Ludwig Stossel Movies
Born and educated in Austria, actor Ludwig Stossel worked with many of the mittel-European theatrical powerhouses, including the great Max Reinhardt. The Nazi anschluss prompted Stossel to emigrate to England in 1938, where he began his film career. Like many European expatriates, Stossel found plenty of film work in Hollywood of the '40s. The actor has become ingrained in the consciousness of film buffs and Humphrey Bogart cultists for his brief role in Casablanca (1942), wherein he plays a German-Jewish refugee looking forward to leaving for America. Determined to speak nothing but English, Stossel never fails to elicit loud and loving laughter from film audiences by turning to his screen wife to ask for the time: "Liebchen...uh, sweetness-heart...What watch?" Nearly two decades later, Ludwig Stossel enjoyed another wave of public adoration for his appearances in Italian Swiss Colony Wine commercials; he was the little old tyrolean-outfitted fellow who turned to the audience and identified himself (with Jim Backus' dubbed-in voice) as "That li'l old winemaker....me." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn costarred for the first time in the delectable romantic comedy Woman of the Year. Tracy plays New York sportswriter Sam Craig, who becomes incensed at comments about the uselessness of sports made by foreign correspondent Tess Harding (Hepburn). Sam and Tess subsequently use their respective columns to carry on a feud-at least, until they finally meet face to face. After Sam takes Tess to her first baseball game (one of the funniest scenes ever committed to celluloid), the two fall in love. Once married, however, their happiness is threatened by their wildly divergent lifestyles (Sam hadn't intended to spend his honeymoon helping to hide a prominent European refugee from the authorities, nor is Tess prepared for her husband's rowdy sports-oriented pals). When Tess is voted "Woman of the Year", a jealous Sam walks out on her. She endeavors to win him back by cooking him breakfast-with disastrous results. Despite their oil-and-water relationship, Sam and Tess are made for each other, and they're back together for the final fadeout. A hands-down winner at the box office, Woman of the Year earned a "best original screenplay" Oscar for Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin. Nominated for an award was director George Stevens, an RKO contractee brought to MGM at Hepburn's insistence. And need we remind you at this late date of the subsequent lifelong romance between stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, (more)
- 1941
A hunter finds himself in a world of danger when he decides to stalk Adolf Hitler in this taut WWII thriller. Capt. Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon) is an expert big-game hunter from England. While hunting in Bavaria, he happens upon Hitler's Berchtesgaden estate and spots the Fuhrer; he has his rifle in tow, and he toys with the idea of firing at the dictator, even raising the unloaded weapon, putting Hitler in the crosshairs, and pulling the trigger to make the gun click. Unfortunately, this draws the attention of Maj. Quive-Smith (George Sanders), a Gestapo leader assigned to guard the Führer, who promptly apprehends Thorndike, drags him off and attempts to force him to sign a confession. When he refuses, he's brutally beaten and dumped into a hole in the woods, and must climb out and make his way to safety, by hiding as a stowaway on a Danish steamer. The poor fellow then runs afoul of the menacing Mr. Jones (John Carradine), who steals his passport and identity. By the time Thorndike returns to London, the hunter has become the hunted, with Gestapo agents combing the streets looking for the would-be assassin. Thorndike finds an unlikely ally in Jerry (Joan Bennett), a seamstress and sometimes streetwalker who takes him in and helps him hide from the German forces closing in around him. And meanwhile, he must still contend with teh nefarious doings of Mr. Jones Man Hunt was directed by Fritz Lang, the great German director who fled to Paris in 1933 rather than accept a commission from Joseph Goebbels to make Nazi propaganda films. He came to America the following year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, (more)
- 1941
Humphrey Bogart plays Gloves Donahue, a rough-hewn but essentially decent New York gambler. The Runyonesque plot gets moving when Gloves tries to find out what's holding up his favorite restaurant's daily shipment of cheesecake. Paying a call on the bakery, Gloves stumbles into a Nazi spy ring, masterminded by Conrad Veidt. Mixed up in all this is nightclub singer Kaaren Verne, whose loyalties are in question in her early scenes but who turns out to be as true-blue as the patriotic Gloves. Combining a quick wit with quicker fists, Gloves and his "mob" thwart the Nazis before they're able to skip the country. The cast is a movie buff's dream, ranging from Jane Darwell as Bogart's mom to Peter Lorre as a cynical Nazi flunkey to William Demarest, Frank McHugh, Phil Silvers and Jackie Gleason as Bogie's favorite cohorts. The film's best scene would have us believe that Bogart could confound a gang of erudite Nazis with a steady stream of Manhattan slang. One shudders to think how leaden All Through the Night would have been had George Raft accepted the role of Gloves Donahue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt, (more)
