Charleys Tante

Heinz Ruehmann had several decades of comedy experience to draw on by the time he appeared in this mid-1950s filming of the famous stage play, and it shows, for he is masterly here both as the urbane diplomat Otto and his drag alter-ego 'Auntie Lottie', who arrives at his brother's roof garden party just in time to act as a chaperon to the two attractive young Swedish girls who are on the point of leaving. Paul Hoerbiger is excellent as an aged Lothario chasing 'Auntie Lottie' around the roof, while the REAL auntie - played by Ruehmann's real-life wife, the astonishingly beautiful Herta Feiler - turns up to add to the mayhem, and smells a rat when she recognizes 'Auntie Lottie's dress as her own. Ruehmann's wonderfully camp mambo number is undoubtedly the highlight, but there's plenty of period charm on offer too.