Wilhelm Thiele (1890–1975) was an Austrian

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. 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 the 1920s, most often as a director of film comedies. His biggest success was the highly influential musical film '' The Three from the Filling Station'' (1930), the highest-grossing film in Germany that year. Thiele, who was of Jewish descent,

Siegbert Salomon Prawer Siegbert Salomon Prawer (15 February 1925 – 5 April 2012) was Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. Life and works Prawer was born on 15 February 1925 in Cologne, Germany, to Jewish parents Mar ...

, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'',

Berghahn Books Berghahn Books is a New York and Oxford-based publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creat ...

(2007), p. 211 left Germany during the Nazi Era. His first film in Hollywood, ''

Lottery Lover ''Lottery Lover'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and written by Franz Schulz and Billy Wilder. The film stars Lew Ayres, Pat Paterson, Peggy Fears, Sterling Holloway, Walter Woolf King and Alan Dinehart. The film wa ...

'' in 1935, was without success and Thiele never achieved the same level of fame in Hollywood as he had Germany. He mostly made B-Pictures, but is credited with giving actress

Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the '' Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing ...

her big start in movies with ''

The Jungle Princess ''The Jungle Princess'' is a 1936 American adventure film directed by Wilhelm Thiele starring Dorothy Lamour and Ray Milland. Plot Christopher Powell is in Malaya with his fiancée and her father, capturing wild animals. While out hunting he i ...

'' (1936). In the 1950s, he worked as a director in American television. His last two films were made in Germany: ''

The Last Pedestrian ''The Last Pedestrian'' (german: Der letzte Fussgänger) is a 1960 West German comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Heinz Erhardt, Christine Kaufmann and Käthe Haack. It was shot at the Göttingen Studios. The film's set's were d ...

'' (1960) and ''Sabine und die hundert Männer'' (1960). Wilhelm Thiele was married and had three children. His younger brother was the director

Eugen Thiele Eugen Thiele (1897–1938) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. Of Jewish backgroundPrawer p.213 he was the younger brother of Wilhelm Thiele. After a spell as an actor he established himself as a director in the Cinema of Germany, Germ ...

Partial filmography

* '' The Last Waltz King'' (1922) * ''

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'' (1923) * ''

Tales of Old Vienna ''Tales of Old Vienna'' or ''Carl Michael Ziehrer's Tales of Old Vienna'' (German: ''Carl Michael Ziehrers Märchen aus Alt-Wien'') is a 1923 Austrian silent film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Grit Haid, Frieda Kiesewetter and Hugo T ...

'' (1923) * ''

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is ''The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life ...

'' (1923) * '' Two Children'' (1924) * ''

The Island of Dreams ''The Island of Dreams'' (german: Die Insel der Träume) is a 1925 German silent film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Liane Haid, Harry Liedtke, and Alfons Fryland. The film's sets were designed by the art director Walter Reimann W ...

'' (1925) * ''

Fire of Love ''Fire of Love'' is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records. Production The Flesh Eaters' singer Chris D. produced five tracks on the album ("Sex Beat", "Preaching the Blues", "Fire Spirit", "Gho ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Little Variety Star ''The Little Variety Star'' (German: ''Die Kleine vom Varieté'') is a 1926 German silent comedy film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Ossi Oswalda, Georg Alexander and Max Hansen.Elsaesser & Wedel p.123 The film's sets were designed by ...

'' (1926) * ''

His Toughest Case ''His Toughest Case'' (German: ''Sein großer Fall'') is a 1926 German silent crime film directed by Fritz Wendhausen and starring Alexander Murski, Christa Tordy and Olga Tschechowa. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin.Jacobsen p ...

'' (1926) * ''

Countess Ironing-Maid ''Countess Ironing-Maid'' (German: ''Gräfin Plättmamsell'') is a 1926 German silent comedy film directed by Constantin J. David and starring Ossi Oswalda, Curt Bois, and Robert Garrison.Bock & Bergfelder p.353 The film's sets were designed ...

'' (1926) * ''

Eva and the Grasshopper ''Eva and the Grasshopper'' (German: ''Jugendrausch'') is a 1927 German silent film directed by Georg Asagaroff and Wladyslaw Starewicz and starring Camilla Horn, Gustav Fröhlich, and Warwick Ward.Krautz p. 361 The film's art direction was by ...

'' (1927) * '' The Csardas Princess'' (1927) * '' His Late Excellency'' (1927) * ''

Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe and int ...

'' (1927) * ''

Attorney for the Heart ''Attorney for the Heart'' (german: Der Anwalt des Herzens) is a 1927 German silent romance film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Lil Dagover, Jean Murat, and Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur (6 March 1886 – 13 May 1960 ...

'' (1927) * ''

Hurrah! I Live! ''Hurrah! I Live!'' (german: Hurrah! Ich lebe!) is a 1928 German silent comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Nicolas Koline, Max Gülstorff, and Alexej Bondireff. It was adapted from the play '' Der mutige Seefahrer'' by Georg Ka ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Lady with the Mask ''The Lady with the Mask'' (german: Die Dame mit der Maske) is a 1928 German silent film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Max Gülstorff, Arlette Marchal and Vladimir Gajdarov.Bock & Bergfelder p. 215 It was shot at the Babelsberg Studi ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Model from Montparnasse ''The Model from Montparnasse'' (german: Das Modell vom Montparnasse) or ''Adieu Mascotte'' is a 1929 German comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Lilian Harvey, Igo Sym and Marietta Millner.Prawer p. 89 Originally made as a silen ...

'' (1929) * ''

Waltz of Love ''Waltz of Love'' (German: ''Liebeswalzer'') is a 1930 German musical film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch and Georg Alexander. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art d ...

'' (1930) * '' The Three from the Filling Station'' (1930) * ''

The Road to Paradise ''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 st ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Private Secretary ''The Private Secretary'' is an 1883 farce in three acts, by Charles Hawtrey (actor born 1858), Charles Hawtrey. The play, adapted from a German original, depicts the vicissitudes of a mild young clergyman, innocently caught up in the machinatio ...

'' (1931) * '' The Typist'' (1931) * ''

The Girl and the Boy ''The Girl and the Boy'' (french: La fille et le garçon) is a 1931 comedy film directed by Roger Le Bon and Wilhelm Thiele and starring Lilian Harvey, Henri Garat, and Lucien Baroux.Bock & Bergfelder p. 186 It was made by the major studio UFA a ...

'' (1931) * ''

Two Hearts Beat as One "Two Hearts Beat as One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the seventh track on their 1983 album, ''War'', and was released as its second single in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia on 21 March 1983. History The music video ...

'' (1932) * ''

Madame Makes Her Exit ''Madame Makes Her Exit'' (german: Madame hat Ausgang) is a 1932 German romantic comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Liane Haid, Hans Brausewetter, Hilde Hildebrand. It was shot at the Epinay Studios of Tobis Film in Paris. It pre ...

'' (1932) * ''

Girls to Marry ''Girls to Marry'' (german: Mädchen zum Heiraten) is a 1932 German romantic comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Renate Müller, Hermann Thimig and Wolf Albach-Retty.''Gainsborough Pictures'' p. 42 It was shot at the Babelsberg ...

'' (1932) * '' Marry Me'' (1932) * ''

Amourous Adventure ''Amourous Adventure'' (French: ''L'amoureuse aventure'') is a 1932 French romantic comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Albert Préjean and Marie Glory. It was a French language version of the 1932 German film ''Madame Makes He ...

'' (1932) * '' Grand Duchess Alexandra'' (1933) * ''

Waltz Time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western culture, Western musical notation to specify how many beat (music), beats (pulses) are contained in each measu ...

'' (1933) * '' The Lottery Lover'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * '' London by Night'' (1937) * ''

Tarzan Triumphs ''Tarzan Triumphs'' is a 1943 adventure film in which Tarzan fights the Nazi Germany, Nazis. Johnny Weissmuller had portrayed the Edgar Rice Burroughs character in six films with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but this was his first with the producer Sol ...

'' (1943) * ''

Tarzan's Desert Mystery ''Tarzan's Desert Mystery'' is a 1943 American Tarzan film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Johnny Weissmuller and Nancy Kelly. Like its immediate predecessor, ''Tarzan Triumphs'', the film mentions Tarzan's mate, Jane, but does not show ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Du Pont Story ''The Du Pont Story'' is a 1950 American historical drama film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Eduard Franz, Marcel Journet and Sigrid Gurie.Christiansen p.94-95 Plot Cast * Eduard Franz as Éleuthère Irénée du Pont * Marcel Journet ...

'' (1950) * ''

'' (1960) * ' (1960)

References

External links

* * 1890 births 1975 deaths Austrian Jews Film people from Vienna Austrian film directors Austrian male screenwriters Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States 20th-century Austrian screenwriters 20th-century Austrian male writers {{Austria-film-director-stub