Arnold Ernst Toht

"Now...what shall we talk about?"

- Arnold Ernst Toht

Arnold Ernst Toht was a Nazi Gestapo agent and frequently René Belloq's bane during the Nazi effort to locate the Ark of the Covenant.

Biography
In 1936 Arnold Ernst Toht was sent to Nepal by the Third Reich Special Antiquities Collection to acquire the headpiece to the Staff of Ra, from Marion Ravenwood. Toht followed Indiana Jones to The Raven bar where he and three henchmen known only as Ratty Nepalese, Mean Mongolian, and Giant Sherpa tried to take the piece. The Second German, carrying the machine gun, 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. Howling in pain, he escaped from the burning bar bursting out the bar window to plunge his hand into the snow outside.



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, Dietrich had Toht intercede. His own interrogation proved equally fruitless however. 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 in the Tabernacle 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. Although Dennis Muren plays a similarly bespectacled, nameless Nazi agent who boards the plane in San Francisco with Indy, this is not Toht. Author Campbell Black in his Raiders novelization has Toht boarding with Indy in Shanghai and not San Francisco).

The Raiders novelization establishes Toht's first name as "Arnold," but in Marvel's Further Adventures of Indiana Jones, the character's sister Ilsa refers to him as "Ernst Toht." The third issue of the UK Indiana Jones Comic reconciles both names, establishing Ernst as Toht's middle name.

The character originally identified as "Belzig" in Lawrence Kasdan's Raiders of the Lost Ark screenplay, remains unnamed in the film dialogues and was renamed "Toht" in the closing credits of the film. Although he has this name in Campbell Black's novelization, Toht does not die as he does in the film, but is killed flying off a cliff in the truck chase.



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

Ronald Lacey shaved the top of his head to play Toht in Raiders; when he removes his hat to wipe the sweat off his head, stubble showing his hairline can be seen.

Toht is never referred to by name in Raiders of the Lost Ark and he only has a total of sisteen lines in the film. They are:
 * 1) "Good evening, Fraulein."
 * 2) "We- 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 here. Why don't you tell me where the piece is right now?"
 * 2) "Fraulein Ravenwood...let me show you what I am used to. Neck!"
 * 3) "That time is passed."
 * 4) "Yes, I know you will."
 * 5) "Haaf Doodout." ("Take cover.")
 * 6) "Shoot them. Shoot them both."
 * 7) "Heil Hitler."
 * 8) "We meet again, Fraulein. You Americans, you're all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions."
 * 9) "Now, what shall we talk about?"
 * 10) "You like her too much, I think."
 * 11) "Achtung! Die Leute!" ("Watch out! The people!")

Appearances

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