The Red Baron in popular culture

Richthofen's all-red Fokker Dr.I.

Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron" is one of the most famous aviators in history and the subject of numerous representations in music, film and other media. He already received numerous honors and awards for his exploits. The following is a list of mentions of him in popular culture.

Popular fiction

Manfred von Richthofen was mentioned regularly in the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles Schulz, and was included in subsequent television specials as a running gag. Charlie Brown's beagle Snoopy frequently fantasized about being a World War I flying ace. In his daydreams, he imagined his dog house to be a Sopwith Camel and carried a personal grudge against the Red Baron. In spite of Snoopy's best effort, however, the "Baron" always shot him down with little difficulty. This recurring story arc inspired songs by The Royal Guardsmen and even a comic strip in Mad Magazine which depicted their confrontations from the Baron's point of view.
Corto Maltese, a character by Italian cartoonist Hugo Pratt, witnesses the defeat of the Red Baron.
Hans von Hammer, the troubled protagonist of DC Comics's Enemy Ace was inspired in part by Richthofen. Piloting a scarlet Fokker Dr. 1, von Hammer is a flying knight who fights according to the code of chivalry, despite being deeply disturbed by the slaughter around him. Unlike the Baron, however, Hans von Hammer was depicted as having survived to fight in World War II, in adventures inspired by those of Adolf Galland.
Manfred von Richthofen is one of the main characters of Jeffrey Shaara's book, To the Last Man.
The second volume in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series, The Bloody Red Baron, features a vampire Richthofen who undergoes treatment in order to transform into a large bat-like creature and dispense with the need for an aeroplane.
Kim Newman's novel Back in the USSA also features the Red Baron helping the Mexican government invade Texas during a communist revolution in the United States led by Eugene Debs.
The last book in the Time Machine series, World War I Flying Ace, asks the reader to find out who shot down the Red Baron and take a photograph to prove the answer.
In the novel Burning Shore by Wilbur Smith, one of the main character, Lord Andrew Killigan, is shot down by the Red Baron's Flying Circus.

Board game references

The Red Baron was the inspiration for Avalon Hill's 1970s board game Richthofen's War, one of the first World War I aerial combat board games.^[1]
The Red Baron was also prominently featured in Snoopy & The Red Baron, a Milton Bradley skill game released in 1970.

Movies

Fokker Dr.I. Replica of the famous Manfred von Richthofen triplane at the ILA 2006

1927: A Richthofen-based character appears briefly in the World War I-epic Wings, directed by air combat veteran William A. Wellman.^[2]
1930: The Red Baron was a character in the Howard Hughes film Hell's Angels.
1966: The Blue Max
1970: In the Blake Edwards movie Darling Lili, set in World War I and starring Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson, the Red Baron is more accurately portrayed as quieter and more reserved than portrayed in The Blue Max (wherein the Baron comes across as rather pompous) and was played by actor Ingo Mogendorf.
1971: The Roger Corman movie, Von Richthofen and Brown, alternatively titled The Red Baron, starred John Phillip Law as Richthofen.^[3]
1994: Revenge of the Red Baron; Mickey Rooney portrays a former World War I pilot haunted by a doll version of the Red Baron that flies a toy plane. Also stars Tobey Maguire and Laraine Newman.^[4]
2005: Curse of the Were-Rabbit; in the antepenultimate scene of Aardman Studios' first feature-length film in the Wallace & Gromit franchise, canine antagonist Philip pursues canine protagonist Gromit on a fairgrounds. Gromit comes upon a ride called "Dog Fighters", enters it and flies out in a Sopwith Camel, but Philip follows close behind in Richtofen's Fokker Dr.I, somewhat similar to the setting of the Baron's final fight.
2008: The Red Baron a romanticized biopic, starring Matthias Schweighöfer as Richthofen.
2012: The War Of The Worlds Goliath movie, created by Tripod Entertainment, features Manfred Von Richthofen as a fighter pilot leading the steampunk ARES biplanes and triplanes against the invading Martian forces.
2015: The Peanuts Movie, created by Blue Sky Studios, features Richthofen's plane as both a toy and when Snoopy is creating his story.

Science fiction

Char Aznable of Mobile Suit Gundam is based partially on the Red Baron, nicknamed the Red Comet. Both are aces famous for their striking red vehicles.
A recurring antagonist in Space: Above and Beyond is a chig ace named Chiggy Von Richthofen.
In the Battlestar Galactica episode "Scar", there is an ace Cylon Raider who is based on the Red Baron.
In the Star Wars Expanded Universe the character Baron Soontir Fel was inspired by The Red Baron.
In Dean McLaughlin's "Hawk Among the Sparrows", the protagonist, a pilot of modern VTOL interceptor, accidentally appears in 1916, where he withstands Red Baron.

