Berliner Börsen Courier: cultural essays in, 49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 59, 62, 65, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75, 78; interviews in, 124, 126, 128, 130, 134, 137–141; Wilder’s early work for, 7, 12, 19
Berliner Zeitung am Mittag (B. Z.): cultural essays in, 41, 80; essays about selling, 96, 145–148; film and theater reviews in, 169–191; interviews in, 143, 145; Klabund’s introduction of Wilder in, 163–164; Wilder’s writing for, 10, 19, 21, 29, 41, 80
“Berlin Rendezvous” (Wilder), 21, 74–75
Bernhard, Georg, 116
Berthier, Alfons, 169
Bess, Jane, 172
Bettauer, Hugo, 6
Bietzke, Hans, 184
“Billie”: Billy Wilders Wiener journalistische Arbeiten (Aurich, Jacobsen and Krenn), 18
Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Foundation, 18
Binder, Sybille, 5
Blachnitzky, Curt, 184
Black Bottom dance, 21, 41, 57
Blind Husbands (1919), 150
A Blonde for a Night (1928), 176–177
Bois, Curt, 169
book market, Berlin, 21, 87–90
books. See literature and books
Borchert, Brigitte, 16, 84
Boulevard-Zeitung, 11
Brabin, Charles J., 177
Braun, Alfred, 172
Brettel, Colette, 184
Briese, Gert, 172
broadcasting and radio, 172
Broken Barriers (1924), 167–168
Die Bühne: caricatures in, 10; crosswords puzzles in, 4; cultural essays in, 19, 20, 41; film and theater reviews in, 168; interviews in, 7, 100, 103, 109; Wilder’s writing for, 3–4, 19
Bush, Mae, 167, 168
“The Business of Thirst” (Wilder), 78–80
“but” as word, 54–56
“The B. Z. Lady and the German Crown Prince” (Wilder), 96, 145–148
Caligari (1920), 99
cameos by Wilder, 12, 14
card sharks, 96, 152–156
Carr, Mary, 173
Carver, Kathryn, 160
casting stories, 103
Chaliapin, Feodor, 137–139
Chaney, Lon, 99
Chaplin, Charlie, 99, 111, 121, 151, 165; discovery of Menjou by, 159, 168; films inspired by, 171; interviews of, 124–126; success of Grock and, 136
The Chinese Nightingale (Andersen), 183
Chmara, Gregori, 98–100
circuses, 124–126, 134–137
The City Without Jews (Die Stunde ohne Juden, Bettauer), 6
“Claude Anet in Berlin” (Wilder), 139–140
clowns, 124, 126, 134–137
Coca-Cola, 157
coffeehouses, 4, 42, 63–65
Colani, Victor, 169
Columbus, Christopher, 47–49
comedy. See humor
Concert (Bahr), 159
Conversations with Wilder (Crowe), 3
Crime and Punishment (Raskolnikow, 1925), 99
crossword puzzles, 3, 4, 6
Crowe, Cameron, 3, 7
cultural essays: air travel, 21, 76–78; Berlin book market and literature, 21, 87–90; Berlin rendezvous spots, 21, 74–75; coffeehouses, 4, 42, 63–65; dancing, 10, 20, 23–41, 56–58, 96, 161–164; destiny, concept of, 58–59; economics, 69–71; filmmakers, 157–161; filming people, 72–73; film studio reportage, 80–86; friendship, 90–93; Genoa, 47–49; landladies, 52–54; lying and ruses, 50–52; Monte Carlo, 90–93; New York City, 60–62; optimism, concept of, 60–62; overview of, 19–21, 20; personal objectivity, concept of, 54–56; plants and flowers, 68–69; smells and fragrances, 65–68; thirst vs. hunger, 78–80; Wilder’s writing style and, 10–11, 17–19, 95–96, 163–164
Dahn, Felix, 88
Dame Care (Frau Sorge, 1928), 173
The Dancer (Holländer), 142
dancing: Black Bottom dance, 21, 41, 57; Klabund (Alfred Henschke), 10, 23, 96, 161–164; Tiller Girls, 7, 12–13, 14, 95, 104, 105–107, 105–109; Wilder’s job as a dancer for hire, 10, 20, 23–41, 96, 161–164
Danegger, Theodor, 5
A Day in Film (Ein Tag Film, 1928), 180
“Day of Destiny” (Wilder), 58–59
