Dorritchens Vergnügungsreise (1916)

The high-spirited Dorrit, daughter of the respected Commercial Councillor Fröhlich, is a real cheeky whirlwind with a mischievous streak. Her wealthy aunt Eusebia thinks the untamed young lady ought finally to acquire some social polish and be married off. She has already picked out a prospective husband for her: the unattractive, bald Adolar Stieglitz. As expected, Dorrit is anything but pleased with this choice. Aunt Eusebia hints that if Dorrit defies her wishes, she will leave her entire fortune to a neglected children’s home. Now Dorrit has a difficult problem to solve. She summons her cousin Georg, who is about her own age. Aunt Eusebia suspects that nothing good will come of their meeting and tries to keep them apart. At an upcoming dinner, she assigns the prudish Miss Spitz, the Fröhlich household’s companion, to Georg, while Dorrit is confined to her room. But Dorrit finds a way around this: she intercepts Georg before he can fall into the housekeeper’s clutches and prepares an intimate supper of her own. Meanwhile, Miss Spitz waits in vain and, sensing trouble, hurries away at once—only to burst in right in the middle of the young couple’s rendezvous. Georg and Dorrit, however, are not put off. When everyone is asleep that night, Dorrit goes to Georg’s room and persuades him to go out on the town with her. Their nighttime outing takes them to an entertainment venue, where they celebrate and dance the night away. To her astonishment, the young woman spots her father there, enjoying himself with the cheeky dancer Garnita; even Mr. Stieglitz, whom she had thought stuffy, is having a very good time. Dorrit seizes the opportunity and has the two men photographed in compromising poses, so she can put a stop early on to any attempts to arrange a marriage for her. The next morning, Dorrit is supposed to meet her future husband for the first time. To thwart any marriage plans on the part of her father and wealthy aunt, Dorrit makes herself look exceptionally ugly. Adolar Stieglitz is indeed put off by the encounter and beats a hasty retreat. Then, to tease her aunt, Dorrit immediately transforms herself back into a sweet young girl, goes to her and says, “deeply offended,” that the prospective groom is not interested in her at all. A photograph of Stieglitz from the previous evening, showing him having a grand time at the venue, further convinces Aunt Eusebia of the suitor’s disreputable character. When Dorrit holds up the picture of her father at the venue to his face—he, too, has been out enjoying himself—his daughter has finally won. All the marriage arrangements once planned are off, and Dorrit can celebrate her engagement to her beloved cousin Georg.