Liebe will gelernt sein (1963)

Ilse Lehmbruck is worried: her son Hansgeorg shows no interest in women at all, and devotes himself wholeheartedly to his medical studies. He does not want to become a gynecologist, either, but plans to earn his living as a pediatrician. Before Hansgeorg turns into a mama’s boy, his mother Ilse sends him to live with his uncle Christoph Mylius in Munich, who makes his living as a writer. There, he is supposed to be gently introduced to the adult world, and especially to the world of women. Christoph Mylius is a favorite with women, as his novels strike a chord with them. In private, he has long kept his relationship with the successful actress Hermine largely under wraps, and has to fend off the cautious advances of his secretary, Dora. It soon becomes clear that Hansgeorg had his own reasons for moving in with Uncle Christoph. For one thing, he wants to set his mother up with their neighbor and not get in their way; for another, he likes Munich not just for its university, but above all because of Margot, who owns a lending library. They have been a couple in secret for four years, and he spends every spare moment with her. Christoph introduces Hansgeorg to society: they attend dance classes, where Christoph is mobbed by women, and visit Hermine at the film studio, where they watch the filming of a bathtub scene featuring her naked, which ends up being unintentionally funny. At a strip club, Hansgeorg turns out to be less captivated by the woman taking off her clothes than by the barmaid, who has a high pulse. He goes to the pharmacy to get medicine for her—and sends word to Christoph, who is waiting, that he has to work. Meanwhile, Dora surprises Christoph, and spends the night with him. The next morning, they arrive at Christoph’s house together: Christoph is hungover and exhausted, while Hansgeorg is well-rested, so he has to explain himself and finally admits that he has a girlfriend. At a party at the Mylius home, Hansgeorg introduces Margot to Christoph, while Hermine and Dora try to talk things out but part without making peace. A short time later, Christoph has a new secretary. Hansgeorg pretends he is going away to the Rhine for an extended stay. In reality, he is living in Margot’s apartment in Munich. There, he learns that his mother has impulsively married their neighbor, Eberhard Feldhammer, and decides that he, too, will no longer keep his relationship secret. Shortly after his “official” return from the Rhine, he gathers the family together. His mother Ilse, who wants to reject Margot on principle, is astonished to recognize her as Hansgeorg’s childhood sweetheart and realize that the two have been a couple for years. They tell the family that they will marry later that month—not because Margot is pregnant, but because they already have a two-year-old son named Andreas. The surprise is complete, and after a brief hesitation Ilse is a proud grandmother. The wedding takes place soon afterward, with the whole family in attendance.