Noble Blood - The Self-Reported Life of the Sham Prince

Episode Date: May 2, 2023

In the aftermath of World War I, aristocratic Germans were clinging to whatever sense of identity and social structure they could. They relished the opportunity to parade around with the deposed Princ...e Wilhelm, delighted to become his friend and shower him with gifts. The only problem? Their new friends wasn't Prince Wilhelm. It was a nobody named Harry Domela who was all too happy to make a new name for himself.Support Noble Blood:— Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon— Merch!— Order Dana's book 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.
Starting point is 00:00:15 But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, The cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.
Starting point is 00:00:36 Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of IHeart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. As a hint of sun peeked through the two gothic spires of the Cologne Cathedral, the sound of a man footsteps broke the quiet of the sleeping early morning city streets. Though the cathedral remained in the man's sights, his destination was not the salvation of the church. Rather, he was headed toward a home for the damned, the nearby Cologne Prison. Being a prison guard wasn't the most glamorous job in the world. In fact, it probably would be more accurate to call it,
Starting point is 00:01:37 leak. But in the years following the Great War, a job was a job and there was little room for this man to complain. By June of 1927, the fresh wounds left behind by World War I had mostly healed, though it wasn't difficult to remember just a few years earlier in 1923 when the German financial market had all but imploded, with runaway inflation so rampant that some families resorted to burning their German marks as kindling to keep warm in the winter. While those desperate enough to still use the currency for its intended purpose raced to the markets on payday in hopes of gathering enough scraps of food before the prices would inevitably rise again. Luckily, in the near decade since the war ended, Germany's financial straits had seemingly resolved,
Starting point is 00:02:40 but scars like that don't heal overnight. The sheer number of men behind the prison bars, each face haunted by crimes likely committed out of poverty and desperation, were an all-too-real reminder of that. After clocking in, the guard went about his typical rounds, observing the inmates with the same detached air that he had become accustomed to as a guard. Every day he walked past everyone from petty criminals to violent offenders, but the guard's job wasn't to judge them for their crimes. The court saw to that. Of course, that didn't stop prison guards from talking amongst the guards. themselves. And while this prison held dozens of men, each with their own stories to tell, since January of that year, there was only one inmate that the guards were interested in talking about.
Starting point is 00:03:44 From the outside, this man wasn't who you'd expect to be a hardened criminal. He had soft, delicate features. His skin was pale and smooth, unmarred by the calluses and wrinkles, that so often signified a life of hard labor or poverty. But more than this prisoner's appearance was the way he chose to spend his days. He may have ventured into the mess hall at meal times, may have even taken to the fresh air when it was allowed, but what this man did with his free time in his cell
Starting point is 00:04:21 was the primary source of his air of mystique. More often than not, when guards walked past this man's cell, they saw him hunched over on his cot or over a table with ink-stained fingers, scribbling frantically over pages that he never seemed to tire a filling. In the months since this man came to the prison, his quarters had become littered with crumpled pieces of parchment and stacks of loose-leaf paper decorated with his musings. And perhaps the most unsettling aspect was the fact that even after six months in prison, he hardly showed any signs of slowing down his writings. In the years after the Great War, men had gone to absurdly desperate measures to keep themselves and their families afloat in the bereft New German Republic. But the rumors that swirled around the prison about this, This exceedingly prolific man in his cell topped all those stories of all those prisoners that came before him.
Starting point is 00:05:35 Until six months ago, no one had ever heard the name Harry Damila. But after his arrest, the prison guards in Cologne lingered just a moment longer outside of his cell each day, craning their necks to get a glance at the men who fooled a nation into thinking that he was the recently deposed Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the man who conned himself into some of the most exclusive rooms and parties in Germany with nothing more than the clothes on his back and the lies through his teeth. Before 1927, Harry Damala was a nobody, but as that sixth month came to a close, and Damala stared down at the array of pages that littered the floor of his cell, a small smile likely crept onto his face, as he no doubt felt the eyes of the omnipresent guards on his back. After so long parading in the shadow of someone else, the eyes of the world were finally turning to him. And as he took in the mass of pages that made up the now-completed first draft of his memoir, he was confident that the world would be unable to ever forget him.
