Arnold Ernst Toht

"You don't need that. I'll tell you everything.''" "''Yes, I know you will."

- Marion Ravenwood and Toht

Arnold Ernst  Toht was a Nazi Gestapo agent and René Belloq's right hand man in the Nazi effort to obtain the Ark of the Covenant.

Biography
In 1936 Toht was sent to Nepal by the Third Reich Special Antiquities Collection to acquire the headpiece to the Staff of Ra, in Marion Ravenwood's possession. After boarding a plane, Toht followed Indiana Jones to The Raven where he was assisted by three henchmen, known only by their nicknames: Ratty Nepalese, Mean Mongolian, and Giant Sherpha in trying to take the piece. (A so-called Second German, also present during the confrontation, was Toht’s personal bodyguard.)

All his henchmen, including his bodyguard, died during the ensuing fight with Jones and Ravenwood, during which Marion’s bar was set ablaze. Toht noticed the headpiece lying on the ground during the skirmish. When he tried to pick it up, he burned his hand as the headpiece had been lying close to the fire.



When Toht met up with Colonel Dietrich, Gobler, and René Belloq in Cairo, his "Heil Hitler" salute revealed his headpiece-scarred hand. From this scar the Nazis were able to create a crude, one-sided reproduction of the headpiece; but the missing information from the other side would prove critical to finding the Ark's resting place, the Well of the Souls.

Frustrated with Belloq's inability to extract useful information from the (now captive) Marion Ravenwood, Toht interceded. His own interrogation proved equally fruitless. When the Nazis finally caught up with Jones at the Well of the Souls, Ravenwood's abandonment in the Well (against Belloq's protests) caused Toht to giggle with glee.

Shortly thereafter, on a small unnamed island north of Crete, Toht stood by Belloq for the ceremonial opening of the Ark. Initially, the Ark seemed to bear only dust and sand; this amused Toht, who never quite believed in the supernatural imperative of his assignment. His laughter was replaced by astonishment, and then screams of terror, as the Ark unleashed its true power. The Gestapo Agent's face was melted by the intense fire and his remains were taken away by the following whirlwind.

Behind the scenes
Ronald Lacey portrayed Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dennis Muren briefly stood in as Toht on the airplane out of San Francisco. He is seen reading Life magazine. The character originally identified as "Belzig" in Lawrence Kasdan's Raiders of the Lost Ark screenplay was renamed "Toht" in the closing credits of the film.



He is referenced as "Major Arnold Toht" on the website of the "LEGO Indiana Jones" video game.

Toht is never referred to by name in Raiders of the Lost Ark and he only has a total of fifteen lines in the film. They are:
 * 1) "Good evening, fraulein."
 * 2) "We are not thirsty."
 * 3) "The same thing your friend Dr. Jones wanted. Surely, he told you there would be other interested parties."
 * 4) "The man is nefarious. I hope, for your sake, he has not yet acquired it."
 * "Oh, almost certainly. Do you still have it."
 * 1) "Your fire is dying. Why don't you tell me where the piece is right now?"
 * 2) "Fraulein Ravenwood, let me show you what I am used to."
 * 3) "That time is passed."
 * 4) "Yes, I know you will."
 * 5) "Shoot them. Shoot them both."
 * 6) "Heil Hitler."
 * 7) "We meet again, fraulein. You Americans, you're all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions."
 * 8) "Now, what should we talk about?"
 * 9) "You like her too much, I think."
 * 10) "Achtung! Die Leute!" ("Watch out! The people!")

Appearances

 * Raiders of the Lost Ark novel
 * Raiders of the Lost Ark
 * Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
 * The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones
 * Issue 9: "The Gold Goddess: Amazon Death Ride!"
 * LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures