''The House in Montevideo'' (german: Das Haus in Montevideo) is a 1963 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

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

and 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 ...

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 ...

and Paul Dahlke. Professor Traugott Nägler, a man with high moral standards, once has repudiated his underage sister for having a baby

out of wedlock Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

. Many years later, having a loving wife and twelve children with only the small salary of a schoolmaster, he is told that said sister has died in South America, and that he should come with his oldest yet still underage daughter, Atlanta, who was named after the ship on which the couple was married at sea by the captain. In Uruguay, they find out that the sister had made a fortune and owned a house in Montevideo, an ''etablissement'' with several young ladies, that Atlanta inherits some money as

marriage portion A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

, and that a large amount of money could be inherited by the first underage female member in his house that behaves in the same disreputable way as the sister once did involuntarily. Not daring to tell his daughter Atlanta about the stipulation, and definitely not her younger sisters, he is anyway tempted to make ''helpful suggestions'' to her, and especially to her suitor who had followed them secretly. When the young couple wants to have their wedding on the same ship as her parents, they find out that

size matters ''Size Matters'' is the fifth album by the American alternative metal band Helmet, released in 2004 on Interscope Records. It is the first new album since the band ended with a bitter break-up in 1998, and it is also their final album to be re ...

, and that Prof. Nägler has led a far more immoral life than his sister ever did. The film was based on the 1945 play '' The House in Montevideo'' 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 ...

, which had previously been turned into a film in 1951. It was shot at the

Bavaria Studios Bavaria Studios are film production studios located in Munich, the capital of the region of Bavaria in Germany, and a subsidiary of Bavaria Film. History The studios were constructed in the suburb of Geiselgasteig in 1919 shortly after the Firs ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. 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 ...

Isabella Schlichting Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpora ...

and

Werner Schlichting Werner Schlichting (1904–1996) was a German art director who worked on over a hundred films during a lengthy career. He worked on a number of Austrian films including '' The Congress Dances'' and ''The Last Ten Days'' (1955).Fritsche p.253 Sele ...

Cast

as Prof. Dr. Traugott Hermann Nägler *

as Marianne Nägler * Paul Dahlke as Pastor Riesling *

Hanne Wieder Hanne Wieder (May 8, 1925 – May 11, 1990) was a German television and film actress. Selected filmography * ''Rosemary'' (1958) * '' Heiße Ware'' (1959) * ''Labyrinth'' (1959) * '' Marili'' (1959) * '' The Haunted Castle'' (1960) * ' (1961) * ...

as Carmen de la Rocco *

Ilse Pagé Ilse Pagé (29 May 1939 – 19 June 2017) was a German film and television actress. Selected filmography * ''Berlin, Schoenhauser Corner'' (1957) - Angela * ''Arzt aus Leidenschaft'' (1959) - Ein junges Mädchen * ''...und noch frech dazu!'' (19 ...

as Atlanta *

Michael Verhoeven Michael Verhoeven (born 13 July 1938) is a German film director. Life and work Verhoeven is the son of the German film director Paul Verhoeven (not to be confused with the Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven). He married actress Senta Berger in ...

as Herbert *

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

as Anwalt *

Fritz Tillmann Fritz Tillmann (December 13, 1910 – October 30, 1986) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''Hoegler's Mission'' (1950) - Fritz Rottmann * '' The Council of the Gods'' (1950) - Dr. Hans Scholz * '' Master of Life and Death'' (1955) - Dr ...

as Bürgermeister *

Elfie Fiegert Elfie (Elfriede) Fiegert (born 1946) is an Afro-German film actor who became famous as a child actor for playing the lead role in the film ''Toxi'' (1952) filmed when she was five years old. This was followed in 1955 with the film '' The Dark Star' ...

as Belinda *

Doris Kiesow Doris may refer to: People Given name *Doris (mythology) of Greek mythology, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys * Doris, fictional character in the Canadian television series ''Caillou'' and the mother of the titular character *Doris (singer) (born ...

as Martha *

Herbert Kroll 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 * Herber ...

as Apotheker * Georg Gütlich as Oberst *

Pierre Franckh Pierre Franckh (; born 1 May 1953 in Heilbronn, West Germany) is a German book author, motivational speaker, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, seminar leader, actor, and director. Biography Pierre Franckh is the youngest son of the actress Ursula ...

as Lohengrin

References

External links

* 1963 films 1963 comedy films Constantin Film films German films based on plays Films based on works by Curt Goetz Films directed by Helmut Käutner Films set in Montevideo Films set in the 1900s German comedy films Remakes of German films 1960s German-language films West German films Films shot at Bavaria Studios 1960s German films {{1960s-comedy-film-stub