Starting point is 00:07:09 I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. On February 6th, 1927, the New York Times was decorated with an iconic headline. False German Prince lived a gay life for many weeks. The subhead added, Harry Domola, Soldier and Vagabond, received honors paid only to royalty. Now, even if the term had yet to be invented, I know a clickbait title when I see one. But in the case of this article, the Stranger Than Fiction premise is more than just a hollow headline meant to grab the reader's attention. Notable quotes include Damila attending, quote, fencing parties given in his honor every day and champagne suppers every night, as well as his meeting the mayor of Gotha. And when asked whether he should be addressed as Your Royal Highness or Your Imperious, or Your Imperious,
Starting point is 00:08:17 Highness, allegedly he said with a wave of the hand, call me Wilhelm, if you like. It is every journalist's dream, a true Aladdin prince Alia Babwa parading across Germany, only instead of a magic, all-powerful genie, the only resources at Dhamela's disposal were his charm, good looks, and an abundant lack of quite literally anything else to lose. but the subtext underneath the entire article boils down to one question. How did he do it? How did one man fool the upper echelons of an entire nation into lavishing him with gifts and champagne suppers without a penny to his name? Well, in order to fully understand just how Harry Darmulah pulled off his royal deception,
Starting point is 00:09:15 we need to take a brief step back and talk about what Germany looked like in the aftermath of World War I. When the war ended in November 1918, the German people were in a state of flux. The country they knew as the German Empire dissolved in the wake of the November Revolution, a period of civil unrest from November 1818
Starting point is 00:09:50 until August 191919, when pressures between the working classes and aristocratic elite came to a head following Germany's devastating losses in the war. From the ashes of the German Empire came the German Republic, a new Democratic parliamentary republic, which in turn cemented the end of the nation's monarchy. In addition to a new form of government, the end of World War I brought forth the Treaty of Versailles,
Starting point is 00:10:25 which, in the absolute simplest of terms for the sake of this episode, blamed Germany for instigating the war and sought financial compensation to the allied powers for the damages that it caused. The ensuing financial strain on an already war-torn Germany caused the newly founded republic to stumble into one of the worst financial crises in history. Having gone into debt to pay for their war efforts,
Starting point is 00:10:59 Germany's loss in the war already had them at a substantial financial deficit. But with the reparations the Allies saddled them with paying, Germany was put into even more unimaginable debt, ultimately sending the country into such a drastic case of hyperinflation, that in some reports, a loaf of bread that had cost 160 marks in 1922 rose to over 200 billion by the fall of 1923. This tenuous state of affairs in the newly founded German Republic left its citizens destitute in a country already floundering with its national identity.
Starting point is 00:11:46 For the working class whose fixed salaries were suddenly worthless, survival was their primary concern. But the former aristocratic elite were forced to reckon with a new Germany, one which no longer put its stock in the monarchy, or cared much about the status of high society. Which brings us to our favorite, prolific prison inmate and fraudulent German prince, Harry Domola, though I feel I can't continue this story without mentioning the fact that, apart from the previously mentioned New York Times article from February 1927, most of what we know about Domola's life comes from those pages that lay scattered across his prison cell. They would eventually be compiled into his best-selling memoir titled A Sham Prince,
Starting point is 00:12:51 the life and adventures of Harry Damila as written by himself in prison at Cologne, January to June, 1927. As you would expect from a man who decided to write a memoir after being imprisoned for parading around impersonating a former German prince, this guy had an excessive amount of what I think we can call main character syndrome, the type of person who feels it's starting to rain and decides that it must be the universe unfairly singling them out for some cosmic misdeed rather than, you know, that it's just raining out. That being said, should you ever find yourself in possession of a copy of this memoir, it is no doubt an interesting read. Domela is a compelling, though at times painfully self-indulgent, storyteller who manages a,
Starting point is 00:13:49 to paint his many, many personal anecdotes with asides that give us insight into the stark differences between the working and aristocratic classes in post-World War I Germany. At the same time, though the book is obviously an interesting text, I would by no stretch of the imagination call this an unbiased account of the event that took place, so bear that in mind. Whether Damela is begging for help on the streets of Berlin or tricking German aristocracy into believing him to be former nobility, Damela predictably paints himself as the hero of his story.