Defu film studio, 173
Delac, Ch., 187
DeMille, Cecil B., 152
Desmond, Norma, 18
Desni, Xenia, 172
destiny, concept of, 58–59
destruction, wishing for, 132–133
detective films, 170–171, 178–179, 188, 189
Deutsches Theater, 143, 166, 184
The Devil’s Pass Key (1920), 150
Deyers, Lien, 186
Dieterle, Wilhelm, 173, 186
Dietrich, Marlene, 165, 185–186
disguises, 128–130
Döblin, Alfred, 89
Docks of Hamburg (1928), 175
Douglas, Kirk, 12
Dream and Day (Traum und Tag, Holländer), 142
drinking, 78–80
Dwan, Allan, 8
earth, destruction of, 185
Eberty, Paula, 144
economics, 69–71
Edward VIII (Prince of Wales), 7, 100–103, 121–124, 159
Ehlers, Christl, 13, 16, 84
Ehrlich, Max, 191
Eichberg, Richard, 169–170
Ekman, Gösta, 178
Elder, Ruth, 189
“The Elder Statesman of Berlin Theater Critics” (Wilder), 143–145
entertainment centers, 124–126
Erwin, Ralph, 114
Erwin (chameleon character), 128–130
experimental films, 12, 187
Die Fackel (The Torch) newspaper, 6
Fairbanks, Douglas, 111, 158
Falk, Norbert, 178
Falkenstein, Julius, 184, 190
fashion, 100–103, 159
Fashions in Love (1929), 159
femininity vs. masculinity, 63–65
Ferrer, Miguel, 31–32, 33, 35, 38
feuilleton, defined, 19. See also cultural essays
Feyder, Jacques, 173
filming people, 72–73
filmmakers, 157–161
film reviews, overview of, 165–166. See also specific films
Film Studio 1929, 12, 20, 21, 80–82, 187
film studio reportage, 80–86
“Film Terror” (Wilder), 72–73
flowers and plants, 68–69
Fontane, Theodor, 144
Ford, Harrison E., 177
forests, 177
Fouché (Zweig), 89
fragrances and smells, 65–68
Freud, Sigmund, 7
friendship, 90–93
Fritsch, Willy, 175
The Front Page (1974), 12, 95
Fryland, Alfons, 175
Fütterer, Werner, 169
Gal-Ezer, Josef, 166, 182
Garden, Viola, 185
Gärtner, Heinrich, 169
Gay, Peter, 11
Gehman, Richard, 7
Gemünden, Gerd, 9
Genina, Augusto, 175
Genoa, Italy, 47–49
George, Heinrich, 185
Germany: author’s films (autorenfilms), 179; beer consumption in, 78–80; commercial air travel in, 21, 76–78. See also Berlin
Gerron, Kurt, 166, 181
Gershwin, George, 114
Gerzhofer, Camilla, 5
“Getting Books to Readers” (Wilder), 87–90
Gibson, Hoot, 189
Gibson, Vivian, 186
Girardi, Toni, 95, 110–111
“Girardi’s Son Plays Jazz at the Mary Bar” (Wilder), 110–111
Girl University, 107
Glass, Max, 185
Glässner, Erika, 190
Gliese, Rochus, 82
The Gold Rush (1925), 171
Goulding, Edmund, 151
Graetz, Paul, 180
Gralla, Dina, 169, 175
Greed (1924), 150, 165, 176
Gridgeman (marmalade wholesaler), 60–62
Griffith, David Wark, 149, 152
“Grock, the Man Who Makes the World Laugh” (Wilder), 134–137
Grosses Schauspielhaus, 115
Grosz, George, 151
Gülstorff, Max, 5
Hagenbruch, Charlotte, 186
Haifa, Palestine, 166, 181–182
Halbe, Max, 142
Hamburg, Germany, 175
Hameister, Willie, 171
Hamlet, 99, 100, 107
Hartleben, Otto Erich, 142
Harley (Tiller Girls’ governess), 14, 105, 107, 109
Hauptmann, Gerhart, 141–142
Hearts of the World (1918), 149
heat waves, 56–58
“Hello, Mr. Menjou?” (Wilder), 157–161
Hell of a Reporter (Der Teufelsreporter, 1928), 12, 13, 14
Helm, Brigitte, 170
Hem, Erwin, 112
Hem, Otto, 112
Henning, Uno, 170
Henschke, Alfred (Klabund), 10, 23, 96, 161–164
“Here We Are at Film Studio 1929” (Wilder), 80–82
Herrmann, Fritz, 96, 152–156
“Herr Ober, Bitte Einen Tänzer!” (Wilder), 20
Herzog, Erich, 169
Herzog, Rudolf, 90
hexes, 132
His Wife’s Lover (Der Geliebte seiner Frau, 1928), 174–175
