Mädchen mit schwachem Gedächtnis (1956)

Anny Prechtl, the daughter of a café owner, lives in the provinces and dreams of a career as a dancer. Her boyfriend, Poldi Kohlegger, has made a career as an actor in Munich under the name Peter Parker and regularly sends her letters. At last, Anny’s parents agree to let her go to Munich. There, she discovers that Poldi never became an actor but works as a bellboy in a small hotel. Poldi finds her a place to stay at the hotel, but Anny discovers that all her cash was stolen during the train journey. At first, Poldi manages to help feed her by cleverly redistributing the guests’ food rations. But the scheme is uncovered, Poldi is fired for theft, and Anny is thrown out of the hotel. Her suitcases remain there until she can pay her outstanding room bill. The day before, through Poldi’s introduction, Anny had met Albert Locker, a bohemian, poet, photographer, and actor. He told her about a case in which a woman with memory loss had been found. She was taken to a hospital, since her clothes made her seem wealthy. After a fright brought back her memory, it emerged that she was actually poor and had worked as a fashion model—her dress was a creation by the designer she had been working for at the time she lost her memory. Her story is now to be made into a film, and she has become famous. Anny had rejected Albert’s suggestion that she also pretend to have lost her memory. Now, without money or suitcases, and unwilling to go home as a loser, she changes her mind. She is sitting on a park bench, crying, when a policeman approaches her. Since she cannot answer any of his questions, he takes her to the police station. There, too, Anny insists that she cannot remember either her name or her family. A police doctor is called in and diagnoses her with memory loss. Anny is taken to a hospital, where she spends the night. The next day, the police find a missing-person notice in which a Paul Howard is looking for his daughter. The details match Anny, so Paul is informed that his daughter has been found. Paul and his wife are dismayed: their daughter Mary has in fact been missing for three years, and they wanted her to remain missing, since they planned to take her inheritance for themselves. However, when they hear that the young woman has lost her memory, they collect Anny from the police station and pretend that she really is their daughter. Anny moves into Mary’s room, and Paul gives her splendid clothes. Meanwhile, Poldi and Albert search for Anny and tell the policeman about their friend—the very policeman who has just handed Anny over to the Howards. The policeman becomes suspicious, and an investigation begins. In the course of it, Poldi and Albert travel to Rottach-Egern, where the Howards’ villa is located. Disguised as a resettler named Lina, Poldi applies for a job as a housekeeper, and Paul hires him. In time, Anny and Poldi discover the reason for the Howards’ behavior: Mary will come of age in a few days. The Howards adopted her when she was three, and when she comes of age she will own the fortune left by her late parents. Until then, the Howards have used it to finance their extravagant lifestyle. They are now expecting the notary, Mr. Turner, from America, who is to transfer the fortune into Mary’s name. At the same time, Paul has tricked Anny into signing a blank sheet of paper, then written on it that she agrees to leave all her financial rights in her parents’ hands even after coming of age. The police now step in. They have found the real Mary. Poldi is dismissed because Peter cannot keep his hands off the new housekeeper, and Albert takes his place. A band appears at “Mary’s” birthday party, and some policemen and Poldi have sneaked in among its members. Just before the fortune is transferred, two of Poldi’s acquaintances arrive, each presenting himself as Peter’s son. When Peter’s wife intervenes, they make it clear that Mary is not genuine either. The police solve the case and bring in the real Mary. Albert, who also works as a reporter, gets a suitable photograph and writes a sensational story about a girl with a poor memory and an attempt to swindle someone out of a fortune worth millions. Anny and Poldi, meanwhile, become a couple and find success as singers in Anny’s parents’ café.