Solang' die Sterne glüh'n (1958)

The little Marinelli circus is about to leave. Next to the circus, the “milk king” Runkelmann holds a press conference to inform the public that he wants to buy the circus grounds so he can expand his large dairy even further. The journalist Conny Meister is there. Meanwhile, some of the circus performers are doing everything they can to save the company: the horsewoman Cora, the clown Pipo, and the child Silvio. Cora has a well-paid job at a nightclub, but she is fired because she refuses to let herself be harassed. The three have great difficulty finding food for the animals. Conny Meister, who senses not only a touching story but also has his eye on Cora, comes to help her. When the children in the area hear about the circus’s difficulties, they organize a football match and ask for animal feed as the entrance fee. Runkelmann sees his plans being thwarted and wants to put an end to the protest within 24 hours. Conny Meister calls on the children to boycott the Ruma company and ask the other children in town to do the same. The news spreads like wildfire, and soon on billboards bearing the slogan “Only Ruma milk is pure,” the “r” in the second word is covered by a “k,” making it read: “Never again Ruma milk.” Cora has fallen in love with the journalist. Just as one of her colleagues comes in with the newspaper, Conny discovers who he is and gets a slap. Meanwhile, Runkelmann is looking for some missing milk churns. He soon finds them at the circus. Cora then takes the blame for the theft to protect the old clown Pipo, who, she believes, sold the churns and wanted to use the proceeds to get food for the animals. In reality, the monkey Charly is the culprit. In any case, Runkelmann considers himself the winner. His joy does not last long; the theft is soon solved. When Conny and Pipo organize a new protest under the slogan “Help the old animals!”, Cora makes up with Conny. To avoid completely ruining his reputation, Runkelmann provides a property for the construction of an animal sanctuary.