Theo Lingen Movies
- 1937
Lessons in Love is the streamlined English-language title for this musical farce. It's another story of romantic misunderstandings and misinterpretations, replete with disguise scenes and indignant renunciations. During the course of the story, hero Alois Weinberl (Paul Horbiger) finds it expedient to assume two false identities. That's nothing compared to heroine Sophie Bruninger (Luise Ulrich), who pretends to be three different people. There's nothing witty or subtle in the proceedings, but apparently that's how German audiences of the 1930s liked it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luise Ullrich, Paul Hoerbiger, (more)
- 1930
More formerly known as Das Floetenkonzert von Sanssouci, this German historical drama is set during the reign of Prussia's Frederick the Great (here played by Otto Gebuehr, who made a career out of the role). Forced against his will to go back to war by his enemies, the King stirs up the patriotism of his countrymen by staging the titular flute concert. At one point, Frederick rails against the iniquities of "peace treaties," an obvious -- and anachronistic -- swipe at the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. This propagandistic sidebar is quite surprising in a pre-Third Reich German film but should not be constituted as being pro-Nazi (indeed, director Gustav Uelcky was forced to flee Europe when Hitler came to power). Still, it cannot be denied that Floetenkonzert is a glorification of war and warfare, no matter how prettily it was put together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Otto Gebuhr, Renate Mueller, (more)
- 1938
The second half of a two-part film--Part One was titled The Tiger of Eschnapur--Das Indische Grabmal (The Indian Tomb) and its predecessor were remakes of a two-parter directed in 1919 by Joe May. American actress Kitty Jantzen plays Irene Traven, formerly the Maharini of the "lost" Indian city of Eschnapur. At great personal risk, Irene escapes her Maharaja husband (Fritz van Dongen), accompanying her European lover (Hans Stuwe) to Paris. But the Maharaja's reach extends far beyond Eschnapur, and Irene's troubles are far from over. Both Tiger of Eschnapur and Das Indische Grabmal were scripted by Thea Von Harbou, former wife of director Fritz Lang. Not so coincidentally, both films were remade by Lang in 1958, then heavily re-edited and released in the US as a single feature titled Journey to the Lost City. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexander Golling
- 1932
Max Hansen stars as the title character in Der Frauendiplomat (The Ladies' Diplomat). The hero is an Austrian duke with a roving eye who treats the various embassies of Europe as his own personal dating services. His galavanting days come to an end when he meets Marthe Eggerth, with whom he genuinely falls in love -- and who, of course, wants nothing to do with him. Famed Austrian opera singer Leo Slezak (father of Walter Slezak) makes his screen debut herein. Der Frauendiplomat was the first Paramount picture produced exclusively for the domestic German audience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Hansen, Anton Pointner, (more)
- 1937
The "gipfelsturmer" ("mountain conqueror") of the title is Franzl, played by Olympic mountain-climbing champion Franz Schmid. Since Schmid's climbing prowess is the film's sole raison d'etre, there isn't very much of a plot. This hardly mattered, since audiences were enthralled by the seemingly authentic footage of Schmid performing his high-and-dizzy specialty somewhere in the Alps. Only on second and third viewings is one aware that some of the close shots were re-created within the safe environs of a film studio. Oddly, Der Gipfelsturmer ends with Schmid reaching the top of the mountain, leaving the audience to scratch its collective head in wonderment as to how he's going to get down. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
An uneven comedy that opens well and then slows down, Der Teufel Hat Gut Lachen features three tramps, Barbarossa (Max Haufler), Clown (Ruedi Walter), and Duerst (Zarli Garigist). The hoboes are leading a fairly carefree life considering their extreme poverty, but when the Devil appears to tempt them with a stash of cash they forget their present happiness and snatch it up. The new-found fortune leads them first into one adventure and then another, and all the while their bankroll is inexorably unrolling. It looks like the trio are heading right back to their starting line. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Haufler, Ruedi Walter, (more)
- 1937
The Man Who is Talked About is the overly agreeable Toni Mathis (Heinz Ruhmann), a gent constitutionally incapable of saying the word "no" (or "nein," this being a German picture). Though he'd rather breeze through life without responsibilities or obligations, Toni agrees to study zoology in college because his uncle (Hans Moser) wants him to. Alas, despite the Herculean efforts by Toni's servant Hassler (Theo Lingen) to prepare his master for his final exams, Toni forgets to show up for the finals and is expelled post-haste. In desperation, his uncle arranges for Toni to get married, and once again our hero just can't say no. Trouble is, he falls in love with trapeze artist Bianca (Gusti Huber), whose father won't let her marry anyone except another entertainer. Undaunted, Toni studies a book on show business and tries out for the vaudeville stage, and the picture isn't even halfway over yet! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heinz Rühmann, Theo Lingen, (more)
- 1957
