''Here I Am, Here I Stay'' (german: Hier bin ich – hier bleib ich) is a 1959

West German 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 ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Werner Jacobs Werner Jacobs (1909–1999) was a German film director and film editor, editor. He was born in Berlin on the 24 April 1909. He is best known for his contributions to Modebummel (1951), Der Stern von Santa Clara (1958) and André und Ursula (1955). ...

and produced by

Artur Brauner Artur "Atze" Brauner (born Abraham Brauner; 1 August 1918 – 7 July 2019) was a German film producer and entrepreneur of Polish origin. He produced more than 300 films from 1946. Life and career He was born the oldest son of a Jewish family ...

. It stars

Caterina Valente Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931) is a French multilingual singer, guitarist, and dancer of Italian ethnicity. Valente is a polyglot; she speaks six languages, and sings in eleven. While she is best known as a performer in Europe, Valente ...

Hans Holt Hans Holt (22 November 1909 – 3 August 2001) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1935 and 1990. Selected filmography * ''Hannerl and Her Lovers (1936 film), Hannerl and Her Lovers'' (1936) * ''Catherine ...

and

Ruth Stephan Ruth Stephan (27 October 1925 – 8 August 1975) was a German film and stage actress. She appeared with Heinz Erhardt in the 'Willi' series of films. Biography Ruth Stephan was born to retail merchant Kurt Stephan and his wife, Kriemhilde. A ...

. The film also features a guest appearance by

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

Plot

The singer Caterine, owner of a bar/night club in Paris, wants to marry her boyfriend Pierre. However, at the registrar's office she finds out that she is allegedly already married to one Baron Hubert von Löwenherz, owner of a castle. A former employee had stolen Caterine's documents and married the Baron under her assumed identity — before disappearing with the family jewels. Caterine travels to the Baron's castle, where a visit by his rich uncle forces the Baron to stage a life of married harmony with Caterine as his wife. Eventually, Caterine and the Baron fall for each other, whilst Pierre finds a new romance with the castle's cook.

Cast

as Caterine *

as Baron Hubert von Löwenherz *

as Lucie *

Boy Gobert Boy Gobert (5 June 1925 – 30 May 1986) was a German film and television actor. Partial filmography * '' Island of the Dead'' (1955) – Schiffs-Steward * ''A Heart Full of Music'' (1955) – Granito Bubiblanca * ''Meine Kinder und ich'' (1955 ...

as Gustave *

Margarete Haagen Margarete Haagen (29 November 1889 – 19 November 1966) was a German stage and film actress. Haagen appeared in over a hundred films during her career, generally in character roles. She specialised in playing good-natured elderly ladies. Fol ...

as Baronin Appollonia von Löwenherz *

Paul Henckels Paul Henckels (9 September 1885 – 27 May 1967) was a German film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1921 and 1965. Paul Henckels had started his acting career on the stage in the 1900s. He was well known for his e ...

as Baron Eduard von Löwenherz *

Ann Smyrner Ann Smyrner (3 November 1934 – 29 August 2016) was a Danish actress who was active in the 1960s in Italy, the United States, Austria and West Germany. She played in adventure, comedy, science fiction, crime, and horror movies, among which are ...

as Karin * as Pierre *

Wolfgang Neuss Wolfgang Neuss (3 December 1923 – 5 May 1989) was a German actor and Kabarett artist. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he also became famous for his political engagement, first for the SPD, then for the extra-parliamentary opposition, ''APO''. H ...

as Presenter *

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

as Themselves

Production

''Hier bin ich - hier bleib ich'' was directed by

and produced by

. The screenplay was written by Curth Flatow and Eckart Hachfeld, based on the play ' by Raymond Vincy and Jean Valmy. An earlier French film of 1954 is also based on this play. Filming took place from 16 October to 11 November 1958 in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

and Schloss Seehof in

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

, as well as at the

Spandau Studios The Spandau Studios or CCC Studios were film and television studios located in Spandau, a suburb of Berlin. They were established in 1949 following the Second World War by the producer Artur Brauner Artur "Atze" Brauner (born Abraham Brauner; ...

in Berlin. The line producer of the film was

Horst Wendlandt Horst Otto Gregor Wendlandt (15 March 1922 – 30 August 2002) was a German film producer. He produced more than 100 films between 1956 and 2002. In the 1960s Horst Wendlandt's production company Rialto Film produced films based on Edgar Wa ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Walter Kutz Walter Kutz (1904 – 1983) was a German art director.Langford p.223 Selected filmography * ''Nora'' (1944) * '' Dreaming'' (1944) * ''The Silent Guest'' (1945) * ''And the Heavens Above Us'' (1947) * ''Nights on the Nile'' (1949) * ''The Chaste ...

and

Helmut Nentwig Helmut Nentwig (1916–2007) was a German art director.Bergfelder p.254 Selected filmography * ''You Can No Longer Remain Silent'' (1955) * '' Bonjour Kathrin'' (1956) * '' The Simple Girl'' (1957) * '' The Big Chance'' (1957) * ''Munchhausen in ...

, The film premiered at the Gloria-Palast in Stuttgart on 8 January 1959.

Soundtrack

In the late 1980s Bear Family Records of Germany released a soundtrack album for the film, which was notable for including two of the three Bill Haley recordings which had been made exclusively for the movie (including "Vive la Rock and Roll" which featured the then-unprecedented duet between Haley and Caterina Valente, and "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy"). The third Haley recording made for the film, "Whoa Mabel", has not surfaced as of 2011 (like the other two it is not the same recording as released by Haley on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

References

External links

Artur-Brauner-Archive at the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt (German), containing the production files for this movie
* {{Werner Jacobs 1959 films 1959 musical comedy films German musical comedy films West German films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Werner Jacobs German films based on plays Remakes of French films Constantin Film films Films shot at Spandau Studios 1950s German films