Ich will nicht wissen wer du bist (1932)

Liane Haid, Gustav Fröhlich and Szöke Szakáll were the stars of the delightful romantic comedy Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (1932), scripted by Ernst Marischka and Robert Weil and directed by Géza von Bolváry. A year later, Szakall but also Fröhlich's wife and daughter had to go into exile because of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The rise of the fascists also ended the careers of the Jewish publishers of the postcards in this post, Heinrich Ross of Ross Verlag and Joseph Peter Welker of JosPe.


Dutch postcard by JosPe, Arnhem, no. 385. Photo: City Film. Liane Haid, Gustav Fröhlich and Szöke Szakáll in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 158/1. Photo: Boston-Film. Gustav Fröhlich, Liane Haid and Betty Bird in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932).


German postcard by Ross Verlag. no. 7086/1, 1932-1933. Photo: Boston-Film. Gustav Fröhlich in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want to Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932).

A comedy of mistaken identities

Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932) is a comedy of mistaken identities, written by Ernst Marischka and Robert Weil.

The penniless Count Lerchenau (Gustav Fröhlich) has to work as a chauffeur under the name Robert Lindt. However, he lost his last job, because women love him so much.

His former servant Ottokar (Szöke Szakáll) remains loyal to him and tries to get him to marry a rich woman. However, at the restaurant where he is supposed to meet a suitable lady, he ends up flirting with the attractive Alice (Liane Haid) instead.

Robert gives Count Lerchenau as a reference to get a job on President Fuhring's (Max Güllstorff) staff. But then Führing wants to speak to Lerchenau, and Franz has to play the role of the count...

Alice, it turns out, is Führing's niece. When she learns that Robert is only a chauffeur, she wants nothing more to do with him. But after all sorts of turbulence, they find each other after all.


Dutch postcard, no. 360. Photo: City Film. Liane Haid and Gustav Fröhlich in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist (Géza von Bolváry, 1932). The mark on the right side of the card refers to the Dutch censorship approval.


Dutch Postcard, no. 362. Photo: City Film. Gustav Fröhlich in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932).

Because of the regime, because everything was bombed, and because all the good directors had left

The male star of Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932) was Gustav Fröhlich, who had his breakthrough as Freder Fredersen in Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927). Fröhlich often played smart gentlemen in lighthearted musicals and romances. Because of his carefree attendance, Fröhlich was seldom allowed to play other characters. He frequently worked with Hungarian film director Géza von Bolváry, who specialised in Viennese Operettas and romantic comedies. Between 1931 and 1933 they made six films together. These include Liebeskommando/Love's Command (Géza von Bolváry, 1931), Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Do Not Want to Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932), and Was Frauen träumen/What Women Dream (Géza von Bolváry, 1933), which was co-written by Billy Wilder.

In 1931, Fröhlich married Hungarian opera star and actress Gitta Alpár, with whom he had a child, Julika. Alpár was Jewish and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in 1933 destroyed her successful film career in Germany. Mother and child were forced to leave Germany and fled to the U.S. Fröhlich distanced from his wife because he didn't want to endanger his career. During the Third Reich, he remained one of the most prominent German film stars. Their marriage was dissolved in 1935 as 'illegal' in National Socialist Germany. After the war, Fröhlich tried to apologise for his behaviour but Alpár could not answer his pleas. A circumstance which, according to IMDb, gave Fröhlich a hard time in his last years and beclouded his lust for life.

Liane Haid was the first Austrian movie star in film history. She already appeared in operas and operettas before she made her first film appearance. Very popular were her silent film operettas Im weißen Rößl/The White Horse Inn (Richard Oswald, 1926) and Die Csardasfürstin/The Csardas Princess (Hanns Schwarz, 1927). The transition to sound film, which required a different way of acting, she mastered very well. In the hit film Das Lied ist aus/The Song Is Over (Géza von Bolváry, 1930), she sang the song that became famous: 'Adieu mein kleine Gardeoffizier' composed by Robert Stolz. Haid was at the height of her popularity. In 1933 alone, she appeared in nine feature films. From the mid-1930s, she refused film offers and instead focused on her stage career. In 1942, she escaped from Nazi Germany to Switzerland "because of the regime, because everything was bombed, and because all the good directors had left".

