''Three Men in a Boat'' (German: ''Drei Mann in einem Boot'') is a 1961 Austrian-West 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 Weiss Helmut Weiss (January 25, 1907 – January 13, 1969) was a German actor, screenwriter, and film director. He was notable for directing '' Tell the Truth'' the first film produced in what was to become the future West Germany after the Second World ...

and starring

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 ...

Heinz Erhardt Heinz Erhardt (; 20 February 1909 – 5 June 1979) was a German comedian, musician, entertainer, actor, and poet. Life Heinz Erhardt was born in Riga, the son of Baltic German Kapellmeister Gustav Erhardt. He lived most of his childhood at his ...

Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, nickname Kuli (27 April 1921 in Bremen14 August 1998 in Seeham) was a German actor and TV host, remembered mainly as host of ''Einer wird gewinnen'', a quiz show that ran from 1964 to 1987. In 1967, he hosted Miss ...

and

Susanne Cramer Susanne Cramer (3 December 1936 – 7 January 1969) was a German film and television actress. She was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and died in Hollywood, California, of pneumonia, at age 32. Biography At the age of 20, Cramer married the 37-year- ...

. The film is based on the 1889 British novel ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a tw ...

'' by

Jerome K. Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue ''Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) a ...

.''Drei Mann in einem Boot (1961)'' Filmlexikon.
/ref> It was shot at the

Rosenhügel Studios The Rosenhügel Studios are film studios located in the Austrian capital Vienna. They were opened in 1923 and originally owned by the Vita-Film production company. After the company's bankruptcy the following year the studios were taken over by S ...

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 on location in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

and along the

River Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

through the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

region and

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

of Germany and Switzerland. The film's sets were designed by the veteran

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 ...

Willi Herrmann Willi Herrmann (1893–1968) was a German art director. Selected filmography * '' Madness'' (1919) * '' Child on the Open Road'' (1919) * '' Jettatore'' (1919) * ''Humanity Unleashed'' (1920) * '' The Secrets of Berlin'' (1921) * ''The Maharaja ...

Plot

The advertisement salesmen Harry Berg und Jerome, named "Jo", Sommer are on holiday at the

Bodensee Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Lake ...

alone. Jo is trying to catch the young girl Grit and Harry wants to get rid of his intrusive girlfriend Julitschka. When she suddenly appears, Harry and Jo are trying to buy a boat to drive away. They also find a dog and call him "Sputnik". Also the art salesman Georg Nolte is trying to have holiday but his wife Carlotta and his daughter Grit are not allowing him it. In a bar he's listening to Harry's and Jo's talk about the boat and asks them to join them, he offers himself as a cook. Both agree and the three of them are calling the trip "Three Men on a boat, not to forget about the dog", in reference to a well-known book. They also call the boat "Marianne". When the wives discover the missing of their husbands they are trying to follow them. Julitschka even is hiring a Swiss detective Georg offers to travel over the Rhine, so he can be at an auction in Amsterdam to buy a painting by Renoire and sell one by Brueghel. On the boat Georg and Harry are named Captains (Georg claimed that he was on a battleship, however he told later that he was only a visitor) and Jo the first maid. But things change after they have an accident at the

Rheinfall , photo = File:SBB RABe 514 DTZ Rheinfall.jpg , photo_width = 280 , photo_caption = Rhine Falls with Rheinfall Bridge and Laufen Castle , location = On the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich next to Schaffhausen, i ...

, where Georg doesn't noticed it, so he becomes the first maid instead of Jo. Later they have another accident with another ship, where one of the crew, the maid Betje is falling over board and is saved by the three men from the "Marianne". During the travel they also stop in

Königswinter Königswinter ( ksh, Köningkswinte; Low Franconian: ) is a town and summer resort in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Königswinter is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Bad Godesberg, at th ...

, where Georg finds his daughter and he realized that Jo was after her, but he allows him. He hasn't seen his wife and tells her over the phone to wait in Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Harry is trying to catch his luck with Betje. In Amsterdam Harry and Jo go to the auction but Georg is late, because he's stopping the boat at a place for carriage boats. When he comes to the auction he's told that the Renoire is sold very cheap to a young guy. Apparently Jo accidentally bought the painting, because he didn't know the hand-raise-rule of the auction. Harry told Georg about it in the way, that Jo did a great bluff. Georg is impressed with Jo and at the end everybody is happy. At the end Julitschka doesn't want Harry any more and starts dating the detective. Meanwhile, Harry and Georg are on the boat with Betje and Carlotta, while the boat is tied by a rope to a car with Jo and Grit inside. At the end Jo said, "Would be good to get rid of them", not noticing that the rope got ripped. The movie ends with that scene.

Differences from novel

The location is changed from the Thames to the Rhine River, the story differs substantially and is set to happen in 1960. The main connection to the novel is the basic idea of three friends travelling downriver in a boat and the names are of the characters are similar. The novel itself is also mentioned in a dialog.

Cast

as Jerome (Jo) Sommer *

as Georg Nolte *

as Harry Berg *

as Betje Ackerboom *

Ina Duscha Ina Duscha (born 1935) is a former Austrian film actress.Bergfelder p.253 After marrying in 1963, she retired from the German film industry. Selected filmography * ''Labyrinth'' (1959) * ''I Will Always Be Yours'' (1960) * ''You Don't Shoot at An ...

as Grit Nolte *

Loni Heuser Loni Heuser (January 22, 1908 in Düsseldorf – March 6, 1999 in Berlin) was a German film actress. Selected filmography * ''Liebe in Uniform'' (1932) * '' The Hour of Temptation'' (1936) - Barsängerin * ''Abenteuer im Grandhotel'' (1943) - He ...

as Carlotta, Grit's Mother *

Josef Sieber Josef Sieber (28 April 1900 – 3 December 1962) was a German film actor. Selected filmography * ''Pappi'' (1934) * ''Punks Arrives from America'' (1935) * ''Joan of Arc'' (1935) * ''The Gypsy Baron'' (1935) * ''The Last Four on Santa Cruz'' (193 ...

as Captain Ackerboom *

Ida Boros Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy * Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid *International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing *Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techn ...

as Julischka (Fee) von Wendorf *

Bum Krüger Bum Krüger (born ''Willy Krüger''; 13 March 1906 - 15 March 1971) was a German actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1948 to 1969. Filmography References External links * 1906 births 1971 deaths German male film ...

as Melman *

Willy Reichert Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

as Mägele *

Sepp Rist Sepp Rist (24 February 1900 – 11 December 1980) was a German film actor.Goble p.480 In WW1 he served in the Imperial German Navy. He was married to the actress Carla Rust. Partial filmography * '' Storm over Mont Blanc'' (1930) - Hannes * '' S. ...

as Guggemos *

Rolf Wanka Rolf Wanka (14 February 1901 – 28 November 1982) was an Austrian actor. Biography He was of Czech, German and French origin. His father was Dr. Josef Wanka was head physician in Vienna. His mother was Emma Pippich. His family owned a mans ...

as Dr. Flüeli * Tobby as Sputnik

Soundtrack

Like many German movies of that time, this movie features a few original songs, like: * ''Drei Mann in einem Boot'' - sung by Heinz Erhardt, Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff and Walter Giller * ''Oh Marianne'' - sung by Heinz Erhardt, Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff and Walter Giller

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Three Men in a Boat (1961 film) 1961 films 1961 comedy films Austrian comedy films German comedy films West German films 1960s German-language films Films based on works by Jerome K. Jerome Seafaring films Films directed by Helmut Weiss Films set in West Germany Films set in the Netherlands Films set in Switzerland Gloria Film films Films shot at Rosenhügel Studios 1960s German films