Gustav Froehlich Movies
Gustav Froehlich is best remembered to international audiences for his performance as Freder, the young hero of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927). The role was an unexpected turn in a career that was already highly varied before he began acting. Born in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Froehlich (also often credited as Gustav Fröhlich) began his dramatic career when he arrived Berlin in 1921, at the age of 19. He had already worked as a journalist and dime novelist, and as a variety-show emcee. What success he enjoyed as an actor was limited entirely to the stage, where he worked with producers such as Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator. Onscreen, Froehlich's one major success of the early '20s was his portrayal of Franz Liszt in Paganini (1922).Fate took a hand in 1926, however, when Froehlich was cast in a relatively anonymous role in Fritz Lang's Metropolis -- the original leading man, André Mattoni, portraying the young hero, walked off the set during shooting, infuriated over the hardships imposed by Lang, and Froehlich was pulled out of the ranks of the extras in the cast and thrust into the lead. Though his range was limited in the role, his often overwrought portrayal -- whether expressing horror or joy -- fit well in a film that was filled with symbolic characters, and though the movie was not a success at the time, it established Froehlich as a leading man.
After that, Froehlich was typecast as the fresh-faced, naïve "boy next door." His subsequent movies included Heimkehr (1928) and Asphalt (1929), by Joe May; Voruntersuchung (1931), by Robert Siodmak; and Die Verliebte Firma (1932), by Max Ophüls. Many of Froehlich's films of the early '30s were lighthearted musicals and romances, and Metropolis was far and away the most important movie in which Froehlich ever appeared. He later had a brush with notoriety when he left his first wife, actress/singer Gitta Alpar, to take up with Lida Baarova, the actress and also the future lover of Dr. Josef Goebbels (the head of the Nazi government propaganda machine and one of the most powerful and feared men in Germany during the Hitler era).
Froehlich remained in Germany during the Hitler regime and became a movie director after World War II, helming and also writing a handful of feature films in the postwar era. Froehlich also continued to act on-stage, and in film and television, into the 1960s. He spent the last 30 years of his life living in Switzerland, and died of complications from surgery in 1987, at age 85. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1952
The scene is postwar Vienna. Displaced person Toni Sponer (Gustav Froelich), employed as a cabdriver, wants to leave the city but has no identification papers. When one of his passengers is murdered, Toni appropriates the dead man's papers and "becomes" one Jack Mortimer. Unfortunately, there are several shady characters around and about who want Jack Mortimer dead. The location-filmed finale finds Toni at the mercy of the real Mortimer's murderer. Four different production companies had a hand in the making of this minor melodrama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Cornell Borchers, (more)
Starring American expatriate Betty Amann, this still extant German silent film features a young citizen of Berlin, who, driven into poverty, steals a valuable piece of jewelry. Caught by a handsome policeman (Gustav Froehlich), the girl attempts to seduce him into letting her go. She succeeds beyond all expectation and they marry. Born in Germany to American parents, Betty Amann went on to appear in several Hollywood films, including Nancy Drew, Reporter (1938). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Else Heller, (more)
- 1935
As indicated by its title, Baracole is adapted from The Tales of Hoffman. Gustav Froelich stars as Colloredo, who enjoys nothing more than boasting about his sexual conquests. A friend wagers that Colloredo will be unable to seduce the beautiful Giacinta (Lida Baarova). It so happens that Giacinta's wily husband Zubaran (Willy Birgel) overhears the wager, thereby setting in motion a counter-wager that will ultimately result in Colloredo's downfall. The ultimate winner in these sordid surroundings is Giacinta, who is never made aware that she has become a pawn in a dirty game of sexual one-upmanship. Though set in Venice, Baracole was shot entirely within the confines of Germany's UFA studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lida Baarova, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1950
This German melodrama is set in the Paris of some hundred years ago. It is a tale of two brothers: Robert (Paul Dahlke), a gentleman thief, and Pierre (Richard Haueseler), a less gentlemanly prefect of police. It is understood that neither brother will intrude upon the province of the other. But rules are made to be broken, especially when women are involved. Kaethe Dorsch delivers the film's best performance as Robert and Pierre's mother. There are subplots aplenty during the film's 100-minute running time, but things never get too confusing, not even in the English-dubbed version. Der Bagnostraefling was written and directed by Gustav Froelich, a well-known German actor whose previous credits included Fritz Lang's Metropolis, ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Dahlke, Richard Haeussler, (more)
- 1936
The titular "fugitive from Chicago" is Michael Nissen (Gustav Froelich), who arrives in Germany to take charge of an automobile-manufacturing plant. Nissen, however, is operating under false pretenses: he's posing as the genuine auto heir, who's been detained in the Windy City on a murder charge. Despite his utter lack of knowledge of the motorcar business, Nissen manages to carry the day with several moneymaking schemes, proving as worthy of his position as the man he's impersonating. Popular German leading lady Lil Dagover is surprisingly wasted in a minor role. Der Fluehctling Aus Chicago is pure escapism, with no reference whatever to the current Nazi regime in Germany (but with plenty of barbed comments about Chicago gangsterism!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Hubert Von Meyerinck, (more)
- 1938
The title Die Entfuehrung translates as The Abduction, but it's a comedy, so no one gets hurt. Marieleuse Claudine plays Suzanne, an impressionable young miss who frets over her mother Yvonne's (Lola Chlud) clandestine romance with a smarmy lothario. With papa (Walter Janssen) away on business, Suzanne decides to take matters in her own hands. She fakes her own kidnapping, stowing away on the yacht of family friend Gerard Frehl (Gustav Froelich). Though poor Frehl takes his lumps from the Law, it all turns out okay when Suzanne's mom comes to her senses and her dad realizes how neglectful he's been. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Walter Janssen, (more)