Music

Bands

Barón Rojo and their eponymous song
Barão Vermelho

Albums

Shadow of the Red Baron, the album of Belgian band Iron Mask, released in January 2010.

Songs

"Barón Rojo" (Arkangel)
"Crimson Rider" (Masterplan)
"Death or Glory" by Iron Maiden from the 2015 album The Book Of Souls makes mention of the Red Baron's blood-red triplane, as well as paraphrasing his claim^[5] that triplanes could "climb like a monkey and maneuver like a devil."
"Gold Hick" (Guided By Voices), referencing Baron Von Richtofen
"Hey Hey Snoopy" (The McCoys)
"Not the Red Baron" (Tori Amos)
"Peanuts" (Stephen Lynch), referencing the rivalry between Snoopy and the Red Baron
"Red Baron" (Billy Cobham), from Spectrum (1973)
"Red Baron" (Vince Guaraldi)
"Red Baron/Blue Max" (Iced Earth)
"Return of the Red Baron" (The Royal Guardsmen)
"Snoopy for President" (The Royal Guardsmen)
"Snoopy vs. The Red Baron" (The Royal Guardsmen, 1966)
"Snoopy's Christmas" (The Royal Guardsmen, referencing the real-life Christmas Truce of 1914)
"The Red Baron" (The DDTs), instrumental by a Dunedin surf-punk band named after the bass player Aaron Allcock. The Baron currently lives in Melbourne, Australia producing electronic progressive trance and plotting the resurrection of the soul of blues rock.
"The Red Baron" (Game Theory), from Distortion EP (1984)
"The Smallest Astronaut" (The Royal Guardsmen)
"The Baron" (Dick Curless)

Television

The Red Baron makes an appearance in the "Private Plane" episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth. After joining the Royal Flying Corps as an excuse to escape the trenches, Captain Blackadder and Private Baldrick are shot down and captured by Manfred von Richthofen (Adrian Edmondson). In a parody of wartime British propaganda, the Baron is portrayed as a stuffy martinet with an exaggerated Prussian accent who lacks a sense of humour, but tries to make up for it. He informs Blackadder and Baldrick, "For us, a toilet is a mundane, functional item. For you it is the focus of an entire culture!" Before retiring to his chateau, Richthofen comments that, "Gallant Lord Flashheart still eludes me." Soon after, Flashheart and Lieutenant George arrive to rescue their fellow flyers. At last facing his greatest adversary, Richthofen launches into a tedious soliloquy about chivalry and honor. Disgusted, Lord Flashheart shoots the Baron dead and screams, "What a poof!"
Richthofen was featured in an episode of Fantasy Island, titled "The Red Baron," in which a patron of the island wished to save the Baron (portrayed by Ron Ely) from his doom. (Oct. 27, 1979)^[6]
On Rankin/Bass Saturday Night Movie Special, The Red Baron was portrayed as a brown German Shepherd.
The Red Baron appeared as a villain in the original Scooby-Doo series.
Richthofen shows up a few times in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
In the animated show SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, the Red Baron is parodied by the Red Lynx. The Red Baron is also parodied as the "Black Baron" in a Gumby episode where Gumby is an aviator of the First World War.
Richthofen has been featured on two different shows on the History Channel: once for Unsolved History and recently Man, Moment, Machine.
The pilot episode of the 1982 TV series Voyagers! sees the two main characters dog fighting Richthofen when they travel back in time. In that episode Richthofen personally challenges Rickenbacker when in truth both men never fought each other since Richthofen's squadron never faced American fliers until the latter months of the war.

Video game references

There have also been a number of World War I flight simulators involving Manfred von Richthofen. They include Hunt for the Red Baron, written and published by Small Rockets, Knights of the Sky by Microprose, and Red Baron by Dynamix and published by Sierra Entertainment which was followed up by a less successful sequel Red Baron II.

