Fräulein Lilli (1936)

After a long spell of unemployment, the pretty Miss Lilli finally lands a job as a saleswoman at a jewelry store. To boost sales, the owner, Höfer, sends Lilli and his authorized representative, Seidl, to Monte Carlo. Lilli is to wear the store’s jewelry at the local casino, thereby advertising the business, and offer the jewelry she is wearing for sale. But Höfer and Seidl have a secret. In truth, the authorized representative keeps the real jewelry in his possession, while the unsuspecting Miss Lilli wears nothing but a worthless imitation. Jeweler Höfer intends to bring about a sale by means of a trick: Seidl is to spread the rumor that Lilli has lost badly at the casino and therefore urgently needs to sell her necklace. Meanwhile, Lilli has met the bon vivant Fredy Scott and quickly fallen in love with him. The suspicious Seidl suspects that the young, handsome man is a hardened con artist, since he has just had to give up the apartment Lilli has now moved into because of heavy losses at the casino. By contrast, Seidl puts his trust in a man named van Eyben, who is in fact about to prove himself a swindler. To make matters worse, Seidl confides in him about the reasons for his and Lilli’s trip to Monte Carlo. Höfer and Seidl’s jewelry scheme is thwarted by Lilli’s winning streak, which Seidl knows nothing about. So Seidl keeps spreading the false rumor that Lilli has had bad luck at the casino, and Fredy promptly hears it too. He then sets off to stop the young woman, who is devoted to him, from gambling. Fredy Scott, still supplied with money by his wealthy parents, returns to the gaming table at Lilli’s side. At last Seidl has some luck, for Miss Lilli’s losing streak has just begun. When the authorized representative learns of it, he offers the hotel management the real jewelry for sale on commission. While Lilli is taking a bath, van Eyben, the real crook, sneaks into her room and steals the imitation. Meanwhile, Fredy wins a small fortune at the casino. He returns to his hotel, learns that the jewelry is about to be sold, and buys the real jewelry to give it to the woman he loves. Fredy enters Lilli’s hotel room just as she discovers that her imitation jewelry has been stolen, and she now believes Fredy is the thief. Lilli immediately leaves Monte Carlo. At last, the misunderstanding is cleared up at a customs station on the border, and the two lovers find their way to each other.