Fahrt ins Glück (1948)

Celia Loevengaard is facing hard times. She had earned her living as a popular singer, a variety-theater soubrette, but lately she could no longer get any engagements and had to cut back in every way. Now that Celia can no longer pay her rent either, she is summarily evicted. She has temporarily rescued the few things she has left by moving them into the bathroom, where she has locked herself in. She lets only the antiques dealer Holm in. Celia sells him several items and, with the money she gets, can finally visit her daughter Susanne in Tyrol. Susanne has lived for 20 years with the mother of her former husband and is about to marry a man whom Celia’s former mother-in-law disapproves of. When Celia arrives, she meets the prospective husband. His name is Richard Jürgens, and he knows about Celia’s variety-theater past, which Susanne knows nothing about. Since he does not hold back from making a few insinuations, Celia is now against the marriage to the oily fellow, too. She thinks her daughter should wait a little longer, until she has come of age. But Susanne does not want to wait, so she turns to her official guardian, the elderly Consul Hoyermann, who is to make the final decision. The elderly consul is captivated when he meets the lively Celia Loevengaard and immediately falls in love with the woman, who is no longer in the first flush of youth either. The very next day, he proposes to her. Knowing her own past and recognizing that the consul is a gentleman of high society, Celia turns him down. Hoyermann remains persistent, however, and, with the help of Celia’s former mother-in-law, manages to persuade Celia to dine with him the following day. Over dinner, Hoyermann makes it clear to Celia that he is not interested in her past and that he is fascinated by her healthy, cheerful attitude to life. At last, Celia Loevengaard happily agrees to marry the consul. Back at home, Richard Jürgens intercepts her and blackmails his prospective mother-in-law: unless she agrees at once to Susanne marrying him, he will tell everyone everything about Celia’s past, which he considers disreputable. Susanne has overheard this and now knows what a despicable man she nearly married. Jürgens is thrown out of the house. But then Celia suddenly disappears. She is ashamed of her past and does not want to burden Susanne with her presence any longer. The consul and Susanne immediately follow her to the train station, where they just manage to catch up with Celia. Everything is cleared up there, and the trip to visit her daughter Susanne ultimately proves to have been a journey to happiness for Celia Loevengaard.