Helmut Weiss (January 25, 1907 – January 13, 1969) was a German

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. He was notable for directing '' Tell the Truth'' the first film produced in what was to become the future

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was made in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

in the

British Zone of Occupation Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France ...

. Much of the film had already been made at the

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

studios in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

shortly before the arrival of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

, but Weiss dramatically re-shot it. The film was significant in its use of outdoor locations in common with other post-war

rubble film Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary ...

Selected filmography

Actor

* '' Trouble Backstairs'' (1935) * ''

Scandal at the Fledermaus ''Scandal at the Fledermaus'' (German: ''Skandal um die Fledermaus'') is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Viktor de Kowa, Maria Andergast and Adele Sandrock. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin.Klaus p.192 Th ...

'' (1936) * ''

Family Parade ''Family Parade'' (german: Familienparade) is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Fritz Wendhausen and starring Ernst Dumcke, Curd Jürgens and Amanda Lindner. It was shot at the Halensee Studios in Berlin.Klaus p.68 The film's sets were desig ...

'' (1936) * '' Nanon'' (1938) * ''

Kitty and the World Conference ''Kitty and the World Conference'' (german: Kitty und die Weltkonferenz) is a 1939 German comedy film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring Hannelore Schroth, Fritz Odemar and Christian Gollong. It is a screwball comedy set against the backdr ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Leghorn Hat ''The Leghorn Hat'' (german: Der Florentiner Hut) is a 1939 German period comedy film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Heinz Rühmann, Herti Kirchner and Christl Mardayn. It is based on the 1851 play '' The Italian Straw Hat'' written ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Girl from Fano ''The Girl from Fano'' (german: Das Mädchen von Fanö) is a 1941 German drama film directed by Hans Schweikart and starring Brigitte Horney, Joachim Gottschalk and Gustav Knuth.Hake p. 215 The film is based on a novel by Günther Weisenborn and i ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Gasman ''The Gasman'' (german: Der Gasmann) is a 1941 German comedy film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Heinz Rühmann, Anny Ondra and Walter Steinbeck.Bock & Bergfelder p. 347 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin and premiered in the c ...

'' (1941) * ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

'' (1942) * '' Love and Trumpets'' (1954) * ''

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

'' (1955) * ''

Fanny Hill ''Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure''—popularly known as ''Fanny Hill''—is an erotic novel by English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London,Wagner, "Introduction", ...

'' (1964)

Screenwriter

* ''

I Entrust My Wife to You ''I Entrust My Wife to You'' (german: Ich vertraue Dir meine Frau an) is a 1943 German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Heinz Rühmann, Adina Mandlová, and Werner Fuetterer. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. Th ...

'' (1943) * ''

Hello, Fraulein! ''Hello, Fraulein!'' (german: Hallo, Fräulein!) is a 1949 German musical film directed by Rudolf Jugert and starring Margot Hielscher, Hans Söhnker and Peter van Eyck. It was made by the Munich-based company Bavaria Film in what would shortly ...

'' (1949) * ''

Beloved Liar ''Beloved Liar'' (german: Geliebter Lügner) is a 1950 West German romantic comedy film directed by Hans Schweikart and starring Elfie Mayerhofer, Hans Söhnker and Gustav Knuth.Bock & Bergfelder p.252 It was made at the Bavaria Studios in Munich ...

'' (1950) * ''

Street Serenade ''Street Serenade'' (german: Straßenserenade) is a 1953 West German musical film, musical comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Vico Torriani, Sybil Werden and Otto Gebühr. It was made at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's ...

'' (1953) * '' Santa Lucia'' (1956) * ''

Paradise for Sailors ''Paradise for Sailors'' (german: Paradies der Matrosen) is a 1959 West German comedy film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Margit Saad, Boy Gobert and Mara Lane.Goble p. 901 The film's sets were designed by the art director Willi Herrmann ...

'' (1959)

Director

* ''

Die Feuerzangenbowle ''Die Feuerzangenbowle'' (''The Fire Tongs Bowl'', ''The Punch Bowl'') is a German novel, later adapted into several films, which tells the story of a famous writer going undercover as a pupil at a small town gymnasium after his friends tell him ...

'' (1944) * ''

Quax in Africa ''Quax in Africa'' (german: Quax in Afrika) is a German comedy adventure film produced from 1943–1944 and released in 1947, directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Heinz Rühmann, Hertha Feiler, and Lothar Firmans. It is a sequel to the 1941 fi ...

'' (not completed during the Reich; allied ban in 1945; shown in West Germany in 1953) * '' Tell the Truth'' (1946) * ''

King of Hearts The king of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. King of Hearts may also refer to: Games * The King of Hearts Has Five Sons, card game that may have been a precursor to Cluedo Books * King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in W ...

'' (1947) * '' Tromba'' (1949) * ''

Don't Dream, Annette ''Don't Dream, Annette'' (german: Träum' nicht, Annette) is a 1949 German comedy film directed by Eberhard Klagemann and Helmut Weiss and starring Jenny Jugo, Max Eckard and Karl Schönböck. It was made by DEFA in the Soviet Zone of Germany wh ...

'' (1949) * ''

The Disturbed Wedding Night ''The Disturbed Wedding Night'' (german: Die gestörte Hochzeitsnacht) is a 1950 West German comedy film directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Curd Jürgens, Ilse Werner, and Susanne von Almassy. It is based on the 1944 British play ''Is Your Ho ...

'' (1950) * ''

My Friend the Thief ''My Friend the Thief'' (german: Mein Freund, der Dieb) is a 1951 West German comedy film directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Hans Söhnker, Vera Molnar and Hardy Krüger.Bock & Bergfelder p.451 It was shot at the Göttingen Studios. The film's ...

'' (1951) * ''

Once on the Rhine ''Once on the Rhine'' (german: Einmal am Rhein) is a 1952 West German comedy drama film directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Maria Paudler, Jupp Hussels, and Paul Henckels. It was shot at the Wiesbaden Studios in Hesse and on location Rüdes ...

'' (1952) * '' Hubertus Castle'' (1954) * '' Love and Trumpets'' (1954) * ''

The First Day of Spring ''The First Day of Spring'' (german: Der erste Frühlingstag) is a 1956 West German comedy film directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Luise Ullrich, Paul Dahlke and Ingeborg Schöner.Parish p.505 It was based on the 1935 play ''Call It a Day'' by ...

'' (1956) * ''

Engagement at Wolfgangsee ''Engagement at Wolfgangsee'' (German: ''Verlobung am Wolfgangsee'') is a 1956 Austrian comedy film directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Ingrid Andree, Wolf Albach-Retty and Maria Andergast. The film was shot in Agfacolor at the Schönbrunn Studi ...

'' (1956) * '' Lemke's Widow'' (1957) * ''

An American in Salzburg An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian a ...

'' (1958) * '' Every Day Isn't Sunday'' (1959) * ' (1959) * ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a tw ...

'' (1961)

References

Bibliography

External links

* 1907 births 1969 deaths German male film actors Mass media people from Göttingen 20th-century German male actors {{Germany-film-director-stub