Josef Eichheim Movies

Even as their basic civil liberties were being eroded by the Nazis, German audiences continued to flock to such escapist films as Der Lachdoctor. The title translates as Laughter is the Best Medicine, and the film sets about to prove that theory. Set in provincial Bavaria, the plot concerns a quack doctor (Paul Heidemann) who peddles a "miracle drug" consisting of water and very little else. The charlatan is opposed at every turn by the local general practitioner (Weiss Ferdel) who seems to be acting out of jealousy rather than professional ethics. The fun really begins when a gorgeous female doctor (Carla Rust) enters the scene, raising the temperatures of everyone concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

According to the English-language translation of the film's title, "The Ways of Love are Strange." Presumably this proverb refers to Captain Costali (Carl Ludwig Diehl) and the beautiful Antonia Delvarez (Olga Tschechowa). After a revolution in a South American banana republic, Costali is condemned to death, forcing him to take refuge in the home of his sweetheart Antonia. Posing as the family butler, Costali is safe until he is betrayed by the chauffeur of police-chief Montefranca (Edwin Jurgensen). Arriving at Antonia's home ostensibly to arrest Costali, Montefranca proves to be an ally of the Captain, determined to join forces with him to organize a counter-revolution. So what does all this have to do with the ways of love being strange?? Well? -- if Montefranca hadn't suspected that Costali was hiding in Antonia's home, the whole story, and its twist ending, might never have taken place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

A best-selling novel by Ludwig Ganghofer was the source for Der Jaeger von Fall (The Hunter of Fall). Paul Richter heads the cast as pure-of-heart rice farmer Friedl. Falling in love with an unwed mother (Marie Sra), Friedl ignores her unsavory past and offers her shelter and comfort. He then sets out to capture notorious poacher Burgl (Rolf Pineger), who happens to be the father of the heroine's child. Burgl meets a sad but very timely end, lifting the shame of out-of-wedlock pregnancy from the mother's shoulders. Critics in 1936 felt that director Peter Ostermyer stuck too close to the original Ganghofer novel, sacrificing excitement for the sake of fidelity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Diener Lassen Bitten (Dinner is Served) was adapted from a stage comedy by Toni Empekoven. When low-born British whiskey manufacturer James Potter (Joe Stoeckel) purchases stately Castle Bluehill, he sends his snootily aristocratic neighbors into an uproar. It is especially galling when the bluebloods are forced to treat Potter's new wife Henriette (Fita Benkhoff), formerly the Castle Bluehill's housemaid, as an equal. The subsequent romance between Potter's daughter Mary (Rose Stradner) and Lord Spiller (Josef Eichheim) seems doomed thanks to the snobbery of the bluebloods, but the Potters' faithful servants -- most of them old pals of Henriette -- come to the rescue. The "democratic" aspects of the storyline are rather surprising, considering that the film was produced during the Hitler regime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide