away - but he was the one who deserved it. Now George was the new captain of the ship and with the help of Kevin he excellently brought the "Angel" home to Valparaiso where it belonged.

Kevin and George had survived. There is an incredible welcome taking place when George and Hanna meet and see each other again after all what had happened They lie in each others arms without saying any word. In contrast to this the reunion of Jenny and Kevin will hardly turn out to be happy. The young and very sick woman cannot cope with the new affection to see Kevin again alive, not only in dreams but in reality. Although she is overjoyed see the "real" Kevin one more time in this life she finally dies in his arms.

She dies so far before her time and as well far before having had any chance at all together with Kevin and their deep love for each other. For George and Hanna the joy because of their reunion gains a dark shadow because of Jenny's passing away and a heart-brokened Kevin who is left behind in a state of despair. He cherished thoughts and hopes for such a long time and when he had the chance to return to his only target all he found was the lifeless body of Jenny in his arms and the warm, wonderful memory of a happy, but much too short time.

So Hanna has to get along without her best friend now and with the new sorrow for Kevin. Hanna is very sad about the death of Jenny, but she overcomes with the strong support of George who in the end had come home to her as the partner she needed so very much and as well the father for his in the meantime 5-year-old son John he proudly takes to his arms. For a time the talks about Hanna disappear in Santiago and everywhere; suddenly Hanna vanishes out of the minds of telltales and moralizers. Despite the enormous loss of Jenny Hanna's live finally goes straight and rather quiet ways together with a loving man and a wonderful child - even if she still refuses to marry George to make things perfect. Why she does so no one knows. Maybe Hanna thinks that not everything is really perfect so far.

In fact the prostitute does not vanish out of the thoughts of two men: On the one hand there is Sven Angstrom, the unhappy scientiest who was not able to save the best friend of his love Hanna from dying. Additionally now he has to watch sadfully how his so strongly admired Hanna lives her found-again happiness together with her great love George just in front of his eyes every day. So the disappointed man now withdraws himself from the surroundings of Hanna and her nearness and sometimes Sven Angstrom not only has feelings of jealousy towards the woman and her family.

On the other hand there is still the pimp Ed Santos who had for a longer time already watched the activities of Hanna intensively and finally wants to stop her and the power this woman had in Valparaiso and Santiago as well. He does not only want to defeat or posess her - he made the decision to put an end to Hanna's life at all. But not yet he does not know how.

The fact that the so much suffering Sven Angstrom might turn to an accomplice to his intentions, Santos as well does not yet realize. When both men meet incidentally for the first time, nothing else but a vague impression comes up. But the first meeting is followed by a second and then it becomes quite clear that both men - if from the most different motivations - share the same intention to take action against Hanna and so to cross her luck.

Again some time passes by. Hanna now has almost overcome Jenny's death. Still she is very happy living for and with her family. The only thing she worries about is the state of health of George's best friend Kevin. After the death of Jenny the young man broke under his experience. Wrapt in thoughts he vegetates in the house of Hanna and George in which they accomodated Kevin and now care for him. He has got a room of his own and goes out for walks all alone day by day - but his thoughts are filled with the same chaotic imaginations and dreams Jenny once had in her fantasy, when she slept or fevered It seems that a part of Jenny took possession of Kevin that moment she died. And a part of her now goes on living in the mind of Kevin.

Again Hanna will not attach great importance to it and face it as a symptom of desease whenever Kevin fantazises - even then, when one day he anticipates the forthcoming death of Hanna! So often Hanna had been in danger of her life, this kind of disorderly life she had chosen for herself and the trade she entered; therefore as a realist she does not really face Kevin's presentiments as a warning.

In the meantime Ed Santos had made himself at home in a shady backyard barrack in Santiago town together with a gang of men belonging to him. He hatches a well-aimed plan to perfidiously put a stop to Hanna's existence. Sven Angstrom himself is not informed of the real, blood-thirsty thoughts and plans of Ed Santos because the pimp noticed that Sven Angstrom loves Hanna and for that he cannot trust him telling him of his plan. Hanna does not foresee that Santos' hide-out is quite close to her house. Quite close to her......

And in fact in one of the following nights a merciless showdown occures in the redlight quarter of Santiago in which Ed Santos, the cruel and power-hungry pimp and murderer of Hanna's mother and Hanna herself, the hore and avenging angel, meet and confront each other.