Holländer, Felix, 96, 141–143
Hollywood: silent era films in, 14–15, 165, 185–187; von Stroheim in, 149–150; Wilder as emigrant to, 15, 17, 17; Wilder’s early films in, 12
Holm, Dary, 189
Honor Thy Mother (Seine Mutter [Ehre Deine Mutter], 1928), 173
“How I Pumped Zaharoff for Money” (Wilder), 90–93
“How We Shot Our Studio Film” (Wilder), 83–86
human condition: age and lifespans, 140–141; friendship, 90–93; greed, 150, 176; hopes and dreams, 183–184; lying and ruses, 50–52; objectivity, concept of, 54–56; optimism, concept of, 60–62; social criticism, 181; thirst vs. hunger, 78–80; willpower and work, 166, 181–182
humor: A Blonde for a Night (1928), 176–177; Chaplin, 99, 111, 121, 124–126, 136, 151, 159, 165, 168, 171; comedians and clowns, 124–126, 134–137; His Wife’s Lover (1928), 174–175; Men without Work (1929), 189; The Merry Musicians (1930), 190; The Missing Will (1929), 188; Ole and Axel, 171, 173–174; radio and broadcasting films, 172; Susie Cleans Up (1930), 190–191; The Valley of the Giants (1927), 177; The Winged Horseman (1929), 165, 188–189
hunger vs. thirst, 78–80
“I Interview Mr. Vanderbilt” (Wilder), 118–121
interviews: Charlie Chaplin, 124–126; comedians, 134–137; Erwin, 128–130; Toni Girardi, 110–111; Asta Nielsen, 97–100; older people, 140–141; opera singers, 137–139; overview of, 95–96; poker players, 96, 152–156; Prince of Wales, 7, 100–103, 121–124, 159; Luise Schappel (B. Z. newspaper saleswoman), 96, 145–148; theater critics, 143–145; Theo, 129–130; Tiller Girls, 7, 12–13, 14, 95; Vanderbilt, 7, 118–121; Paul Whiteman, 7–8, 8, 111–117; witches, 131–134; writers and novelists, 96, 139–140, 141–143
“Interview with a Witch” (Wilder), 131–134
In the Name of the Law (1922), 178–179
Intoxication (Rausch, 1919), 99
Isin (dance instructor), 28–30, 32–36, 37, 40
Israel, 166, 181–182
Jacobini, Diomira, 178
Jacobsen, Wolfgang, 12, 18
Jacobsohn, Fritz, 109
Jacoby, Georg, 186
Jannings, Emil, 99, 106, 116
jazz age craze, 21, 95, 110–111, 116
Jehanne, Edith, 170
Jeremiah (prophet), 68
Jesus and Judas (Holländer), 142
Johnson, Emory, 178
journalism: films about, 12, 13, 14; influence on Wilder’s films, 17; Wilder’s career in Berlin, 7–10, 19; Wilder’s career in Vienna, 3–8, 19
Jugo, Jenny, 175
Junge, Alfred, 175
Junkermann, Hans, 188
Kamera theater, 176
Kammerspiele theater, 184, 188
Kampers, Fritz, 170–171, 172, 190
Karasek, Hellmuth, 7
Katscher, Robert, 112, 114, 115, 117
Keaton, Buster, 121
Kenyon, Doris, 177
Kettner, Martin, 191
kidnapping, 186
Kirkwood, James, 167, 168
Kisch, Egon Erwin, 9–10, 88
Klaar, Alfred, 143–145
Klabund (Alfred Henschke), 10, 23, 96, 161–164
“Klabund Died a Year Ago” (Wilder), 161–164
Kleist, Heinrich von, 145
Knauer, G. A., 171
Kollo, Walter, 184
Körner, Annie, 5
Körner, Ludwig, 5
Kortner, Fritz, 178
Koval-Samborsky, Ivan, 185
Kranzlerecke, Berlin, 74
Krauss, Karl, 6
Krauss, Werner, 99, 172
Kreisler, Fritz, 93, 116
Krenn, Günter, 18
Kuh, Anton, 5
Kühl, Kate, 181
Kurt (dancer), 31, 38
Lach, Walter Robert, 170
Laemmle, Carl, 12, 150, 160
Laemmle, Ernst, 12
Lamberz-Pausen, Harry, 170
Land, Robert, 173
landladies, 52–54
The Last Night (Die Grosse Liebe, 1928), 177–178
Lauritzen, Lau, 171, 174
Lazar, Eugen, 5
Lazar, Gitta, 5
Lederer, Franz, 52, 191
Lenglen, Suzanne, 140
Lévi, Eliphas, 132
Liebmann, Robert, 178, 189
Liebstöckl, Hans, 3, 4, 5
Lilien, Kurt, 191
Lind, Georgia, 180
