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Die Fledermaus (1937)
Character: Staatsanwalt Wentin / Frank
The delightful Johann Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus was mercilessly lampooned in this truly bizarre production. For starters, a framing device has been added: After appearing in 300 consecutive appearances of Fledermaus (which translates as The Bat) the lead tenor (Georg Alexander) imagines that he's seeing bats everywhere. Driven a bit over the edge by all this, he falls asleep and has a nightmare about the opera, with a group of non-singers cast in the leading roles. The original libretto about romantic assignations, political imprisonments and mistaken identity is burlesqued to the hilt: at one point, the hero finds out that his prison cell is surrounded by rubber tubes!
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Wie sag' ich's meinem Mann? (1932)
Character: Direktor Hans Oltendorff
The film starts in the fashionable seaside resort on the Baltic, Heringsdorf, where Renate Müller spends a secret weekend away from her husband with her bosom friend Ida Wüst. The husband meanwhile has a flirtation while traveling by night train from Frankfurt to Berlin, nice atmospheric shots of sleeper and dining car in the morning. The action continues in the luxury villas and apartments of Berlin, Renate Müller wears a string of very elegant outfits. Misunderstandings, jealousies, temporary separation of husband and wife, a few songs, wicked humour.
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Der Orlow (1927)
Character: Jolly Jefferson
Based on the operetta of the same name.
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Die schönste Frau der Welt (1924)
Character: Mario Sarlo
Fred Holme is looking for candidates for the beauty contest in his London newspaper. In Rome he discovered the most beautiful woman in the world, the young arts and craftswoman Lucia Sarlo.
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Die Frau mit den Millionen (1923)
Character: Anatole Pigeard
Here Richter plays an Armenian princess whose father is being held prisoner by a despotic and corrupt pasha. A confrontation at the New Year’s Eve Ball at the Paris Opera leads to the princess being wrongly suspected of attempted assassination against the pasha. With the help of an English diplomat, she manages to flee Paris, but the pasha and his henchmen are hot on her heels. This marks the start of an extended, action-driven cat-and-mouse game that stretches to the outer regions of the Bosporus – and back again.
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Heimat (1938)
Character: Ludwig Prinz von Ilmingen
In 1885, famous New York Metropolitan Opera singer Maddalena dall' Orto is scheduled to perform at a festival in the German residence of Ilmingen. It soon becomes obvious that she is non other than Magda von Schwartze, who left the town eight years ago against her father's wishes to become a singer.
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Das Schloß in Flandern (1936)
Character: Bob Harrogate
Officers stationed in a castle in Flandes during WWI are comforted by Gloria Delamare's recorded voice. One of them even writes her a letter that will never be sent. When the war is over Miss Delamare takes a tour in Belgium and spends a night in that castle. Most unexpectedly her former admirer appears and they dine and dance together. In the morning he has disappeared and she finds the letter. She tries to find him, only to discover he is presumably dead and involved in a family secret.
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Geld fällt vom Himmel (1938)
Character: Leopold Pasemann
Leopold Pasemann, owner of an auto parts factory, is looking for an heir. Since he has no children of his own, he makes an offer to his late brother's two sons and daughter: each will receive a check for 5,000 marks. Whoever makes the most of it in a year will be appointed as his universal heir. While Gustav works on an invention and Christian opens an advertising agency, Hannelore starts her own fashion salon. She falls in love with Hans Promm, who works as a department head for her uncle. What she doesn't know, however, is that her uncle has tasked Hans with monitoring what the three of them do with the money.
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Mamsell Nitouche (1931)
Character: Der Leutnant
A convent organist escorts a young lady who has been boarding there,home to be married, but various romantic complications ensue.
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Lola Montez, die Tänzerin des Königs (1922)
Character: Studiosus Ludwig von Hirschberg
Deviating from the historical facts, Lola is introduced as a young Spanish “Gypsy” who becomes involuntarily embroiled in an attempt to poison the Infante of Spain (a short but splendid cameo by Heinrich George). As a result, she has to flee the country, arriving first in Italy, where she is taught how to act like a lady. Later, in Paris, she is invited to dance at the city’s prestigious opera house, becoming a worldwide sensation. She then becomes secretly involved in a revolutionary plot by Louis Napoléon, the future emperor of France. When the plot fails, Lola is once again forced to flee, this time to Munich, where she captures the attention of Ludwig I. Their ensuing affair arouses a great deal of hatred among the people and the establishment, however. In the end, Lola has no choice but to leave again, and vanishes into the night mist.
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Eins + Eins = Drei (1927)
Character: Peter
Paul and Peter share a garret flat. Paul is smitten with Anni, but her father forbids their match. Then Paul inherits a fortune—on one condition: he mustn’t marry “a girl.” Desperate, they scheme a sham marriage: Peter weds Anni so she’s no longer “a girl,” allowing Paul to claim his inheritance. Jealous at first, Paul watches as Peter and Anni wed, until, after their quick divorce, Paul finally wins Anni’s hand for real.
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Das Recht auf Liebe (1930)
Character: Georg Hess
With a script co-written by Weimar-era sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld, this enlightened drama deals with WWI soldiers who have become impotent due to wounds but still want to marry.
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Ehe mit beschränkter Haftung (1931)
Character: Dr. Wender, Rechtsanwalt
Though "blessed" with a complex title, which translates as Marriage with Limited Liability, this German comedy was adapted from the more simply titled stage play Causa Kaiser. Composer Georg Kaiser is unable to secure a divorce from his wife, so he "lives in sin" with his singer-sweetheart Causa. The girl's wealthy uncle dies, leaving her millions -- provided she is married to Georg Kaiser. Hoping to take advantage of a legal loophole, Georg seeks out another man named George Kaiser, intending to marry him off to Causa so that she can collect her legacy. Georg Kaiser # 2 is a middle-aged naif who can't understand why his new bride is so cold to him. When he finds out he's been duped by Kaiser #1, Kaiser #2 finds solace in the arms of another woman closer to his own age, which somehow leads to a happy ending for all concerned.
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Ein idealer Gatte (1935)
Character: Lord Arthur Goring
Sir Robert Chiltern is a successful Government minister, well-off and with a loving wife. All this is threatened when Mrs Cheveley appears in London with damning evidence of a past misdeed. Sir Robert turns for help to his friend Lord Goring, an apparently idle philanderer and the despair of his father. Goring knows the lady of old, and, for him, takes the whole thing pretty seriously.
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Moderne Mitgift (1932)
Character: Georg Helmbach
Dan Douglas is a typical Scottish. When his niece Evelyne marries engineer Fred Keller aboard the ship to Scotland, he gives her a pearl necklace as dowry, but it's false. The newlyweds face their differences when the necklace gets lost.
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Ist mein Mann nicht fabelhaft? (1933)
Character: Viktor Brandt
Trying to impress his wife, a newly-wed office clerk makes up a story about being promoted to manager of a record-company.
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Frau Luna (1941)
Character: Präsident Felix Lüdecke
Berlin's theatre crowd is excited about the new operetta "Frau Luna". But for the head of the city's vice police, who was invited to the dress rehearsal, the costumes for the ladies onstage are a bit too revealing. He demands the show be cancelled as offensive. The president of the Thusneldenbund has taken it upon himself to alert everyone about the growth of immorality in the capital. The theatre director Knopp has come up with an idea to convince these "fine" gentlemen to let the operetta go onstage again: He intends to win over the friendship of the moral police and then nothing will stand in the way of "Frau Luna" once more being performed.
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Durchlaucht amüsiert sich (1932)
Character: Fürst Michael
Princess Melanie wants to examine her future husband and pretends to be his maid. His Highness plays the secretary. While a goofy servant mimics the baron, he himself takes time to flirt with the alleged maid.
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Die Bräutigamswitwe (1931)
Character: George Brown, ein reicher Junggeselle
The night before his wedding George gets drunk and marries a chorus girl. Her boyfriend appears, they fight and are believed dead, so she is now "the bridegroom's widow" (die Bräutigamswitwe). When they both come back one after another they must hide from the Police as they believe they have murdered each other, while the inspector believes there are ghosts in the house.
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Rendezvous in Wien (1936)
Character: Percy Poole - englischer Verleger
Gusti Aigner and Franz Lenhardt are in love, but composer Lenhardt is too shy and bashful to go out and sell his compositions to music publishers. Gusti takes the burden on herself; and while there are complications and humorous situations she runs into.
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Trara um Liebe (1931)
Character: Rittmeister Graf Rudi von Werthern
Caught by Archduke Max in an embarrassing situation with Marie-Charlote, Captain Rudi is forced into marriage. Yet he approaches actress Josefine, the Archduke's girlfriend, being outright transferred as punishment. Then both girls appear.
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Die Kleine vom Varieté (1926)
Character: Dr. Peter Kretschmar
Peter Verdy falls in love with Lola (Ossi Oswalda) who is mistaken for a boy when she appears in stage regalia before a rich uncle who has other marriage plans for his nephew. The tangle ensuing is finally sorted out with excellent results all round.
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Ein bisschen Liebe für dich (1932)
Character: Mr. Brown, Fabrikant
When his wife storms out of a dinner planned for his American boss (because their dog is not allowed at the table) an engineer substitutes his secretary and pretends she is the wife
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Verliebtes Abenteuer (1938)
Character: Maréchal
Charming Tom is pursuing fine Olivia both cheerfully and stubbornly. At first, she rejects him brutally; but then she finds pleasure in this intrusive guy, who’s following her everywhere. They spend an evening together; but afterwards, Olivia determines, that a valuable bracelet has been stolen from her. Now she thinks Tom is the infamous jewel thief, who’s been terrorizing the neighborhood.
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The Love Waltz (1930)
Character: Grandduke Peter Ferdinand
Originally Liebeswalzer, this German operetta was the third talkie vehicle for the effervescent Lillian Harvey. The plot is a typical Graustarkian affair, with Princess Eva (Harvey) preparing to marry a duke whom she's never met. Getting cold feet, the duke ducks the wedding, persuading a handsome young commoner named Bobby (Willy Fritsch) to take his place. The wedding goes on as planned, with Eva never suspecting that her new hubby is a ringer. Eventually, the false duke confesses everything, leading to all sorts of intrigue before a happy ending can be realized. Love Waltz was simultaneously filmed in an English-language version, which posed no problem for the British-born Harvey but caused a few uncomfortable moments for her Teutonic co-stars (eventually, Willy Fritsch was replaced by John Batton, who'd played a bit role in the German version).
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Martha (1936)
Character: N/A
At the start of the 18th century, British Queen Anne, inspired by her German born lady in waiting, emancipates the country's farmers and peasants.
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Der Fall Deruga (1938)
Character: Baron Truschkowitz
The physician Dr. Deruga is suspected of having poisoned his wife out of greed. She died after naming Deruga, poor and in debt, the sole heir in her will. There are a lot of people willing to testify against him in court, including Marta, the dead woman's best friend. Only his niece Mingo believes him to be innocent and goes out on her own to prove it.
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G'schichten aus dem Wienerwald (1934)
Character: Prince Kiriloff
A journalist travelling by train to Vienna meets an American millionairess travelling incognito. They become friends and decide it'd be fun to swap places for awhile.
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Geld auf der Straße (1930)
Character: Peter Paul Lutz
In this romance, a banker's daughter suddenly breaks off her engagement on her wedding day. She then meets a man who believes in easy money. He sees her as his meal ticket and the two take off together.
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Lady Hamilton (1921)
Character: George
The married Lady Emma Hamilton has an ill fated romance with Admiral Horatio Nelson.
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Die Frau am Scheidewege (1938)
Character: Herrenguth
Following the breakdown of her marriage to an artist, a female doctor goes back to her position at a hospital.
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Der Liebesexpreß (1931)
Character: Kurt Weidingen
Musical about a girl typist who leaves Berlin for Venice after winning a contest. A rich bachelor pretending to be poor takes a job with her and competes for her affections with a count and a tenor. No print of the film is known to survive, and it is therefore a lost film. It is based on the operetta Es lebe die Liebe by Alexander Engel and Wilhelm Sterk. It was one of a cycle of operetta films made during the early sound era. A French-language version, Venetian Nights (Nuits de Venise), also directed by Wiene, was released the same year. From Wikipedia.
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Abenteuer im Grandhotel (1943)
Character: Barmixer
The impoverished Count Lerchenau works under the name Rudi Lindt as a chauffeur. Because he is so well-loved by women, he lost his last position. His former servant Franz has not abandoned him in his time of need and the servant keeps trying to find a rich bride for the former Count. In the Grand Hotel, where the Count is supposed to be finding a suitable mate, he instead flirts with the attractive Alice. In order to get a job with the employer Ottokar Frühwirt, Rudi uses Count Lerchenau as a reference. But then the employer wants to speak with Lerchenau and Franz has to play the role of the Count. Alice, it turns out, is the employer's niece. When she finds out that Rudi is only a chauffeur, she wants nothing to do with him.
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Frau am Steuer (1939)
Character: Direktor Bordon
Maria Kelemen is a secretary in the office of a bank in Budapest. Her boss, director Borden, courts her, albeit she is engaged to Paul (about which she has remained silent). On the day of the wedding, Paul becomes unemployed and takes on the role of a house-husband. During a visit at Borden’s, Maria introduces Paul as her brother, which incites raging jealousy in the latter.
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Die kluge Schwiegermutter (1939)
Character: Direktor Schmidt
The feisty boss of a chain of cafes wants to push the youngest of her daughters off on a husband, who would be well-suited to take over the business one day. And although the widow Bohler causes a lot of confusion in her struggle to find happiness for her daughter, everything ends up working out well in the end.
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Die singende Stadt (1930)
Character: Rudi Feldegger
A tourist guide in Naples is taken on by a Viennese woman impressed by his singing, and who regards him as her protege. This film was released as a German version and English Version known as "The City of Song". Brigitte Helm once portrays a beautiful femme fatale who displays her affection and lust for her tourist guide which is paralleled with the main bodied theme of the early romanticist songs played throughout.
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Liebe muss verstanden sein (1933)
Character: Peter Lambach, Ingenieur
The stenotypist Margit is supposed to take 3,000 Marks to the bank for her boss, Mr. Plaumann, but she lazes away the time window-shopping, and eventually stands before a closed door. She follows Plaumann to Dresden, where he, believing the money is deposited in a bank as a down payment, wants to purchase a newfangled remote control from the inventor Lambach. Since Plaumann’s car breaks down on the road, Margit arrives before him and rests in the seemingly empty hotel room which later turns out to be Lambach’s. Meanwhile, Lambach himself is being spied on by the jealous cousin of his fiancée, who can’t wait to catch him in the act…
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Frauen sind doch bessere Diplomaten (1941)
Character: Viktor Sugorsky
A seductive dancer (Marika Rökk) helps her uncle to fight against the closing of his casino. Through her feminine charm she achieves diplomatic success.
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Die Frau meiner Träume (1944)
Character: Der Theaterdirektor
Blonde goddess Marika Rökk plays Julia Koster, a ravishing red-headed musical revue star and her opening number, "At Night It Isn't Right To Be Alone", playing to a packed theater, is both an eye-popper and a jaw-dropper.
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Eifersucht (1925)
Character: Pierre de Ronceray
A couple are at the theatre with a playwright friend. At the end of the play the jealous husband strangles his wife to death. When the play ends, the man talks to his friend about such a nonsensical finale, telling the author that no man with any sense ever gets jealous enough to choke his wife in these modern times. The playwright decides to test this supposedly perfect couple about their happy feelings for each other.
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Die englische Heirat (1934)
Character: Douglas Mavis, ihr Enkel
Georg Alexander plays Douglas Mavis, the son of a rich English family who falls in love with a Berlin girl (Renate Müller) and marries her. However, he doesn't tell his family, and for a reason: the resolute head of the family (played by the inimitable Adele Sandrock) has other designs for her grandson. Further complications arise when the family lawyer (Adolf Wohlbrück) gets to know the Berlin lady without knowing who she is. And meanwhile, Mavis meets an alluring lady from a cabaret (Hilde Hildebrand).
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Der alte und der junge König (1935)
Character: Erbprinz von Bayreuth
The story of the stormy relationship between King Friedrich Wilhelm and his son, who later became known as King Frederick the Great of Prussia.
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Was ist los mit Nanette? (1929)
Character: Nachtredakteur Dr. Richard Curtius
In her only self-produced film, Ruth Weyher plays the wife of a bankrupt night editor who secretly performs as a vaudeville dancer to alleviate his financial woes. Her stuffy husband, however, believes she inherited money from a wealthy aunt. When the supposedly dead aunt suddenly appears on the doorstep, a turbulent game of hide-and-seek ensues...
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