Starting point is 00:14:34 And why shouldn't he? It's his memoir, his story. But as far as delving into the historical accuracy of it all, I just want to reiterate that, in the case of Harry, Damala, there really are no, quote-unquote, accurate historical accounts to go by. That isn't to say he's outright lying about his exploits, but when going through his work, I find it's more worthwhile to view his story through a more critical lens, one that takes into account the fledgling sense of German identity, that citizens struggle to take hold
Starting point is 00:15:11 of in their newly founded republic following their losses in World War I. Okay, with the historical context and memoir disclaimers out of the way, let's get into the good parts, the story. In 1904, Harry Damela was born into a small agricultural town on the border of the Russian Empire. Today, the area known as Corland resides within the country of Latvia, but as Damala came of age in the midst of World War I, the area in and surrounding Khorland essentially made up the eastern front. Seemingly surrounded by war at every turn, at 14 years old, Damala joined the Free Corps, a private militia group fighting under the German Empire against Baltic rebels. Ousted from his home in the fallout of the Bolshevik revolution,
Starting point is 00:16:15 Damala found a new place to call home among the ranks of other Free Corps soldiers. It was during this time when he spent his nights huddled around campfires with other young men telling stories, that Damala claims, quote, It was here I learned all about lying and bragging, the sort of lying and bragging that hurts nobody, and which would only take in someone even more stupid than, oneself." Of course, simple lies that have no consequences except for those stupid enough to fall for them.
Starting point is 00:16:56 It's a wonder Domela didn't succumb to altitude sickness from the height at which he stood atop his own pedestal. But I digress. When the war ended, the Free Corp dismissed Damla on account of his being underage, and now without a home left to go back to, he set off for. for Germany to start a new life. Unfortunately for him, without German citizenship or any papers at all to identify himself, Domelo is left with few to know resources at his disposal. Should he try to get work, he would be turned away for not having German papers. Then, unable to make a livable wage,
Starting point is 00:17:41 he was forced to starve on the streets, sleeping in train stations to keep warm until police would arrest him and subsequently detain him for not having papers proving his identity. Eventually, he would be released and the cycle would start over again. During these years, he would run into a motley crew of interesting characters that sort of seem like they're out of an edgy Dickens novel, from a cocaine addict named Wolf, who took Damila under his wing and taught him how to survive on the streets of Berlin, to a man who called himself Baron Luteritz, who was, in fact, in case you hadn't guessed, not a Baron at all.
Starting point is 00:18:27 The man who Damala described as, quote, looking like a scarecrow, with worn shoes and an eclectic wardrobe that hung limply off his frame, seemed to make his living selling pamphlets. And after attempting to sell Damela some of his wares, the two shared a meal together, after which the man came clean about his true identity. Quote, my name is simply luderates, but since old Baron von Rothschild addressed me in Vienna as Her Baron, I am a Baron.
Starting point is 00:19:03 Who's going to stop me? Titles of nobility have been abolished by the constitutional of the right, so I am a baron, end quote. Initially, Domola laughed at his odd counterpart, but throughout the meal, the, quote, baron, had taken to calling him Herr Graff, insisting, you look like a count, ergo you are one. And while the, quote, barons, words had first made Domola scoff, after their meal, Domola's laughter seemed to die on his lip.
Starting point is 00:19:38 In his own words, quote, was he so wrong after all? Should I not have had a much easier time as a nobleman? You can probably guess what happened next. After his introduction to baron luderates, Damala began to adopt his own self-imposed honorary titles, often passing himself as Baron Corf during his travels. This worked with varying degrees of success until after winning a lucky hand of cards, D'Amelaide decided to travel from Berlin to Heidelberg, and his career as a fraudulent noble took on a life of its own.