In the early 1930s, Hungarian actor Szöke Szakáll was, next to Hans Moser, the most significant representative of the Wiener Film, the Viennese light romantic comedy genre. Among his German films was Géza von Bolváry's Zwei Herzen im 3/4 Takt/Two Hearts in Waltz Time (1930). The Jewish Szakáll was forced to return to Hungary, because of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement. He was involved in over 40 films in his native land, including Skandal in Budapest/Romance in Budapest (Steve Sekely, Géza von Bolváry, 1933). When Hungary joined the Axis in 1940, he went into exile with his wife and became famous in Hollywood as S.Z Sakall. Many of Szakáll's close relatives later died in Nazi concentration camps, including all three of his sisters and his niece, as well as his wife's brother and sister.

The sets of Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter. The music was by Robert Stolz. The title song 'Ich will nicht wissen wer du bist', composed by Stolz with lyrics by Ernst Marischka, was sung by Liane Haid. In the cast were also Adele Sandrock as Emerenzia, Betty Bird as Käthe, her niece, Julius E. Herrmann as Councillor of Commerce Blume, and Lotte Lorring as his wife Helga. At VPRO, the reviewer writes: 'An upbeat film operetta with very nice songs by Robert Stolz and fine roles by Liane Haid and Gustav Fröhlich. In 1942, scriptwriter Ernst Marischka directed a remake of the film, Abenteuer im Grandhotel/Adventures in the Grand Hotel (Ernst Marischka, 1942) with Wolf Albach-Retty and Carola Höhn. Hans Moser now played the role of Szöke Szakáll.


Dutch Postcard, no. 382. Photo: City Film. Liane Haid and Gustav Fröhlich in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932).


Dutch postcard by JosPe, Arnhem, no. 384. Photo: City Film. Liane Haid and Gustav Fröhlich in Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist/I Don't Want To Know Who You Are (Géza von Bolváry, 1932).

Source: VPRO (Dutch), Filmportal (German), Wikipedia (English) and IMDb.

Gardner McKay

American actor, artist, and author Gardner McKay (1932-2001) was best known for the lead role in the TV series Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962), based loosely on the writings of James Michener. He quit acting and became a writer in 1970.


French postcard by Publistar, offered by Corvisart, Epinal, no. 919. Photo: United-Press.


French postcard by Publistar, Marseille, for Corvisart, Epinal, no. 1120. Photo: Philippe d'Argence.

Man about town

George Cadogan Gardiner McKay was born in 1932 in New York City. 'Gard' was the son of ad executive Hugh Deane McKay and socialite Catherine 'Kitty' Gardner McKay. His father's business took the family to Paris, where McKay attended private schools. The family returned to the United States shortly before the outbreak of World War II.

McKay and his older brother, Hugh, lived with their grandparents in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for two years, where he majored in art. He wrote for The Cornell Daily Sun and the campus magazine. He dropped out of school at the age of 19 following the death of his father and moved to Greenwich Village where he worked as a sculptor and writer.

McKay also took up photography and saw some of his work published in The New York Times and Life magazine. McKay's sculpting appeared in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and at an exhibit of his work, McKay attracted the attention of photographer Richard Avedon. Avedon invited McKay to Paris to shoot a series of photographs with models Suzy Parker and Barbara Mullen, cavorting in Paris bistros and nightclubs. The photo series led to a modelling career.

Town and Country magazine did a piece on McKay and his sculptures in its 'Man About Town' section, which led to an offer from an agent. McKay impressed producer Dore Schary, who signed him to a contract with MGM. For that studio, he played in episodes of The Thin Man (1957) and appeared uncredited in the film Raintree County (Edward Dmytryk, 1957), with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.

McKay left MGM and had television guest roles on Death Valley Days (1958), The Silent Service (1958), and Jefferson Drum (1958). In 1957–1958, McKay played United States Army Lieutenant Dan Kelly in the 38-episode syndicated Western series Boots and Saddles, with co-stars Jack Pickard and Patrick McVey. At 20th Century Fox, he screen-tested for a TV series based on The Gunslinger but failed to get the role. The test did, however, net him a long-term contract at the studio.


American Arcade postcard. Gardner McKay in Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962).

