Hugo Fischer-Koeppe Movies
- 1931
The legendary European clown Grock plays himself in this lachrymose German biopic. Celebrated by countless admirers as the funniest man in the world, Grock was in real life one of God's most miserable creatures -- at least, that's what it says here. The plot follows along these Pagliacci lines for well over 90 minutes, evenly balancing laughter and tears throughout. Not surprisingly, the film's highlights are its re-creations of Grock's more famous stage routines, in which he is assisted by his longtime partner Max von Emblen. Reportedly, $150,000 was expended on this production -- not so lofty a sum by Hollywood standards, but a veritable fortune in Germany. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Betty Bird, (more)
- 1931
The plot of this German slapstick comedy can be summed up by its English-language title, The Stork Strikes. The humor is predicated on pregnancy, both imagined and actual, both planned and unexpected. The characters run around in helter-skelter fashion for nearly an hour and a half, but all problems are straightened out by fadeout time. Siegfried Arno, a splendid comic actor who later became a much-in-demand Hollywood bit player, heads the cast. Der Storch Streikt cost only about $70,000, but raked in nearly twenty times that amount at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ursula Grabley, Sig Arno, (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)
- 1931
The title of this carefree German comedy translates as Who Takes Love Seriously. It isn't easy at first to see what this title has to do with the plot, which involves a pair of small-time swindlers. Our heroes' latest scam is to steal dogs then return them to their owners for a hefty reward. Along the way, the two rapscallions get mixed up with the heroine (Jenny Jugo), who's smarter than both of them put together. The films of Jenny Jugo could always be counted upon to make the turnstiles click in Germany, and the immensely profitable Wer Nimmt Liebe Ernst is no exception. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Hansen, Jenny Jugo, (more)
