''The Three from the Filling Station'' (German: ''Die Drei von der Tankstelle'') is a 1930

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

directed by

Wilhelm Thiele Wilhelm Thiele (1890–1975) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He directed over 40 films between 1921 and 1960. Life and career Thiele started his show career as a stage actor. He got his start in Austrian and German film during t ...

and starring

Lilian Harvey Lilian Harvey (born Helene Lilian Muriel Pape; 19 January 1906 – 27 July 1968) was an Anglo-German actress and singer, long based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film ''Der Kongr ...

Willy Fritsch Willy Fritsch (27 January 1901 – 13 July 1973) was a German theater and film actor, a popular leading man and character actor from the silent-film era to the early 1960s. Biography Early life He was born Wilhelm Egon Fritz Fritsch, the only s ...

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 ...

, and

Oskar Karlweis Oskar Leopold Karlweis (often credited Oscar Karlweis; 10 July 1894 – 24 January 1956) was an Austrian-American stage and film actor, active internationally. Career Born in Hinterbrühl, Austria-Hungary, he was the son of playwright Carl Ka ...

. Produced by

Erich Pommer Erich Pommer (20 July 1889 – 8 May 1966) was a German-born film producer and executive. Pommer was perhaps the most powerful person in the German and European film industries in the 1920s and early 1930s. As producer, Erich Pommer was involved ...

, the film was a major success for 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 ...

studio, outgrossing even ''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' (german: Der blaue Engel) is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Lie ...

''. Several songs composed by Werner R. Heymann and performed by the

Comedian Harmonists The Comedian Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II. The group consisted of Harry Fromm ...

have remained popular up to today. The film also had a heavy influence on Hollywood musicals during the 1930s.Lexikon des Internationalen Films

Plot summary

Completely broke, the three friends Willy, Kurt and Hans strand on a country road when they run out of fuel. They sell their car to acquire a nearby filling station. Taking turns at serving as petrol attendants the three independently of one another fall in love with the handsome and well-off customer Lilian, anxiously hiding their romance with each other. However, the young women only reciprocates Willy's feelings and invites him and his friends to a luxury restaurant in order to establish clarity. When Willy learns about his luck, he immediately renunciates his victory out of deference to his friends. To establish close ties, Lilian asks her father to found a petrol company and to employ Willy as managing-director. The young man attaches his consent to the recruitment of his friends. When Lilian proceeds to become his secretary, infuriated Willy dictates his dismissal notice which he promptly signs without further reading – and realises that in fact he has subscribed a marriage contract with Lilian.

Other versions

A French-language version ''

Le chemin du paradis ''The Road to Paradise'' (French: ''Le chemin du paradis'') is a 1930 musical comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and Max de Vaucorbeil and starring Lilian Harvey, Henri Garat and René Lefèvre.O'Brien p.74 It was made by the German studio ...

'' was produced by UFA simultaneously, with Henri Garat taking Fritsch's part and Harvey reprising her own role (she was fluent in three languages). A

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of the film '' The Three from the Filling Station'' starring

Germaine Damar Germaine Damar (born August 31, 1929) is a Luxembourger actress and dancer. Sometimes she used the stage name Ria Poncelet. She started her career as an acrobat and played in nearly 30 German films, including three films in which she was the part ...

Adrian Hoven Adrian Hoven (18 May 1922 – 28 April 1981) was an Austrian actor, producer and film director. He appeared in 100 films between 1947 and 1981. He was born in Wöllersdorf, Austria as ''Wilhelm Arpad Hofkirchner'' and died in Tegernsee, Ge ...

, Walter Müller, and

Walter Giller Walter Giller (23 August 1927 – 15 December 2011) was a German actor. He was very successful in the 1950s and 1960s, when he was often seen as a comedic leading man. One of his most successful and more serious roles was in ''Roses for the Pros ...

was released in 1955. Willy Fritsch again appeared, this time performing as Lilian's father.

Cast

as Lilian Cossmann *

as Willy *

as Hans *

as Kurt *

Fritz Kampers Fritz Kampers (14 July 1891 – 1 September 1950) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1913 and 1950. Early life Fritz Kampers was the son of a Munich hotel owner, spent his early childhood in Garmisch-Partenk ...

as Konsul Cossmann *

Olga Tschechowa Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova (; russian: Ольга Константиновна Чехова; 14 April 1897 – 9 March 1980), known in Germany as Olga Tschechowa, was a Russian-German actress. Her film roles include the female lead in Alfred ...

as Edith von Turkow *

Kurt Gerron Kurt Gerron (11 May 1897 – 28 October 1944) was a German History of the Jews in Germany, Jewish actor and film director. He and his wife, Olga were murdered in the Holocaust. Life Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he ...

as Doctor Kalmus *

Gertrud Wolle Gertrud Wolle (11 March 1891 – 6 July 1952) was a German film actress. Selected filmography * '' Die Insel der Glücklichen'' (1919) * ''Prince Cuckoo'' (1919) * ''Roswolsky's Mistress'' (1921) * '' A Glass of Water'' (1923) * ''Burglars'' (1 ...

as Doctor Kalmus' Secretary *

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 ...

as the Bailiff The following musicians also make guest appearances in the film: *

Leo Monosson Leo Monosson (Russian: Лев Исаакович Моносзон, lit. Lev Isaakovich Monoisson) (1897–1967) was a tenor singer born in Moscow, who found fame in Germany in the years 1928-1933. He spoke eleven languages and produced over 1400 ...

* Lewis Ruth Band

References

Bibliography

* Hardt, Ursula. ''From Caligari to California: Erich Pommer's Life in the International Film Wars''. Berghahn Books, 1996.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Three from the Filling Station 1930 films 1930 musical comedy films German musical comedy films Films of the Weimar Republic 1930s German-language films Films directed by Wilhelm Thiele German multilingual films Films set in Berlin UFA GmbH films Films produced by Erich Pommer Films with screenplays by Franz Schulz German black-and-white films 1930 multilingual films 1930s German films