European Film Star Postcards presents the stars of European cinema, but also lesser-known actors whose postcards have survived. The texts in this blog we mainly based on the information about these actors on the net. A curious and fascinating case is Arne Molander. We found three Ross Verlag postcards of this forgotten actor, but there is nearly no trace of him on the net. Who was he - or perhaps she?
German Postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3184/1, 1928-1929.
Who was Arne Molander? When and where was he born? According to IMDb, Arne Molander is known for three films, but offers no further information about the actor. Nor does Filmportal.
He had a part in the war drama Richthofen, der Rote Ritter der Luft / Richthofen (Peter Joseph, Desider Kertesz, 1927) as the son of the famous German Baron and WW I hero, played by Georg Burghardt. The three Ross Verlag postcards of Molander in uniform and all published in the period 1927-1929, were probably intended to help promote this film.
At Spiegelonline, Ralf Bülow writes that the film that started a completely new genre: "Richthofen was not dead for ten years, when in November 1927 the Dresden actor Carl Walther Meyer started to produce Richthofen, der Rote Ritter der Luft / Richthofen. The film was a mix of a love story and a spy story in which the hero only played a supporting part. The budget reached just for a single flight-capable Dreidecker, and apart from that, the filmmakers helped themselves with film footage from the war archives. At that time, Richthofen ran successfully in cinemas in the Berlin suburbs and in the provinces. Today, the film seems to be lost; only the library of the University of Texas has some scenes in its archives." (Translated from German by EFSP).
When the film was shown in the US in 1929, The New York Times wrote: "A carelessly assembled picture is the purported story of the German war ace, Richthofen, in which a love interest has been introduced. At least three-fourths of the film is devoted to an innocuously romantic tale having nothing whatever to do with 'the Red Knight,' relating as it does an affair of one of his friends. Several disturbing elements enter when daylight and nighttime views are mixed indiscriminately. There are several interesting aeroplane combats. The photography, for the most part, is deplorable. Egon v. Jordon [Egon von Jordan] as Werner Dewall, Richthofen's friend, comes nearest to giving a performance. The rest is negligible."
But was it the same film? IMDb distinguishes between two different films. Richthofen, der rote Ritter der Luft (1927) was directed by Peter Heuser and Dezsõ Kertész for Film-Produktions-Gemeinschaft GmbH (FPG). Richthofen (1929) was directed by Peter Joseph. However, IMDb also supplies in a sideline the solution: "This 1929 version has added music and sound." Wikipedia: "After its initial release, producer Bud Pollard acquired the rights to Richthofen, and subsequently remastered the film with sound and music. Capitalising on the legend of Germany's "Ace of aces", Pollard renamed the film, Richthofen, The Red Knight of the Air. Later in distribution in the United States, the film was renamed, Richthofen, The Red Ace of Germany."
German Postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1131/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Atelier Balász, Berlin.
Richthofen did not stimulate Arne Molander's film career. In the sound era, he played two small film parts, more than five years after his debut. IMDb only mentions one film, Der höhere Befehl / The Higher Command (Gerhard Lamprecht, 1935) starring Lil Dagover.
Filmportal.de adds the musical drama Schlussakkord / Final Accord (Detlev Sierck a.k.a. Douglas Sirk, 1936) starring Lil Dagover again and Willy Birgel.
There is no further information about Arne Molander on the internet. Who was he? And whatever happened to him? SpiegelOnline reproduced the postcard above in their article and added that Molander was a Swedish actor, but there is no other source which confirms this.
Or was the mysterious Arne Molander in fact a she? Was Arne a real-life version of the famous cross-dressing comedy Viktor und Viktoria / Victor and Victoria (Reinhold Schünzel, 1933)? The form of his face and the heavy make-up make him gender-fluid.
If you have more information about this mysterious actor, please share it in a comment.
German Postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1131/2, 1927-1928. Photo: Atelier Balász, Berlin.
