Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters, known professionally as JohannesHeesters, was a Dutch actor of stage, television and film, as well as a vocalist of numerous recordings and performer on the concert stage with a career dating back to the 1920s. He worked as an actor until his death and was one of the oldest performing entertainers in history, performing shortly before his death at the age of 108. Heesters was almost exclusively active in the German-speaking world from the mid-1930s and became a film star in Nazi Germany, which later led to controversy in his native country. He was able to maintain his popularity in Germany in the decades until his death.
For the First Time is a 1959 musical film directed by Rudolph Maté and starring Mario Lanza, Johanna von Koczian, Kurt Kasznar, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. It was tenor star Mario Lanza's final film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer six weeks before his death. The film tells the sentimental story of an operatic tenor who finds love for the first time with a young German woman, who happens to be deaf.
Victor and Victoria is a 1933 German musical comedy film written and directed by Reinhold Schünzel, starring Renate Müller as a woman pretending to be a female impersonator. The following year, Schünzel directed a French-language version of the film titled George and Georgette, starring Meg Lemonnier and a French cast.
Johanna von Koczian is a German actress. She grew up in Salzburg, Austria, where actor Gustaf Gründgens offered her a role at the Salzburg Festival. She later portrayed Anne Frank at the Schiller theater in Berlin, but her breakthrough in cinema was her role in the 1957 remake of Victor and Victoria. She has appeared in 60 films and television shows since 1955. She starred in the film The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi, which was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.
The White Horse Inn is a 1952 West German musical film directed by Willi Forst and starring Johanna Matz, Johannes Heesters and Walter Müller. It is based on the operetta The White Horse Inn and is part of the operetta film genre.
Viktor de Kowa was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet.
Hello, My Name Is Cox is a 1955 West German crime comedy film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Johannes Heesters, Claude Borelli and Kurt Meisel. It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich and on location in Brussels and Antwerp. It is an adaptation of the novel Gestatten, mein Name ist Cox by Rolf Becker and Alexandra Becker.
Peter Voss, Thief of Millions is a 1946 German comedy crime film directed by Karl Anton and starring Viktor de Kowa, Else von Möllendorff and Karl Schönböck. It was filmed between 1943 and 1945. It was based on the novel Peter Voss, Thief of Millions by E.G. Seeliger.
We Make Music is a 1942 German musical comedy film directed by Helmut Käutner, starring Ilse Werner, Viktor de Kowa and Edith Oß.
Nora is a 1944 German drama film directed by Harald Braun and starring Luise Ullrich, Viktor Staal and Franziska Kinz. The film is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House. The film uses Ibsen's alternate ending where the unhappy couple are reconciled at the end. Location shooting took place around Park Glienicke in Berlin and along the North Sea coast, particularly around Husum. The sets were designed by art directors Emil Hasler and Walter Kutz.
The Star of Rio is a 1955 West German-Italian adventure film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Maria Frau, Johannes Heesters and Willy Fritsch. It is a remake of the 1940 film of the same title.
Queen of the Night is a 1951 West German musical film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Ilse Werner, Hans Holt and Georg Thomalla. It was shot at the Spandau Studios in West Berlin.
Nanon is a 1938 German historical film directed by Herbert Maisch and starring Erna Sack, Johannes Heesters and Dagny Servaes. It is based on the original operetta Nanon by Richard Genée which had a libretto by F Zell, although the music for this film was specially commissioned from Alois Melichar.
Dancing Stars is a 1952 West German musical comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Germaine Damar, Georg Thomalla and Fita Benkhoff. It was shot at the Wandsbek Studios of Real Film in Hamburg. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Albrecht Becker and Herbert Kirchhoff.
Mikosch Comes In is a 1952 West German comedy film directed by Johann Alexander Hübler-Kahla and starring Georg Thomalla, Willy Fritsch and Paul Hörbiger. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in West Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Willi A. Herrmann and Heinrich Weidemann.
The Prince of Pappenheim is a 1952 West German comedy film directed by Hans Deppe and starring Viktor de Kowa, Hannelore Schroth and Grethe Weiser. It was based on a 1923 operetta of the same name which had previously been made into a 1927 silent film.
The Csardas Princess is a 1951 German musical film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Johannes Heesters and Hubert Marischka. It is based on the 1915 operetta The Csardas Princess and is part of the tradition of operetta films.
Fanfares of Love is a 1951 West German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Dieter Borsche, Georg Thomalla and Inge Egger. It is a remake of the 1935 French film Fanfare of Love. It was a major hit and in 1953 a sequel Fanfare of Marriage was released, showing the further adventures of the main characters.
Opera Ball is a 1956 Austrian musical comedy film directed by Ernst Marischka and starring Johannes Heesters, Hertha Feiler and Josef Meinrad. Based on the 1898 operetta Der Opernball, it is part of the operetta film tradition. A previous film version had been made in 1939.
The Emperor's Candlesticks is a 1936 Austrian historical adventure film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Sybille Schmitz, Karl Ludwig Diehl and Friedl Czepa. It is an adaptation of the 1899 novel The Emperor's Candlesticks by Baroness Orczy. A Hollywood film version of the story The Emperor's Candlesticks was released the following year.
