German postcard by Verlag und Druckerei Erwin Preuss, Dresden-Freital, serie 1, no. 16. Photo: Charlott Serda.
Austrian actress Hilde Krahl (1917-1999) was one of the most demanded stars of the German cinema of the 1940s and 1950s. She could excell in nearly all genres.
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German postcard by Verlag und Druckerei Erwin Preuss, Dresden-Freital, Serie 1 'Die neue farbige Filmstarkarte', no. 10. Photo: Charlott Serda.
Chilean singer and actress Rosita Serrano (1914–1997) had her biggest success in Nazi Germany. Her nickname was 'the Chilenische Nachtigall' (Chilean Nightingale), although her most popular song was 'La Paloma' (The Dove).
Rosita Serrano was born María Martha Esther Alduante (or Aldunate) del Campo in Viña del Mar, Chile in 1914. She was the daughter of diplomat Héctor Alduante (or Aldunate) and opera singer Sofía del Campo. In the early 1930s, she and her mother moved to Europe. Initially, they lived in Portugal and France but by 1936 they moved to Berlin. Serrano had her first success at the Metropol Theater, where she performed a part in the operetta Maske in Blau. Next, she performed Chilean folk songs in another legendary Berlin theatre, Wintergarten. During that time she was discovered by German composer Peter Kreuder who managed that she got a record contract at the German Telefunken. From then on she performed in the German language Her hits included Roter Mohn (Red poppy), Schön die Musik (Beautiful Music), Küß mich, bitte, bitte, küß mich (Kiss me, please, please kiss me) and Und die Musik spielt dazu (And the Music plays to it). Because of her bell-like voice and pitch-perfect whistling the German public gave her the nickname Chilenische Nachtigall (Chilean Nightingale). By 1938 she received roles in the revue films Es leuchten die Sterne/The Stars Shine (Hans H, Zerlett, 1938), Bel Ami (Willi Forst, 1939), Der vierte kommt nicht/ The fourth is not coming (Max W. Kimmich, 1939), and Die kluge Schwiegermutter/The Wise Mother in Law (Hans Deppe, 1939) featuring Ida Wüst. Serrano sang both in German and Spanish and her repertoire varied from folk to pop, including flamenco, rumba, tango, and mambo. According to Wikipedia, “her voice style was mainly operatic coloratura soprano with a deep, fast vibrato. She added frequent embellishments such as soaring arpeggiation and melisma. Some songs were recorded with a few words whispered or spoken, and she occasionally emphasized words with a gritty, growling jazz style reminiscent of African-American blues singer Ethel Waters. She was a pitch-perfect whistler in the manner of Bing Crosby.”
Between film shoots, Rosita Serrano went on tour with two dance orchestras - Kurt Hohenberger's and Teddy Stauffer's. Due to the intercession of Joseph Goebbels, she got gigs in the radio show Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht (the musical request programme for the Wehrmacht). In 1940 she recorded the very popular song La Paloma, heard throughout Germany. Years later it was used again on the soundtracks of the films Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981) and The House of the Spirits (Bille August, 1993).She co-starred with Paul Hörbiger in the comedy Herzensfreud – Herzensleid/Heartfelt joy - heartbreak (Hubert Marischka, 1940). In 1943 while on tour in Sweden, Serrano was accused by Germany of being a spy—she had donated a benefit performance to Jewish refugees. She travelled to Chile to avoid the arrest. Her songs were subsequently blacklisted in Nazi Germany. Serrano toured in the United States, but her German repertoire was not popular. She appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1950, but little came of the publicity. In 1951, she went to West Germany to play a Cuban singer in the film Schwarze Augen/Dark Eyes (Géza von Bolváry, 1951) starring Cornell Borchers, and the next year she sang in the film Saison in Salzburg/Season in Saltzburg (Ernst Marischka, 1952). Her record contract with Telefunken was broken after she was whistled away during a Berlin performance. Another come-back attempt with Kurt Hohenberger in 1957 was an only mediocre success. In the following decades, she had some appearances in German TV talk shows. In her native Chile, where she spent the last years of her life, the public never forgave her for performing in Nazi Germany. Rosita Serrano died forgotten and in poverty in Santiago in 1997.
Sources: May El (IMDb), Stephanie D’heil (Steffi-line) (German), Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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German postcard by Verlag und Druckerei Erwin Preuss, Dresden-Freital, Serie I Die neue farbige Filmstarkarte, no. 15. Photo: Charlott Serda.
Dutch-born actress and singer Ilse Werner (1921-2005) was one of the most popular stars of the German screen during the Nazi years. After the war she became a successful Schlager singer. Her nickname, 'Ein Frau mit Pfiff', translates as 'A Woman of Distinction', but also refers to her trademark, whistling.
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German postcard by Verlag und Druckerei Erwin Preuss, Dresden-Freital, Serie 1, no. 9. Photo: Charlott Serda.
Paula Wessely (1907-2000) reigned as Austria’s most distinguished and beloved stage and screen actress almost from her debut at the Vienna Volkstheater in 1924 until her retirement in 1987; although she was criticized for her appearance in the Nazi-propaganda film Heimkehr (1941).
Attila Hörbiger (1896-1987) was a famous Austrian stage and film actor. In several German and Austrian films he played alongside his wife Paula Wessely, including the antisemitic propaganda film Heimkehr (1941).
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German postcard by Verlag und Druckerei Erwin Preuss, Dresden-Freital, series 1, no. 20. Photo: Charlott Serda.
Hans Söhnker (1903 - 1981) was a German film actor. He appeared in 105 films between 1933 and 1980. The understatement and elegance of his acting was reminiscent of American movie stars and made him an extraordinary presence in German cinema.
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