Küßchen und der General

The group council leader of 7b, Punkt, has a hard time because General sets the tone in the class - with stupid pranks. The new kid, Küßchen, is quite different. He likes tinkering and has his own field telephone. General and his gang want to get one over on him and build a pitfall, but it's not Küßchen who falls in, but a lieutenant from the NVA. He breaks his arm and Küßchen visits him in hospital. Betrayal, the others think. But the two become friends and the lieutenant helps the children build an amateur radio station. The general who joins them is interested. He entices Küßchen to use the radio illegally, which brings the police onto the scene. And now the general shows that he is a decent guy after all.

Directed by Wolfgang Bartsch, Küßchen und der General leans on a strong ensemble — Bernd Kersten, Rolf Furkert, Frank Lamla — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about family titles of 1961.