Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru (1917) and Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II (1919)

Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja’s Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917) was a Danish orientalist melodrama produced by the Nordisk Film Kompagni. The stars were Gunnar Tolnaes as an Indian prince, and Lilly Jacobson as his love interest, the Danish Elly von Langen. The film was so popular that Nordisk produced a sequel. In Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919), Tolnaes and Jacobson returned. Photochemie in Berlin published postcards for both films. A German sequel followed in 1921 and a Danish remake in 1926, both with Tolnaes but without Jacobson who had left the film industry.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1475. Photo: Nordisk. Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1917. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1919. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes and Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1976. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes and Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917).

Gunnar Tolnaes

Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja’s Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917) was based on a script by Sven Gade. The film begins at a European seaside resort. Beautiful officer's daughter Elly von Langen (Lilly Jacobson) meets and falls in love with an elegant Indian maharajah (Gunnar Tolnaes). She has just turned down a marriage proposal from her cousin, Lieutenant Kuno von Falkenberg (Carlo Wieth). She secretly flees with the Maharajah to India.

There, to her regret, Elly is incorporated into his harem, and although she is given the status of favourite wife, she does not have her freedom. Some time later, von Falkenberg's ship arrives in India and the naval officers are invited to the maharajah's palace. When Elly recognizes her cousin, she first begs him to be freed. However, when the Maharajah allows her to choose and indirectly gives her proof of his great love, she decides at the last minute to stay with him.

In the 1910s, the Danish film industry was an international superpower and the productions of the Nordisk Film Kompagni were the most successful - especially in Germany. The studio heads at Nordisk hoped that Norwegian-born actor silent film star Gunnar Tolnaes would become as popular as their biggest star, Valdemar Psilander.

In 1913, Tolnaes started his film career for the Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern AB in Stockholm and worked there with legendary director Victor Sjöström. They made the silent dramas Halvblod/Half Breed (Victor Sjöström, 1913) with Karin Molander, Gatans barn/Children of the Streets (Victor Sjöström, 1914) starring Lili Beck, and En av de många/One of the Many (Victor Sjöström, 1915). He also worked with the other great director of the silent Swedish cinema, Mauritz Stiller.

Then Tolnaes moved to Copenhagen, where he was offered a contract at the Nordisk studio. He had an impressive career in Denmark. Immediately, Tolnaes was successful with Doktor X/Doctor X (1915) directed by Robert Dinesen. Tolnaes had his most famous performance for Nordisk in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja’s Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, 1917). Bedecked with jewels and military decorations in his Maharajah attire, gained immense popularity and the tale-telling nickname ‘The Women’s Favorite Maharajah’.

Tolnaes continued in such Nordisk productions as the Science-Fiction film Himmelskibet/400 Million Miles From Earth (Holger-Madsen, 1918). Another major success was the sequel of Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja’s Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, Svend Gade, 1917), Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919), in which he reunited with Lilly Jacobson.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2992. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes and Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2993. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2994. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2995. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).

Lilly Jacobson

In 1916 Nordisk was looking for a new female star. Swedish actress Lilly Jacobson (also written as Lilly Jacobsson) was chosen from hundreds of competitors and became the leading actress in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja’s Favourite Wife (Robert Dinesen, Svend Gade, 1917). Jacobson had already starred in Swedish and Danish silent films by such directors as Eric Malmberg, Mauritz Stiller and Holger-Madsen.

In Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru, she played Elly von Langen who enters the harem of an Indian Maharaja. The film was a box office success in many countries. In Austria, Paimann’s Filmlisten warmly recommended cinema owners to book the film: "The story is gripping and highly dramatic; the acting and photography are excellent, the sets lavish and the harem scenes first-rate."

Jacobsson played in various Danish films, mostly directed by Holger-Madsen. These films include the Science-Fiction-film Himmelskibet/400 Million Miles From Earth (Holger-Madsen, 1918), Folkets ven/Friend of the People (Holger-Madsen, 1918), and Mod Lyset/Towards the Light (Holger-Madsen, 1918) starring Asta Nielsen.

Nielsen plays a cold, partying woman who neglects religion, but later on repents and becomes the wife of a preacher (Alf Blütecher) who cares for the poor. The film eventually resulted in Jacobson playing Ophelia in Asta Nielsen’s famous production of Hamlet (Svend Gade, Heinz Schall, 1921), in which Nielsen played the title role herself.

Hamlet was Lilly Jacobson's final film. She married Corbett Edwards, the manager of Odense Gasværk and director of Danske Gaskompagni and retired from acting. Jacobson then withdrew from the public eye and lived with her husband in Odense, Denmark, until his death in 1977.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2996. Photo: Nordisk. Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3002. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919)..


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3003. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3004. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).

