Mein Schatz, komm mit ans blaue Meer (1959)

The youth magazine Bravo has selected two winners in its contest “My Darling, Come with Me to the Blue Sea”: housewife Hansi Brammer and Lilo Fischer, an employee at a beauty salon. They have both won a trip by caravan from Munich to Italy. If they travel to Italy and back in the caravan within three weeks, they will win an additional 10,000 marks. The condition is that the caravan must always be towed by other people’s cars and that the two women complete various tasks along the way. They both accept the challenge. Bravo editor Dr. Karin Beer accompanies them to report on and monitor the trip. Truck driver Bubi Hanemann, who is in the audience, falls for Hansi immediately and decides to follow the group on its way to Italy, since he himself has a delivery to make in Ravenna. Lilo, Hansi and Karin are first given a lift by an older gentleman, who has his eye mainly on Lilo. Halfway along, they look for a new driver who can tow the caravan. While Hansi runs into Bubi, who would take her as far as Salzburg, Lilo is chiefly interested in meeting a millionaire during the trip. She sets her sights on Martin Exel, who is driving an expensive car and takes the group to Salzburg. Lilo does not know that Martin is actually just the mechanic for hotel-chain owner Paul Marzez. Martin realizes that Lilo thinks he is a rich man, and Paul agrees to play along. In Salzburg, Lilo also meets Paul, and she does not know which of the two rich men to choose. Lilo and Hansi complete their first task—earning ten marks within twelve hours—by working as babysitters, car washers and tour guides. While working, Hansi sees Bubi again, and the two confess their love for each other. The journey continues to Lake Como. Lilo sees Paul again, who pretends to be just an ordinary mechanic. From then on, Lilo ignores him and chooses Martin. Paul has long been interested in Karin, but she sees through his disguise and is disappointed that he insists to her as well that he is a mechanic. She turns away from him, but they make up when Paul apologizes. Lilo, meanwhile, realizes that she loves Martin despite his status. Paul’s cousin Annabelle, who works as a singer, meets the young Tommy in Italy. He has followed his beloved Lilo there, but because he is not wealthy, he never stood a chance with her. Annabelle and Tommy fall in love too and become a couple, both privately and onstage. The women complete more contest tasks—spending a night in jail and crossing a busy square barefoot, singing and blindfolded—by starting a brawl in a bar and going to St. Mark’s Square in Venice. In the end, only getting back to Munich on time proves difficult: their caravan is mixed up with another and taken to Flensburg by an American transport plane. Members of the army bring it to Munich, and the two women finally arrive on time.