Sources: Ralf Bülow (Spiegelonline- Page now defunct), New York Times, Filmportal, Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 9 October 2025.
German Postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3184/1, 1928-1929.
The red knight of the air
Who was Arne Molander? When and where was he born? According to IMDb, Arne Molander is known for three films, but offers no further information about the actor. Nor does Filmportal.
He had a part in the war drama Richthofen, der Rote Ritter der Luft / Richthofen (Peter Joseph, Desider Kertesz, 1927) as the son of the famous German Baron and WW I hero, played by Georg Burghardt. The three Ross Verlag postcards of Molander in uniform and all published in the period 1927-1929, were probably intended to help promote this film.
At Spiegelonline, Ralf Bülow writes that the film that started a completely new genre: "Richthofen was not dead for ten years, when in November 1927 the Dresden actor Carl Walther Meyer started to produce Richthofen, der Rote Ritter der Luft / Richthofen. The film was a mix of a love story and a spy story in which the hero only played a supporting part. The budget reached just for a single flight-capable Dreidecker, and apart from that, the filmmakers helped themselves with film footage from the war archives. At that time, Richthofen ran successfully in cinemas in the Berlin suburbs and in the provinces. Today, the film seems to be lost; only the library of the University of Texas has some scenes in its archives." (Translated from German by EFSP).
When the film was shown in the US in 1929, The New York Times wrote: "A carelessly assembled picture is the purported story of the German war ace, Richthofen, in which a love interest has been introduced. At least three-fourths of the film is devoted to an innocuously romantic tale having nothing whatever to do with 'the Red Knight,' relating as it does an affair of one of his friends. Several disturbing elements enter when daylight and nighttime views are mixed indiscriminately. There are several interesting aeroplane combats. The photography, for the most part, is deplorable. Egon v. Jordon [Egon von Jordan] as Werner Dewall, Richthofen's friend, comes nearest to giving a performance. The rest is negligible."
But was it the same film? IMDb distinguishes between two different films. Richthofen, der rote Ritter der Luft (1927) was directed by Peter Heuser and Dezsõ Kertész for Film-Produktions-Gemeinschaft GmbH (FPG). Richthofen (1929) was directed by Peter Joseph. However, IMDb also supplies in a sideline the solution: "This 1929 version has added music and sound." Wikipedia: "After its initial release, producer Bud Pollard acquired the rights to Richthofen, and subsequently remastered the film with sound and music. Capitalising on the legend of Germany's "Ace of aces", Pollard renamed the film, Richthofen, The Red Knight of the Air. Later in distribution in the United States, the film was renamed, Richthofen, The Red Ace of Germany."
German Postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1131/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Atelier Balász, Berlin.
Viktor or Viktoria?
Richthofen did not stimulate Arne Molander's film career. In the sound era, he played two small film parts, more than five years after his debut. IMDb only mentions one film, Der höhere Befehl / The Higher Command (Gerhard Lamprecht, 1935) starring Lil Dagover.
Filmportal.de adds the musical drama Schlussakkord / Final Accord (Detlev Sierck a.k.a. Douglas Sirk, 1936) starring Lil Dagover again and Willy Birgel.
There is no further information about Arne Molander on the internet. Who was he? And whatever happened to him? SpiegelOnline reproduced the postcard above in their article and added that Molander was a Swedish actor, but there is no other source which confirms this.
Or was the mysterious Arne Molander in fact a she? Was Arne a real-life version of the famous cross-dressing comedy Viktor und Viktoria / Victor and Victoria (Reinhold Schünzel, 1933)? The form of his face and the heavy make-up make him gender-fluid.
If you have more information about this mysterious actor, please share it in a comment.
German Postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1131/2, 1927-1928. Photo: Atelier Balász, Berlin.
Sources: Ralf Bülow (Spiegelonline- Page now defunct), New York Times, Filmportal, Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 9 October 2025.
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