An extraordinarily handsome guy

Gardner McKay was spotted at the studio coffee shop by Dominick Dunne who was searching for an actor to star in his planned TV series Adventures in Paradise. Dunne later said, "I didn't know who he was. He was an extraordinarily handsome guy. I said, 'Are you an actor?' I gave him my card and said, 'If you're interested, call me.'"

McKay called, and ten actors were tested for the role. Dunne said of McKay: "His (test) was the worst, but everybody reacted to him, I mean everybody – especially the women." Although previously unknown to the public, McKay was featured on the cover of the 6 July 1959 issue of Life just two months before the series premiered. The article noted that he had been around boats since childhood and was an experienced seaman.

His character in Adventures in Paradise, Adam Troy, is a Korean War veteran who purchased the two-masted 82-foot (25 m) schooner Tiki III and sailed the South Pacific. The show ran for three seasons on ABC from 1959–1962, for a total of 91 episodes. During the series' run, McKay had bit roles in the Fox films Holiday for Lovers (Henry Levin, 1959) with Clifton Webb and The Right Approach (David Butler, 1961) starring Frankie Vaughan.

McKay returned to Hollywood in 1963 and had a support role in Fox's The Pleasure Seekers (Jean Negulesco, 1964) starring Ann-Margret. "It took me 100 hours to become a good actor," McKay later said. "Then I committed professional suicide." McKay had just decided to end his acting career, when he got a phone call from the noted director George Cukor, offering him the opportunity to star in a romantic comedy film opposite Marilyn Monroe.

The film was Something's Got to Give. McKay had made up his mind and turned it down. Cukor and Monroe were shocked. Monroe phoned him to see if she could get him to change his mind. McKay said, "She was so delightful on the phone, so winning, so seductive in a way," but he said no. He added, "I didn’t belong in acting." The part went to Dean Martin and the film was never completed. McKay's final film was I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew (Richard L. Bare, 1968).


Vintage autograph card. Photo: Gardner McKay in Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962).

Leaving Hollywood

Gardner McKay sailed in the Caribbean and South America for a year and a half. "Not doing anything really," he said later. "I didn't give myself an excuse for being there." He moved to Paris, where he had lived as a boy. McKay left Hollywood to pursue his interest in photography, sculpture, and writing. Besides holding individual exhibitions, he exhibited his sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

His lifeboat rescue photographs of the Andrea Doria were published internationally. McKay wrote many plays and novels and was a literary critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner between 1977 and 1982. He taught writing classes at the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, the University of Alaska, and the University of Hawaii.

He co-directed and wrote the TV film Me (Gardner McKay, Allan Muir, 1973) and wrote the script for another TV movie, Sea Marks (Ron Maxwell, Steven Robman, 1976), based on his play 'Sea Marks'. His play 'Toyer' was produced by the Arena Players Repertory Theater in New York in 1993 and in London at the Arts Theatre in 2009. Gardner bought a wooded property in Beverly Hills and kept a menagerie of animals including lions, cheetahs, dogs, and a monkey which he brought back from his sojourn to South America.

McKay's awards included three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships for playwriting, the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and the Sidney Carrington Prize. He was a winner of the Canadian Regional Drama Festival and runner-up in the Hemingway Short Story Contest. Gardner McKay settled in Hawaii, where he died in Honolulu from prostate cancer in 2001 at the age of 69.

He was survived by his wife since 1980, Madeleine Madigan, a painter, and two children, son Tristan and daughter Liza. Gardner is buried in Kentucky. Gardner Mckay is immortalised in the Jimmy Buffett song 'We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About' (1983) that appeared on his 'One Particular Harbour' album with the line "Hey hey, Gardner McKay... Take us on the Leaky Tiki with you... Clear skies bound for Shanghai".


French promotion card. Photo: G. Neuvecelle / Columbia / EMI. Sent by mail from Martinique to France in 1965.

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.

Anne Bancroft

Anne Bancroft (1931-2005) was an American stage and film actress. She made her breakthrough with the general public with her role as Mrs Robinson in The Graduate (1967). She also appeared in several films directed or produced by her husband, Mel Brooks.


West-German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. A 1166. Photo: 20th Century Fox.


American postcard by Coral-Lee, Rancho Cordova, CA, no. Personality # 18, no. C32309. Photo: Douglas Kirkland. Caption: Anne Bancroft - Star of The Turning Point and other stage and cinematic successes. Ms. Bancroft is the wife of actor-writer-producer-comic Mel Brooks, October 1976.

