Szoke Szakall Movies
- 1932
The full title of this German musical was Ich Will Nicht Wissen Wer Du Bist, which translates as I Care Not What You Are. Gustav Froelich stars as Bobby, an impoverished baron who takes a job as a chauffeur. Alice (Liane Haid), the niece of Bobby's employer, falls in love with the handsome car jockey, but Uncle will have none of it; he insists that Alice marry someone on her same social level. Amused by the situation, Bobby doesn't reveal his true identity until he is certain that Alice loves him for himself and not his lineage. Originally running 95 minutes, Ich Will Nicht Wissen was cut by a full reel before its American premiere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Gustav Fröhlich, (more)
- 1931
Der Zinker (To Squeal) was based on The Squeaker, a mystery play by Edgar Wallace. The hero is a Scotland Yard detective who poses as an ex-convict. It's all part of a strategy to capture a notorious and elusive fence known as "The Squeaker," who cloaks his criminal activities behind a facade of charitable respectability. Evidently, this German adaptation ran far afield of the Wallace original, since its plot was disjointed and its character motivations unbelievable. An English-language version of The Squeaker, directed by Wallace himself, was released in 1930. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lissi Arna, Karl Ludwig Diehl, (more)
- 1931
The title of this French-filmed, German-language comedy translates as Head First into Fortune. The story is summed up in the title, as an enterprising young girl finds herself a millionaire, for no other reason than she truly deserves it. Musical-comedy star Jenny Jugo plays the girl, investing the role with her usual attention-getting theatrical tricks. Matching her scene-stealing prowess is supporting player Szoeke Sakall, who later went through many of the same motions in Hollywood under the new moniker of S. Z. Sakall. Kopfueber ins Gluck represented a collaboration between novelist Richard Arbey and satirist Charlie Roellinghoff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenny Jugo, Fritz Schulz, (more)
- 1931
Die Schwebende Jungfrau (The Gliding Virgin) is based on the venerable stage comedy by Arnold and Bach. The humor is predicated on the deflation of dignity and pomposity, as the most moralistic characters are shown to be the ones who will succumb the soonest to temptation. Virtue triumphs at the end, but only after Vice has had a roaring good time. Among the talented farceurs participating in the festivities is Szoeke Szakall, who went on to Hollywood fame as S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. To judge by the scathing reviews, no one liked Die Schwebende Jungfrau but the public. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Szoke Szakall, Fritz Schulz, (more)
- 1931
Der Hampelman (The Puppet) is an adaptation of the stage operetta by Gustav Beer and Fritz Lunzer. Max Hansen stars as impoverished Baron Max von Storch, who falls in love with Liesl (Lien Deyers), the young wife of an elderly perfume manufacturer (Szoeke Szakall, aka S. Z. Sakall). When he discovers that the husband has purchased a life-sized puppet for Liesl's amusement, Max is struck with a brilliant idea. Posing as the puppet, he gains access to Liesl's boudoir -- and after that, "Ach du lieber!" Der Hampelman includes a score by Robert Stoltz, of Two Hearts in Waltz-Time fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Hansen, Szoke Szakall, (more)
- 1931
Susanne Macht Ordnung (Susanne Cleans Up) top-bills Truus von Alten in the title role. Ostensibly orphaned, boarding-school resident Susanne believes that her parents are still alive. Determining to find out the identity of her father and mother, she greets the male half of five different married couples with a "Hello, Papa!" This has the negative result of breaking up each couple. Thus it is that Susanne "cleans up" her mess by arranging for the five couples to meet "by accident" in the same nightclub. Once again, Szoeke Szakall (aka S. Z. Sakall) steals everything but the cameras. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Truus van Aalten, Mary Parker, (more)
- 1931
Ihre Majestaet die Liebe (Her Majesty, Love) stars Kaethe von Nagy as a charming Berlin barmaid, in love with aristocratic Franz Lederer. The hero's stuffy businessman brother disapproves of the romance and tries to buy the girl off, while her ex-vaudevillian father Szoeke Sakall (later known as S. Z. Sakall) does his best to marry the girl off to a wealthy baron. Thanks to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, the heroine ends up as the baron's bride, but the couple comes to the mutual agreement that the marriage is a mistake, and the baron gives the girl a divorce -- making her a baroness in the process and thus a suitably "high born" bride for the faithful Lederer. Ihre Majestaet die Liebe was remade in Hollywood as Her Majesty Love, with Marilyn Miller as the heroine and W. C. Fields as her father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kaethe von Nagy, Francis Lederer, (more)
- 1931
Meine Kusine aus Warschau (My Cousin From Warsaw) was based on a stage play by Louis Verneuil. It's a romantic farce, with the heroine posing as her own cousin to carry on two amours at once. Reviewers of the time felt that the film was not so much an adaptation of the Verneuil original as a lampoon, and as such it wasn't quite as good as the play. Audiences disagreed, greeting even the silliest of goings-on with whoops of laughter. Lianne Haid played the lead, while others in the cast included such future Hollywood residents as Tala Birrell and Szoeke Szakall (aka S. Z. Sakall). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Tala Birell, (more)
- 1930
Originally Zwie Herzen in Drei-Vertel Takt, this delightful operetta was written directly for the screen by Robert Stolz. Nicki and Vicki, two librettists who also happen to be brothers, are presently in collaboration with composer Toni. All too aware of Toni's amorous escapades, Nicki and Vicki try to keep the existence of their pretty sister Hedi a secret. Suffering from a acute case of writers' block (he has yet to find an inspiration for his next production), Toni throws a huge party, which is boycotted by his friends and associates so that he'll keep his mind on his work. The only guest who does show up is uninvited -- and surprise, that guest is sweet little Hedi, who turns out to be inspiration enough for ten operettas. Two Hearts in 3/4 Time was a worldwide financial and critical success, with most of the credit going to cherubic supporting player Szoeke Szakall, who would go on to even greater fame in Hollywood as S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Janssen, Oscar Karlweis, (more)
- 1930
Twice Wedding is the literally translated title of this German comedy. Sure enough, the story deals with a double wedding -- not two couples at once, but the same couple on two different occasions. Lian Haid and Ralph A. Roberts, both of whom continued to enjoy movie success throughout the early 1930s, are the stars. Comedy relief is provided by Szoeka Szakall, who likewise continued to flourish in films, albeit in Hollywood, under the new moniker of S. Z. Sakall. Curiously, Zweimal Hochzeit does not show up on the "official" list of Sakall's films -- at least, not under that title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Ralph Arthur Roberts, (more)
