''The House in Montevideo'' (German: ''Das Haus in Montevideo'') is a 1945
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
comedy play
Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endin ...
by
Curt Goetz
Curt Goetz (; 17 November 1888 – 12 September 1960), born Kurt Walter Götz, was a Swiss German writer, actor and film director. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant German comedy writers of his time. With his wife Valérie von Marten ...
. A strait-laced father of twelve discovers that his long-lost sister, who had been cast out of the family for having a child out of wedlock, has made a career as an opera singer in
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
in
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, and has now died, leaving some real estate as dowry to his eldest daughter, but the bulk of her considerable fortune to any female in her brother's household, who will undergo "a tragedy similar to hers", that is, give birth to an illegitimate child. The father thus makes some immoral suggestions to his oldest daughter, Atlanta, who was named after the ship on which the couple was married at sea. When the daughter wants to get married on the very same ship, "a tragedy" occurs, and not one but two land based weddings follow.
The play was staged in 1945 on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
as ''It's a Gift'', starring Goetz and his wife.
[Grange p.126-127] The story was based on a 1924
one-act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
''The Dead Aunt'', which Goetz expanded and revised for the new work.
Adaptations
The play has been turned into films twice: a 1951 film ''
The House in Montevideo'' starring Goetz himself and his wife
Valérie von Martens and a 1963 version ''
The House in Montevideo'' starring
Heinz Rühmann
Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...
and
Ruth Leuwerik
Ruth Leuwerik (; 23 April 1924 – 12 January 2016) was a German film actress, one of the most popular stars of German film during the 1950s. She appeared in 34 films between 1950 and 1977. Leuwerik is probably best known for her portrayal of Mar ...
.
References
Bibliography
* Grange, William. ''Historical Dictionary of German Literature To 1945''. Scarecrow Press, 2010.
Plays by Curt Goetz
1945 plays
Swiss plays adapted into films
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