Hans H. Zerlett

This is a real curiosity; at best a reasonable film, but also a charming little gem. There is a story (in the line of "A Star is Born"), but this merely serves as an excuse, as it is more importantly a kind of moving encyclopedia of about 35 stars making their debut in a talkie (although some of them had already made one talkie), of the technical sound possibilities and of film making. Besides all that, it is entertaining and sometimes hilarious and it has fine one-liners that split my side. The film is also remarkable for making mock of typical German film genres (like the overly sweet romances involving the military), of too heavy acting and of film making in general. I have to mention this one: a short, hysterically funny parody of "Der blaue Engel". What this film in fact says is: do not take any film too seriously. (J. Steed)

Berlin, the center of pleasures and kingdom of small virtues. From all over Germany, young night owls come to burn themselves cheerfully in its lights, to drown in its champagne and fill its boxes and restaurants until dawn.

Capricious Lady Virginia has an unexpected double in a girl who works at a fair and wishes for a beauty salon. When the first one's eccentricities lead to her arrest, the second is paid for going to prison. There she meets Charles, Virginia's suitor. When out of jail she will have to fight not only for him but for going through with the leading role in a skating show.

The double standards of a social class, which pontificates with big words what is proper and improper in the world of morality, while in its heart thinks very differently and acts accordingly.

Weimar era screwball comedy about a floor model who is required to go out evenings to escort VIPs while her boyfriend has to wait at home.

With her daughter Anita, a young singer, the widow Marianne von der Halden undertakes a journey into the past. She wants to see her former admirers again. One of them is the chamber singer Paul Schneider, who only remembers his childhood sweetheart with irony. They meet the former student Werner Birkner at his wedding, where Anita meets the teacher Michael Brantner. But the encounters make no impression on Marianne. Until she meets her former great love again at a concert given by her daughter, the general director Elmers. The concert is a resounding success and Marianne reconnects with Elmers, who is still unaware that Anita is his daughter.

A film actress falls for an extra on her set, he turns out to be a prince.

A young woman poses as a boy to ingratiate herself better with her strict aristocratic grandfather and to get him to better accept the new freer ways of the younger generation.

Kathrin von Hagen runs an extremely successful guesthouse in the stylish Löwenberg Castle. Kathrin also has a passion that she pursues with dedication: writing. She would love to see her latest crime play on stage, but the publisher Thomas Brand, who is currently a guest in her hotel, doesn't think much of the work. Some of Kathrin's friends decide to help her by performing a key scene in the play on site and thereby prove to Brand that the play has dramatic potential. No sooner said than done: the castle's library is chosen as the performance venue and quietly decorated to create an atmospheric atmosphere...

Marianne is an accountant, but since she is so pretty the employment agency sends her to the theater. There, Max's gaffer falls in love with Marianne and persuades her to stay at the theater. Once he has to defend her against a professional boxer who harasses her. Although Max loses his position, but receives an offer from Box Manager Schmidtchen. When Max learns that Marianne is engaged, he goes to Schmidtchen's boxing school in Hamburg.

Marie, adopted as a baby by Warrant Officer Guippo, helps a smuggler escape because he saved his life previously. She finds him again in Paris while she is engaged to Count Bertrand.

A customer (Karl Valentin) tries to buy a record in a record store but can not decide what he actually wants. The saleswoman (Liesl Karlstadt) tries to help him – which is in vain, as the customer eventually damages various records and even a complete cabinet during his visit.

German all-star musical from 1938 that was a big commercial success.

A sculptor, an enemy of modern art, sets an example. He sculpts a statue of Venus in the style of the Greek antiquity and buries it in a forest. When it's dug up in 1930, it's considered to be a 2 000 year old, antique statue.

Karl Geschwandtner, a porter in a large hotel, has only one wish: one day, he'd like to be the lord and master, as the saying goes: to be the porter and 'ruler' in the hotel. And luck helps him to temporarily fulfill his dream. But Karl doesn't just take over running the hotel, he feels the need to stick his nose in the life of his hotel guests, too. There are couples, who don't want to be put together or apart. When a valuable jewel goes missing, he plays detective and only succeeds in helping the thief to rob the hotel guests at his leisure. Pretty soon, chaos reigns at the hotel; there's massive confusion. Even the newspaper seller, Wally, whom Karl secretly loves, is slowly starting to mistrust him. When the director of "Hotel Europa" finally returns, he throws Karl out, who thereupon simply rents a room as a guest.

Silent version of a story later remade in French and German as Baby: A count's daughter wants a stage career, her show girl friend wants an education, so they change places.

A story about a series of confusions, in which Paul Ritter, a bank employee, is unaware that the girl he's fallen in love with is the daughter of his boss. No one bothers to tell him and he gets jealous of the boss, who seems to have a very good relationship with the girl.

A son, in defending Prussia circa 1814 under the thumb of Napoleon, washes away the disgrace of his aristocrat father who had collaborated with the French and caused the deaths of countrymen.

A travelling theater-company performs Offenbach's "The Beautiful Helene" when an officer in the audience notices the similarity in appearance between the leading actor Leonard Pettersson and the king Charles XV. With Pettersson dressed as the king and the other actors as the royal suite, they all go to Herrsunda castle where the officer is trying to make an impression on his fiance.

The famous actress Paula Corvey loves the young racer Werner Bruck. One day, Paula's 18-year old daughter returns unexpectedly to her mother. She was living with her father, Paula's ex-husband, but she's run off to Paula, because daddy wouldn't let her become a hot-to-trot actress like mama. Paula just doesn't know what to do. That she's the mother of a grown up girl is something she desperately wants to hide from Werner (no, honey, I swear: you don't look a day over 17 ... uh huh). So, to cover her little horny tracks, she tells Werner that Eva is her cousin. The plan backfires (ha ha!), when Werner falls for the "cousin". When Werner finally discovers the truth, a conflict develops (duhh!), which can only be solved by Paula finding a man her own age (thank you).