O.W. Fischer

Austrian actor O.W. Fischer (1915–2004) was one of one of the most popular and highest-paid actors in the German-language cinema of the 1950s. 'Europe's Answer to Cary Grant' played the lead in dozens of light romantic comedies, Heimatfilms and historical pieces. But unlike countrymen Curd Jürgens, Maria Schell, Horst Buchholz and Romy Schneider, he never made it internationally.


German postcard by Film-Foto-Verlag, no. A 3763/1, 1941-1944. Photo: Wien Film / Hämmerer.


German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 493. Photo: Rhombus / Herzog / Bayer. Publicity still for Cuba Cabana (Fritz Peter Buch, 1952).


German postcard by FBZ, no. 493. Photo: Europa / Fama / Meteor-Film. Publicity still for Das letzte Rezept/Desires (Rolf Hansen, 1952).


German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 808. Photo: Intercontinental-Film / Deutsche London Film / Lilo. Publicity still for Eine Liebesgeschichte/A Love Story (Rudolf Jugert, 1954).


Austrian postcard by Kellner-Postkarten, Wien, no. 1464. Photo: CIFA / Prisma / FCC. Publicity still for II bacio del sole/Don Vesuvio/The Kiss of the Sun (Siro Marcellini, 1958).


German postcard by BILD-Zeitung. Photo: J. Arthur Rank Film Publicity still for Die Schwarze Lorelei/Whirlpool (Lewis Allen, 1959). Caption: Best Regards from the beautiful Lorelei.

Burgtheater

Otto Wilhelm Fischer was born in the small town of Klosterneuburg near Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) in 1915. He was the son of an Austrian government legal adviser, Franz Karl Fischer, and his wife Maria Fischer-Schoerg.

After German and art studies at the University of Vienna he went in 1936 to the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar for acting classes. He began his stage career later that year at the Theater in der Josefstadt as Fritz in Arthur Schnitzler's Liebelei (Flirtation). He also appeared on the stages of the Münchner Kammerspiele and the Deutsche Volkstheater and became a popular star in both German and Austrian plays.

Soon he made the leap to the German cinema and played small roles. His first appearance in Burgtheater/Vienna Burgtheater (Willi Forst, 1936) led to 40 other films such as Anton, der Letzte/Anthony the Last (E.W. Emo, 1939), and Meine Tochter lebt in Wien/My Daughter Lives in Vienna (E.W. Emo, 1940) with Elfriede Datzig and Hans Moser.

In 1942 he married Czech actress Anna Usell, and the couple stayed together untill her death in 1985. From 1945 to 1952 he was an ensemble member at the famous Vienna Burgtheater, where he had success with dramatic parts in plays by Arthur Schnitzler and Henrik Ibsen.


German postcard by Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (Ufa), Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 2013. Photo: dpa / Göbel.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 3332. Retail price: 25 Pfg. Photo: Theo Huster / Allianz Film.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 3919. Photo: Filipp / Roxy-Film / NF.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4206. Retail price: 25 Pfg. Photo: Bavaria Film. Publicity still for Und nichts als die Wahrheit/And Nothing But The Truth (Franz Peter Wirth, 1958).


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4275. Photo: Ufa / Kurt Ulrich / Roth. Publicity still for Peter Voss, der Milionendieb/Peter Voss, the Millions Thief (Wolfgang Becker, 1958).


German postcard by F.J. Rüdel, Filmpostkartenverlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 369. Photo: Rhombus / Herzog Film / Arthur Grimm.

The Dream Couple

In 1950, after 21 films, O.W. Fischer got his first leading role, in Erzherzog Johanns grosse Liebe/Archduke Johann's Great Love (Hans Schott-Schöbinger, 1951). Many leading roles followed.

Known as 'Europe's answer to Cary Grant', he specialized in romantic roles starring alongside Maria Holst, Marte Harell, Liselotte Pulver, Winnie Markus, or Ruth Leuwerik. These films include Märchen vom Glück/Kiss Me Casanova (Arthur De Glahs, 1949), Heidelberger Romanze/Heidelberg Romance (Paul Verhoeven, 1951), Tausend rote Rosen blüh'n/Thousand Red Roses (Alfred Braun, 1952), and Ein Herz spielt falsch/A Heart's Foul Play (Rudolf Jugert, 1953).

