Wenn Männer verreisen

Ludwig Gruber, the director of a spa café, is a good man. Now and again, he makes little adventure-trips to Berlin to find business for his company. The women he is traveling with have an accident on the highway. Gruber is traveling incognito as “Mr. Rabbit” with Lotte, the leader of the group. Because of the accident, they’ll have to overnight together in a hotel. Since Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit are a “couple”, they’ll be getting a double-room, where they can … mmm … do what rabbits do. Since they both insist on climbing into bed with the lights out, it isn’t until the next morning that they notice they’ve been in the same bed the whole night. In the ensuing chaos, Grube loses his wedding ring, which is later sent to the address of Lotte’s mother, who now insists repeatedly, that he marry her daughter.

Directed by Georg Zoch, Wenn Männer verreisen leans on a strong ensemble — Lotte Werkmeister, Lieselotte Klingler, Julia Serda — 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 comedy titles of 1940.