The day the final settlement should take place does not really start exciting. With the sky grey and dull outside, not only Hanna's mood seems not to be very good. The night before the ailing Kevin recently fantasized and within a talk in his sleep he commented on some strange indications. Even Hanna feels that in the forthcoming night something is going to happen to her just like the things that happened the night she once met George. Yet, this time she fears it would be nothing good which was supposed to happen to her. She feels afraid and for that she reveals her emotions and fears to George. The watchful George advises Hanna not to leave the house on that special night. But unfortunately Hanna has something urgent to do in the redlight district that cannot wait. Later she will leave the house and will intend to go to the quarter in order to help a young prostitute who is in trouble, despite of all her fears and George's objections to it. Weeks ago Hanna had come to know that Ed Santos was in Santiago town to search for her. Hanna did the same with Santos all the years long, but he had never shown up until now. But now she wanted to face and confront Ed Santos, and finally enter the lists if it was necessary.

Hanna just turns a corner unsuspectingly when all of a sudden a gang of filthy looking guys get in Hanna's way. Now she is unprotectedly at the mercy of these strange men, who obviously must have waylaid Hanna. She used to carry a knife with her in earlier times when she was in her trade night after night in order to defend herself in case such things like this occured. For this night she had precautionarily added a small, loaded gun as a weapon to this knife. But would the small gun she carried under her skirt in case of doubt do anything against half a dozen of men, standing opposite to her and staring greedily? First Hanna seems to be helpless for some moments. Now one of these men steps out of the group from the back into the light planting himself directly before Hanna. The ugly man sizes her up seething with hatred and looks her straight into the eyes. Horrified the prostitute recognizes the man as Ed Santos, the murderer of her mother and only true and living reason why Hanna still messed around in the redlight quarter. During the past years Hanna never found peace despite her family life, not having settled the old open account with the pimp. Now an old and burning anger, Hanna's original plan and night of reckoning came to life again to make short work of this cruel creature Santos for now and for ever.

As well and all of a sudden a desperate shout of fear for her life deep within her takes possession of Hanna, and the truth begins to dawn on her who never really believed in any Cassandra cries or forecasts of Kevin or Jenny in earlier times.

The pimp must have watched her already for a longer time, Hanna quickly realizes. For all her life she had longed for this very moment to come. Hanna should have prepared herself better for this showdown, she angrily admits to herself at that moment. Definitely she could not win, she thinks. One woman against six men. She faces herself being in the same situation her mother once had been before she was killed by the ugly pimp Santos. Despite her fear to death Hanna tries not to show it to him. During this Santos himself starts playing the game and tries to tease Hanna with humiliating obscenities.

Although her heart beats up to her neck, the things Santos Hanna abuses with still seem to keep her cool. Like so often in her life she remains to be strict in her own strange way. Then she hears a noise behind her. As Hanna turns around for a short moment, she faces her man George together with their son turning just round the same comer as she did before. In his restlessness and worries for Hanna George and their son John had not been able to stay at home waiting for what would happen. Hanna's son at once runs to his mother as he recognizes her. Little John ignores Hanna's order to stay with his father and to keep away from her. But John's way does not end in the arms of Hanna, but in the arms of Santos. Hanna is terrified and a thought nearly breaks her heart that Santos might possibly change his plans and killed her son instead of her. In a reflex she furiously rushes at the pimp who - destracted for a short moment of surprise - sets the boy free to hurry back to his father full of fear. Suddenly at the same time Hanna and George receive help from some friends of George's, sailors who George instructed before to help them and to prepare themselves when the time comes. George did the right thing - his brave friends seize Ed Santos' gang to hold them in check until police would arrive.

Certainly George has great trouble taking his son John away from the horrible scene and to prevent the boy from possibly watching the death of his mother just like Hanna once had to, finding her mother dying. Hanna seems to be forlorn. In towering anger she deals Ed Santos a blow after the other but as he was so much stronger than her Hanna seems to fight out a first of all hopeless hand-to-hand fighting with the disgusting guy, both now lying on the street ground.