Starting point is 00:20:23 A few decades before all of this in 1906, a con man named Wilhelm Voigt famously used a cobbled-together military uniform and pretended to be a captain. and he actually got a number of soldiers behind him under his command, and he enacted a robbery under the guise of official duty. It was a famous case. While Voigt was arrested and imprisoned, he became something of a folk hero in Germany as the, quote, Captain of Copernic. Kaiser Wilhelm II would actually pardon him.
Starting point is 00:21:08 There was a silent movie made about Voigt in 1926, the year before Daimela's impersonation. And you have to wonder whether maybe Damala either saw the movie or felt something in the air. The sense that maybe confidence could be key and that pretending to be somebody powerful might actually make you powerful. Upon arriving in Heidelberg, Domola decided to wander the historic university. town and introduce himself to the known aristocratic student social group, the Saxo-Berousia. He'd known royals from Corland who had taken part in the famous group, and upon finding them,
Starting point is 00:21:58 he introduced himself as Prince Levin, lieutenant in the fourth Reichwark Cavalry Regiment, Pottsdam. The effect he had on the students was instantaneous. members of the Saxo Beresia began tripping over themselves to buy him drinks, take him out to the most exclusive clubs and shows, and generally flaunt their wealth and status in front of a figure that represented a time and way of living that had been lost after the war, but which they still romanticized. For Domola, this was his first real taste into how the other half lived, and how out of touch they seem to be with the plight of the working class. When passing a local soup kitchen at the university,
Starting point is 00:22:51 one member of the Saxo-Brusia scoffed at the very thought of disenfranchised students being able to get free food. In return, Damala, with what I imagine to be a golden halo of purity and righteousness adorning his now saintly visage, retorted, quote, It must make you feel damned uncomfortable to live up there in such a fine core house without a care in the world, while your fellow students down here don't know how they are meant to keep themselves alive the next day. According to Damala, he soon tired of the Saxo Barossa fawning over him
Starting point is 00:23:32 and decided to turn over a new leaf, leaving his persona of Prince Leaven behind in Heidelberg as he set out for Earford, only to check into his hotel there as Baron Corf. Apparently, the judgment he felt in regards to his counterparts in Heidelberg wasn't enough to fully convert back to a life of being simply Harry Damala. In any case, similar to his experience with the members of the Saxo-Berusia, Damala's noble alter ego soon took on a new life of its own. Unrelated to his new identity, in Airfort, Damala happened upon an old friend who knew him as Harry, and upon visiting him at the hotel where he was staying, asked him a question that would go on to shape the rest of Domla's life.
Starting point is 00:24:28 Quote, I say Harry, do you know whom they're taking you for here, for Prince William of Prussia? Damala laughed in turn telling him, quote, Don't make silly jokes, my friend. But unbeknownst to Domola, rumors around the hotel had spread that, quote, Baron Corf was a fake name, but it was a fake name being used by Prince Wilhelm of Prussia in disguise, wishing to keep a low profile during his travels.
Starting point is 00:25:02 Of course, we know Baron Corf was actually, a penniless nobody named Harry Domola. But who was he to correct them? And so, Domola chose to embrace his newly bestowed identity, writing, quote, odd glances were directed toward me. It gave me quite a turn. Everything that I had of the simple Harry Domola
Starting point is 00:25:28 dropped away from me. I felt so isolated, so grand, and seemed to be raised, above all, ordinary, creeping mortals. As I'm sure you can tell, the abundance of attention wasn't at all going to his head. And it's here that I'd love to make just a small personal interlude. When I was still in college, I spent a summer interning at the television show on TBS, Conan, Conan O'Brien's talk show. It was filmed at the Warner Brothers lot, and at the same time, Warner Brothers Lot also had the show Pretty Little Liars filming.
