Murder for Sale

This is another stage-bound sort of effort from UFA starring Lilian Harvey and Willi Fritsch--with a dash of Heinz Ruehmann thrown in. The end result is actually enjoyable, even if the plot is hackneyed and predictable.

The story concerns a young woman who regrets being married to a much older man who makes toys. The toymaker suffers his wife's more suitable suitors, but it looks like the most ardent one of these might actually be a thief looking to rob both the toymaker and his young wife of their valuables.

The farce is played well and the chemistry between Fritsch and Harvey is, as usual, great. Lilian Harvey looks particularly good in this film in very chic deco-esque costumes. From the historical viewpoint, it's fun to see Harvey driving on the Champs Elysee in Paris in some location shots. Additionally, she and Fritsch are given some good pop songs like "Let Me Be Your Carmen", "I'll Go Fiji" and " An Affair On the Side Isn't For You". The end takes place in a wild sort of hedonistic nightclub that adds to the curio aspects of this film.

Ruehmann is funny as one of Harvey's hopeful admirers--and the ill-fated Kurt Gerron has a small role as a policeman.

After seeing some film stills, I thought this picture might have the quality of some of the later Fritsch/Harvey movies like "Glückskinder" or "Ein blonder Traum". While the film is fairly entertaining, some scenes are uneven (too long, too loud, too silly). Lilian Harvey is just as good as some of her Hollywood peers, but in some parts the parts don't make a complete picture. Rühmann's part is too long (as a kind of Ralph Bellamy character), Fritsch shows up too late and Roberts (a Saxonian actor who was in no way Anglo-American) is so slow, silly and strange that the idea of Harvey being his wife (even the gold digger sort) is nothing but ridiculous. The AD is great (Erich Kettelhut worked with Fritz Lang and many other German film greats) and Holländer's music is quite good. All in all: it is mostly a movie for people who are interested in the history of European films.