Part 3 and another part 3

Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja’s Favourite Wife was such a success that Nordisk made a sequel, Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919), again starring Gunnar Tolnaes and Lilly Jacobson.

It featured a different set of characters. In part II, the Maharaja of Baghalpur (Gunnar Tolnaes) has conquered a European woman, Gul (Lilly Jacobson), who has become his very dear sweetheart. The young finance advisor Armine Robert (Carl Worm) is anxious to know all about the romance and Gul.

In 1921 the German studio PAGU produced another sequel Die Lieblingsfrau des Maharadschas - 3. Teil/The Maharajah's Favourite Wife III (Max Mack, 1921) in which Aud Egede Nissen replaced Jacobson. Die Lieblingsfrau des Maharadscha was Tolnaes' first German film.

Gunnar Tolnaes then alternated acting in German films with Danish productions, until the end of the silent era. Most of his Danish films in the 1920s were directed by A.W. Sandberg.

Finally, Nordisk Film released a new film in the series, Maharadjahens yndlingshustru III//The Maharajah's Favourite Wife III (A.W. Sandberg, 1926). Sandberg's film was a slightly modified remake of Dinesen's original version. The film was made to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of Nordisk. Tolnaes returned as the Maharajah and now Karina Bell played his love Elly.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3006. Photo: Nordisk. Gunnar Tolnaes in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3008. Photo: Nordisk. Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3009. Photo: Nordisk.Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 3010. Photo: Nordisk. Lilly Jacobson in Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru II/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife II (August Blom, 1919).

Sources: Mariann Lewinsky (Il Cinema Ritrovato), Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish) TMDB, Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.

Gunnar Tolnaes

Norwegian-born actor Gunnar Tolnaes (1879-1940) conquered the Danish film market in the middle of the 1910s. His most famous performance was an Indian prince in the Danish Orientalist melodrama Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (1917). It was so popular that it had a Danish sequel in 1919 and a German sequel in 1921. During the 1920s Tolnaes alternated acting in Danish films with roles in German productions, until the end of the silent era.


German postcard by Verlag W.J. Mörlins, Berlin / Vertrieb Ross-Verlag, Berlin, no. 9001/3. Photo: Karl Schenker.


Vintage postcard by ABC, no. 375/1.


Vintage postcard by ABC, no. 375/3.


Vintage postcard by ABC, no. 375/4.


German postcard in the Film Sterne series by Rotophot. Photo: Nordisk. Collection: Didier Hanson.

Super Power

Gunnar Tolnaes (Tolnæs) was born in Christiana (now Oslo), Norway, in 1879. His parents were Ole Gundersen Tolnæs and Helene Andresen (Braathu).

Tolnaes studied law and later medicine. He made his stage début in 1906 and was a company member of the Nationaltheatret in Oslo between 1908 and 1916.

In 1913, he started his film career for the Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern AB in Stockholm and worked there with legendary director Victor Sjöström. They made the silent dramas Halvblod/Half Breed (Victor Sjöström, 1915) with Karin Molander, Gatans barn/Children of the Streets (Victor Sjöström, 1914) starring Lili Beck, and En av de många/One of the Many (Victor Sjöström, 1915).

He also worked with the other great director of the silent Swedish cinema, Mauritz Stiller. They made Bröderna/Brothers (Mauritz Stiller, 1914) with Carlo Wieth, and När konstnärer älska/When Artists Love (1915, Mauritz Stiller), with Lili Beck.

Then Tolnaes moved to Denmark, where he was offered a contract at the Nordisk studio. He was immediately successful with Doktor X/Doctor X (1915) directed by Robert Dinesen.


German postcard by Photochemie, no. K. 1913. Photo: Nordisk Films. Gunnar Tolnaes in Pjerrot (Hjalmar Davidsen, 1917), with Ulla Nielsen as The Child.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1920. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Pjerrot (Hjalmar Davidsen, 1917).


German postcard by Photochemie, no. K. 2372. Photo: Nordisk Films. Gunnar Tolnaes in Den Retfærdiges Hustru (A.W. Sandberg, 1917), co-starring Else Frölich.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2995. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharajah's Favourite Wife (1917).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1976. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru/The Maharajah's Favourite Wife (1917) with Lilly Jacobson.

Indian Prince

The studio heads at Nordisk hoped that Gunnar Tolnaes would become as popular as their biggest star, Valdemar Psilander.

Tolnaes had his most famous performance for Nordisk in the Orientalist melodrama Maharadjahens Yndlingshustru I/The Maharajah's Favourite Wife I (Robert Dinesen, 1917). He starred as an Indian prince and Lilly Jacobson was his love interest.

The film was so popular that it had a sequel in 1919, directed by August Blom and again starring Tolnaes and Jacobson. In 1921 the German studio PAGU would produce another sequel Die Lieblingsfrau des Maharadschas - 3. Teil/The Maharajah's Favourite Wife III (Max Mack, 1921) in which Aud Egede Nissen replaced Jacobson.

