Walter Wasserman Movies
- 1938
Ratsel um Beate (Beate's Mystery) was adapted from a play by Alfred Moller and Hanz Lorenz, which originally starred Dorothy Wieck. The film version features Lil Dagover in the leading role of Beate Kaiserling, an impressionable young woman who gets involved in a village scandal. Despite her protestations of innocence, poor Beate cannot stem the steady stream of misinformation from her gossiping neighbors. Critics in 1938, liked the film, noting that it was a distinct departure from the usual bombastic German drama of the period. The film was Lil Dagover's first effort since being appointed State Actress of Germany in 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil Dagover, Albrecht Schoenhals, (more)
- 1938
In this German comedy set in the American West, an ace detective heads West to destroy a ring of Mexican hashish smugglers. He also has time to romance a pretty girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The delightful Johann Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus was mercilessly lampooned in this truly bizarre production. For starters, a framing device has been added: After appearing in 300 consecutive appearances of Fledermaus (which translates as The Bat) the lead tenor (Georg Alexander) imagines that he's seeing bats everywhere. Driven a bit over the edge by all this, he falls asleep and has a nightmare about the opera, with a group of non-singers cast in the leading roles. The original libretto about romantic assignations, political imprisonments and mistaken identity is burlesqued to the hilt: at one point, the hero finds out that his prison cell is surrounded by rubber tubes! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lida Baarova, Hans Söhnker, (more)
- 1936
Du bist Mein Gluck (You Are My Joy) was the third starring feature for the great Operatic tenor Beniamino Gigli. Gigli's imposing presence and splendid singing notwithstanding, the film is dominated by Isa Miranda in a dual role. After deserting her husband to shack up with Mario Monti (Gigli), Bianca Scarpa (Miranda) returns home years later to beg for custody of her child, only to be throw out into the street. Years later, the child has grown up into a beautiful young woman and an excellent dancer (Miranda plays both mother and daughter). Feeling guilty about causing so much family dissension, Monti tries to arrange for a reconciliation between Bianca and her daughter. The musical highlights in Du bist Mein Gluck feature such operatic luminaries as Hildegarde Ranczak, Maria Cornelius, and Ludwig Weber. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beniamino Gigli, Isa Miranda, (more)
- 1936
Der Bettelstudent (The Beggar Student) was based on the same-named operetta by Carl Miloecker. The plot is implicit in the title, as a seemingly impoverished scholar triumphs over his wealthier rivals and claims the girl of his dreams. Such German film favorites as Fritz Kampers, Ida Wuest and Marika Roekk do not disappoint their fans as they go through their customary musical paces. There's also room for some traditional comedy relief, handled in traditional fashion by Ernst Behmer. The highlight of Der Bettlestudent is the second-act ballet, splendiferously photographed by a full cadre of UFA cameramen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marika Rökk, Fritz Kampers, (more)
- 1936
Herman Speelmans plays the title character in the German comedy Ein Ganzer Kerl (A Regular Fellow). The plot is hardly new: young go-getter Karl Grosse (Speelmans) bluffs his way into a big-time business firm, rescuing the organization from bankruptcy with his brash, bold new ideas. He also wins the boss' daughter, played by Lien Deyer. But for its setting, a German sausage factory, and the Teutonic character names, Ein Ganzer Kerl could have been a typical get-rich-quick Hollywood comedy, ideally suited for the likes of James Cagney or Robert Young. Like many German comedies of the 1930s, Ein Ganzer Kerl was designed to keep the viewer's minds off their problems, so all temptations to propagandize on behalf of the Third Reich are avoided. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Stoeckel, Erika Glaessner, (more)
- 1934
Paul Hartmann stars as businessman Bernhard Fredersen, who tries to make a go of his inherited business in South Africa. When Fredersen begins losing his eyesight, he is deserted by friends, business associates, and clients; only his wife, Agnes (Charlotte Susa), remains faithfully by his side. The villain of the piece is Eugen Schliebach, a Teutonic "Uriah Heep" who takes advantage of Fredersen's blindness to try to seduce the long-suffering Agnes. Schliebach is played by Gustaf Gründgens, one of the leading lights of the German theater, whose film appearances were infrequent but always welcome. Produced in Bavaria, Inheritance in Pretoria smells a bit of the lamp, with grandiose gestures and stagey direction carrying the day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Charlotte Susa, (more)
- 1933
In this Austrian musical, a princess finds herself being forced to marry a prince she does not love. She finds herself falling in love with another man who turns out to the prince in disguise. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marta Eggerth, Hermann Thimig, (more)
