Almenrausch und Edelweiß (1957)

Maresi and her mother, Friedl, receive news that a distant aunt has left them a small fortune. Friedl signs the papers, but spells her name “Meier.” The inheritance, however, is intended for a “Friedl Meyer.” Friedl refuses to show the estate administrator her marriage certificate and reveals to her daughter that she never married her father, Ferdinand Meyer, because he had carelessly left her standing at the altar. Ferdinand Meyer knows nothing about his daughter either, since Friedl left her fiancé after the wedding fell through. Maresi decides to seek out Ferdinand Meyer, who has since become the managing director of a publishing house, and persuade him to marry her mother. Not least because mother and daughter could use the inheritance money: their family hotel is doing poorly. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Meyer has been persuaded by his doctor that he needs to slow down for the sake of his health. He plans to go to the village in the Salzkammergut where Friedl also lives and spend his vacation at his hunting lodge. This puts his valet, Leo, in a bind, since he has secretly sublet the lodge to the photographers Robert and Max. They both refuse to move out before their time, so Leo tells Ferdinand that the lodge has burned down. Instead, he has already rented the managing director a room at a hotel in the village. Ferdinand soon learns that the lodge is still standing and promptly moves in with Max and Robert under the name Mr. Schwan. Leo, meanwhile, is mistaken for the managing director at the hotel and treated like a VIP. The dancer and trick sharpshooter Ilonka hopes she has landed a good catch in him, while Maresi, who thinks she has found her father in him, is horrified that Leo apparently wants nothing to do with either her or her mother. Complications and misunderstandings ensue. Ilonka discovers Leo’s true identity and leaves him, but tries to flirt with Ferdinand, whose identity she has also learned. This makes Max suffer: he has fallen in love with Ilonka but is poor. Robert loves Maresi, and the two soon want to marry, but Leo, posing as Maresi’s “father,” opposes the marriage and causes frustration. Ferdinand eventually clears everything up. He and Friedl have fallen in love at first sight all over again and want to marry, and he has no objection to Maresi and Robert’s relationship either. In the end, Max and Ilonka also get together. Ilonka has landed a contract as an actress and can now “afford” Max.