- 1941
Down in San Diego was previewed as Young Americans, which is why prints still exist bearing both titles. The film is essentially a gussied-up MGM version of an "East Side Kids" pictures, even unto casting Leo Gorcey in a major role. A gang of teenagers with too much time on their hands decide to pool their energies when the marine-cadet brother of pretty Betty Haines (Bonita Granville) gets into trouble. It all leads to the roundup and capture of a Nazi spy ring, bent on sabotaging San Diego harbor. Much of the film appears to be an audition for several of MGM's fresh young contractees, including singer-dancers Ray McDonald and Dan Dailey Jr. Down in San Diego was also a milestone of sorts, representing the 100th film made by supporting player Henry O'Neill within an eight-year period. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray McDonald, Bonita Granville, (more)
- 1941
Virginia Gilmore stars as Jennie, the daughter-in-law of German-born shoe manufacturer Ludwig Stossel. The stubborn manufacturer refuses to grow with the time, continuing to run his business and his household with outmoded and oppressive "old country" methods. Jennie counters this attitude by encouraging Stossel's employees to go on strike--a job action that extends to his family members. The old man stages a fake heart attack to bring his lost sheep back to the fold, then apologizes for his previous bullheadedness and promises to change his ways. Though released by 20th Century-Fox, Jennie is not mentioned in the otherwise thorough Tony Thomas/Aubrey Solomon volume The Films of 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Gilmore, William Henry, (more)
- 1941
In this B- romance, an innocent young man endeavors to find his fortune in the Big Apple and ends up finding a dog instead. Fortunately, the furry fellow belongs to a successful businessman's daughter who convinces her daddy into giving the newcomer a job. When the earnest young man discovers errors in company files, he tells the boss, gets a promotion and a fiancee-- the boss's daughter, of course. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Joyce, Bruce Edwards, (more)
- 1941
In their first 20th Century-Fox vehicle, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are cast respectively as the butler and chauffeur of wealthy young Dan Forrester (Dick Nelson). Tired of being pampered and coddled by his overprotective aunts (Mae Marsh, Ethel Gryffies), Dan is delighted when he is drafted into the Army. To make certain that no harm will befall their "frail" master, Stan and Ollie also don uniform and accompany Dan to US Cavalry training camp. While the boys get mixed up in one disaster after another-at one point, they find themselves behind a moving target on the rifle range-Dan pursues a romance with photo-shop proprietor Ginger Hammond (Sheila Ryan), much to the consternation of Ginger's erstwhile beau Sergeant Hippo (Edmund MacDonald). Convinced that Ginger is a gold-digger, Stan and Ollie try to break up the romance, to no avail. All plotlines are resolved during a climactic "sham battle", wherein Dan proves his courage and grit while Laurel & Hardy end up captured by the "enemy". Obviously inspired by the success of Abbott & Costello's Buck Privates (it's even more obvious in the earlier drafts of the script), Great Guns is a major letdown from Laurel & Hardy's previous starring features at Hal Roach Studios, with Stan and Ollie looking most uncomfortable as they mouth the inanities written for them by Lou Breslow. Still, a few good bits emerge, including a surrealistic routine with a faulty light bulb and an amusing bridge-building sequence. Watch for Alan Ladd in a jaunty bit role as a camera-store customer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, (more)
A seemingly quiet Midwestern town is the hiding place for a number of sordid secrets in this melodrama based on Henry Bellamann's best-selling novel. Parris Mitchell (Scotty Beckett) is a young boy growing up in the town of King's Row, where he becomes close friends with Cassandra (Mary Thomas), a quiet girl who isn't popular with the other children. Parris is also friends with Louise (Joan Duvalle), a rich girl who looks down on others; Drake (Douglas Croft), a good-natured but self-centered type; and Randy (Ann Todd), a girl with a wild tomboy streak. It's a testimony to Parris' character when Cassandra and Louise both invite him to parties on the same day and he decides to go to Cassandra's, because he's not sure who else might be there for her. However, his friendship with her begins to fade after her father, local psychiatrist Dr. Tower (Claude Rains), decides to withdraw her from public school and tutor her at home instead. Years later, Parris (now played by Robert Cummings) is a promising medical student studying psychiatry with Dr. Tower, and while he's stayed in contact with Cassandra (now played by Betty Field), she remains at a curious emotional distance from