Max Ophuls made his fame as the director of romantic comedies with an air of sophistication and elegant melodramas with a touch of tragedy. You won't find much sophistication or elegance in this romantic comedy made early in his career, but it's a playful little lark that entertains and shows off the talents of German comedy star Heinz Ruhmann. He plays Peter Frank, the black sheep nephew of the owner of the Traum winery and the head sales rep for the company.
The plot is a real chestnut. When Peter—a lively, fun-loving fellow who enjoys his wine and abhors his uptight, hypocritical relatives—inherits the family business, he has to go 30 days without touching a drop of alcohol. Of course, this means the other greedy relatives are out to sabotage his sobriety. He also falls in love with the Gina (Lien Deyers), the lovely daughter of their chief rival, and thanks to a convenient case of mistaken identity she believes that he is simply a frustrated employee.
As she contrives to hire him away to become their head of marketing, he keeps up the pretense to romance her. It's all perfectly frivolous. A lovable shaggy dog named Rolf is assigned to guard Peter against drink (he barks madly at any alcoholic intrusion). The family's loyal notary schemes to marry Peter and Gina and unite the rival wineries, and there's a musical interlude where the passengers of a riverboat sing the praises of the Rhine River.
Ruhmann is a likable screen presence with a gift for light comedy. He makes Peter good company and he has good chemistry with Deyers as they shift from courtship to rivalry and back again. It's hardly a masterpiece but it is quite fun and one of the earliest films available from one of the great directors of the 20th century. Laughing Heirs would make a charming addition to classic film collections in public libraries, as well as library programming on German films.
It was Ophuls' final German film before fleeing Nazi Germany for France, and this Blu-ray release marks the first time the film has been available in any form on home video in the U.S. In black and white, in German with English subtitles. It's presented with commentary by film historian Anthony Slide.
Discover more titles with our list of comedy movies.