Lindbergh, Charles, 148
literature and books, 87–90; Berlin book market, 21, 87–90; “naturalist” writers, 141–142; novelist and writer interviews, 96, 139–143; words, power of, 17–18
“Little Economics Lesson” (Wilder), 69–71
Löbl, Joseph, 79
“The Lookalike Man” (Wilder), 128–130
Loos, Anita, 139
Lorre, Peter (Laszlo Löwenstein), 5, 17
Lorring, Lotte, 169
Love in the Afternoon (1957), 4, 96
Love Non-Stop (von Vegesack), 88
The Love of Jeanne Ney (Die Liebe der Jeanne Ney, 1927), 169–170
Love’s Masquerade (Karneval der Liebe, 1928), 175
love stories, 99, 171, 173–175, 190
Lubitsch, Ernst, 14, 103, 152, 159, 168, 193
“Lubitsch Discovers” (Wilder), 103
lumber industry, 177
lying, 50–52
Mack, Max, 179, 180
Magda C., 131–134
The Major and the Minor (1942), 4
Manés, Gina, 173
Maris, Mona, 169
Marital Conflicts (Ehekonflikte, 1927), 168–169
Marquise of O. (Kleist), 145
marriage, 159, 168–169, 173, 174–175
The Marriage Circle (1924), 159
masculinity vs. femininity, 63–65
The Masked Mannequin (Der Fürst von Pappenheim, 1927), 169
Massolle, Joseph, 180
matches, smell of, 65–68
Matthau, Walter, 12
Mauthner, Fritz, 143
Max Reinhardt Circle, 4, 5
Meinhard, Edith, 189
Menjou, Adolphe, 7, 157–161; appearance and style of, 159; in Broken Barriers (1924), 167, 168; family background of, 158–159; films directed by, 159; Lubitsch’s launch of, 168
Men of the Night (Menschen der Nacht, 1926), 169
mentors of Wilder, 9–10, 14, 23, 96, 161–164
Men without Work (Männer ohne Beruf, 1929), 189
Merry-Go-Round (1923), 150
The Merry Musicians (Laubenkolonie [aka Die lustigen Musikanten], 1930), 190
The Merry Widow (1925), 151
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 17, 150
mili
tary and state power, 177–179
“A Minister on Foot” (Wilder), 129–130
misogynists, 167, 176
The Missing Will (Das verschwundene Testament, 1929), 188
Miss Julie (Fräulein Julie, 1922), 99
Miss Midshipman (Fräulein Fähnrich, 1929), 165, 182–183
Moebis, Hans-Joachim, 184
Der Montag Morgen newspaper, 86
Mosheim, Grete, 173
motherhood, 186
Murnau, Friedrich Wilhelm, 82, 84, 152
Mylong-Münz, Jack, 188
“My Prince of Wales” (Wilder), 7, 100–103
“Naphthalene” (Wilder), 52–54
“naturalist” writers, 141–142
Neher, Carola, 10, 163
Neufeld, Max, 175
Neumann, Angelo, 144
New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), 10
newspapers. See journalism
newspaper sales, 96, 145–148
New York City, 60–62
Nielsen, Asta, 7, 95, 97–100
Night Flight (1933), 185–186
“Night Ride over Berlin” (Wilder), 21, 76–78
Normaluhr, Berlin, 12, 74, 75
The Oath of Stefan Huller (Holländer), 142
Obal, Max, 190
objectivity, concept of, 54–56
Old Heidelberg (1915), 149
“Ole and Axel at Beba Palace,” 173–174
Ole and Axel at the North Sea Shore (Pat und Patachon am Nordseestrand, 1927), 171
On Sunset Boulevard (Sikov), 1
opera, 137–139, 165–166, 181
optimism, concept of, 60–62
Ora, Daisy d’, 188
ordinary people, stories about. See cultural essays; interviews
Oswald, Richard, 172
Ottavi, Rino, 172
Pabst, G. W., 169–170
Palestine, 166, 181–182
Pangborn, Franklin, 177
Papus, 132
Paradise America (Paradies Amerika, Kisch), 10, 88
Paramount, 17, 157, 159
Parker, Mary, 183
Parry, Lee, 187
The Path of Thomas Truck (Holländer), 142
Pat und Patachon. See Ole and Axel
Paulig, Albert, 189, 191
Paulsen, Harald, 181
“Paul Whiteman, His Mustache, the Cobenzl, and the Taverns” (Wilder), 111–114
Penkdert, Leo, 172