those around her. Randy (now played by Ann Sheridan) romances Drake (now played by Ronald Reagan), who has inherited a fortune and is living the high life to the fullest. However, Drake is also involved with Louise (Nancy Coleman), who is not allowed much of a social life by her father, Dr. Gordon (Charles Coburn), and she fears that the more outgoing Randy will steal Drake away from her. When Parris decides to travel to Europe to further his studies, Cassandra asks if she can join him; he's not keen on the idea, but he considers it. He is then shocked to learn that Cassandra has been killed by her father after he learned that she was with child, shortly before taking his own life. Drake, meanwhile, loses his money through a series of unfortunate circumstances and is forced to take a job with the railroad; when he is injured at work, he's taken to Dr. Gordon for treatment. However, the doctor never approved of Drake's romance with Louise and was even more upset when he decided to leave her for Randy; in retaliation, Dr. Gordon amputates Drake's legs, even though his condition in no way justified it. Meanwhile, Parris comes back from Europe and makes the acquaintance of a local resident, Dr. Sandor (Erwin Kalser), while becoming infatuated with his daughter, Elise (Kaaren Verne). He also learns of Dr. Gordon's shocking mutilation of Drake, who is determined to somehow live a normal life despite it all, with Randy by his side. Kings Row was nominated for three Academy Awards (including Best Picture of 1943), and is generally conceded to feature the best performance of Ronald Reagan's Hollywood career; he titled his autobiography Where's the Rest of Me?, after the key line of his most memorable (and challenging) scene in the picture.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, (more)
Underground is an average Warner Bros. suspenser, given a boost by its unrelenting portrayal of Nazis as verminous scum--several months before America's entry into World War II. Jeffrey Lynn plays an impressionable young European who is intoxicated by the "glories" of National Socialism. Lynn's brother, Philip Dorn, is on the opposite side of the fence as an announcer for an underground Resistance radio station. At first scornful of his brother's activities, Lynn soon learns that Hitler isn't the saint he believed him to be--especially after several of his friends are liquidated by the Gestapo. Lynn belatedly joins his brother's cause and, at the cost of his own life, helps the Resistance thwart a band of fifth columnists. Underground is a solid piece of film craftsmanship, lacking only the big star names that would have made it a box-office hit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Lynn, Philip Dorn, (more)
- 1940
This cautionary pre-World War II drama stars Joan Bennett as an American girl who falls in love and marries a German (Francis Lederer) in 1938. At first he seems charming, but Joan discovers that her husband is slowly being seduced by the Nazi Party. Determined to leave, Bennett is forced to battle Lederer for custody of their child, whom the husband plans to raise as a budding Fascist. The Nazi is foiled by his father(Otto Kruger), who crushes Lederer's "iron will" by informing his son that his own mother was Jewish. At 77 minutes, The Man I Married cuts out all slack, and the result is a taut, exciting melodrama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Bennett, Francis Lederer, (more)
- 1940
This remake of John Ford's classic WW1 drama Four Sons has been updated to the Europe of the late 1930s. At the time of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, four sons of German-Czech parentage go off in separate ideological directions. Chris (Don Ameche) remains loyal to the concept of a free Czechoslovakia; Karl (Alan Curtis) embraces the Nazi cause; Joseph (Robert Lowery) heads to America; and the youngest, Fritz (George Ernest), is drafted in the German army and is killed during the Polish campaign. The impact of the original film is somewhat muted here, since the political ramifications of WW2 were far more complex than those of WW1, and also because Archie Mayo isn't as good a director as John Ford. By far the best performance of the film is delivered by the great Russian stage actress Eugene Leontovich, making a rare screen performance as the long-suffering mother of the Four Sons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Eugenie Leontovich, (more)
- 1940
A delightful film that begs to be rediscovered, Return to Yesterday was adapted from Goodness, How Sad, a play by Robert Morley. Clive Brook is ideally cast as Robert Maine, a famous movie star who longs for the simpler days before he became the idol of millions-and before he was trapped into a loveless marriage with his present wife. Maine takes a sentimental journey to the provincial repertory theatre where he got his first break, only to discover that the little troupe is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Without revealing his true identity, he joins the actors and helps to get them over their financial hump. He also happens to fall in love with ingenue Carol Sande (Anna Lee, the wife of director Robert Stevenson), but realizes eventually that she will be better off without him. Dame May Whitty heads the hand-picked supporting cast as Mrs. Truscott, the troupe's garrulous character woman, who is wise enough not to say anything when she overhears Maine letting Carol down gently by replaying a scene from one of his earlier stage triumphs. Long ignored by movie historians, Return to Yesterday was given an honored spot in William K. Everson's affectionate volume Love in the Film (1979). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Brook, Anna Lee, (more)