To fulfil her dreams of becoming an accomplished stage performer

Anne Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in The Bronx, New York, in 1931. She was the middle daughter of Michael Italiano, a dress pattern maker, and Mildred DiNapoli, a telephone operator.

She was trained at the AADA (American Academy of Dramatic Arts). As Anne Marno, she began her career on television in the 1950s. In 1952, she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox.

She was advised to change her surname for her debut, the Film Noir Don't Bother to Knock (Roy Ward Baker, 1952) with Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe. She chose Bancroft because she thought it was a dignified name.

After that, she played in the mediocre Sword and Sandal epic Demetrius and the Gladiators (Delmer Daves, 1954) starring Victor Mature, the Film Noir New York Confidential (Russell Rouse, 1955) starring Broderick Crawford and several B movies. By 1957 she grew dissatisfied with the scripts she was getting and after her contract with Fox expired, she left the film business.

Bancroft returned to New York where she enrolled in acting classes at HB Studios to 'unlearn' some of her film and TV techniques to fulfil her dreams of becoming an accomplished stage performer. In 1958 she won a Tony Award for her role in the play 'Two for the Seesaw' filmed in 1962. In 1960 she won another Tony for her role in 'The Miracle Worker' in 1959. Both plays were written by William Gibson.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D. 681. Photo: 20th Century Fox.


Yugoslavian postcard. Sedma Sila, Morava Film, Beograd (Belgrade). On this card, Bancroft's last name has turned into something only vaguely similar to her original name.

The ultimate 'older woman' who seduces her neighbour's boy

After these Broadway successes, Anne Bancroft returned to Hollywood, where she starred as Annie Sullivan in the film version of The Miracle Worker (Arthur Penn, 1962). She won an Oscar for it, but could not be at the presentation, as she was on Broadway at the time.

Bancroft went on to give acclaimed performances in The Pumpkin Eater (Jack Clayton, 1964) and The Slender Thread (Sydney Pollack, 1965) with Sidney Poitier. Her first husband, Martin May, was a lawyer from an oil-rich Texas family. In 1964, she married for the second time, this time to director Mel Brooks.

Her worldwide breakthrough was followed by The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967). In it, she played Mrs Robinson, the ultimate 'older woman', who seduces her neighbour's boy - the much younger Benjamin, played by Dustin Hoffman - into a sexual relationship. For this role, she was nominated for an Oscar. She gave birth to a son in 1972. She continued her career with such interesting films as Young Winston (Richard Attenborough, 1972), The Turning Point (Herbert Ross, 1977) with Shirley MacLaine, The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980) and To Be or Not to Be (Mel Brooks, 1983).

She made her directorial debut with the film Fatso (Anne Bancroft, 1980), starring Dom DeLuise. The film was financed by her husband's production company, Brooksfilm. She also started to make TV films, including Deep in My Heart (Anita W. Addison, 1999) for which she won an Emmy Award. Bancroft is one of the few people to have won 'The Triple Crown of Acting': an Oscar, a Tony and an Emmy. She is also one of the few actresses to win both an Oscar and a Tony for the same role. She was also Tony-nominated in 1978 for 'Golda', in which she played the title character, Golda Meir.

Anne Bancroft was again nominated for an Oscar for her roles in The Turning Point (Herbert Ross, 1977) and Agnes of God (Norman Jewison, 1985) with Jane Fonda. Her later career highlights include 84 Charing Cross Road (David Hugh Jones, 1987) as the American correspondent of Anthony Hopkins, Torch Song Trilogy (Paul Bogart, 1988) as the mother of Harvey Fierstein, and as one of the villagers in Waking Ned (Kirk Jones, 1998). In 2005, Anne Bancroft died of cancer in New York, at the age of 73. She is buried at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY. Her final film was the animated feature Delgo (Marc F. Adler, Jason Maurer, 2008). It was released posthumously in 2008 and dedicated to her memory.


Vintage postcard. American poster by United Artists of The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.


French postcard by Editions 'Humour à la Carte', Paris, no. A-C 91. British poster by EMI for The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980) with John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins and and Anne Bancroft.

Source: Volker Boehm (IMDb), Wikipedia (Dutch) and IMDb.