''Orders Are Orders'' (German: ''Befehl ist Befehl'') is a 1936 German

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

Alwin Elling Alwin Elling (1897-1973) was a German film director and editor. Bruns p.69 Selected filmography Editor * '' Die lustigen Musikanten'' (1930) * '' Gloria'' (1931) * '' The Squeaker'' (1931) * '' Melody of Love'' (1932) * '' Ein Walzer für dich ...

and starring

Weiss Ferdl Weiss Ferdl (28 June 1883 – 19 June 1949, real name: ''Ferdinand Weisheitinger'') was a German actor, humorous folksinger, and author. He appeared in 19 films between 1928 and 1941 and performed regularly at the Platzl, a well-known Munich ...

Trude Hesterberg Trude Hesterberg (2 May 1892 – 31 August 1967) was a German film actress. She appeared in 89 films between 1917 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' The Rosentopf Case'' (1918) * ''The Story of a Maid'' (1921) * ''Fridericus Rex'' (1922) ...

and

Eric Helgar Eric Helgar (8 February 1910 – 14 June 1992) was a German singer and film actor.Goble p.389 He was married to the actress Lola Müthel. Selected filmography * ''What Women Dream ''What Women Dream'' (german: Was Frauen träumen) is a 1933 G ...

. It was shot at the Halensee 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 ...

Synopsis

Bavarian

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Josef Murr tries to readjust to

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

life after twelve years serving in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

. At first he struggles to settle in various jobs, buy eventually flourishes when he is called upon to impose discipline on the staff of a badly-managed

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

.https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/28/archives/at-the-86th-street-casino.html

Cast

as Josef Murr *

as Alwine Sommer *

Elfriede Sandner Elfriede, also known as Elfreda, Elfrida, Alfrida, Elfrieda, Elftrude, Elftraut among other variants, is a female given name, derived from ''Ælfþryð'' (Aelfthryth) meaning "elf-strength". The name fell out of fashion in the Middle Ages and was ...

as Inge *

as Hubert *

Vicky Werckmeister Vicky, Vicko, Vick, Vickie or Vicki is a feminine given name, often a hypocorism of Victoria. The feminine name Vicky in Greece comes from the name Vasiliki. Women * Family nickname of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), wife of German ...

as Mali *

Else Reval Else Reval (14 June 1893 – 25 January 1978) was a German film actress.Giesen p.210 Selected filmography * ''War in Peace'' (1925) * '' The World Wants To Be Deceived'' (1926) * '' Marriage Announcement'' (1926) * '' The Eleven Schill Officers'' ...

as Leni *

Oskar Sima Oskar Sima (31 July 1896 – 24 June 1969) was an Austrian actor who is best remembered for appearing in supporting roles in countless comedy films from the 1930s to the 1960s. Born in Hohenau an der March, Lower Austria, Sima attended high sch ...

as Schwanke *

Hubert von Meyerinck Hubert "Hubsi" von Meyerinck (23 August 1896 – 13 May 1971) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1970. Biography Meyerinck was born in Potsdam, Brandenburg, the son of Friedrich von Meyerinck (1858� ...

as Rittmeister von Schlackberg *

Leopold von Ledebur Leopold von Ledebur (18 May 1876 – 22 August 1955) was a German stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' Carmen'' (1918) * ''The Serenyi'' (1918) * ''Midnight'' (1918) * ''The Foolish Heart'' (1919) * ''The Golden Lie'' (1919) * '' Th ...

as Der Oberst *

Carl Auen Carl Theodor Auen (16 February 1892 – 23 June 1972) was a German film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1938. Auen was a member of the Militant League for German Culture and also a member of the ...

as Der Hauptmann *

Gerhard Dammann Gerhard Dammann (30 March 1883 – 21 February 1946) was a German film actor. Selected filmography * '' The Man in the Cellar'' (1914) * ''Under the Lantern'' (1928) * '' Eva in Silk'' (1928) * '' Lemke's Widow'' (1928) * ''When the Mother and ...

as Hinrichs - Konfektionär *

Kurt Vespermann Kurt Vespermann (1 May 1887 – 13 July 1957) was a German stage and film actor. Career Vespermann was born into an actor's family in Culmsee, West Prussia, Imperial Germany today Chełmża, Poland. Already his great-grandparents were ac ...

as Hibberlich - Verkäufer *

Hilde Sessak Hilde Sessak (27 July 1915 – 17 April 2003) was a German actress who appeared in more than ninety film and television series during her career. She appeared in a number of films during the Nazi era including ''Quax the Crash Pilot'' (1941).Reim ...

as Annerl *

Leo Peukert Leonhard "Leo" Peukert (26 August 1885 – 6 January 1944) was a prolific German film actor and film director, appearing in more than a hundred and fifty productions between 1910 and his death in 1944. While occasionally he played a leading role i ...

as Hotelportier * Erich Bartels as Chef im Reisebüro *

Anita Düwell Anita or ANITA may refer to: Arts * ''Anita'' (1967 film), an Indian film * ''Anita'' (2009 film), an Argentine film * ''Anita'' (2021 film), a Hong Kong film *'' Anita: Swedish Nymphet'', a 1973 erotic film People *Anita (given name), people w ...

as Sekretärin im Reisebüro *

Arthur Reinhardt Arthur Reinhardt (17 April 1893 – 16 December 1973) was a German actor.Kay Weniger Kay Weniger (born in Berlin in 1966) is an Austrian writer of books on media issues. He published an eight-volume encyclopaedia on international film people ...

as Kompaniefeldwebel *

Gaston Briese Gaston Briese (19 August 1898 – 22 March 1953) was a German stage and film actor. He appeared in more than forty films during his career, which spanned from the late silent era to the mid-1940s. His final appearance was in the 1946 rubble film ...

as Der Dicke bei der Führung *

Herbert Weissbach Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

as Der spleenige Engländer * Leo Sloma as Der Dicke im Konfektionsladen * Hans Schneider as Xaver Murr

References

Bibliography

* Klaus, Ulrich J. ''Deutsche Tonfilme: Jahrgang 1936''. Klaus-Archiv, 1988. * Waldman, Harry. ''Nazi Films In America, 1933-1942''. McFarland & Co, 2008.

External links

* 1936 films Films of Nazi Germany 1930s German-language films Films directed by Alwin Elling 1930s German films German comedy films 1936 comedy films Films shot at Halensee Studios {{1930s-Germany-film-stub