Traumrevue (1959)

Anna Reiser’s ice revue is in financial trouble, since Anna allows hardly any changes to the programs out of consideration for her audience. The new program is finally supposed to be a financial success, and Anna has managed to recruit the Hungarian skating star Ilona Karoly as a solo performer for the show. Meanwhile, young Elisabeth Müller tries in vain to audition for Anna Reiser. She has already waited at the gatekeeper’s four times in the hope of being admitted. On the fourth occasion, she meets only the pianist Tonio Pozzi, who accompanies the figure skaters at rehearsals. She shows him what she can do on the ice, but even Tonio cannot persuade Anna to come and watch. Elisabeth goes home discouraged. From the newspaper, she learns that Ilona Karoly has had to cancel her appearance in the ice revue because of a car accident. Her landlady, Mrs. Schmitt, persuades Elisabeth to pull a deception. She is to pretend to be Ilona so that she can finally show what she can do. Mrs. Schmitt herself will pose as her mother. Elisabeth reluctantly agrees, even though she intends to confess everything as soon as the audition is over. Elisabeth and Mrs. Schmitt receive a proper welcome at the station. Tonio immediately recognizes Elisabeth, whose hair is now dyed blonde, but agrees to go along with the last-minute deception. Elisabeth impresses everyone with her talent at a trial run. Although she now wants to reveal who she really is, Tonio stops her. The newspapers have already reported Ilona as the ice revue’s new star, so exposing the lie would cause a scandal and do the revue more harm than good. Elisabeth now plans to reveal her true identity only after the premiere of the show, which is called Dream Revue. Businessman Hugo Liebling, to whom the ice revue owes a great deal of money, courts Elisabeth. It is therefore nearly impossible simply to turn down his invitations. Mrs. Schmitt does try to interrupt Elisabeth and Liebling’s meetings as often as possible. One evening at a restaurant, Mrs. Schmitt drinks too much and hints that Elisabeth is not Ilona Karoly at all. Liebling promptly travels to Hungary to find out the truth. He arrives at the premiere of Dream Revue with the real Ilona Karoly. At first, she is outraged that someone is performing under her name, but then she recognizes Elisabeth’s talent. During the interval, Liebling reveals the deception to director Anna Reiser. Ilona, however, forgives Elisabeth, especially since Elisabeth had often wanted to reveal her true identity but Tonio had always stopped her. To save the show and avoid deceiving the audience, the real Ilona Karoly performs a solo after the interval. But because she wants to protect her young colleague from a scandal, she sets one condition for her performance: the press must not learn that Elisabeth has been passing herself off as Karoly. Ilona and Elisabeth then perform the show’s finale together in perfect harmony.