Ronny (1931)

Young Ronny works as a talented costume designer and hopes to make it big one day. Her latest commission offers her just such an opportunity: Ronny is to design the costumes for a stage operetta. It was composed by a certain Prince of Perusa himself, so it has the highest possible priority. The job is so urgent that Ronny immediately travels to Perusa by train to deliver her designs in person. Around the same time, a pretty singer is expected to arrive, to be presented to the sovereign by his ministers to keep the monarch in good spirits. On the way to the hotel, the Prince and Ronny cross paths. A case of mistaken identity promptly ensues, and the monarch is delighted by the young woman, whom he takes for the announced chanteuse—though in reality, she has already canceled her arrival. The principality’s theater director is delighted with Ronny’s costumes, but at the same time fears for his own fate if the expected singer fails to appear. And so the court theater’s director begs the young lady to play along with the little charade in front of the Prince and pretend to be the announced singer. Ronny has to summon all her singing talent to make a success of her voice in the Prince’s production. Since she has sewn the costumes, Ronny also knows exactly what the operetta is about and will have no great difficulty with the lines. The Prince himself wants to conduct his own work and grows more enthusiastic about the “singer” with each performance. The premiere is a great success, and now the ministers demand that Ronny go all the way with the Prince, too. To this end, she is taken to the Prince’s love nest, Schloss Monbijou. When she realizes what the government’s high-ranking gentlemen expect of her, she is shocked … as is the Prince, who now believes that his beloved is one of those girls who can be bought for money to spend a night of love with him. Furious, Ronny tells the monarch what she thinks of him and leaves the palace for the railway station, intending to leave the country as quickly as possible. But the Prince is glad to discover how wrong he was about Ronny’s character, and drives after her himself. He explains himself to Ronny, and the two fall into each other’s arms.