Liebe muß verstanden sein (1933)

“A small advance on my salary wouldn’t be bad,” thinks the dedicated stenographer Margit Raday, but her boss, factory owner Bruno Plaumann, is not interested in such things. His thoughts are already on his next business trip, which will take him to Dresden. He plans to acquire a patent there for a revolutionary remote control. Margit is to take the 3,000 marks deposit to the bank. The young woman sets off with the money and stops in front of a fashion shop window, admiring the display. But its captivating appearance and unforeseen circumstances make her late, and she reaches the bank only after it has closed. Since her boss is already on his way to Dresden, firmly believing that the bank has accepted the deposit and that it is on its way to his business partner Lambach, the loyal Margit has no choice but to follow him there, explain what happened, and confess her failure. Upon arriving in Dresden, Margit learns that her boss had car trouble on the way and will be late. Exhausted by the long train journey, she finds some vacant hotel room and promptly falls asleep there. She wakes with a start when a strange man suddenly appears beside her in bed; as it turns out, he is a guest staying in that room. The stranger happens to be none other than Lambach, from whom her boss wants to buy the patent. Things come to a head when a camera flash suddenly goes off before Margit can explain the circumstances that led to the situation. The photograph records Margit and Lambach in what appears to be a compromising position, making the whole situation even more tangled, since Lambach is engaged. Margit tries somehow to salvage things: she disguises herself as a chambermaid and gains access to the room of the photographer, Bobby Brandt. Getting the photograph back, however, proves much more difficult than she had imagined. Various complications ensue, but something good comes of them too: Margit gets to talk with the inventor Lambach, who takes a liking to the young, lively woman. And so, in the end, Margit’s boss gets the longed-for patent.