The Danish film industry was an international superpower in the 1910s and the Nordisk productions were the most successful of them all - especially in Germany. Among Tolnaes' successes were Den retfærdiges hustru/The Righteous Wife (A.W. Sandberg, 1917) with Else Frölich, Den mystiske tjener/The mysterious servant (A.W. Sandberg, 1917) and the Science-Fiction film Himmelskibet/400 Million Miles from Earth (Holger Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2149. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918) with Lilly Jacobson as Marya, the Martian leader's daughter, and Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2160. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918) with Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros.


Latvian postcard, no. 14. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Stodderprinsessen/The Rags Princess (A.W. Sandberg, 1920) with Clara Wieth.


Finnish postcard, no. 433. The postcard carries a stamp of the Finnish film inspection office. Photo: publicity still for the Charles Dickens adaptation Lille Dorritt/Little Dorrit (A.W. Sandberg, 1924), starring Karina Bell as Little Dorrit and Gunnar Tolnaes as Arthur Clennam.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K 1931. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Kærlighedsøen/Love Lake (A.W. Sandberg, 1924).

Less Success

In the 1920s, Gunnar Tolnaes worked often with famous Danish director A.W. Sandberg.

He appeared among others in his Stodderprinsessen/The Rags Princess (A.W. Sandberg, 1920) with Clara Pontoppidan aka Clara Wieth, Kan disse ojne lyve?/Can these eyes lie? (A.W. Sandberg, 1921), Min ven privatdetektiven/My Friend the Private Detective (A.W. Sandberg, 1924), and the Charles Dickens adaptation Lille Dorrit/Little Dorrit (A.W. Sandberg, 1924) with Karina Bell.

The Danish film industry gradually lost its supremacy in Europe, and Gunnar Tolnaes' films also had less success. He alternated acting in Danish films with roles in German films and continued to do so until the end of the silent era.

His first German film had been Die Lieblingsfrau des Maharadschas - 3. Teil/The Maharajah's Favourite Wife III (Max Mack, 1921). After this success he appeared in productions like Sturmflut des Lebens/Storm Surge of Life (Paul L. Stein, 1921) with Charlotte Ander, Die Flucht in die Ehe/The Flight Into Marriage (Artur Retzbach, 1922), and Wilhelm (later: William) Dieterle's Geschlecht in Fesseln/Sex in Chains (1928).

His last film was Der Narr seiner Liebe/Fool For Love (1929), directed by actress Olga Tschechova. Gunnar Tolnaes would never make a sound film. He died in 1940 in Oslo, aged 60. He is buried with his family at Vestre gravlund.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1474. Photo: Nordisk.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K 1567. Photo: Nordisk.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 1662. Photo: Nordisk. With Zanny Petersen. Publicity still for Pjerrot/Pierrot (Hjalmar Davidsen, 1917).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K 1668. Photo: Nordisk. Publicity still for Pjerrot/Pierrot (Hjalmar Davidsen, 1917).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1277/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Deutsch-Nordische Film Union. Publicity still for Maharadjahens yndlingshustru III/The Maharaja's Favourite Wife (A.W. Sandberg, 1926).


German postcard in the Moderne Künstler series by MMB, no. 453. Photo: F.J. Wesselsky.

Sources: Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Wikipedia (English, Danish and German) and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 25 September 2021.

Himmelskibet (1918)

This week's film special is about a silent Danish Science Fiction film about a trip to Mars! On the German postcards by Photochemie in this post, the film is called Das Himmelschiff, but the original Danish title is Himmelskibet. This translates as 'the airship', but the English release titles are A Trip to Mars and 400 Million Miles from Earth. Himmelskibet was made in 1918 by Holger-Madsen for the successful Nordisk Films Kompagni. The stars were Gunnar Tolnaes as spaceship captain Avanti Planetaros, and Lilly Jacobson as Marya, the Martian leader's daughter.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2147. Photo: Nordisk Film. Lilly Jacobson as Marya, the Martian leader's daughter, in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2148. Photo: Nordisk Film. Publicity still for Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918) with Lilly Jacobson as Marya, Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros, and Alf Blütecher as his friend Dr. Krafft.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2149. Photo: Nordisk Film. Lilly Jacobson and Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2150. Photo: Nordisk Film. Lilly Jacobson and Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2151. Photo: Nordisk Film. Lilly Jacobson as Marya, the Martian leader's daughter, and Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).

A trip to Mars

Himmelskibet/A Trip to Mars (Holger Madsen, 1918) is one of the first Space Operas. The story was based on Sophus Michaëlis' novel 'Himmelskibet' and adapted by the author himself and Ole Olsen. Frederik Fuglsang and Louis Larsen were the cinematographers. The production designer was Carlo Jacobsen and the art director was Axel Bruun.

