Ella Gombaszogi Movies
- 1937
Fizessen Nagysad (Pay Up, Madam!) was originally advertised as "the first Hungarian musical farce." This seems odd, in that most Hungarian films of the 1930s were musicals, and many of these were farcical in nature. Whatever the case, the story concerns a wealthy mill owner who can't keep his factory managers away from his attractive daughter. Finally he hires a young man who promises that he'll never, ever, succumb to the daughter's charms. Guest how long that lasts! Paul Javor, sometimes billed as the Hungarian Clark Gable, plays the hero, while the equally popular Lily Murati is the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Murati, Paul Javor, (more)
- 1936
Released in English-speaking regions as Affair of Honor, this Hungarian comedy details the tribulations of elderly bookkeeper Julius Kabos. Getting involved in an argument with the boss's nephew, Kabos ends up getting his face slapped. Asserting himself for the first time in his life, he demands satisfaction by challenging the nephew to a duel -- only to realize he's too old and too broke for such a drastic measure. Things straighten themselves out when the nephew, actually a likeable chap, apologizes to Kabos within earshot of the other employees, including the old man's erstwhile sweetheart, plump secretary Ella Gombaszogi. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ella Gombaszogi, Imre Raday, (more)
- 1936
Legy Jo Mindhalalig (Be Good Unto Death) is based on the Hungarian stage play by Zsigmond Moricz. The story is set at the legendary Dehreczen boys' grammar school in 1894. Eleven-year-old Laci Devenyi plays Mike, an enterprising schoolboy who pays for his education by tutoring one of his classmates and by serving as a "reader" for a wealthy sightless gentlemen. When the blind man is robbed, Mike immediately falls under suspicion but refuses to clear himself lest he implicate his older sister's fiance. A series of convenient coincidences solves Mike's problems without forcing him to betray his family. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gyula Csortos, Ella Gombaszogi, (more)
- 1935
A Csunya Lany translates as A Plain Girl, which hardly describes the pretty heroine Eva (Lili Murati). Wrongly accused by lawyer Halmi (Paul Javor) of breaking up a marriage, Eva gets even by disguising herself as a drab drudge and landing a job as Halmi's secretary. It is her intention to make the lawyer fall in love with her, then to maneuver him into a compromising situation. The plot fails when Eva falls in love with Halmi for real. A Csunya Lany was more or less remade by Marion Davies as Ever Since Eve in 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gyula Kabos, Lili Murati, (more)
- 1935
Bank typist Vera (Zita Percel) loves to indulge in the harmless hobby of window shopping, knowing full well that she could never afford the items she dreams of owning. Much to her surprise, she ends up owning a luxury car at an outrageously low price. Little does she realize that the "salesman" (Eugene Torza) who sold her the car is actually the handsome young president of the bank where she works. Afraid that Vera won't truly fall in love with him if she discovers his true identity, our hero pretends to lose his job and is hired as the girl's chauffeur. And it is at this point that Meseauto (Fairy Tale Auto) really shifts into gear. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ella Gombaszogi
- 1935
Released in Hungary as Einok Kisasszony, Miss President stars Lilly Murati in the title role. Having inherited the ownership of a textile plant, headstrong young Esuzsi (Murati) breaks off her engagement to her factory superintendent Kollar (Jenoe Toerzs), claiming that she's fallen in love with another. Actually there is no "other"; she merely wants to escape a marriage arranged by her father. When pressed to produce her mystery lover, Esuzsi selects a young engineer named Istvan (Pal Javor), whom she's never even met. Jealously, Kollar hires Istvan and subjects him to a series of practical jokes. By the time the bewildered young man figures out what's going on, he's fallen in love with Esuzsi for real. Miss President was directed by Endre Marton, who as "Andrew Marton" later became one of the busiest second-unit directors in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Murati, Ella Gombaszogi, (more)
- 1934
Ida Regenye was one of four feature films completed in 1933 by Hungarian director Istvan Szekely (aka Steve Sekely). Based on a popular novel by Geza Gardonyi, the story concerns the romantic travails of turn-of-the-century coquette Ida, played by Irene Agay. Though the tone of the film is frivolous, Agay and her co-stars comport themselves in a surprisingly unhumorous fashion. As a result, what should have been a frothy bedroom farce in the Lubitsch manner comes across as slow and stately. In typically chauvinistic fashion, American reviewers were less concerned with the film's shortcoming than with the fact that leading lady Irene Agay (the wife of director Szekely) was not glamorous in the accepted "Hollywood" manner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Irene Agai, Paul Javor, (more)
- 1933
Iza Neni (Aunt Isabel) features Sari Fedak in the title role. A mild-mannered provincial girl's-school teacher, Iza loses her job when a neighboring country takes over her village. She heads to the big city, where she lands a job playing piano at a posh nightclub. In this capacity she catches the eye of a British colonel, who finds her work in a Parisian cabaret, where she becomes a great sensation. Rather than reward herself with the fruits of her labors, Iza sends every penny of her salary back to her village priest, who distributes the money among the poor parishioners. Ten years after being forced from her home, the now-glamorous Iza makes a return visit, magnanimously encouraging her former sweetheart to marry a girl better suited to him. It should be no surprise that leading lady Sari Fedak wrote the script for Iza Neni herself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ella Gombaszogi
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