Definitely the old hatred for the pimp and the still not overcome grief about her mother's death because of this man give incredible power to Hanna. This is something which is at first sight very helpful to Hanna but this forces Ed Santos to act even more cruel against her. He is astonished about this obviously crazy and aggressive woman he has to mess with. But Hanna has the right to it. Now Santos draws his knife and Hanna frightens abruptly when she sees it flash up right in front of her. Moments ago she has lost her knife somewhere in the fighting. It looks like that there is no way out for her any more. Everything happens so fast that Hanna can neither expect any immediate help from George who has to take care of his son, nor from his sailor friends without running the risk that someone else will possibly be killed in this, perhaps George himself or the little boy.

A wild and desperate strong-man act with regard to Santos' knife takes place in which both, Hanna and the pimp get their feet on the ground again. When Santos is going to throw himself on Hanna for the last time in order to kill her finally, cursing and swearing, accompanied by constant screams for his mother coming from little John, his father George desperately trying to keep away from the cruel scenario, Santos all of a sudden is hit in the back by a bullet coming out of a rifle from the background The shocked and much surprised pimp precariously turns into the direction from which the shot came. Meanwhile Hanna is standing there exhausted but still alive, however, she is severely injured because of the cruel fighting with Santos before, but not so dangerous as it first seems. Dazed and shocked she has to watch Sven Angstrom who suddenly draw s near out of a shadow in the darkness, still carrying the gun in his hands with which he had tried to stop Ed Santos. Never in his life this man, the scientist who had been in love with Hanna for so long, reciprocated or not, had allowed that this woman would have treacherously been murdered by this dirty pimp.

Even if he would never get the chance to have Hanna something had forced him to arm himself, to go into the redlight quarter to the scene of the action which had been indicated vaguely to him by Ed Santos, but Angstrom appeared not to kill Hanna in conformity with Santos's intentions - he changed his plans and he was going to put an end to the plans of Santos.

Relieved Sven Angstrom smiles at Hanna and runs to her at a brisk pace as he supposes that finally everything is over - but this very moment the dying Ed Santos aims the knife in his hand on his last straw and throws it powerfully in Hanna's direction.

But it will not be Hanna, still standing there rooted to the spot, who the knife will hit in the end. As the woman is unable to move, observing everything like being gone off into a trance, the knife that was meant to hit Hanna will hit Sven Angstrom in the back, who still keeps on running towards the woman. The scientist sinks down halfway to the prostitute, deadly hit and not far from the dying Ed Santos. Before Angstrom dies the last words he whisperes to Hanna are that he just had to save her because he loved her - and he would always do. That moment Hanna has no chance to mourn for the death of Angstrom and for all the occurrences which happen so cruelly. Hanna still is in a state of shock and therefore she can only act mechanically. She feels such a heavy depression and an unbelievable hatred in realizing how much the pimp Ed Santos had to hate and despise her.

Santos at that time is still alive; bleeding and lying on the ground he squirms and tries to grab any weapon or object because he is still not through with Hanna. So is she with Santos. Coldblooded, with recovered courage she is now going to get out her small rifle - her ace in the hole - within the garter under her skirt to release (he safety-catch of it and to fire three shots towards the shivering and swearing Ed Santos with an extraordinarily quiet hand Hanna kills Ed Santos on the spot.

In the meantime George has hidden himself and as well his son in a nearby alley in order to save little John from watching all the revolving around his mother in the other street. The little boy lies in his father's arms as well unable to move like his mother and hides his small face in George's shirt, both shivering with fear. He shut his ears in order to prevent himself from hearing anything any more. George and John can not recognize who was hit when they hear the shots coming out of Hanna's gun.

Finally a group of policemen arrive to take the gang of Ed Santos to prison. As well the police remove the dead bodies of Santos and Angstrom. Anxiously George and his son step out of the alley which served as a shelter for them, having heard strange and different new voices and now they take a look at the scene, the people there and watch out for Hanna. And there she stands quietly, still carrying the gun in her hand For the first time with tears in her eyes, she suffers from her injuries, but she survived.

The road then becomes more and more deserted except for some prostitutes, friends of Hanna's, George's friends together with strange sailors and several spectators who drew near curiously during the fight to see what happened. A surprising thing additionally happens now: Kevin shows up all of a sudden. In fact he is weak but he had to come to attend the things which had happened here and he had foreseen. Now Kevin stops at the corner of the street in which he can happily watch Hanna, alive and together with her family. And Kevin discovers how all distress of the past years falls off from Hanna and vanishes out of her face. A final tribute as well for Jenny who for so long lime had been a witness of Hanna's grief and of Hanna's ambitions during her life.