Starting point is 00:26:15 The lot also had tourists come on sort of extended golf carts, weaving away around the lot with tour guides pointing out various things that were filming and stages. My fellow interns and I, young women in our late teens, early 20s, loved the feeling of putting on baseball caps while we were walking to the commissary for lunch and shielding our faces as the tour groups went by, hoping desperately that they would think that we, any random trio of young women in aphleisure with our faces hidden,
Starting point is 00:26:55 were actually the pretty little liars. And people did snap pictures, and yes, it was intoxicating. So this is just to say, I understand. But for better or for worse, With Harry Domola, he was an icarus, and he decided that he wanted to continue to fly in style. Wanting to get a wardrobe that fit his new princely persona, Domla left for a day trip to Berlin, only to lose his bag with money on the train ride there. Upon going to the stationmaster for help, he was almost immediately cast off with little patience from the man behind the counter,
Starting point is 00:27:39 and given a form to fill out. D'amala smugly wrote, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, when asked for his name, and he watched the stationmaster's eyes nearly bulge out of his head when he realized his mistake. After leaving the train station
Starting point is 00:27:58 with the station master's personal wallet gifted to him, and what I imagine to be a jaunty skip in his step, not unlike Julia Roberts, in Pretty Woman, Domola later found his own purse in his pants pocket. How very convenient. When he was set to return to Airford, the station master had organized a personal escort for him, and I feel like I should note, this is just the beginning of the ridiculous hijinks Domelot would revel in in his all-too-brief tenure as Prince Wilhelm. From that trip on,
Starting point is 00:28:42 Damala would be treated to luxury suites, box seats at the opera, which he would critique as being overacted by performers too awestruck at his presence to do their job well, and taken out to such lavish dinners and parties, he could barely go a step without unwanted attention. There's not nearly enough time for me to go into even half of the stories Damila felt necessary to put in his memoir. And if I'm being honest, only a quarter of them are really worth mentioning anyway. But there is one story I feel best encapsulates how exactly Damla was able to carry on his charade for as long as he did.
Starting point is 00:29:28 One night, Damla went out to dinner with the proprietor of the hotel he was staying at. The man, who Damla calls the counselor, mentioned that he saw something weighing on the young man's mind. Obviously, Damela couldn't answer with the truth that what was weighing on his mind was that he was a nobody parading as a prince and abusing everyone's goodwill for his own selfish gain. So when he didn't respond, the man continued, quote, the world lies open before you. Who knows how the future of our people will shape itself? Who knows what you may someday be called on to do? Many people see in you, the future emperor and king. So you must learn to realize during the years of hoping and waiting
Starting point is 00:30:17 what mistakes the old regime made. Remember the old national hymn. Neither horses nor men can keep secure the steep heights where princes stand. End quote. The emotion with which Domola writes the old man speaking is likely the true reason he was able to carry on his farce for as long as he did. People wanted to believe it. Despite the high esteem, Domola no doubt, held himself in, I don't think his skill as an actor is what sold his persona as the deposed
Starting point is 00:30:56 German prince. Really, I think it had little to do with Domola at all. In side-by-side comparisons between the two men, other than being white and young and having generally slender, builds, they're not really twins. But what Damala and Prince Wilhelm did have in common was what their presence meant to the people who meant them. After the devastating losses of World War I, the German Republic not only lost an entire generation of young men, but their sense of nationalism. They were eager for civil, national pride wherever they could find it. The monarchy may have have no longer served a purpose in the German government, but its presence remained a symbol of hope and pride, especially for upper-class German citizens. While men like the self-proclaimed
Starting point is 00:31:56 barren luderates used noble titles as a way to patchwork together respect in a time when Germany's social hierarchy was in tatters, men like the counselor saw the deposed monarchs as vestiges of a time when all of their lives had significance. Before the war and ultimate financial crisis all but stripped them of their finances and, yes, social status. The truth was Harry Domla likely wasn't the best actor, nor did he look particularly close in relation to the Prince of Prussia. He did, however, give the people of the upper class
Starting point is 00:32:38 a reason to flaunt their wealth and status again. He reminded them of life before the war, before Germany had lost everything. And after losing his home, fighting in a war and ending up on the streets all before turning 17, who was Harry Damala to turn away the affections of those who were gullible enough to believe him?
