Ein dicker Hund (1982)

The wealthy Eduard von Bittermagen, who is exceedingly fond of women, loves betting above all else—especially when the wager is against his personal physician and friend, Professor Pfiff. He bets that he can do what Pfiff considers impossible: get his nephew Tommi and Pfiff’s daughter Julia together. To that end, Bittermagen summons them both to what he claims is his deathbed and promises his entire fortune to whoever finds the greater number of five hidden red cushions. He also reveals that each cushion contains a clue to the location of the next one. Two rival teams form: Tommi and Bea, a pretty but naive and dim-witted ice-cream seller, on one side, and Julia and her friend Jonny on the other. Bittermagen’s servant Bronski watches the race and keeps his employer updated. A wild chase develops over the first cushion, which is in a car belonging to a local driving school. Meanwhile, Professor Pfiff has to remind Helga, the unattractive and universally unwelcome nurse, that looking after Bittermagen is her job, since she would rather join Tommi and his search for the cushions. Servant Bronski, by contrast, wants to help Julia with her search. The second cushion is part of the décor at a water-ski show, and the third is part of the Karl May Festival performances in Elspe. Before and during the Western show, both sides try to get hold of a red cushion, much to the director’s annoyance and the audience’s astonishment. The fourth cushion is hidden at Dr. Uhu’s beauty clinic, which is also threatened by a deranged bomb-maker whom the criminal police are searching for throughout the building. Once again, the rival parties try to get their hands on the cushion during a chaotic chase through the clinic. But the cunning Bittermagen ultimately hands the fifth and final cushion to Julia in person, thereby ensuring that he wins the bet and that Julia gets his nephew Tommi—and so also benefits from a substantial sum of money.