With the simpering blonde Maria Schell he formed ‘Das Traumpaar’(The Dream Couple). They made made seven films together, such as Bis wir uns wiedersehn/Till We meet Again (Gustav Ucicky, 1952), Der Traumende Mund/Dreaming Lips (Josef von Báky, 1953), Solange Du da bist/As Long as You're Near Me (Harald Braun, 1953), and Tagebuch einer Verliebten/The Diary of a Married Woman (Josef von Báky, 1953).

He often worked with the Hungarian emigré director Josef von Baky, whose reputation had been established with The Adventures Of Baron Munchhausen, made for the Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels in 1943.

Fischer also starred in the title role of a classic of the German cinema, Ludwig II (Helmut Käutner, 1955). Most of these productions were financially successful and he became one of the two highest paid actors in Germany. (Curd Jürgens was the other one).


German promotion card by Lux.


German postcard by Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (Ufa), Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK-30. Photo: Arthur Grimm / Ufa.


German postcard by ISV, no. H 38.


With Maria Schell. German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 44. Photo: Klaus Collignon.


East-German collector's card by Progress, no. 11/18/211, 1955.

The Devil's Prophet

O.W. Fischer occasionally assisted on directorial chores during the 1950s. In 1955, he directed and starred in Hanussen (O.W. Fischer, Georg Marischka, 1955), a film detailing the life of Erik Jan Hanussen a.k.a. the Devil's Prophet, a well-known psychic who collaborated with the Nazis. While the film is considered highly romanticized, Wikipedia states that it assisted historians and biographers in uncovering previously unknown facts.

In 1956 he directed and starred opposite Anouk Aimée in Ich suche Dich/I Am Looking For You (O.W. Fischer, 1956), based on a play by A.J. Cronin. In 1956 Universal Studios signed Fischer to star with June Allyson in a remake of My Man Godfrey (Henry Koster, 1957), but his Hollywood break ended before it began: when Fischer reportedly lost his memory during filming, he was replaced by David Niven. Other sources say that differences with director Henry Koster and Universal Studios eventually cost him his contract.

So Fischer returned to Europe, where he acted in films like Peter Voss, der Millionendieb/Peter Voss, Thief of Millions (Wolfgang Becker, 1958) and Menschen im Hotel/Grand Hotel (Gottfried Reinhardt, 1959) with Michèle Morgan.

In the 1960s O.W. Fischer and his wife Anna moved to Vernate, Switzerland. He kept appearing on television and in the theatre. His last film was Komm, süßer Tod/Love Birds (Mario Caiano, 1969) with Claudine Auger and Christine Kaufmann.

In the late 1970s, he retired from acting to concentrate on linguistics and philosophy, on which he lectured and published a number of books. O.W. Fischer died in 2004 in Lugano, Switzerland, of kidney failure. He was 88.


German collector's card. Photo: Roxy-Gloria-Wesel.


German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. 350. Photo: Archiv Filmpress Zürich.


West-German card. Photo: Urmich. Maria Schell and O.W. Fischer.


Clip from Anton, der Letzte/Anthony the Last (E.W. Emo, 1939) with Elfriede Datzig. Source: BD130 (YouTube).


Scene with Maria Schell from Solange Du da bist/As Long as You're Near Me (Harald Braun, 1953). Source: Yamsala (YouTube).


O.W. Fischer as Ludwig II. von Bayern in Ludwig II (Helmut Käutner, 1955). Source: Hevenu (YouTube).


German trailer for Menschen im Hotel/Grand Hotel (Gottfried Reinhardt, 1959). Source: Ascotdrei3333 (YouTube).

Sources: Ronald Bergan (The Guardian), Stephanie D'heil (Steffi-line, German), Sandra Brennan (AllMovie), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 20 March 2024.

The Choice of Meiter

Our guest today is my colleague-collector Meiter from the city of Groningen in the north of the The Netherlands. Regularly I buy film star postcards from her e-shop at the Dutch site Marktplaats. We started to correspond about the beauty of postcards, about our passion for collecting, film, our children and what they like to eat, about life. Thus I invited her to write at EFSP about her favorite European film star postcards, and she accepted. Meiter: "I like postcards so much, because they resemble (and when old, often are) real photos. They tell a story and represent a certain era. Because they are cards of filmstars, you can read a lot about them in books, magazines and on the internet. You can also make up your own story."
So, here's the Choice of.... Meiter.


Lilli Palmer. German postcard by UFA, Berlin. Collection: Meiter.
Meiter: "This is one of my favourite cards of Lilli Palmer. She seems relaxed and even laughs. On most of her photos she comes across as an elegant and beautiful woman, but remote. On this one she wears her Sunday dress with, what looks like, an apron. Her husband is out hunting and she just finished cleaning the house and enjoys a well deserved rest in the garden. I like the kitschiness and colours."


