Conny und Peter machen Musik (1960)

Summer on Lake Lugano. After a bicycle accident, young Conny gets a lift part of the way from Peter, a friendly convertible driver, since she has to get to the upmarket Splendide Hotel in Morcote. Conny assumes Peter is wealthy, while Peter takes her for a hotel guest. In reality, Peter is just a waiter at the Osteria run by Grossi, where Baroness Sandberg is among the regular guests. Conny, meanwhile, is Hotel Director Trautmann’s niece, but is currently training as a chambermaid. Trautmann does not want their family relationship to become known, since Conny is to be treated like any other employee. Conny and Peter soon discover each other’s true identities. When Grossi fires Peter for paying too much attention to his female guests, Conny wants to put in a good word for him with Uncle Trautmann. But Trautmann has far bigger concerns than hiring another waiter: the Miss Europe pageant is due to be held at his hotel shortly, and preparations are in chaos. What is more, valuable jewelry belonging to guests has been disappearing repeatedly for some time, and the thief has yet to be unmasked. The hotel detective, Mägerli, proves incompetent, so Trautmann requests a professional from Zurich. Conny cancels the request and instead introduces her uncle to Peter, an enthusiastic amateur detective, as the Swiss expert. For convenience, Peter is to disguise himself as a waiter while investigating. At first, the inquiries lead nowhere. Since Peter and Mägerli do not know each other, they suspect one another of stealing. After a series of mishaps, Mägerli is carried in a wardrobe trunk into the room of the plump former Miss North Sea, who has a screaming fit. Peter arrests Mägerli, which finally convinces Trautmann that Peter is incompetent. Eventually, Peter and Conny get on the right track. Outside the hotel they hear Grossi’s distinctive whistle, which in turn gets a reaction from Baroness Ingrid Sandberg, who is staying at the hotel. To catch the Baroness and Grossi stealing, they devise an elaborate surveillance system. Sure enough, Conny spots Grossi outside the hotel, and Peter catches the Baroness secretly searching other guests’ rooms. When he tries to confront her, she hides the jewelry in a flower vase and accuses Peter of robbery when he takes it, believing it to be stolen. Peter is arrested and questioned by the police. Conny acts alone. She keeps watch on the Baroness, who hides the jewelry in her jewelry box and is about to leave the hotel. When Conny breaks open the box, the Baroness flees with the bag of jewelry and secretly mingles with the beauty queens. Once released, Peter uses Grossi’s distinctive whistle to lure him over and, together with Conny, overpowers him. The Baroness, too, is fleeing from her pursuers with the stolen jewelry in her possession, and falls into the trap set by the two whistling youngsters. The case is solved. In gratitude, Peter gets a three-year contract as a waiter at the Splendide, while Conny finally receives a convertible as a gift.