Due to her physical injuries Hanna does not feel well; but at that moment a heavy burden steps out of Hanna's life for ever. Without any discussion the police do not take the prostitute to prison for having murdered Ed Santos because she had to act like this in self-defence. No charge against Hanna will so be preferred as the police in fact face the occurence as a success because Ed Santos was a desperately searched-for criminal so long.

Hanna, George und their son stand together in the centre of the scene. The dead corps of the two men are carried away. Hanna still cannot really believe what had been going on only minutes before. Finally the street is empty. Gently Hanna, George and little John hold each other in their arms. Finally. Free at last and for a future which should start now. Right away.

Hanna quits with the redlight quarter, free of all burden she ever had to carry with her, from ghosts and fears from the past. Today is the first day of her real life. There will finally be a future for the young woman, a brighter future of hope, fulfilling and peace. Kevin arrives at the little group of his friends. Gratefully he wraps his arms around them and then makes his way back to the house he came from. He walks upright with a look up to the sky. With a smile for his beloved Jenny. He seems to have recovered, as well free from all pain.

Hanna, George and their son slowly walk along the street. Behind Kevin they walk the street up to their home until the end of the street has come. Now they have arrived. At home at last.

Ursula Porwollik (Judith Amaro)

In a perfect way nearly all SAILOR-Songs of at least the first three albums (and some of the later albums) can be easily built into the story without any problem - in fact they suit perfectly!

• Starting song: The street
• Blame It On The Soft Spot: how Hanna enters the ground of her trade
• Quay Hotel: as Jenny looks for shelter in the redlight quarter (sung as well as instrumental as background music, sounding eerie)
• Stop That Man: instrumental as background music within quarrels and fights in the redlight quarter Jenny watches in her hiding place before meeting Hanna
• Stiletto Heels: when Jenny and Hanna meet each other for the first time, later as well instrumental in the background in scenes of Hanna in her job
• Two Ladies On The Corner: when Jenny and Hanna browse around together in the redlight quarter
• Panama: with the text being perfect Jenny selling watches
• Harbour: for general scenes when Hanna is talked about and as well in connection with Jenny, scenes of a funny character, for example the yearning husbands outing themselves below Hanna's working place window
• Sailor: every time the Sailors go to town or disembark when the "Angel" comes in
• Girls Girls Girls: when the boys plan to leave the ship and think of the girls they are going to meet
• The Street: (see as well above) George is on his way into town, all alone the first night
• My Kind Of Girl: the meeting of George and Hanna for the first time, as well as Sven Angstrom realizes his love for Hanna
• People In Love: background accordion in the first night and later sung in the end, going home after the first night of George with Hanna, going home
• Out Of Money: after the first night of George with Hanna
• Let's Go To Town: when both men, George and Kevin, get leaving and go to town together
• A Glass Of Champagne: George meets Hanna gain, Kevin meets Jenny
• Sailor's Night On The Town: when Hanna and George stroll along the dockside of the harbour, all in love reunited and meeting again, including George jun.
• Hanna: when the Angel comes in for the last time before their fate
• Open Up The Door: when there is a quarrel between George and Hanna
• Blue Desert: when the "Angel" is kidnapped
• The Old Nickelodeon Sound: when George and Hanna after all get together again after years
• One Drink Too Many: when Hanna sends Mario away
• Melancholy: during imprisonment of the sailors in Asia and during Jenny's sickness and quite at the end of it all when the showdown comes
• Stop That Man: during the fight Hanna and Santos
• Keep Off The Streets At Night: before the last showdown when Angstrom and Santos talk
• When My Ship Comes In: when George and Hanna hold themselves in their arms after the return from Asia
• Stay With Me Now: after the first nights between all four
• Joe's Pianola: on board when the Angel is kidnapped
• Down By The Docks: when Jenny wants to go to the redlight quarter, right in the beginning of the story and/or later when Hanna is raped
• Lover's Blues: when George worries about what will happen to Hanna the last night
• At the end: Jacaranda

The song is performed in front of a foggy background before dawn in the morning, deserted and lonely, a camera goes slowly right around corners into narrow alleys, constantly searching, but it will only find further waves of fog as if something that has been there just some moments ago would suddenly vanish into thin air and for ever. You feel cold, the situation is quite unreal.
The melody is mourning, sad, but strong.

Last updated: 29 November 2003

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