Sophia Loren. French postcard by Éditions Hazan, Paris. Collection: Meiter.
"Oh, oh, how beautiful. It is not a very old card (I am sure there must be an original somewhere), but it was one of the first cards of which I thought ‘I must have it’. What first struck me was the thing on which she is sitting: is it a chair? It looks like a retro 1960’s design chair, but you only see a curved leg. Sophia manages to sit quite elegantly on it and has a stylish, yet coquettish air. And still, she has this rather innocent look. (And why is she pointing at her knee?) I love it."


Marilyn Monroe. Vintage postcard, no. PU 13. Collection: Meiter.
"I know Marilyn is a Hollywood Filmstar, not a European Star. But this card is My Pride. It is a card I have not seen before. (Now some people will say, of course, it is quite common). On the back it only says “Nr. PU 13”. I assume PU stands for Pin Up and perhaps it is part of a series pin-up cards, Marilyn being number 13 (the unlucky number..). She represents the optimistic 1950’s and 60’s and plays those funny roles in her movies. Yet, she herself led this tragic life and had to play a role both in her movies and her own life. Nevertheless, I am just very proud of this card and like to boast about it."


O.W. Fischer. German postcard by IRMA-Verlag, Stuttgart. Collection: Meiter.
"O.W. Fischer loved cats and, as we can see on this card, cats loved him. I never understood this man. That makes him interesting. He seemed to lead a life of opposites. This photo represents an example: although at he end of his life he lived for and with his cats, he left half of his money to a dogs’ home. This cat is ignorant of the fact that she will not inherit any money. She just adores him."


Caterina Valente. German postcard by UFA, Berlin. Collection: Meiter.
"I don’t have anything with Caterine Valente and her music, but I love her cards. A very photogenic lady, and the more kitsch the better."


Jester Naefe. German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag. Collection: Meiter.
"Jester Naefe was also called the German Marilyn Monroe. She had a promising future as an actress. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and died, after an agressive progression of this disease, 8 years later, only 37 years old."


Jeanne Moreau. East-German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb. Collection: Meiter.
"BEAUTIFUL. This card reminds me of a picture of Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn never had her prom photo taken. In 1956, when she was 30 (!) years old, she asked Milton Greene if he could photograph her as a ‘prom-girl’. The picture Greene made, looks just like this photo of Jeanne Monroe..uh..Moreau."


Gina Lollobrigida. French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 55. Collection: Meiter.
"This card is not a cliché picture of La Lollobrigida. I like the colours in it. It is not kitschy, yet colourful. It is as if Gina happens to pass by and accidentally had her picture taken. She seems rather young, but frankly I have no idea. Rather mysterious. But then again I do not know much about her, and it might be a scene in one of her most famous films."


Claudia Cardinale. German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag. Collection: Meiter.
"Claudia once signed a contract which forbade her to marry, gain weight and cut her hair. She already had given birth to a son when she was 17 years old. The family pretended that Claudia was a (much older) sister. When he was 19, he was told his older sister was his mother. How much are you willing to give up to be a filmstar? Claudia Cardinale apparently quite a lot. Originally she did not want to be a moviestar at all. She wanted to be a teacher in her home country Tunisia. Which would have made her happier..."


And last but not least: Anny Ondra. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 6847/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Lothar Stark-Film. Collection: Meiter.
"I hesitated between Sybille Schmitz and Anny Ondra. But I saw that an extensive article already had been written about the androgyne, alcoholic, drug-addicted, bisexual Sybille Schmitz (I just wanted to use all these descriptions in connection with Sybille Schmitz), so the last card is of pretty, pretty Anny Ondra. When I read about pretty Anny Ondra, I have to think of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ where a silent movie is transformed into a musical with real sound. Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) appears to have a rather shriekish and screaming voice and it is decided that her voice will be dubbed over. Something similar happened to Anny Ondra, not because she was loud-voiced, but because her thick accent was considered unacceptable. I think she sounded lovely, but it is true that she did not sound like a London born girl.. She looks lovely and was married to the same man, a German boxer, for 54 years. Quite romantically. Yet, I am sure there must be more to this story."

Thanks Meiter, bedankt Carla!

The Choice of... is an irregularly appearing series. Earlier guests were Egbert Barten, Véronique3, Didier Hanson, Asa, Bunched Undies, Miss Mertens, and Manuel Palomino Arjona.