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Post-war Germany wanted escapist light entertainment, and the more serious 1933 film was remade to suit, with plenty of musical numbers and with reduced prominence for the plot, although several screenplay sequences were left in. However the film is weak, relying mainly on "modern" song and dance sequences to keep going.
Georg Thomalla plays Viktor Hempel, an unsuccessful song and dnace entertainer. He is particularly unsuccessful at present because he has a sore throat and he can't sing. At an audition at the theatrical agents he is told to come back when he has got better. He meets Erika Lohr (played by Johanna von Koczian) on the stairway and they commiserate and strike up a friendship. Viktor explains that he makes a little money doing a cabaret turn as a female impersonator at the big hotel nearby, but of course with his sore throat he can't even do that. Would Erika take his place, pretending to be a male female impersonator?.
Erika would, and her performance goes down wonderfully well; Viktor appears in male mode, and does some comedy sound effects on the band's instruments, but of course the performance is all Erika's. At the end she removes a wig revealing a short haircut -- gasp -- it's a man! The applause is rapturous.
Viktor and Erika are in their dressing room; great! they have earnt 20 marks for the evening's work!
The theatrical manager bursts in. "Why didn't you tell me you did a double act?" he demands. "On your own you're pretty average, but as a double act it's great. We must write a new routine, the "Orchestra Conductor and the Singer" ... no, "Viktor and Viktoria". And who is this, anyway?"
"Erika," says Erika. "Well, Erich actually, of course."
Well, this is great news as it might mean financial security for them both. Erika puts on a spare suit of Viktor's -- which amazingly seems to fit her -- and they leave the theatre singing a duet -- Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet (Fallen in love, got engaged, got married).
Well the theatrical work turns out to be in a big musical production apparently in Paris at the Moulin Rouge. There's a lengthy song and dance sequence, culminating in Erika's turn. The audience enjoy it immensely, and they are amazed when she removes the wig.
An important impresario, Jean Perrot (Johannes Heesters) is in the audience and is as impressed as anyone; he asks to speak to "Erich" afterwards and invites him to join him at the bar. He sees that Erika is evidently unused to drinking, and Perrot is suspicious when he notices that Erika has fastened her double-breasted dinner jacket the wrong way.
They move on to a night club, and soon Perrot has her smoking cigars, but when she leaves to go to the lavatory, she drops her personal identity pass, which Perrot picks up, seeing from it that she is a girl. In a development that is not easy to reconcile with the theme of the film Perrot arranges for a "hostess" to pressure Erika to dance with her, and then he arranges for a thug to assault Erika ( -- but not to do any real damage). A general brawl ensures, and Viktor rescues Erika and takes her back to their hotel room.
The next day Perrot intercepts Erika again, and insists on taking her a a gent's barbers for a shave. This rather ridiculous sequence repeats what was better done in the 1933 film and is pretty much out of place in this version.
The farcical theme is deepened now, as Erika telephones the Lost Property Office, and yes, they have her identity pass, but she must come in person (i.e. in female mode) to verify that it is hers. When she returns to the hotel, Perrot bursts in, pretending to be looking for the young female impersonator, and he pretends to guess that Erika is the boy's sister, which she agrees to.
Perrot is clearly infatuated with her, and he takes the opportunity to woo her ardently; for some reason he also wastes no opportunioty when she is in male mode later to tease her about the other identity, which she does not know that he is aware of. Despite this, a romance develops, interrupted only by a problem when Erika sees Perrot with another woman in an innocent conversation which she presumes to be romantic. Erika runs away and leaves Viktor wondering how to keep the act going. We see him dragging up, evidently planning to resume the female impersonator role that he had passed over to Erika.
Time goes by, and the show must go on; so we see the cast on stage with Viktor at this point in a cowboy outfit. But Perrot has found Erika and he has proposed to her, and the police (who have been obstructive and slow until now) deliver the happy couple right on to the stage of the theatre in time for the grand finale.
HF May 2008
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