Harry Frank Movies
- 1936
Everything For the Woman is the English-language title of this convoluted German romantic drama. Former German flying ace Heinrich Droop (Paul Hartmann) is given a postwar boost in the business world by Englishman Fred Keyne (Gustav Diesel) whose life Droop once saved. Appointed head engineer at Keyne's airplane factory, Droop seems destined for unlimited success. But things go horribly awry when our hero falls in love with Keyne's ex-chorine wife Blanche (Charlotte). Things look bleak when Blanche's former dancing partner blackmails the illicit couple, but all works out for the best in the film's gloriously unbelievable finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Charlotte Susa, (more)
- 1935
Was Bin Ich Ohne Dich? (What Am I Without You?) was typical of the escapist musical comedies churned out in Germany during the Third Reich. The hero, Erwin Schwartz (Wolfgang Liebeneier) is a young composer. His pal Franz (Rudolf Platte) is an aspiring writer. Erwin's wife Pauli (Billie Bird) wants to be movie star, but he disapproves. Despite this, a big-time director goes ga-ga over Pauli and puts her in pictures, where she becomes an overnight sensation. Pauli's instant stardom has a chain-reaction effect on Erwin and Franz, both of whom finally attain show-biz success themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wolfgang Liebeneiner, Betty Bird, (more)
- 1932
False Field-Marshal is the English-language title of this German military comedy. Vlasta Burian stars as Buschceck, a former WWI soldier who dreams of returning to uniform. He gets his wish when circumstances oblige him to impersonate a missing field marshal. Our hero has a high old time issuing orders until the genuine field marshal (who fortunately has a good sense of humor) finally shows up. Based on a play by A. Longens, the basic premise of Falscher Feldmarschall resurfaced 26 years later in the MGM war-time comedy Imitation General. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Frank
- 1931
Lumpenbal (Vagabond's Ball) is another early-talkie German operetta, with music and farce dispensed in equal measure. An aging roue and his son-in-law conspire to ditch their wives so that they can escort a pair of toothsome young sisters to a ball. The wives find out about their spouses' scheme and head to the ball themselves, compelling the errant husbands to take a run-out powder. The wives proceed to get roaring drunk, whereupon the homelier of the two is crowned "Queen of the Ball." Upon returning home the next morning, the hungover wives receive a harsh lecture from their two "pious" husbands! Didn't this plot later resurface as an episode of TV's The Flintstones? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Frank, Kurt Lilien, (more)
- 1931
The "great yearning" of the title refers to the desire of heroine Camilla Horn to become a famous movie star. Fortunately, director Theodor Loos happens to be combing the countryside, searching for "something new" to put before the cameras. He discovers Horn, and the rest can be filled in by the audience blindfolded. The charm of this picture lies not in its corny plotline, but in its handling by young director Stefan Szekely, who refuses to sugar-coat his depiction of movie-studio life but instead offers something very close to the truth. Die Grosse Sehnsucht features cameo appearances by such German film faves as Lil Dagover, Liane Haid, Anny Ondra, Fritz Kortner, Franz Lederer, Luis Trenker, Conrad Veidt, and many, many more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camilla Horn, Theodor Loos, (more)
- 1930
The UFA movie studios are the setting for this intricate murder mystery. Frequent Fritz Lang leading lady Gerda Maurus stars as The Film Diva (that's how she's billed), who is the primary suspect when a murder is committed on the set of her latest epic. The suspects include "The Leading Role" (Harry Frank), "The Production Manager" (Paul Kemp) and "The Sound Master" (Frederick Franz Stampe). Surprisingly, the identity of the killer is so well hidden that it genuinely takes the audience by surprise -- something that didn't always happen in American whodunits of the era. According to contemporary observers, The Shot in the Talker Studio painted a remarkably accurate portrayal of the German moviemaking process (though one hopes that murder was not always part of that process!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerda Maurus, Harry Frank, (more)
- 1930
Der Tiger is a neat and precise German murder mystery with a not-so-surprising twist. Throughout most of the film, the audience is led to believe that the investigating detective is actually the murderer. It would have been quite a novelty had this actually been the case, but that's not how a "formula" film works. Sure enough, at the very last moment the detective is exonerated and the guilty party revealed. At least the true identity of the killer is reasonably well hidden (though veteran mystery buffs will have no trouble fingering the culprit the moment the actor in question appears). Greeted with hoots and catcalls upon its first release, Der Tiger fared rather better after the studio did a little post-premiere tinkering. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Susa, Harry Frank, (more)
- 1930
The career of German actress Camilla Horn is profiled in this film as Horn depicts herself along the road to stardom. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camilla Horn, Theodor Loos, (more)
- 1922
The peasant girl Marizza (Tzwetta Tzatscheva) goes to work on the farm of Mme. Avricolos (Adele Sandrock), a disadvantaged aristocrat who deals with Pietro Scarzella (Leonhard Haskel), a merchant that exploits the peasants and finances smugglers. When Mme. Avricolos finds Marizza together with her son Christo (Harry Frank) in his room, she throws Marizza out of her house. The girl leaves with her true love, Mme. Avricolos's other son Antonino (H.H. von Twardowski), and Christo promises to marry Scarzella's daughter Sadja (Greta Schroeder).Mme. Avricolos sends the smuggler Mirko (Albrecht von Blum) to find Marizza and Antonino, and he sees Marizza kill the gendarme Haslinger (Toni Zimmer) to protect Antonino from him. Antonino claims responsibility for the murder and Mirko denounces Scarzella as the smugglers' leader. The police set fire to the smugglers' homes, but Marizza and her baby are rescued by Christo. 22/75 ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adele Sandrock, Harry Frank, (more)