The Red Baron is mentioned in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as a codename.
Empire Earth has a German campaign in which four missions allow the players to control Manfred von Richthofen.
In League of Legends, one of the champions, Corki, had a purchasable skin designated "Red Baron Corki" that is designed to make his aircraft a red World War I biplane.
In Left 4 Dead, there is an achievement, "Dead Baron", that can be earned by completing the Dead Air campaign, a campaign set in an airport.
In Call of Duty : World at War and Black ops and Black ops 2 he is characterized as "Dr. Edward Richtofen".
In the Nintendo DS game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, one of the characters is named Manfred von Karma. Like the Red Baron, he is known for having a perfect career. He also receives his comeuppance from a single bullet.
Red Baron 3D World War I Combat Flight Simulator.
Sky Kid, an arcade video game by Namco depicts the fanciful air journey of the "Red Baron" and the "Blue Max".
Titles for the Atari system in the 1980s, and in 2006 by Namco for PlayStation 2, PSP, and Xbox game systems have also been released.^[7]
The Sony PlayStation 2 game, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, features a character named "The Black Baron", a flying ace who has never lost a dogfight.
In Call of duty : Black ops 2, if the player earned a kill with a Dragonfire, a flying vehicle, they earn a badge named "Red Baron".
"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" is a computer game with Snoopy as the protagonist and Manfred von Richthofen as the antagonist. The game is available for PlayStation 2, the PlayStation Portable and the PC. The game was followed by a sequel Snoopy Flying Ace with the same premise for the Xbox 360.
The PC game Star Trek: Judgment Rites features the character Trelane from the original series TV episode Squire of Gothos imagining himself as World War I pilot complete with the Red Baron's signature Fokker Triplane.
The arcade version of Trivial Pursuit included a player avatar called "Baron von Rightoften", designed to resemble the Red Baron.
The Nintendo entertainment system game Indiana Jones: The Chronicles, set during World War 1, contains an airplane combat level with the main enemy "baron von Richtoven", who is allegedly shot down by Indiana Jones and William Bishop.
In Thrillville: Off the Rails there is an arcade flying ace named Barry von Rictoven who is referred to several times as "The Red Barry" and flies a triplane.
Wings, a Cinemaware title in which the player is an Allied pilot in France during World War I, follows the vicissitudes of the Red Baron, from his rising to his death.
In Halo 5: Guardians the gamemode "Warzone" includes a boss named Baron 'Sroam, who is the pilot of a red flying vehicle.

Miniatures and crafts

George Barris custom Hot Rod automobile, merchandised into the Hot Wheels toy cars and collectible scale cars; also the Tom Daniels Monogram model car kit.
A gun truck that served in Vietnam was named and painted the Red Baron
Ghost of the Red Baron model kit, by Monogram, shows a 1/6 scale skull with chrome stahelm (helmet) on an Iron Cross stand.

Buildings

Red Baron Hangar, Idaho Falls - a log building that served as an airplane hangar, historical building

^[8]

Plants and food

Red Barron Onions, Unio Porrum, a leek type strain of red to purple color small non-bulbing, bunching onion for salads.
Red Baron Onion, Unio Cepa, a bulbed large variety onion.
Red Baron Crabapple, Malus Hybrida, a flowering tree.
Red Baron Grass, Imperata, an ornamental Japanese blood grass.
Red Baron Flowering plant, Protea, 5 foot tall semi tropical shrub with multiple flowerheads.
Red Baron Pizza, pre-made frozen pizza.

Sports

Formula One driving legend Michael Schumacher has been dubbed the Red Baron due to his German heritage and his fame as a driver for the red colored Ferrari team. Interestingly enough, like Richthofen, Schumacher has a younger brother, Ralf Schumacher who followed in his brother's steps as a driver, much like Lothar did with Manfred.
Baseball pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, during his career was nicknamed "The Red Baron", because of the color of his beard and hair.
Former St. Louis Blues player, and current University of Michigan head hockey coach Red Berenson was also nicknamed "The Red Baron", both due to his hair color, and his last name.^[9]
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons were the AAA affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1989 to 2006.

Other namesakes

A great variety of model airplanes of all scales, and flying balsa planes, portrait dolls and figurines representing the baron and his aircraft have been produced. The Red Baron name has been attached to small plush figures and teddy bears and is widely applied to products unrelated to the WWI ace.

Grant Murray famously owned and drove the Red Baron until it was recycled by the Fire Service in July 2014.

Rhinebeck Aerodrome

The exploits of Richthofen and his peers inspired Cole Palen to create Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York. Palen is credited with creating the kit-plane craze in the U.S., and was instrumental in restoring and/or retrieving priceless examples of World War I aviation. Palen built a replica Fokker Dr I, which he flew in hundreds of simulated dogfights at Rhinebeck.^[10]

Notes

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 29, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.