Ruth Stephan Movies

This German comedy is basically a star vehicle for Heinze Erhardt, a comedian so deeply beloved by German audiences that the content of this film is of secondary importance to the fact that he appears in it. The character he plays is a very agreeable retired financier, a "soft touch," who is perpetually short of money. He decides to take a job to help keep up with his debts and chooses to be a salesman. He keeps at it despite being fired a few times, and things eventually turn out well. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Willie (Heinz Erhardt) is a sympathetic tax collector nearing the end of his career and looking forward to retirement. He champions the cause of the needy and poor by losing the tax information that allows the government to collect the money. His boss is angry with Willie who is in danger of losing his pension over the incident. Pretending to be insane to escape punishment, his actions win the sympathies of a high ranking tax official. Willie's story endears him to the man and the general population and he is promoted to a high paying job in this delightful comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Dr. Peter Bach (Peter Alexander) is sent to a city school when his small village school burns down. The liberal and progressive instructor soon gains a large following among the student. He alternately makes enemies among his fellow teachers who resent his methods. Heintje, one of Germany's most popular child singers, plays his nephew Jan. The students play tricks on the teachers but leave Bach alone in this musical that features the singing of both Heintje and Alexander. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Claire (Cornelia Frobess) and her sweetheart Wolf (Christian Wolf) leave Berlin for a few days of romance at a provincial hotel in this romantic comedy. The two register as man and wife in an effort to determine their compatibility. Taken from the 1935 novelette by Kurt Tucholsky, the story takes place in the days before World War I. The photography and the settings are excellent in this 42nd film from celebrated director Kurt Hoffmann. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Don't try to make sense of the title: just sit back and enjoy this daffy German-Turkish farce. Oskar Sima plays a successful fruit merchant who is busily preparing for the wedding of his daughter (Ruth Stephan). At the same time, Sima is celebrating half a century in the fruit business. One of his biggest suppliers, a Turkish potentate, gratefully offers Sima an anniversary present: A collection of lovelies from his harem. The veiled, bewelled ladies cause no end of consternation for Sima, who tries to keep them hidden as the deadline for his daughter's wedding approaches. Originally released as Die Turkischen Gurken, Turkish Cucumber was distributed in the US by the redoubtable K. Gordon Murray under a variety of titles, including Wedding Present and Daddy's Delectable Dozen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The classic British stage farce Charley's Aunt is given a Teutonic flavor in this 1956 release. The story is updated and the character names changed, but the plot, about a young man forced by circumstances to dress up as a middle-aged woman, remains intact. Heinz Ruehmann stars as Dr. Otto Dernburg (originally "Lord Fancourt Babberly"), whose friends Charley (Walter Giller) and Ralf (Claus Biederstadt) are expecting female visitors. The girls won't show up without a chaperone, so Otto is inveigled into disguising himself as "Charley's Aunt, from Brazil, where the nuts come from." The comedy of errors and misunderstandings is played to the hilt, with time out for an unexpected musical number. Charley's Tante was one of Germany's biggest film hits of the mid-1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This German only story is the love story of a young musician for his music and a girl his father considers inappropriate. ~ All Movie Guide