Bobby geht los (1931)

Bobby Morland is a fit, athletic man. He has made a name for himself as a boxer. The opponent in his next fight, Paul Romanow, is afraid he will lose, so he hires a criminal underworld type to get Bobby out of the way. Morland is knocked unconscious and stowed in a trunk, which is left in a castle that is soon to be auctioned off. Before it passes into new hands, the petty thief “Pickle Karl” arrives at the old castle, intending to make off with a few souvenirs. There he discovers Bobby and frees him, but Bobby has forgotten his name because of the blow to the back of his head—a temporary case of amnesia. The police soon arrive, and “Pickle Karl” and Bobby make a quick getaway so they won’t be arrested as burglars and thieves. The mismatched pair find shelter at “The Red Jonas,” a dive bar with a dirt-cheap hotel attached. There Bobby meets Marietta, the niece of the innkeeper known as “Jonas,” who refuses to give up the “Prince’s Room,” where she wants to stay, to Bobby. Unlike the dubious clientele of “The Red Jonas,” she is a thoroughly respectable young woman. So her first encounter with Bobby is not exactly free of conflict. That is not the only reason she keeps her distance from him; she is also bothered by the fact that he knows nothing about his former life. Still, he saves her from a dangerous situation when the habitual criminal Padube tries to force Marietta to dance naked in front of the rabble in the barroom. Bobby follows every lead that might point to his past; he is determined to find out who he really is. But the only clue gets him no further, even though he now knows that his name is Bobby. He follows a mysterious woman named Olga Lotsy, who had witnessed him rescuing Marietta and then immediately left “The Red Jonas” again, accompanied by two men. She addresses him as Bobby, but says she knows nothing more about him. He meets Marietta again at Olga’s, where Marietta works in a beauty salon and has been assigned to give Mrs. Lotsy a massage. Marietta remains suspicious of him, because she believes he can’t say who he is only because he has something to hide and a shady past. Bobby wanders aimlessly through the city streets, when he sees a poster announcing the big boxing match between Morland—that is, himself—and Paul Romanow. Bobby’s memory gradually returns, and he rushes straight to the boxing arena. Romanow’s manager has just announced that the fight will not take place because Morland is backing out. At the same time, at the police station, the petty criminal who knocked Bobby unconscious and took him to the castle in the trunk is being questioned. But Bobby jumps into the ring and beats his opponent Romanow in the fight. The audience cheers. Now that Marietta knows who Bobby is, she is first among the spectators and then at his side.