Although Paul Kramer (played by Paul Klinger) would rather go back to sea, he has promised his parents to look after their hotel/restaurant. One last chance to save the family business is provided by love interest Helga (Anita Gutwell), who invites some musical acts to perform in a TV show at das alte Forsterhaus. The film opens with the various artists already on their way. Prominently annoying are three traveling clowns who insist on performing even without an audience (enough rehearsing already). They are joined by a bus load of Max Greger und sein Orchester. Some evil looking grandpa has also come out of retirement to sing while playing that instrument from "The Third Man" and finally there is some elastic guy trying to give Donald O'Connor a run for his money.
Lots of depressing scenes of that pessimist Klingkramer complaining all the time are alternated by lively music numbers with people jumping up and down. At one point those three pierrots start using the tables at the outdoor restaurant as trampolines. Even when they remove their makeup and dress in lederhosen, you still recognize them because they always sing the same song. So if you are just idly switching channels on a Sunday afternoon and keep seeing this film pass by, it may seem to be just one 90 minute music parade. To be more precise, while the middle part features mostly boring drama, the first and last act are basically two versions of the same revue.
At least the performances have become more elaborate by the time we see them for the (hopefully) final time. Now they feature people dressed up as mermaids and cowboys. I did not notice any TV camera's anywhere, so perhaps that deal fell through at the last minute. With the Kringer story and the musical bits not complimenting each other at all (though they do try to tear at the heartstrings during the cowboy act), it is very difficult to enjoy both plot lines simultaneously. You either care about the characters or enjoy the music, most likely neither.
3 out of 10