This comical feature tells the story of Delores, the star showgirl, whose family thinks she works nights as a nurse in a private clinic. ~ All Movie Guide
- 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)
- 1970
This sentimental story is taken from the novel by Heinrich Spoerl but strays from the original. Teachers and students are the focus of the plot, with Hans (Walter Giller) in love with Marion (Nadja Tiller). Uschi Glass and Hans Richter also star in this remake of the 1944 classic by Helmut Weiss. Richter plays a teacher in this production after starring as a student in the earlier version. The student-teacher theme seems to be an inexhaustible vehicle for Teutonic filmmakers. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Giller, Uschi Glas, (more)
- 1932
Die Firma Heiratet (The Firm Weds) is based on a stage comedy by Walter Turczinsky and Jacques Berg. The plot concerns a pompous Baron (Ralph A. Roberts) who is obliged to marry for business reasons. The subsequent in-name-only marriage experiences some rocky moments when both husband and wife fall in love with others. Filmed at the dawn of the talkie era, Die Firma Heiratet didn't make it to the U.S. until 1932. By that time, its primitive sound quality was all the more obvious than it had been some two to three years earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Arthur Roberts, Ida Wuest, (more)
- 1962
The friendship between two rival soldiers provides the basis of this comedy. The tale is set during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The soldiers meet while swimming in the same place. They become friends. When they get out of the water, they accidentally trade uniforms. Together they go to a farmhouse. There they meet an old farmer and his pretty granddaughter. They engage in friendly rivalry for the girl, go for another swim and get their proper uniforms back. They then bid each other adieu and return to their troops. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
A group of children play a game on their island home of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea. They revise an ancient heathen ritual one cold March day by standing in the frigid water. The one who lasts the longest in the icy cold will be referred to as the king of Kummerow. They befriend a poor shepherd who is something of a social outcast, and the group makes fun of a pompous preacher and the mean, miserly miller who tries to drive their shepherd friend out of town. The children rejoice when their nemesis the miller is hauled off to jail to pay for his past crimes in this engaging, heartwarming story. West German producer Walter Koppel used an East German crew, taking advantage of a recently developed color process called Orwocolor. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Dahlke, Ralf Wolter, (more)
- 1937
By accident or design, two pre-Hitler efforts from German filmmaker Carl Boese were distributed to the U.S. during the same week of 1937, roughly five years after both were completed. The first was The Gentleman from Maxims; the second was Die Klein Schiwindlerin -- or, as it was known in the U.S., The Little Schemer. Pixieish Dolly Haas plays the title character, a flirtatious cutie named Annette. Our heroine causes all sorts of mischief for handsome young man-about-town Bob (Harald Paulsen), ultimately winning his love. She also saves him from the machinations of a group of con artists. Though Dolly Haas was unable to sustain her acting career in Hollywood, she remained in close contact with the Performing Arts through her long and lasting marriage to caricature artist Al Hirschfield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Haas, Harald Paulsen, (more)
- 1959
This fictional story tells of a South American dancer and her daughter who wants to marry a man from Hamburg. Mom decided to intervene and gets mixed up with drug smugglers. This is in German only. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1938
The zany German "chase" comedy Diskretion-Ehrensache (Discretion-Word of Honor) was adapted from a novel by Von Hannes Peter Stolp. Heli Finkenzeller plays American heiress Mary Hopkins, who at the beginning of the film is forced into an engagement with a titled nobleman. Hoping to extricate herself from this unwanted union, Mary deliberately gets herself mixed up in a romantic scandal, hoping that the shame she brings upon her name will scotch the wedding plans. Swept up in Mary's scheme is eccentric inventor Peter Parker (Hans Holt), who agrees to elope with the girl provided that there aren't any strings attached. By the time the film reaches its riotous conclusion, of course, Mary and Peter have fallen genuinely in love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1930
(Dolly Macht Karrier) Dolly's Career top-bills the delightful Dolly Haas in the title role. It's a harmless little story about a starry-eyed chorus girl who hopes to become a big star and also keep her virtue, and of the various antagonists who try to prevent her from doing either. The film is highlighted by a number of elaborate dance sequences, gracefully performed by Haas and cleverly choreographed by Ernst Matray. In the largest male role, Alfred Abel does his usual overrated overacting, though audiences were satisfied to the point of applauding Abel upon his first entrance. Star Dolly Haas later emigrated to America, where she eventually forsook show business to marry New York Times caricaturist Al Hirschfield. Dolly Macht Karriere marked the directorial debut of Anatole Litwak (Litvak), who likewise relocated to the U.S., there to enjoy a long and rewarding Hollywood career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Haas, Alfred Abel, (more)
