Willy Fritsch
Encyclopedia
Willy Fritsch was a German
theater and film actor
, the popular leading man in German silent motion-pictures.
(present-day Katowice) in the Prussian
province of Silesia. After the bankruptcy of his father in 1912, the family moved to Berlin
, where Fritsch sen. worked as an employee of the Siemens-Schuckert
company. Young Willy originally planned an apprenticeship as a mechanic, but soon resorted to the occupation as an extra at the Großes Schauspielhaus
theatre.
From 1919 he attended Max Reinhardt
's drama school at the Deutsches Theater
, where he debuted with small roles, and made his feature debut in films as a supporting player in 1921's Miß Venus. Fritsch remained a popular juvenile figure in films and the theater, but his real success came after being paired with Lilian Harvey
in 1928, when they appeared regularly together in UFA
movies like Der Kongreß tanzt
(Congress Dances) by Erik Charell
, released every year thereafter until Harvey's emigration in 1939.
Though he had joined the NSDAP, Fritsch tried to avoid getting involved in Nazi propaganda
(except for his appearance in the 1944 aviator movie Junge Adler which earned him an entry on Goebbels' Gottbegnadeten list
) and managed to survive the Hitler era without any loss of prestige. He continued to appear on stage and in movies like Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht (When the White Lilacs Bloom Again) side by side with young Romy Schneider
; his final film was 1964's I Learned It from Father
(Das hab' ich von Papa gelernt) directed by Axel von Ambesser
, in which he performed together with his son, actor Thomas Fritsch
.
's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, Lillian Harvey's duet with Willy Fritsch from the 1936 film "Glückskinder", Ich wollt' ich wär ein Huhn ("I wish I was a chicken") can be heard playing on a phonograph in the basement scene "La Louisiane" as well as in the extended scene "Lunch With Goebbels", as Joseph Goebbels
(Sylvester Groth
) happily sings a portion of the song after deciding to hold a private screening of the film. After the screening, cinema owner, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent
), under the alias "Emmanuelle Mimieux", comments on liking Lilian Harvey in the film — to which an irritated Goebbels angrily insists her name never be mentioned again in his presence. The song as performed by the Comedian Harmonists remains popular in Germany to date.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
theater and film actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, the popular leading man in German silent motion-pictures.
Biography
He was born Wilhelm Egon Fritz Fritsch, the son of a factory owner in KattowitzKatowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
(present-day Katowice) in the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
province of Silesia. After the bankruptcy of his father in 1912, the family moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where Fritsch sen. worked as an employee of the Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966....
company. Young Willy originally planned an apprenticeship as a mechanic, but soon resorted to the occupation as an extra at the Großes Schauspielhaus
Großes Schauspielhaus
The Großes Schauspielhaus was a theatre in Berlin, Germany, often described as an example of expressionist architecture, designed by Hans Poelzig for theatre impresario Max Reinhardt . The structure was originally a market built by architect Friedrich Hitzig, and it retained its external, gabled...
theatre.
From 1919 he attended Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
's drama school at the Deutsches Theater
Deutsches Theater
The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German theatre. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street , the Deutsches Theater consists of two adjoining stages that share a common, classical facade...
, where he debuted with small roles, and made his feature debut in films as a supporting player in 1921's Miß Venus. Fritsch remained a popular juvenile figure in films and the theater, but his real success came after being paired with Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey was a British-born 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 Kongress tanzt.-Life:...
in 1928, when they appeared regularly together in UFA
Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
movies like Der Kongreß tanzt
Der Kongreß tanzt
Der Kongress tanzt is a Germany musical comedy film produced in 1931 by Ufa, directed by Erik Charell, starring Lilian Harvey as Christel Weinzinger, the glove seller, Willy Fritsch as Tsar Alexander I of Russia and his doppelgänger, Uralsky, Otto Wallburg as Bibikoff, his Adjutant, Conrad Veidt...
(Congress Dances) by Erik Charell
Erik Charell
Erich Karl Löwenberg , later known as Erik Charell, was a German actor and director. He was best known as a director of musical revues and operettas, especially at Großes Schauspielhaus in Berlin...
, released every year thereafter until Harvey's emigration in 1939.
Though he had joined the NSDAP, Fritsch tried to avoid getting involved in Nazi propaganda
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
(except for his appearance in the 1944 aviator movie Junge Adler which earned him an entry on Goebbels' Gottbegnadeten list
Gottbegnadeten list
The Gottbegnadeten list was a 36-page list of artists considered crucial to Nazi culture. The list was assembled in September 1944 by Joseph Goebbels, the head of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, and Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler.The list exempted the designated artists from...
) and managed to survive the Hitler era without any loss of prestige. He continued to appear on stage and in movies like Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht (When the White Lilacs Bloom Again) side by side with young Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider was an Austrian-born German film actress who also held French citizenship.-Early life:Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach in Nazi-era Vienna, six months after the Anschluss, into a family of actors that included her paternal grandmother Rosa Albach-Retty, her Austrian...
; his final film was 1964's I Learned It from Father
I Learned It from Father
I Learned It from Father is a 1964 German comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Willy Fritsch, Thomas Fritsch and Gertraud Jesserer. The son of a respectable industrialist leads a wild second life.-Cast:* Willy Fritsch ... Clemens Andermann* Thomas Fritsch ... Andreas Andermann*...
(Das hab' ich von Papa gelernt) directed by Axel von Ambesser
Axel von Ambesser
Axel Eugen Alexander von Österreich , better known as Axel von Ambesser, was a German actor and film director....
, in which he performed together with his son, actor Thomas Fritsch
Thomas Fritsch
Thomas Fritsch is a German television actor. He starred voicing Scar in the German dub of The Lion King.He is the son of actor Willy Fritsch.-Actor:* Das gibt's nur zweimal...
.
As actor
|
Women Are Better Diplomats Woman Are Better Diplomats is a 1941 German musical comedy film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Willy Fritsch and Aribert Wäscher. It was based on a novel by Hans Flemming.-Cast:... (1941) |
As writer
- Traumbus (1979)
- Rich and Respectable (1976)
- Die Kleine mit dem süßen Po (1975)
- Venus Raiders (1974)
- Cutting Loose at the Wolfgangsee (1972)
- Einer spinnt immer (1971)
- Elisabeth von Österreich (1971)
- Fall Regine Krause (1970)
In Popular Media
In Quentin TarantinoQuentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, Lillian Harvey's duet with Willy Fritsch from the 1936 film "Glückskinder", Ich wollt' ich wär ein Huhn ("I wish I was a chicken") can be heard playing on a phonograph in the basement scene "La Louisiane" as well as in the extended scene "Lunch With Goebbels", as Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
(Sylvester Groth
Sylvester Groth
Sylvester Groth is a German film actor and tenor.He is best known to English-language audiences for appearing in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, in which he portrayed Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels....
) happily sings a portion of the song after deciding to hold a private screening of the film. After the screening, cinema owner, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent
Mélanie Laurent
Mélanie Laurent is a French actress, director, singer and writer. She is best known to international audiences for her role as Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, for which she won Best Actress from the Online Film Critics Society and the Austin Film Critics...
), under the alias "Emmanuelle Mimieux", comments on liking Lilian Harvey in the film — to which an irritated Goebbels angrily insists her name never be mentioned again in his presence. The song as performed by the Comedian Harmonists remains popular in Germany to date.