Himmelskibet concerns Captain Avanti Planetaros (Gunnar Tolnaes) and his trip with his space ship Excelsior to Mars. On Mars, Avanti finds a race of white-robed, mystic vegetarians, and he enlists the services of Marya (Lilly Jacobson), the daughter of the local High Priest and leader (Philip Bech).

Among the cast are also Zanny Petersen as Corona, Avanti's Sister, Nicolai Neiiendam as their father, the Astronomer Professor Planetaros, Alf Blütecher as Avanti's Friend Dr. Krafft, and Nils Asther in an uncredited bit part as a Martian. On Mars, Avanti converts to pacifism and returns to Earth to spread the message. Before long, peace breaks out all over the planet and a well-placed bolt of lightning quickly wipes out the only resistance to this creed.

Freeman Williams writes in his Bad Movie Report about the social context of the film, the First World War, in which the film was produced: "Himmelskibet was released in February of 1918, nine months before the cease-fire with Germany was signed, which meant that for its entire shooting schedule, one of the most horrific wars yet seen was raging on with no signs of letting up. (...)

Given that, the tenor of the story is perfectly understandable, and Himmelskibet works better perhaps as a parable than it does as a science fiction or cautionary tale." Bad Movie Report rates the film as: 'Teetering on the brink of greatness. A good time' and adds 'Sweet movie. And save us, Space Hippies!'


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2152. Photo: Nordisk Film. Still from Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger Madsen, 1918) with from left to right Alf Blütecher as Dr. Krafft, Zanny Petersen as Corona Planetaros, Lilly Jacobson as Marya, Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros, and Nicolai Neiiendam as professor Planetaros, father of Corona and Avanti.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2153. Photo: Nordisk Film. Lilly Jacobson and Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger Madsen, 1918) with .


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, No. K. 2155. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes and Lilly Jacobson in Himmelskibet/A Trip to Mars (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2156. Photo: Nordisk Film. Publicity still for the Science Fiction film Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918) with Gunnar Tolnaes, as captain Avanti Planetaros, Zanny Petersen as his sister Corona, and Nicolai Neiiendam as their father, the astronomer professor Planetaros.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, No. K. 2157. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/A Trip to Mars (Holger-Madsen, 1918).

A true oddity

Rhys Hughes at VideoVista rates Himmelskibet/A Trip to Mars (Holger-Madsen, 1918) among the Top 10 of Early Fantasy Films: "A true oddity this and a film that initially seems ahead of its time in many ways. (...) Despite the flower power trappings, the beads and robes and the consumption of lentils, Himmelskibet is really a reaction to the outbreak of WWI rather than an accurate prediction of the 1960s' alternative culture. Less surprisingly, perhaps, it stands alone as an example of early Danish fantasy cinema."

After Himmelskibet (1918), Denmark did not make another Science Fiction film until Reptilicus (Sidney W. Pink, 1962) starring Bent Mejding and Ann Smyrner.

Himmelskibet was believed to be by and large a lost film for many years, until the Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish Film Institute) located a fairly complete copy and set to restoring it. In 2006, nearly ninety years after its initial appearance, Himmelskibet (1918) was re-released on DVD by the Danish Film Institute.

At IMDb, Mart Sander reviews the DVD: "This film is a total orgy of enjoyment. The double feature released by the Danish Film Institute (together with a disaster film from 1916, The End Of The World) boosts their usual superior quality. The Danes began storing and archiving their films very early, so you get a very clean second-generation copy from a period when most of the US films withdrawn from circulation went to the glue or comb factory.

It's a pity this film with so many different locations isn't color tinted. The rather uninspired piano accompaniment, another trade mark of the series from the DFI, tends to grow a bit tedious too. But nevertheless, a remarkable film and something you can show to your friends without being afraid that they'll think you're a weirdo."


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2158. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, No. K. 2159. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/A Trip to Mars (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, No. K. 2160. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/A Trip to Mars (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2161. Photo: Nordisk Film. Publicity still for Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918) with Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros, Philip Bech as the Martian leader, Lilly Jacobson as Marya, the Martian leader's daughter, Alf Blütecher (kneeling) as Avanti Planetaros' friend Dr. Krafft and Nils Asther as the fallen Martian.


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2162. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes as Avanti Planetaros and Nicolai Neiiendam as his father, the astronomer professor Planetaros in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2164. Photo: Nordisk Film. Gunnar Tolnaes in Himmelskibet/Das Himmelschiff (Holger-Madsen, 1918).

Sources: Mart Sander (IMDb), Rhys Hughes (VideoVista - now defunct), Freeman Williams (The Bad Movie Report), Wikipedia and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 24 February 2024.