Julia Serda Movies

By accident or design, two pre-Hitler efforts from German filmmaker Carl Boese were distributed to the U.S. during the same week of 1937, roughly five years after both were completed. The first was The Gentleman from Maxims; the second was Die Klein Schiwindlerin -- or, as it was known in the U.S., The Little Schemer. Pixieish Dolly Haas plays the title character, a flirtatious cutie named Annette. Our heroine causes all sorts of mischief for handsome young man-about-town Bob (Harald Paulsen), ultimately winning his love. She also saves him from the machinations of a group of con artists. Though Dolly Haas was unable to sustain her acting career in Hollywood, she remained in close contact with the Performing Arts through her long and lasting marriage to caricature artist Al Hirschfield. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Liebesleute (People in Love) was based on Goethe's Herman and Dorothea, updated to 1936 Berlin. Dorothea (Renate Muller), a farm girl, falls in love with wealthy young Herman (Gustav Froelich). This does not sit well with Herman's gentrified parents, who have already selected a "proper" bride for their son. Herman and Dorothea decide to elope to the Big City, where they find that life can be very unkind and unfair. After much heartbreak and disappointment, Dorothea arranges a reconciliation between Herman and his parents. All is forgiven, the lovers are reunited, and, as a bonus, the wheat crop comes in on time! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the stage favorite Lilac Time, Drei Maederl um Schubert re-creates incidents in the life of composer Franz Schubert (Paul Hoerbiger). The story concerns his romantic entanglements with three sisters: Hederl (Greti Theimer), Heiderl (Maria Andergast), Hannerl (Else Elster). All three girls have a profound effect on Schubert's work, though none of them is able to land him as a husband. The music has been adapted from Schubert's best-known compositions, with emphasis on his Unfinished Symphony. The direction of Drei Maederl um Schubert was evenly divided by E. W. Emo (from UFA studios) and Hans Sassman (from the original stage production). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "office manager" of the title is Joachim Reinsnagel, played by Felix Bressart. Employed by lawyer Fritz Barke (Herman Thimig), Joachim takes a special interest in one of his boss' clients, the beautiful Katrin (Margot Walter). In his efforts to put Katrin's finances in order, our hero inadvertently sets the stage for a compromising situation between the girl and the innocent Herr Barke. Mrs. Barke (Julia Serda) very nearly files for divorce, but Joachim pulls off a miraculous bit of chicanery and saves the day. Der Herr Buerovorsteher was based on a play by R. Bernauer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Those gifted farceurs Arnold and Bach are back again in Die Spanische Fliege. Comic actor Fritz Schulz stars as a provincial German gentleman who carries on a double life. The fun begins when various people from those two lives intersect by accident, forcing Schulz to wear himself into a frazzle pretending to be everyone but himself. Of the supporting cast, the charming Betty Bird stands out with her usual mixture of coquettishness and comic timing. Also showing up is Ralph Arthur Roberts, who practically made a career out of appearing in Arnold and Bach plays and films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 1929 all-talkie adaptation of Bayard Veiller's stage play The Trial of Mary Dugan proved a worthy showcase for MGM-diva Norma Shearer. But Shearer was not conversant in German, thus Nora Gregor inherited the leading role in the German-language version, Mordprozess Mary Dugan. The personnel may have changed, but the plot remains the same: Libertine showgirl Mary Dugan is put on trial for murder, accused of killing her wealthy lover. Through a series of elaborate flashbacks, the truth about the events leading up to the killing slowly comes to the surface. It is also revealed that Mary's numerous romances with rich benefactors were undertaken so that she could finance the law-school education of her brother Jimmy -- who happens to be the attorney handling her defense. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although His Glorious Night, MGM's 1929 talkie adaptation of Ferenc Molnar's Olympia, proved to be a box-office disaster (a failure chalked up by the studio to the vocal inadequacies of leading man John Gilbert, though this wasn't entirely the case), the studio was still committed to refilming the property in French, Spanish and German-language versions. The French version, Si L'Empereur Savait Ca, starred Andre Luguet, while the Spanish adaptation, Olympia, top-billed José Crespo. Olympia was also the name of the German-language version, which like the French adaptation was directed by Jacques Feyder. This time, Theodor Shall is cast as handsome Lieutenant Kovacs, the sweetheart of the lovely Princess Olympia (Nora Gregor). When the princess' snooty mother breaks up the romance, the embittered Kovacs threatens to tell the world that he has "ruined" the girl (not true!), making her unfit for marriage. To ensure his silence, the Lieutenant is promised a night alone with Olympia, just before the wedding. It is at this point that Kovacs proves he's a gentleman after all by marrying the Princess, which is what he intended to do all along. Olympia was remade in 1960 as A Breath of Scandal. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally Liebeswalzer, this German operetta was the third talkie vehicle for the effervescent Lillian Harvey. The plot is a typical Graustarkian affair, with Princess Eva (Harvey) preparing to marry a duke whom she's never met. Getting cold feet, the duke ducks the wedding, persuading a handsome young commoner named Bobby (Willy Fritsch) to take his place. The wedding goes on as planned, with Eva never suspecting that her new hubby is a ringer. Eventually, the false duke confesses everything, leading to all sorts of intrigue before a happy ending can be realized. Love Waltz was simultaneously filmed in an English-language version, which posed no problem for the British-born Harvey but caused a few uncomfortable moments for her Teutonic co-stars (eventually, Willy Fritsch was replaced by John Batton, who'd played a bit role in the German version). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Just before launching the American phase of his career, filmmaker Alexander Korda directed his actress-wife Maria Corda in the German production A Modern DuBarry. Corda plays Toinette, a saucy, somewhat amoral scullery maid. Bouncing from bed to bed, Toinette becomes the mistress of Count Martel (Alfred Gerasch) and, ultimately, the King of Andalia (Jean Bradin). This final liaison very nearly topples the Andalian government, but Toinette manages to survive this ordeal with nary a hair out of place, though she does cry and cry a lot when things don't go her way. It was Modern DuBarry, completed in 1926, that landed Korda his Hollywood contract -- and the rest, as they say, is history. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi