Lilian Harvey was a British-born German actress and singer, long based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film Der Kongreß tanzt.
Willy Fritsch was a German theater and film actor, a popular leading man and character actor from the silent-film era to the early 1960s.
Die keusche Susanne is an operetta in three acts by Jean Gilbert. The German libretto was by Georg Okonkowski, based on the 1906 play Le fils à papa by Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières. Jean Gilbert's son, Robert Gilbert prepared a revised version in 1953. The title alludes to the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders.
Women Are Better Diplomats is a 1941 German musical comedy film from the Nazi era. Directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Willy Fritsch and Aribert Wäscher. It was based on a novel by Hans Flemming. The film was the first German feature film to be made in colour, and was one of the most expensive films produced during the Third Reich. The film met with a positive public response and was among the most popular German films of the early war years.
Boccaccio is a 1936 German historical musical film directed by Herbert Maisch and starring Albrecht Schoenhals, Gina Falckenberg, and Willy Fritsch. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Otto Hunte.
The Girl in the Taxi is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Frances Day, Henri Garat and Lawrence Grossmith. It was based on the stage musical The Girl in the Taxi and was part of a trend of operetta films produced during the decade.
A Prussian Love Story is a 1938 German historical romance film directed by Paul Martin and starring Karl Günther, Hans Nielsen, and Willy Fritsch. The film depicts the love affair between William I and Elisa Radziwill. In the Third Reich the film was banned right after completion because the love affair of Joseph Goebbels and the actress Lída Baarová had become public. It was finally released in 1950 in West Germany.
The Three from the Filling Station is a 1930 German musical film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch, Heinz Rühmann, and Oskar Karlweis. Produced by Erich Pommer, the film was a major success for the UFA studio, outgrossing even The Blue Angel. Several songs composed by Werner R. Heymann and performed by the Comedian Harmonists have remained popular up to today. The film also had a heavy influence on Hollywood musicals during the 1930s.
Melody of the Heart is a 1929 German musical film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Dita Parlo, Willy Fritsch and Gerő Mály.
Woman at the Wheel is a 1939 German romantic comedy film directed by Paul Martin and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch and Leo Slezak. It was the last German film featuring Harvey, who had been the leading box office star in Germany during the 1930s, although she made two further films after moving to France.
The Girl with a Patron is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch, and Nora Gregor. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. It was one of a number of popular comedies released by UFA during the era alongside its more prestigious art films.
A Waltz Dream is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Ludwig Berger and starring Willy Fritsch, Mady Christians and Xenia Desni. It was based on the 1907 operetta Ein Walzertraum composed by Oscar Straus. It was influential on the development of later Viennese operetta films. Unlike many of UFA's ambitious productions of the 1920s, A Waltz Dream managed to recover its production cost in the domestic market alone.
Her Dark Secret is a 1929 German silent comedy film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch, and Harry Halm. The film reunited Harvey and Fritsch, who had previously appeared together in Chaste Susanne (1926), although this time, their characters become a couple at the end of the film. This provided a template for a number of popular films over the following decade, such as The Three from the Filling Station. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jacek Rotmil.
Passion is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Otto Gebühr, Lilian Harvey and Camilla von Hollay. Harvey was by this time a rising star, and followed it with her breakthrough film Love and Trumpets released the same year.
Waltz of Love is a 1930 German musical film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch and Georg Alexander. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art director Erich Kettelhut. It premiered at the Gloria-Palast in Berlin on 7 February 1930. A separate English language version The Love Waltz was also produced.
Serenade or Schubert's Serenade is a 1940 French historical film directed by Jean Boyer and starring Lilian Harvey, Louis Jouvet and Bernard Lancret. It portrays a fictional romance between the Austrian composer Franz Schubert and an English dancer. The film was the first of two the Anglo-German actress Lillian Harvey made in France, after leaving Nazi Germany.
Capriccio is a 1938 German historical comedy film directed by Karl Ritter and starring Lilian Harvey, Viktor Staal and Paul Kemp. The film is set in 18th century France, where a young woman enjoys a series of romantic adventures. The director, Ritter, was attempting to recreate the style of a René Clair comedy. The film's content was criticised by both Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler. Harvey made only one further film in Germany before leaving for France.
Black Roses is a 1935 German historical drama film directed by Paul Martin and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch and Willy Birgel. A separate English-language version Black Roses was also made with Harvey reprising her role opposite Esmond Knight. She also starred in a French version. The film was Harvey's comeback in German cinema, following her attempt to at Hollywood and then British films. One source suggested that Harvey paid for the English version of the film to be made out of her own money, as she still hoped to break into the English-speaking market.
Lucky Kids is a 1936 German romantic comedy film directed by Paul Martin and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch, and Paul Kemp. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Erich Kettelhut.
The Girl in the Taxi is a three-act musical comedy written by Stanislaus Stange, with music by Benjamin Hapgood Burt. Set in New York City, it is one of several adaptations of Le Fils à papa, a French comedy by Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières. The 1910 Broadway production was produced by Albert H. Woods and directed by Carter DeHaven; the latter of whom also performed the role of Bertie Stewart.
