Die Nichte des Herzogs (1917)

The young Countess Ena has a fervent wish: to attend the upcoming court ball! She gets her chance when she and her uncle, the Most Serene reigning Duke of a small German state, are invited. But when the ruler injures his foot, their visit to the ball is in danger of falling through. This is all the more tragic because the Countess was hoping to meet her suitor, Lieutenant von Prenken, whom she has not seen for a long time. After much pleading, the Duke agrees to let Ena travel to the ball—but only accompanied by the ducal chamberlain as her chaperone. The hotel is notified by telegram that “Dukes” will be arriving. As it happens, other “Herzogs” are expected there too: a delegation led by a certain Sally from the G. Herzog company, a department store that has sent models wearing its own clothes for a fashion show. The many Herzogs throw the staff into such confusion that Hanny from the Herzog company is addressed as “Countess” and Sally as “Your Excellency.” Hanny and Sally play along, much to their mischievous delight. The young industrial magnate Kuno Hampfstängel’s ears prick up when he hears about the Herzogs, and he tries to make the acquaintance of the supposed countess in the hotel dining room. Prenken also turns up, but he has not seen his Ena for so long that at first he is puzzled by how tall Ena—alias Hanny—has grown and how much her appearance has changed. When the Duke’s real niece and her chamberlain arrive, the hotel staff initially mistake them for the Duke’s servants and treat them accordingly. Countess Ena is not even angry about this and henceforth plays the role of the ducal maid, finding it rather amusing to watch the consequences of these bizarre mix-ups. When Prenken sees her, it dawns on him that she must be his little childhood friend after all. Hanny now realizes that her act as the Duke’s niece has been exposed, and she quickly gets engaged to her knight in shining armor, Kuno, so that two couples emerge from the story in the end.