- 1940
Filmed in England, Flying Squad was the final effort of veteran silent-film director Herbert (Peter Pan) Brenon. The script was based on a popular play by suspense specialist Edgar Wallace, adapted by the late Wallace's son. Carol Goodner stars as the sister of a young man who was murdered by drug smugglers. Carol joins the gang, hoping to bring the criminals to justice. She learns that her brother was knocked off by a crooked cop, who is in deep with the gang and can't escape their clutches. Someone falls in love with someone else in The Flying Squad, and we'll wager you can guess who it is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on a story by Vicki Baum (of Grand Hotel) fame, Dance, Girl Dance finds innocent young Judy (Maureen O'Hara) journeying to the Big Apple in hopes of gaining fame as a classical dancer. Instead she ends up as the "stooge" for raucous strip-tease artist Bubbles (Lucille Ball), who attempts to perform ballet before leering, catcalling, unappreciative burlesque audiences. Eventually, Judy and Bubbles both fall for playboy Jimmy Harris (Louis Hayward), a rivalry that culminates in a hair-pulling, eye-scratching cat fight. Eventually, Harris's ex-wife (Virginia Field) reels him back in, and Judy is hired by ballet producer and entrepreneur Steve Adams (Ralph Bellamy). In recent years, Dance, Girl, Dance has been canonized as a feminist manifesto, due to the fact that Dorothy Arzner was the director and because of Maureen O'Hara's climactic burlesque-house speech, in which she lambastes the male spectators for their puerile chauvinism. It should be noted, however, that Arzner became director only after Roy Del Ruth pulled out of the project. Uncertain how to promote the film, RKO Radio elected to sneak it into its first-run houses without fanfare, and the result was a $400,000 loss for the studio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, (more)
- 1939
A case of mistaken identity is the basis for this drama. The trouble begins when a rich entrepreneur is accused of being the notorious thief, Jean Pelletier, who performed his infamous robberies in the years preceding the war. A court battle ensues. The industrialist states that he suffered amnesia during the war. His fiance found him from a newspaper picture. Pelletier's ex-lover then testifies that the man is indeed Pelletier. Another man swears that he had witnessed the robber's death during the war. The accused is acquitted and goes home. The witness waylays him and tells the man that he lied, and that if he doesn't pay him a large ransom, he will tell the court. The poor businessman is truly confused. His amnesia was quite real so there is a definite possibility that he is the thief. He becomes fixated with discovering the truth. He goes to Pelletier's ex-love, and the thief's mother. They convince him. He really is Pelletier. The man decides to turn himself in, but his lawyer convinces him not to do it. In the meantime, the mistress learning that the blackmailer is planning to spill the beans anyway, takes matters into her own hand. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Banks, Joan Marion, (more)
Fritz Lang directed this sequel to his nearly four-hour Dr. Mabuse silent of 1922 (often shown in two parts, Dr. Mabuse: Der Spieler/The Gambler and Dr. Mabuse: King of Crime). The film opens with Detective Hofmeister (Karl Meixner) spying on the activities of a criminal syndicate. Not realizing he has been seen, Hofmeister is attacked by the thugs and later turns up out of his mind. He is placed in the institution of Professor Baum (Oscar Beregi), who becomes increasingly obsessed with another patient -- the master criminal and hypnotist Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). Baum's assistant, Dr. Kramm (Theodor Loos), connects Mabuse's writings to a series of the syndicate's recent criminal activities, and is murdered for his knowledge by crime lord Hardy (Rudolf Schündler) who takes orders from a hidden Mabuse. Putting all these pieces together is chief investigator Lohmann (Otto Wernicke), whose story plays out simultaneously with that of ex-cop Thomas Kent (Gustav Diessl), a member of the gang who is torn between his need for money and his love for a young woman named Lilli (Wera Liessem). Various clues lead Lohmann to suspect Mabuse's involvement, but when he arrives at the asylum, Baum reveals that Mabuse has died. Meanwhile, Kent's decision to confess to the cops lands himself and Lilli in a room with a hidden bomb. Lohmann traps the gang in a moll's house, leading to a wild shootout. Kent and Lilli escape and race to Lohmann to tell him that Mabuse is behind the crimes. They all race back to the asylum where they discover that Mabuse has taken control of Baum, who sets a monstrous fire at a chemical factory. The mad doctor then leads Lohmann and Kent on a wild car chase back to the asylum where the mystery behind the Baum-Mabuse-Hofmeister connection takes a disturbing turn. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, (more)
