''Peter'' is a 1934 Austrian-Hungarian

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

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to cin ...

and starring

Franciska Gaal Franciska Gaal (born Franciska Silberspitz, 1 February 1903 – 13 August 1972) was a Hungarian cabaret artist and film actress of Jewish heritage. Gaal starred in a popular series of European romantic comedies during the 1930s. After attracting ...

Felix Bressart Felix Bressart (March 2, 1892 – March 17, 1949) was a German-American actor of stage and screen. Life and career Bressart (pronounced "BRESS-ert") was born in East Prussia, Germany (now part of Russia). His acting debut came in 1914 as Malvol ...

and

Richard Eybner Richard Eybner (March 3, 1896 – June 20, 1986) was an Austrian actor at the theatre and in films. Selected filmography * ''Spring Parade'' (1934) * ''Peter'' (1934) * '' Little Mother'' (1935) * ''Dance Music'' (1935) * ''The Postman from Long ...

Plot

After a young woman and her grandfather run into financial trouble, she (forced by a thief to wear his clothes) tries to earn money selling newspapers, loudly yelling false news to advertise them. A young doctor arguing that "truth is the mothermilk of the civilisation", destroys the newspapers and tries to leave in his car, but is blocked by her, causing him to destroy a telephone booth. Arrested still wearing the thief's male clothes with his wig found in the trouser pocket, she and grandfather are dragged in front of an understanding but severe judge who make them to pay for the telephone booth. The doctor, moved by the tears for having caused trouble for the 'boy' and her grandfather, asks his garage manager to hire 'him' and secretly pays the fine. When she discovers the doctor has no clients, she starts helping him find some in daring ways. The doctor discovers she is not a boy, but continues the charade. There is a happy ending when she finds out he has secretly helped her and her grandfather.

Production

The film was made by German-based subsidiary of the American studios

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, whom Gaal was under contract to. The rise of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

mean that Gaal could no longer work in Germany, so production of her films were switched to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. Its plot was drawn from a stage play by Sándor Nádas. It was made at the Hunnia Film Studios in Budapest. The film's sets were designed by

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 ...

Márton Vincze Marton Vincze or Márton Vincze (1905–1941) was a Hungarian art directorWaldman p.135 who designed the sets for over eighty films during his career. Selected filmography * '' The Old Scoundrel'' (1932) * ''And the Plains Are Gleaming'' (1933) ...

Josef von Báky Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

, later a leading director, worked as

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

on the film.

Cast

as 17-year-old Eva *

as Eva's grandfather *

as a party guest *

Hans Jaray Hans Jaray (1906–1990) was an Austrian actor and playwright. He also wrote and directed several television films. Jaray starred as a leading man in a number of 1930s films, such as the Schubert biopic ''Gently My Songs Entreat'' (1933).Bergfelde ...

as Doctor Robert Bandler *

Sigurd Lohde Sigurd Lohde (1899–1977) was a German film and television actor.Youngkin p.457 Selected filmography * ''The Daredevil'' (1931) * ''The Leap into the Void'' (1932) * '' Mrs. Lehmann's Daughters'' (1932) * '' Tannenberg'' (1932) * '' The Big Bluf ...

as a police officer *

Grete Natzler Grete Natzler (19 June 1906 – 10 June 1999) was an Austrian actress and operatic soprano. Born in Vienna, she was the daughter of actress Lilli Meißner and actor and opera singer Leopold Natzler (1860–1926). Two of her younger sisters we ...

as Mary *

Anton Pointner Anton Pointner (8 December 1894 in Salzburg – 8 September 1949 in Hintersee) was an Austrian stage and film actor. Pointner's career began on the stages of Austria and performed in both silent and sound films in his native Austria, as well ...

as Steffani * Hans Richter as Hobby, an apprentice *

Imre Ráday Imre Ráday (4 September 1905 – 12 March 1983) was a Hungarian film actor. Ráday was born in Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary and died in Budapest, Hungary in 1983. Selected filmography * ''The Trial of Donald Westhof'' (1927) * '' The ...

as a thief *

Ludwig Rüth Ludwig may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ludwig (surname), including a list of people * Ludwig Ahgren, or simply Ludwig, American YouTube live streamer and ...

as Panne *

Etha von Storm Etha may refer to: * Saint Etha, an alternate name of the 5th-century Cornish Saint Tetha Tetha ( kw, Tedha; cy, Tedda), also known as Teath (), Tecla, and by a variety of #Name, other names, was a 5th-century consecrated virgin, virgin and l ...

Otto Wallburg Otto Wallburg (21 February 1889 – 29 October 1944) was a German actor and Kabarett performer. He was a prolific film actor during the late silent and early sound era. Wallburg was born Otto Maximilian Wasserzug in Berlin, the son of a Jewish ...

as Mr. Zöllner, a garage-owner

References

Bibliography

* Hans-Michael Bock and Tim Bergfelder. ''The Concise Cinegraph: An Encyclopedia of German Cinema''. Berghahn Books.

External links

* 1934 films 1934 musical comedy films Austrian musical comedy films Hungarian musical comedy films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Henry Koster Films produced by Joe Pasternak Cross-dressing in film Hungarian black-and-white films Austrian black-and-white films Universal Pictures films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub