One of Henny Porten's biggest successes during the silent era was Ernst Lubitsch's Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (1920). The comedy was extremely popular at the box office and was re-released more than once. So when sound film was introduced Henny Porten once again played the two sisters, sweet-natured Gretel and notoriously bad-tempered Liesel in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Gretel and Liesl (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/1. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/2. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
In the sound version, Kohlhiesels Töchter/Gretel and Liesl (Hans Behrendt, 1930), Henny Porten starred again as both sisters, this time opposite Fritz Kampers and Leo Peukert. Again it was an adaptation of the play Kohlhiesel's Daughters by Hanns Kräly, adapted by Julius Urgiß and Wilhelm Raff.
The plot centers on innkeeper Kohlhiesel's daughters, the beautiful Liesl, and the homely Gretel. The local butcher (Kampers) wants to marry Liesl, but Kohlhiesel (Peukert) refuses to bless their union until he finds a husband for older sister Gretel. Callously, the butcher proposes to Gretel, intending to divorce her and then marry Liesl. But guess what happens instead.
Henny sang two songs in the film, 'In Oberammergau, da blueht der Flieder' and 'Ich moecht ein Bild von Dir auf meinem Herzen tragen', both written by Robert Gilbert.
Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "Fritz Kampers assumes the Jannings role in the 1930 version, and while critics felt that he wasn't quite as talented as his predecessor, all agreed that Kampers did full justice to the part."
Just like Ernst Lubitsch's Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (1920) had been, the remake was a significant success at the box office. The comedy established Henny Porten as a sound star.
In the following decades two more versions would follow. In Kohlhiesels Töchter (Kurt Hoffmann, 1943), Heli Finkenzeller and Margaretha Haagen played the two sisters. And Liselotte Pulver played a double role in Kohlhiesels Töchter (Axel von Ambesser, 1962).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/3. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten and Fritz Kampers in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/4. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German collectors card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Tonfilm', album no. 11, picture no. 145. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/1. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/2. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
Henny Porten sings!
In the sound version, Kohlhiesels Töchter/Gretel and Liesl (Hans Behrendt, 1930), Henny Porten starred again as both sisters, this time opposite Fritz Kampers and Leo Peukert. Again it was an adaptation of the play Kohlhiesel's Daughters by Hanns Kräly, adapted by Julius Urgiß and Wilhelm Raff.
The plot centers on innkeeper Kohlhiesel's daughters, the beautiful Liesl, and the homely Gretel. The local butcher (Kampers) wants to marry Liesl, but Kohlhiesel (Peukert) refuses to bless their union until he finds a husband for older sister Gretel. Callously, the butcher proposes to Gretel, intending to divorce her and then marry Liesl. But guess what happens instead.
Henny sang two songs in the film, 'In Oberammergau, da blueht der Flieder' and 'Ich moecht ein Bild von Dir auf meinem Herzen tragen', both written by Robert Gilbert.
Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "Fritz Kampers assumes the Jannings role in the 1930 version, and while critics felt that he wasn't quite as talented as his predecessor, all agreed that Kampers did full justice to the part."
Just like Ernst Lubitsch's Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (1920) had been, the remake was a significant success at the box office. The comedy established Henny Porten as a sound star.
In the following decades two more versions would follow. In Kohlhiesels Töchter (Kurt Hoffmann, 1943), Heli Finkenzeller and Margaretha Haagen played the two sisters. And Liselotte Pulver played a double role in Kohlhiesels Töchter (Axel von Ambesser, 1962).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/3. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten and Fritz Kampers in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 126/4. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
German collectors card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Tonfilm', album no. 11, picture no. 145. Photo: Atelier Schmoll, Berlin / Nero-Porten-Film. Henny Porten in Kohlhiesels Töchter/Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Hans Behrendt, 1930).
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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