Children of Lieutenant Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Children of Lieutenant Schmidt is a fictional secret non-society of con men
. They pretended to be children of Lieutenant Schmidt (a Russian revolutionary hero), described in The Little Golden Calf
by Ilf and Petrov
. The authors mockingly referred to these people collectively as Society of Children of Lieutenant Schmidt; there is no mention in the book of them referring to themselves as such. Ostap Bender
's two sidekicks were hapless former members of this non-society.
According to the novel, roaming across Russia
in the 1920s were numerous fake relatives of Karl Marx
, Prince Kropotkin, and other revolutionary figures. Their con tricks were aimed at persuading various Soviet
officials into granting them cash. Their numbers grew, and to prevent any unlucky chance of spoiling each other's attempts, they started to "unionize
", with Schmidt's Kids being the most difficult to organise. When the latter finally decided to convene, "it turned out that Lieutenant Schmidt had thirty sons, from eighteen to fifty-two years in age, and four daughters, stupid, unattractive and no longer young". They split Russia into 34 territories.
Ostap Bender, being in difficult straights, decided to play the same game, but ran into another trickster (Shura Balaganov, who became his accomplice) right in front of a bureaucrat in a Soviet office. Bender managed to get out of the gaffe by pretending Shura was his brother. Later they met yet another "sibling" - Samuil Panikovsky , who was running for his life (he had ignored the convention, trespassed, and was caught red-handed by victims of yet another "brother").
cliché
for various con enterprises or persons which use false pretenses
, e.g., of being war veteran
s, Chernobyl
liquidator
s, simply relatives of the targeted victims, etc., in order to extract money from the victims.
A music band from Minsk
, Belarus
and the KVN
team from Tomsk
bear the name.
A monument to two of the most famous of Schmidt's "sons" (Bender & Balaganov) was erected in Berdiansk
in 2002. A statue of Panikovsky, carrying out his favourite trick of pretending to be a blind man, has been erected in Kiev
, Ukraine
.
Estonia
n punk-rock band Vennaskond
entitled its first album released in 1991, during the period of fall of the Soviet Union
"Ltn. Schmidti Pojad" (The Sons Of Lieutenant Schmidt).
During repairs on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge
in St. Petersburg in 2006, the builders erected a temporary bridge some meters above. The temporary construction was nicknamed "Son of Lieutenant Schmidt".
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
. They pretended to be children of Lieutenant Schmidt (a Russian revolutionary hero), described in The Little Golden Calf
The Little Golden Calf
The Little Golden Calf is a famous satirical novel by Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, released in 1931. Its main character Ostap Bender, also appeared in a previous novel of the authors called The Twelve Chairs...
by Ilf and Petrov
Ilf and Petrov
Ilya Ilf Ilya Ilf Ilya Ilf (Ilya Arnoldovich Faynzilberg and Evgeny or Yevgeni Petrov (Yevgeniy Petrovich Kataev or Katayev were two Soviet prose authors of the 1920s and 1930s...
. The authors mockingly referred to these people collectively as Society of Children of Lieutenant Schmidt; there is no mention in the book of them referring to themselves as such. Ostap Bender
Ostap Bender
Ostap Bender is a fictional con man and antihero who first appeared in the novel The Twelve Chairs written by Soviet authors Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov and released in January 1928.-Appearances:...
's two sidekicks were hapless former members of this non-society.
According to the novel, roaming across Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the 1920s were numerous fake relatives of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Prince Kropotkin, and other revolutionary figures. Their con tricks were aimed at persuading various Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
officials into granting them cash. Their numbers grew, and to prevent any unlucky chance of spoiling each other's attempts, they started to "unionize
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
", with Schmidt's Kids being the most difficult to organise. When the latter finally decided to convene, "it turned out that Lieutenant Schmidt had thirty sons, from eighteen to fifty-two years in age, and four daughters, stupid, unattractive and no longer young". They split Russia into 34 territories.
Ostap Bender, being in difficult straights, decided to play the same game, but ran into another trickster (Shura Balaganov, who became his accomplice) right in front of a bureaucrat in a Soviet office. Bender managed to get out of the gaffe by pretending Shura was his brother. Later they met yet another "sibling" - Samuil Panikovsky , who was running for his life (he had ignored the convention, trespassed, and was caught red-handed by victims of yet another "brother").
Heritage
Since then, the expression "Children of Lieutenant Schmidt" has become a RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
for various con enterprises or persons which use false pretenses
False pretenses
Obtaining property by false pretenses is when a person obtains property by intentionally misrepresenting a past or existing fact.-Elements:The elements of false pretenses are: a false representation of a material past or existing fact...
, e.g., of being war veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s, Chernobyl
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
liquidator
Liquidator (Chernobyl)
Liquidators , or "clean-up workers", is the name given in the former USSR to people who were called upon to work in efforts to deal with consequences of the April 26, 1986, Chernobyl disaster on the site of the event...
s, simply relatives of the targeted victims, etc., in order to extract money from the victims.
A music band from Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
and the KVN
KVN
KVN is a Russian humour TV show and competition where teams compete by giving funny answers to questions and showing prepared sketches. The programme was first aired by the First Soviet Channel on November 8, 1961...
team from Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
bear the name.
A monument to two of the most famous of Schmidt's "sons" (Bender & Balaganov) was erected in Berdiansk
Berdiansk
Berdyansk is a port city in the Zaporizhia Oblast of south-east Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Berdyansky Raion , the city itself is directly subordinate to the oblast, and is located on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov.The current estimated population is around 125,000...
in 2002. A statue of Panikovsky, carrying out his favourite trick of pretending to be a blind man, has been erected in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n punk-rock band Vennaskond
Vennaskond
Vennaskond is an Estonian punk rock band founded in 1984. The band has toured in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, Germany, France and the USA .-Members:...
entitled its first album released in 1991, during the period of fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
"Ltn. Schmidti Pojad" (The Sons Of Lieutenant Schmidt).
During repairs on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge
Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge
The Blagoveshchensky Bridge is the first permanent bridge built across the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It connects Vasilievsky Island and the central part of the city . The bridge's length is 331 meters and the width was 24 meters. The original name of the bridge was Nevsky Bridge. It...
in St. Petersburg in 2006, the builders erected a temporary bridge some meters above. The temporary construction was nicknamed "Son of Lieutenant Schmidt".