Georg Alexander Movies

Per its title, the plotline of this film is motivated by a counterfeit $50 bill. The funny money is passed to shopgirl Christa (Lucie Englisch), who, fearful of being arrested, hides it in a baby's piggy bank at her home. In dire need of money, Christa's sister "robs" the bank and puts the bill into circulation. Eventually, the faux banknote falls into the hands of Frau Lehmann (Kathe Haack), the mother of a banker (Theo Lindgren); the banker just happens to be in love with Christa. The plot alone is enough to induce chuckles, but the producers of Ein Falscher Fuffzinger felt the need to truckle to the lowest common denominator by throwing in a whole bunch of gratuitous slapstick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The cumbersome title of this German comedy was streamlined as The Loser Wins for non-German consumption. Georg Alexander plays young aristocrat Arnd Krusemark, who, while laid up in the hospital, takes a turn for the nurse-nurse Schwester Gesine (Carola Hohn), to be exact. When he announces his plans to marry Schwester, Krusemark is roundly chastized by his family, who are appalled that he wants to wed beneath his station. While the loud remonstrations of the hero's relatives consume most of the film's running time, the funniest scenes-notably a zany vignette in a tennis court-are visual. One gag involving a nude statue would seem to be an "homage" to the 1929 Laurel & Hardy comedy Wrong Again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "Castle in Flanders" of the title is where six aristocratic British officers are billeted during WWI. To pass the time, they play a scratchy old record on a ramshackle gramophone, eventually falling in love with the female voice heard on the recording. Meanwhile, the selfsame girl, a Parisian revue artiste named Gloria Delamare (Marta Eggarth) must fend off the attentions of her many ardent suitors. When she finally falls in love, it is of course with one of those six British officers, a man who has gone broke and is now a "suitable" beau for the low-born Gloria. The lucky swain is played by Paul Hartmann, one of Germany's most popular leading men of the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A popular novel by Richard Henry Savage was the springboard for Seine Offizielle Frau (My Official Wife). The story is set in 1910 with the action evenly divided between Paris and St. Petersburg. Basically a comedy, the story concerns a high-ranking British official named Colonel Lenox (George Alexander) who is forced by diplomatic circumstances to pretend that one Mme. Helene (Renate Muller) is his wife. All well and good -- except that the Colonel is already married! My Official Wife was first filmed by Vitagraph in 1916 -- and, contrary to popular belief, did not feature Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky in the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "Women's Paradise" of the title is the ironic nickname of a heavily-in-debt Vienna fashion salon. The business is taken over by Gary Field (Ivan Petrovich), a handsome young aviator. The shopgirls all swoon over Gary, especially starry-eyed little Eva (Hortense Raby), who offers to moonlight in order to pay the store's ever-mounting debts. In desperation, Eva tries to flatter the necessary funds out of a rich boor named Muehldoerfer (George Alexander) whose attentions she had once spurned. Touched by her devotion to Gary, Muheldoerfer gives her the money with no strings attached, but Gary suspects the worst and thereby hangs the rest of the tale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alte und Junge Kaiser is "blood-and-honor" Nazi propaganda travelling under the guise of historical pageantry. The great Emil Jannings chews the scenery as aging Prussian "warrior monarch" Friedrich Wilhelm I. Alas, the King is saddled with a pantywaist nephew, Crown Prince Frederic (Werner Hinz), who prefers reading books to marching off to battle. Subjected to all sorts of humiliations by the autocratic Wilhelm I, the Prince reaches the breaking point when his best friend is executed before his eyes. But instead of turning on the King and staging a coup, Prince Frederic finally realizes that he's been wrong all along, and toughens himself up to be Frederic the Great, a true leader of manly men. The moral: Nothing, but nothing, is as important as nationalistic pride and blind obedience. Sieg heil! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Faced with revolution, Queen Alexandria (Mady Christians) abdicates and scurries towards the border. En route, she makes the acquaintance of handsome rebel leader Feodor Karew (Gustav Diesel). Failing to recognize Alexandria as a member of the hated royalty, Feodor falls in love with her. She reciprocates, eventually rescuing Feodor from execution when the revolution falls apart. Once restored to her throne, Alexandria renounces it again, all for the sake of her beloved Theodor. In case there's any doubt, the title translates as Lieutenant, Were You a Hussar? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally released as Liebesexpress, Acht Tage Gluck (Eight Days Happiness) gets under way when heroine Annie (Dina Gralia) wins a huge cash award in a typewriting contest. She uses the money to go to Venice, where she hopes to start her life all over again. Placing an ad in the paper for a personal secretary, Annie is quite pleased when handsome Kurt (Georg Alexander) answers her request. She'll be even more pleased when she discovers that Kurt is an incognito millionaire. Robert Wiene, the man responsible for the surrealist classic Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, handled the directorial responsibilities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forced to work nights, a young Austrian bureaucrat is unable to escort his lovely wife to a masquerade ball. Unbeknownst to our hero, his wife and her maid slip off to the ball on their own. Wifey makes the acquaintance of her husband's best friend who, unaware of her identity, is quite smitten by her and invites himself to her home. She manages to get rid of her lovesick swain by removing her mask and gown and disguising the maid as herself. Never revealing her true identity, the maid enjoys a passionate evening in her escort's apartment. The next day, the husband, who hasn't a clue as to what has transpired the night before, invites his friend home to "meet the missus." The friend is naturally terrified at the prospect that the wife will reveal their romantic rendezvous of the night before, little realizing that he'd actually spent the entire evening with the maid. How this situation eventually straightens itself out is far better seen than described. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide