...und abends in die Scala (1958) User Reviews

West German "Schlagerfilm" / Hit Film with Caterina VALENTE

[ZeddaZogenau · 7/10 · 29 October 2023]

Nostalgic Schlager - Spaß / hit fun with Caterina Valente

A singer married to an influential minister has scored a few hits incognito, so that everyone is now wondering who the successful singing star actually is. A busy impresario (Hubert von Meyerinck) accidentally books the stage of the prestigious SCALA with the help of his enchanting assistant Trudchen Putzke (sweet as always: Ruth Stephan) in order to finally make the unknown star known. It's just stupid that Ms. Minister wants to remain unknown at all costs! What could be more obvious than to hire a still undiscovered young singer named Caterina Duval (of course: La Valente!), who performs on the backstage stages in Paris with her partners Silvio (Silvio Francesco) and Nico (Richard Allan), as a supposed super star! It's just a shame that the proud lady doesn't want to appear under someone else's name! The director Robert Mertens (Gerhard Riedmann) still has to do a lot of work...

You didn't need more plot for schlager / pop fun from the golden fifties. Caterina Valente was able to rely on a proven dream team with producer Artur Brauner (CCC Film) and screenwriter Curth Flatow ("Ich heirate eine Familie"). The later television legend Erik Ode (1910-1983, "Der Kommissar") acted as director. The turbulent film premiered on February 22, 1958 in the Stuttgart universe.

Caterina Valente sings one of her biggest hits with "Play again for me, Habanero". Other songs: "A Night on the Rio Grande", "Music is in the Air". Brigitte Mira and Monika Peitsch appear in smaller roles.

One drawback is that Gerhard Riedmann (1925-2004) remains all too pale as the main character. The chemistry with La Valente isn't right either. The dance scenes with her brother Silvio Francesco and the great American Richard Allan, whom Marilyn Monroe instigated in "Niagara" to attempt to murder her husband Joseph Cotten, are convincing. Seeing these three sing and dance together was worth the price of admission!

The great Caterina Valente only celebrated her 90th birthday in January 2021. It's time to rediscover this great entertainer!

Despite von Meyerinck's over-bearing presence, a must-see musical

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 8 February 2014]

Here's worldwide favorite Caterina Valente dancing and singing and giving delightful impersonations. Her Chaplin is a scream, but best of all is her Maurice Chevalier. It's a bit of a shame that the story on which all Caterina's musical triumphs are pinned is serviceable, but a bit of a bore nevertheless, especially when Valente herself is not on the screen and even more especially when the dull and rather foregone plot is over-acted by camera-hoggers like Hubert von Meyerinck. A shouter and a screamer, von Meyerinck is obviously under the impression that – although fourth-billed – he is actually the star whom we have all paid good money to see and hear. At 98 minutes, the movie is a bit overlong anyway, so I can't understand why editor Juta Herring didn't leave most of von Meyerinck's footage on the cutting-room floor. The dialogue the screenwriters provide him is neither witty nor – in most cases – super important. We wait impatiently for the return of Caterina, especially as her dance numbers were choreographed by my top favorite – and here at the top of his form – none other than Billy Daniels!