This, Curt Bois' first sound film, is described in
Film-Kurier, 1931, No. 1669 as follows:
"Hartwig,
a poor "smuck,"
is fired by his boss without pay or
warning. All he has left in the world is a
hungry feeling in his stomach... and a brand new tuxedo.
Through
a curious coincidence, Hartwig stumbles into a
luxur-ious restaurant and there becomes the
HAPPY victim of a case
of mistaken identity. This happens when Count Janitscheff mistakes him
for Josef Döllinger, a person from Baden-Baden that he befriended last
summer.
The Count brings him to
Garda Maro's table, a famous dancer and Hartwig's secret idol.
He thinks he's dreaming.
Every-body is so friendly to him. The Count even insists on paying his
restaurant bill.
Everybody is in an
excellent mood. So they all decide to move on and continue partying
together.
But their car crashes
into a tree and when Hartwig wakes up he's in the hospital. Then, over
his bed, he sees a sign naming him as Josef Döllinger...
Despite great efforts,
he is unable to convince the magDespite great efforts,
he is unable to convince the mag-istrate that he really isn't Döllinger.
Instead, the doctor simply assumes that Hartwig is suffering from a
classic case of amnesia!
The magistrate brings
Hartwig "home" to a beautiful house standing abandoned on an elegant
street. Then he calls Garda Maro and her friends telling them to come
over so that Döllinger doesn't have to spend the night alone and
especially to help him regain his memory again as quickly as possible.
There, Garda
accidentally
stumbles upon a diary and learns that Döllinger is in fact Tim Burk, a
notorious con man. She thinks that she has found the explanation for
Hartwig's strange antics and, because she's an eccentric herself, is
thrilled to There, Garda
accidentally
stumbles upon a diary and learns that Döllinger is in fact Tim Burk, a
notorious con man. She thinks that she has found the explanation for
Hartwig's strange antics and, because she's an eccentric herself, is
thrilled to be personally acquainted with such a notorious swindler.
Hartwig's consternation
grows even greater when suddenly guests arrive from America: Jack
Diamond a feared gangster from Chicago and his young moll named
Sweetheart.
Diamond is passing
through and wants to meet Döllinger!
For Hartwig's sake,
Garda plays along. But the rest of her crowd beats a hasty retreat when,
in various rooms, the hapless Hartwig unwittingly triggers
Tim Burke's secret security installFor Hartwig's sake,
Garda plays along. But the rest of her crowd beats a hasty retreat when,
in various rooms, the hapless Hartwig unwittingly triggers
Tim Burke's secret security install-ations.
Handcuffs pop out of
armrests in easy chairs, iron gates drop at breathtaking speed, shots
are fired, the magistrate disappears behind a revolving panel in a wall,
Baron Stechling falls through a trap door and tumbles deep into an abyss...
The next afternoon,
Hartwig is forced to help his "colleague" Jack steal the Czarina's crown
jewels from a Jeweler's safe while Garda, by now an accomplice, sits
in a café and watches the whole scene with excitement.
Hartwig wants to appear
heroic in her eyes and puts on a convincing act.
As a result of numerous
faux pas, the robbery fails and Hartwig flees with Jack and
Sweetheart; but they are hotly pursued.
There's a wonderful
chase -- with Hartwig and Jack racing through the streets on a steam
driven fire engine -- that happily ends with them escaping.
Jack and Sweetheart
continue their flight while Hartwig races back to the House where, as
prearranged, Garda was wait-ing for her hero to return
But she leaves before he
gets there because, on her way back, she's bought a newspaper and
learned that the real Tim Burke was just arrested.
Sadly, Hartwig leaves
the house again... forever to remain a poor "smuck"