- 1933
In this costume drama, a courageous Tyrolean fights to keep Napoleon from conquering his German homeland. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Zum Goldnen Anker (The Golden Anchor) was the German-language version of the Marcel Pagnol masterpiece Marius. Jakob Tiedtke steps into the central role of Marseilles tavernkeeper Cesare, the character immortalized in the French-language version by the great Raimu. Cesare's irresponsible son Marius (Karl Ettinger) seduces the lovely Fanny (Lucie Hoeflich), who hopes that this indiscretion will lead to marriage. Alas, Marius begins to show signs of restlessness, whereupon Fanny magnanimously offers to give him his freedom, even though there's a baby on the way. Despite Cesare's insistence that Marius make an honest woman of Fanny, the girl makes certain that Marius will be able to follow his heart and set off to sea. Albert Bassermann co-stars as wealthy middle-ager Panisse, who it is inferred will become Fanny's husband once Marius is out of the picture. While the original Marius was followed by a brace of sequels, Zum Goldnen Anker was not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Basserman, Jacob Tiedtke, (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
A sedentary little German town is thrown into a tizzy when several trunks show up from Cairo, Egypt, all marked "O.F." This is followed by a telegram announcing that "O.F." is arriving soon and will expect accommodations. A newspaper reporter tells everyone that the mystery man is a millionaire. In preparation for his arrival, the town goes into a frenzy of construction, building a cinema, an opera house, a casino and several other moneymaking enterprises. It turns out that the reporter has no more idea of who "O.F." is than anyone else; he was simply tired of the village's backward attitude and wanted to improve its economy. Coda: An actress named Ola Fallon vents her anger upon discovering that her staff has inadvertently sent her luggage to the wrong town. A warmhearted German satire, Trunks of Mr. O.F. was fortunately completed just before the burgeoning Nazi movement declared such films as "inessential." The film served to introduce a young ingenue by the name of Hedi Keisler, who went on to Hollywood fame and fortune as Hedy Lamarr, and was also the third film of a wide-eyed stage comedian who was born Laszlo Lowenstein, but who billed himself as Peter Lorre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1931
Outside of Emperor Franz Joseph, there was no member of the Hapsburg dynasty who showed up in films as often as Empress Elizabeth of Austria. Lil Dagover plays the celebrated empress in this film, which deftly combines fact and fiction into one lavish movie package. Though wed to Franz Joseph (Paul Otto) and expected to comport herself in a regal manner, Elizabeth is too much the free spirit to tie herself down to protocol. Escaping the stuffiness of the Austro-Hungarian royal court, she chooses to live a carefree existence among the people. Elizabeth returns to the palace a shade too late to save her unhappy son Crown Prince Rudolf from committing suicide out of love for the beautiful Countess Mary Vetsera (this subplot later served as the basis for the 1937 film Mayerling). Again fleeing her responsibilities Elizabeth wanders aimlessly around the world until her own life is ended by an assassin's bullet. Amazingly, Elisabeth von Oesterreich manages to pack all this into a brisk 74 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil Dagover, Maria Solveig, (more)
- 1931
It must have galled American filmgoers of 1931 to watch all those happy Germans downing legal flagons of beer in the frothy operetta Bockbierfest. Ludwig Stossel (who years later played the "little ol' winemaker" in a series of TV commercials) plays Livius Heitze, the president of an anti-alcohol society. Though Livius is an abstainer, he's not exactly a prude: one of his two daughters is illegitimate, and neither is aware of the other's existence. By and by, both girls fall in love with men in the beer business, causing a double headache for Livius when he finds out. Bockbierfest is enlivened by three rousing songs, the best of which is If Had My Youth Again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ludwig Stossel, Margarete Kupfer, (more)
- 1931
In this German comedy, an enterprising American uncle comes from Chicago goes to the tiny town of Groditzkirchen to make a fortune on credit even though he only has $10 to his name. To do so, he enlists the aide of a bank clerk and begins posing as a millionaire. The bank clerk is aware that it's all a sham and may fail dismally, but he is an adventurous soul and decides the risk is worth it if he can acquire a fortune for his girlfriend and himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