- 1932
Die Grausame Freundin was one of the last cinematic collaborations between director Carl Lamac and his actress-wife Anny Ondra. The title translates as The Cruel Girl Friend, a description that really doesn't fit the winsome heroine. But to keep her boyfriend in line, Ondra pretends to be a shrewish shrike, and the strategy works beautifully. By 1932, films like Die Grausame Freundin were a dime a dozen, but German audiences continued to eat them up. Within a few years, the "cruel girlfriend" would be the "cruel ex-wife" when Anny Ondra left Carl Lamac and married heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anny Ondra, Fritz Rasp, (more)
- 1932
The title translates as Schoeller Boarding House, which is where 95% of the film's action takes place. The hero, Phillip Klaproth (Jacob Triedke), has been borrowing heavily from his wealthy uncle Alfred (Paul Heidemann), ostensibly to finance his education but actually to pay for his hedonistic lifestyle. When Uncle shows up in town, Phillip hastily tries to put him out of the way so he won't discover the truth. He takes his uncle to a boarding house, claiming that it's a mental hospital which he, Phillip, intends to purchase. Though the boarders aren't really crazy, they're eccentric enough to convince the uncle that Phillip is telling the truth. Pension Schoeller is an agreeable entry in the screwball-comedy genre, its humor predicated almost entirely upon misunderstanding and misrepresentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacob Tiedtke, Josefine Dora, (more)
- 1932
The title translates as Unfaithful Eckehart, and indeed Dr. Eckart Bleitreu (Ralph A. Roberts) is cheating on his loving wife (Luize Englisch). To throw his wife off his scent, Bleitreu claims that it's his brother-in-law Fritz (Fritz Schulz) who is the philanderer. The doctor's deception backfires when, thanks to his presumed prowess with the ladies, Fritz ends up with a cushy government job and a huge salary. Befitting its subject manner, Ungetrue Eckehart has plenty of old-fashioned door-slamming and ducking in and out of boudoirs. Reportedly, the film was also produced in a French-language version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Arthur Roberts, Lucie Englisch, (more)
- 1932
Sincere but klutzy bank employee Ernest Dumcke is in love with the wealthy and beautiful Maria Meisner. When Meisner and her father head off to a summer resort, Dumcke worshipfully follows after them. Unable to convince the father that he'd be a worthy son-in-law, our hero gets his chance when he finds out that a rich American with whom the father hopes to go into business is actually a penniless swindler. Dumcke pretends to befriend the fraudulent millionaire, then exposes him as a phony at just the right psychological moment. The music for Mein Freund der Millionaer was provided by Hans J. Salter, later a mainstay of Universal Pictures, where he wrote the unforgettable background score for Son of Frankenstein (1939). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hermann Thimig, Maria Meissner, (more)
- 1931
Die Blumenfrau von Lindeau (The Flower Seller of Lindeau) takes place in a sleepy provincial German community. An impoverished widow, unable to pay the taxes on her pet dog, falls victim to the insensitivities of a local politician. Apprised of the situation, a crusading newspaperman champions the old woman's cause, threatening the politician's campaign for the burgomeister's post. Our hero also falls in love with the bureaucrat's daughter, thereby placing himself in a sticky conflict-of-interest dilemma. Based on a play by Bruno Frank, Die Blumenfrau von Lindeau was remade in 1937 as the British social comedy Storm in a Teacup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Otto
- 1931
The title character in this German backstage musical is Grete Schubert (Else Elster), a pretty blonde who indeed has the voice of a nightingale. While squandering her talents in a cheap cabaret, Grete is discovered by a pair of ambitious theatrical agents. Try as they might, they can't secure a decent booking for the girl, but there's still one chance left in the form of Ziegfeld-like impresario Hirschfield (Paul Kemp). Alas, the Great Man is too busy to see either the agents or their client. Tired of being treated like a commodity rather than a human being, Grete tries to escape her mentors, only to accidentally run into Hirschfield on her own. Sure enough, the celebrated showman makes her a star, and even plays Cupid between Grete and her stagehand boyfriend Walter (Arthur Hell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernst Behmer, Else Elster, (more)
- 1931
Blue-eyed heroine Lore (Grete Berndt) is "Das Rheinlandmaedel" ("The Rhine Maiden") in this frothy German operetta. A girl of modest means and background, Lore falls in love with Hans Waldorf (Werner Fuetterer), a wealthy college student. When Hans' father finds out, he tries to bribe Lore to drop the boy. She refuses, whereupon daddy is so impressed by Lore's sincerity that he gives his blessing to the marriage. That's about all there is to Das Rheinlandmaedel, except for lots and lots of singing, dancing, and quaffing of spirits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trude Berliner, Lucie Englisch, (more)
