''Der singende Tor'' (literal English translation: ''The Singing Fool'') is a 1939

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by Johannes Meyer and starring

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer ( lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a sho ...

Kirsten Heiberg Kirsten Heiberg (25 April 1907 – 2 March 1976) was a Norwegian/German actress and singer who had a major film career in Germany between 1938 and 1954. She reached the peak of her career in 1942–43, performing in Joseph Goebbels version ...

, and

Hilde Körber Hilde Körber (3 July 1906 – 31 May 1969) was an Austrian film actress who worked largely in the German Film Industry. She appeared in 53 films between 1930 and 1964. She was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary and died in West Berlin, West G ...

.Parish p.315 It was a co-production made at

Cinecittà Studios Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constru ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with a German director and a cast of mixed nationalities. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Otto Guelstorff Otto Guelstorff (1878–1959) was a German art director.Fox p. 257 He worked on around fifty films during his career. Selected filmography * '' Hell of Love'' (1926) * '' Silence in the Forest'' (1929) * '' Rustle of Spring'' (1929) * '' Heilige ...

. A separate Italian version called ''Casa lontana'' was also made.

Cast

as Carlo Franchetti *

as Sylvia Franchetti *

as Peggy Kennedy *

Hans Olden Hans Olden (1892–1975) was an Austrian stage and film actor. Olden appeared in more than eighty films during his career, mostly in Austria but occasionally also in Germany. He was a supporter of the Austrian Nazi Party, his interest in Nazism ...

as James Kennedy *

Elsa Wagner Elsa Wagner (24 January 1881 – 17 August 1975) was a German actress who appeared in numerous theatrical productions and feature films during the 20th century, including 1920's ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari''. Life and career Born as Elisabe ...

as Diana *

Werner Fuetterer Werner Fuetterer (10 January 1907 in Barth, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – 7 February 1991 in Benidorm, Province of Alicante, Spain) was a German film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1925 and 1967. In his early film career, Fuetterer ...

as Antonio *

Walter Steinbeck Walter Steinbeck (26 September 1878 – 27 August 1942) was a German film actor. Steinbeck was born in Niederlößnitz (now Radebeul), Saxony, Germany. He died at age 63 in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * '' The Romance of a Poor Sin ...

as Franchettis Manager *

Rudolf Platte Rudolf Antonius Heinrich Platte (12 February 1904 – 18 December 1984) was a German actor. Biography Born in Hörde, Westphalia (today part of Dortmund) the son of a merchant, his family moved to Hildesheim three years later. Rudolf left scho ...

as Sekretär *

Friedrich Kayßler Friedrich Martin Adalbert Kayssler, also spelled Kayßler (7 April 1874 – 30 April 1945), was a German theatre and film actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1913 and 1945. Biography Kayssler was born in Neurode in the Silesia Province ...

as Judge *

Franz Schafheitlin Franz Schafheitlin (9 August 1895 – 6 February 1980) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1927 and 1974. He was born in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany and died in Pullach, West Germany. Selected filmograph ...

as Prosecutor *

Ernst Fritz Fürbringer Ernst Fritz Fürbringer (27 July 1900 – 30 October 1988) was a German film actor. He appeared in 130 films between 1933 and 1983. He was born in Brunswick, Germany and died in Munich, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Die große und die ...

as Defense lawyer * Rudolf Essek as Korrepetitor Franchettis * Else Boy as Freundin Sylvias * Oretta Fiume as Freundin Sylvias * Charlotte Schellhorn as Bartoli - Witness *

Angelo Ferrari Angelo Ferrari (14 August 1897 – 15 June 1945) was an Italian actor known for his work in German cinema. Selected filmography * '' The Nude Woman'' (1922) * '' The Green Manuela'' (1923) * ''Samson'' (1923) * '' The Faces of Love'' (1924) * ' ...

as Direktor der Oper in Neapel

References

Bibliography

* Parish, Robert. ''Film Actors Guide''. Scarecrow Press, 1977.

External links

* 1939 films Italian musical films German musical films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Johannes Meyer Films set in Italy Films of Nazi Germany German multilingual films Films shot at Cinecittà Studios Tobis Film films German black-and-white films Italian black-and-white films 1939 multilingual films 1930s Italian films 1930s German films Films scored by Franco Casavola Films scored by Franz Grothe Films scored by Riccardo Zandonai German-language musical films German-language Italian films {{1930s-Italy-film-stub