Drei Liebesbriefe aus Tirol (1962)

Young Martin Hinterkirchner has moved from the village of Himmelsberg to Vienna, where he has landed a job as a répétiteur at the opera. Disillusionment soon follows: the job is only an assistant position, so Martin has to earn his keep by playing piano for his landlady, Cäsarina Zwanziger, a former opera singer. In secret, with the help of Cäsarina’s son Peter, he writes popular songs and submits them to music manager Cobold. He wrote the song “La Serenata” especially for pop star Linda Borg, but it falls into the hands of Linda’s manager, Isolde Fürchtenich, who rejects it in Linda’s name without even looking at it. Martin is disappointed and now thinks Linda is an arrogant person. Martin’s grandfather Leopold, who comes to Vienna for a dog show with his dachshund Seppl, is taken with Linda, however. When the judges eliminate Seppl in the first round because he has no pedigree, Linda is the one who has kind words for the “purebred dog.” The unmusical Peter Zwanziger has entered Cobold’s popular-song contest at Vienna’s Stadthalle, where he plans to sing Martin’s song “La Serenata.” He is accepted. The performance takes place in a separate room, where the orchestral accompaniment is played in through a microphone. The audience, meanwhile, hears only the singing and chooses the contest winner without knowing who is performing. Peter has brought Martin along for moral support. When Peter fails at the microphone, Martin takes his place and sings the song. The audience’s celebratory whistles sound to them like jeers, and they hurry out of the Stadthalle. After this second musical setback, Martin is so frustrated that he returns to Himmelsberg and starts working there as a pilot. Some time later, Peter learns from Cobold that he has won the song contest. Short of money, he signs a contract with Cobold that also obliges him to perform. With his mother’s help, Peter manages several times to avoid his performances. In the process, he once angers his duet partner Linda Borg so much that she leaves in frustration. For some time, she has been receiving anonymous love letters from Himmelsberg, and she travels to the village. She does not know that Leopold wrote them. He is determined to get Linda to sing “La Serenata” at least once. He has bet his friend, veterinarian Dr. Franz Kajetan, that Linda will sing Martin’s song this year. If he loses, dachshund Seppl will belong to Franz from then on. Linda arrives in Himmelsberg. Leopold pretends he can tell from the handwriting on the love letters that Martin wrote them, although Linda has never met Martin. Linda goes by the name Linda Bergström in Himmelsberg and disguises herself with a wig. She meets Martin, who shows her the area as a pilot and teaches her to ski. They fall in love, but then Isolde Fürchtenich arrives in the village and reveals Linda’s identity. She also accuses Martin of having pursued Linda only to get rid of his song. Linda and Martin part on bad terms. Back in Vienna, Peter admits to Cobold and Isolde that he did not sing the song at the contest at all. Martin had been at the microphone. But Leopold is the one who finally persuades Martin to travel to Vienna and clear things up with Linda. Leopold confesses to Linda that he wrote the love letters, so Martin is innocent. He asks her to perform “La Serenata” onstage. Finally, Martin also learns onstage that Linda loves him. They end up singing “La Serenata” as a duet—and Seppl stays with Leopold.