Starting point is 00:33:13 In the end, Damala's run as Prince Prince Wilhelm of Prussia couldn't last forever. Eventually, the imposter prince got tired of the attention given to him in Airfort and decided to leave for France to join the Foreign Legion in early 1927. Though the timing of his newfound apathy happened to coincide with reports being made about the quote-unquote princes adventures in Heidelberg some weeks before, likely caused Damela to begin to feel the fragile walls he had constructed, begin to close in on him.
Starting point is 00:33:50 Before he even made it out of the country, he was intercepted on the train to France and was apprehended by police for his crimes. From there, he was transferred to the prison in Cologne, where he would spend seven months in a cell awaiting trial and writing what would go on to become a best-selling memoir. When his case finally made it before a day, judge, the jury, surprisingly, acquitted Damela of all charges, with one source writing of their
Starting point is 00:34:22 decision, quote, while he had taken advantage of prominent members of society, his scheme had been mostly harmless, end quote. Upon his release, Damila received his first advance for his memoir, which would go on to sell over 200,000 copies worldwide, and be a day. for both stage and screen. With that money, he would send Crown Princess Cecil, Prince Wilhelm's mother, a bouquet of flowers with a note that read, to her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess Cecil, I was honored to be taken for your son. Ultimately, Damla wouldn't stay in Germany for long. With fascism on the rise in Berlin, some sources claim that Domela's homosexuality was the reason for his depotally.
Starting point is 00:35:14 though, as I mentioned before, there are no real accurate sources when it comes to Harry Damela. I will say that his memoir does go into detail about many of his relationships with men, and while on the page they were platonic, there were significantly fewer, if any, anecdotes about any relationships or friendships at all with women. Regardless, by 1933, Domola fled for the Netherlands and eventually South America, where he would live the rest of his life in relative obscurity until his death in 1979. On paper, Daumla's life seems almost unbelievable. To have paraded around as a deposed German prince for months and gotten away with it, it seems too good to be true. But in the months, the young
Starting point is 00:36:11 quote, prince, spent pretending to be something he wasn't, people who believed him were, to an extent, participating in their own folly, falling over themselves to serve a royal whose throne technically no longer existed. They were just trying to have a taste of the life that they had before their country had lost everything, to still pretend that the structures of monarchy and privilege still mattered. Or in the words of Harry Damala, quote, the sort of lying and bragging that hurts nobody and which would only take in someone even more stupid than oneself. That was the unbelievable life of Harry Damala, the fake Prince of Prussia, but stick around after the sponsor break to hear a little bit more about the stage and screen adaptations of the
Starting point is 00:37:14 Sham Prince. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wadam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever.
Starting point is 00:37:36 I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place they come look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot.
Starting point is 00:37:57 He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot in luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone?
Starting point is 00:38:28 I'm Ago Wodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I was. want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent.
Starting point is 00:38:55 He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there.
Starting point is 00:39:23 Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. After his release from prison, Harry Dalmala's memoir, The Sham Prince, became more than just an international bestseller. Before along, playwrights and filmmakers were eager to get to get. their hands on the story and you better believe Damila wasn't going to miss his chance to get into the spotlight. In December of 1927, just months after being released from prison, Domola would star
Starting point is 00:40:05 in the silent film adaptation of his life's story titled The False Prince. A quick note here, we have scoured the internet and haven't been able to find it. So if you're listening to this podcast and have ever come across that silent film, or if you ever do come across it in the future, please let me know. If you take nothing else from this episode, let it be remembered that no one has ever manifested their main character energy harder than Harry Damala.
Starting point is 00:40:38 He literally became the main character of the movie made about his life. And if that wasn't enough in the case of stage adaptations, some sources say that Damila sued one of the productions that refused to cast him in the title role. Of course, this is not confirmed, but considering his track record, I really don't think it's completely out of the realm of possibility, because if there was ever one person who would take someone to court over the right to impersonate his own likeness, it would be Harry Domola.
Starting point is 00:41:29 Noble Blood is a production of I Heart Raid. and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble Blood is created and hosted by me, Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is edited and produced by Noami Griffin and Rima Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thane, and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick.
Starting point is 00:42:02 For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodom. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be.
Starting point is 00:43:15 Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.

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