Ernst Dumcke Movies
- 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)
- 1936
It hardly takes a linguistics expert to figure out that the title of this German comedy translates as Family On Parade. Curt Juergens heads the cast as Erik, a young Swedish count who gets a big surprise on his 21st birthday. Erik discovers that he's not a nobleman at all, but the bastard son of a family servant. The revelation of this long-closeted skeleton threatens to disrupt his impending marriage to Alice (Ellen Franck), the daughter of a pompous and hypocritical baron. The laughs just keep on coming in Familienparade, as director Fritz Wendhausen takes great delight in puncturing the pretensions of Scandinavian aristocracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernst Dumcke
- 1936
Girls in White is the English-language title of this German semi-musical. The title characters are students in an exclusive St. Petersburg girl's academy. The principal character is Daniella, the daughter of a now-deceased opera diva. Since Daniella is played by famed soprano Maria Cebotari, be assured that the character has inherited her mother's musical talents. Alas, Daniella's aristocratic fiance (Ivan Petrovich) refuses to allow her to pursue an operatic career, leading to a harmless but compromising situation involving opera fan Grand Duke Sergei (Georg Alexander). There's more to the story than this, but people went to see Maedchen in Weiss to see the girls, not concentrate on the plot convolutions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Cebotari, Ivan Petrovich, (more)
- 1932
Brigette Helm stars as a disillusioned movie extra who makes a speedy exit from a Viennese movie studio while still wearing her elegant costume. She heads off to a resort in Monte Cristo, where she poses as a wealthy countess (she's certainly dressed for it!) Jewel thief Gustaf Gruendgens and swindler Rudolf Forster help Helm carry off her masquerade for larcenous reasons of their own, but Forster spoils everyone's plans by falling in love with the girl. Graefin von Monte Cristo served as the basis for the 1934 Universal comedy The Countess of Monte Cristo, with Fay Wray in the starring role. The property was remade in 1948 as a musical vehicle for skating-star Sonja Henie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Helm, Rudolf Forster, (more)
- 1932
Sincere but klutzy bank employee Ernest Dumcke is in love with the wealthy and beautiful Maria Meisner. When Meisner and her father head off to a summer resort, Dumcke worshipfully follows after them. Unable to convince the father that he'd be a worthy son-in-law, our hero gets his chance when he finds out that a rich American with whom the father hopes to go into business is actually a penniless swindler. Dumcke pretends to befriend the fraudulent millionaire, then exposes him as a phony at just the right psychological moment. The music for Mein Freund der Millionaer was provided by Hans J. Salter, later a mainstay of Universal Pictures, where he wrote the unforgettable background score for Son of Frankenstein (1939). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hermann Thimig, Maria Meissner, (more)
- 1931
Panic in Chicago was the third talking-picture endeavor for Robert Wiene, the director responsible for the landmark horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. By 1931, Wiene's best work was behind him, and he was busying himself with minor romances and crime pictures. Panic is a trifle about an American troublemaker joining forces with his German counterpart. It sounds like a comedy, but it wasn't, though critics felt it would have been a better picture if Wiene had played it for laughs. The film was based on an equally obscure novel by Robert Heymann. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Rehmann, Ferdinand Hart, (more)