- 1954
Die Klein Stadt Will Schlafen Gehn translates literally to Little Town Will Go to Sleep. The town in question is a "respectable" German community, thrown into an uproar when a mail bag is stolen. It seems that the bag contained several compromising letters, which, if discovered, will result in a lot of trouble for a lot of local citizens. Somehow or other, the populace comes to the conclusion that the town's "black sheep," a hedonistic sculptor, is in possession of the letters, and that's where the fun begins. The fact that the film manages to squeeze in a bit of nudity enhanced its salability in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Jester Naefe, (more)
- 1936
The title of this German musical comedy translates as A Song, A Kiss, A Girl. Who could ask for anything more? Well, the critics in 1936 did ask for more, carping that the film's storyline, about the romance between an aspiring actress and an incognito millionaire, was a veritable festival of cliches. Also subjected to critical lambasting was the by-the-numbers climax, as the hero buys out the entire house on the opening night of the heroine's stage debut. Audiences didn't care if they'd seen this story a million times before: they were enchanted by the winning performances of stars Gustav Froelich and Martha Eggerth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Marta Eggerth, (more)
- 1932
Gitta Alper is appropriately cast as Gitta, the singing sweetheart of composer Fred (Paul Kemp). Thanks to Gitta's considerable vocal talents, Fred's songs become world-famous, though with fame comes many a heartbreak and setback. With the help of an understanding impresario (Leonard Steckel), Gitta and Fred are reunited in the final footage. Gitta Entdeckt ihr Herz (Gitta Discovers Her Heart) was assembled for the express purpose of transforming Hungarian stage favorite Gitta Alper into a saleable movie star. The fact that it was an excellent film in its own right was as much a factor in its success as its charming leading lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gitta Alpar, Paul Kemp, (more)
- 1936
The story opens as Hans (Gustav Froelich), a Berlin subway guard, saves department-store mannequin Gerda (Heli Finkenzeller) from committing suicide. Taking pity on Gerda, who had elected to end it all because her brother was in jail, Hans offers to marry her, which proposal earns him a sock on the jaw from his class-conscious father (Otto Wernicke). Feeling that she's responsible for the rift between father and son (which, frankly, she is), Gerda tries to patch things up between the two stubborn men. Her good intentions are nearly dashed when her no-good brother (Paul Hoffmann) shows up with blackmail on his mind. One thing leads to another, and by film's end Hans is obliged to rescue Gerda from self-destruction again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Heli Finkenzeller, (more)
- 1952
Aka House of Life, this German film takes place in a busy maternity hospital. The multicharactered, multistoried narrative is somewhat reminiscent of the 1930s Hollywood production Life Begins. The expectant mothers run the usual stereotypical gamut, from the unwed mom worthy of love and motherhood to the selfish socialite who really shouldn't be permitted to procreate. Linking the stories together are Dr. Haidt (Gustav Froelich) and his female assistant (Cornell Borchers), who has her own deeply personal reasons for her choice of profession. Not unexpectedly, romance blooms between hero and heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Cornell Borchers, (more)
- 1928
Most of the late silent films of German director Joe May exhibited what one cinema historian has described as "a synthesis of Hollywood and Neubabelsberg." Put in layman's terms, May's later films were assembled with his usual German craftsmanship and eye for impressionism, but with most of the audience-pleasing ingredients that would score with American filmgoers. Homecoming (Heimkehr) could just as well have been made by the MGM assembly line as by UFA, but this doesn't diminish its excellence one iota. Set during World War I, the film concentrates on a romantic triangle, utilizing all the "popular" elements within a refreshingly cliche-free framework. The diffused-lens romanticism of Homecoming was not to be found in May's next project, the melancholy "street drama" Asphalt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dita Parlo
- 1930
Originally Der Unsterbliche Lump, this German operetta is based on a popular stage piece by Edmund Eyster. Set on the Austrian Tyrol, the story begins when a poverty-stricken village schoolmaster (Gustav Froelich) proposes marriage to the postmaster's daughter (Liane Haid). The girl's father would prefer that she marry a wealthy farmer, and he sends the schoolmaster packing. Our hero heads to Vienna, where he writes an operetta with the hope of striking it rich and proving to be a suitable bridegroom. In the meantime, however, the girl has been browbeaten into marrying the man of her father's choice. On the opening night of his operetta, the grief-stricken schoolmaster hears the first notes of the aria written in honor of his sweetheart and goes into a rage of hysteria. The production proves a great success, but its author doesn't know it; he has become a hobo and disappeared into the night. Presumed dead, the schoolmaster resurfaces years later when a statue in his honor is erected in his hometown, whereupon his old girlfriend leaves her bourgeois husband and goes "on the bum" with her true love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1937
Having inherited a prosperous soap factory, Severin Matthias (Gustav Froelich) finds that the board of directors refuses to listen to his suggestions. Disgustedly, Matthias drops from sight, travelling incognito across Europe. During his odyssey, he strikes up a friendship with out-of-work soap salesman Fritz (Ernest Wadlow). Seized with an inspiration, Matthias exchanges identities with Fritz, enabling our hero to get the lowdown on the crooked lower-level machinations of his board of directors, thereby supplying him with enough ammunition to fire the lot of them. Matthias also finds true love in the form of co-worker Friedel Reimer (Hansi Knoteck). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Hansi Knoteck, (more)
