The New Movie Magazine (Jan-Jun 1931)

Marlene Dietrich as Her Home Folks View Her their ability. Twice she put in appearances to recite for me; something of literary value which would enable me to judge her existing dramatic talent. The fact that I accepted her as my private pupil is proof of her ability. "I started the study of famous parts from classical plays with her. I remember well that I studied with her the role of Princess Eboli from Schiller's 'Don Carlos.' This private course lasted but a few months ; but within that time there occurred an incident which affected her future life. To give her an opportunity to cooperate in a film as a super, I took her to the Efa Studio and thus she made her first acquaintance with the movies, with Klieg lights and camera, if only at a distance, as a small unknown super. But she also made another important acquaintance at the Efa Studio; for I, myself, introduced her to the director and I noticed at once, that in the first second of their meeting there was a mutual interest between them, at first sight. The fact is, A lovely photographic study of Miss Dietrich and her daughter, Marlies. Outside of her work, Miss Dietrich says her whole life is wrapped up in her little daughter. Now, let us go back to her career. After her studies with Berthold Held there was a pause and then we see her in her first small parts on the stage, but at first-class theaters : at the Deutsches Theater with Reinhardt, in the Kammerspielen, at the "Staatstheater." But she did not remain long in Berlin ; she was anxious for bigger parts, for further artistic development. We see her again in Vienna at the "Kammerspielen" in a role in "Broadway," then in the "Schule von Uznoch" under Reinhardt. After a pause of some duration, she returned to Berlin where Viktor Barnowsky, Max Reinhardt's most important rival as a director, engaged her again for "Broadway." She does not yet belong to the stars, but she is beginning to draw attention as a gifted actress. You might call it love that one year later this director and manager, Rudolf Sieber, became, and what is more, is still her husband. "'TpHIS sympathy helped her career along, for already A on the following day she was advanced to an extra, sitting in the first row, with a monocle in her eye, instead of being in the background as a super. "Incidentally, it is quite interesting to note that on that same day, I took another young lady to the Efa Studio, for whom this same day proved to be of no less importance; she became the wife of Ernst Lubitsch later on. "At that time I had already gotten the impression that Marlene's interest in the film was far greater than that in the stage; her career proved it. The last time I met her was a year and a half ago. It happened before her engagement and big success in 'The Blue Angel,' at the Ufa, under the direction of von Sternberg. Although at that time she could already look back on several film successes, she told me that artistically she felt dissatisfied, had not yet been able to develop in the right direction and was anxious to accomplish something totally different. It was obvious that she was suffering from unsatisfied and strong artistic ambitions. Very shortly they were to find surprising satisfaction." That is the story of Marlene Dietrich's teacher who directed her first dramatic steps. 34 AND then it happened — her ■big stage success! The "Komodie," one of Reinhardt's famous theaters in Berlin, produces a charming "Revue" in 1928 with the title "Es Liegt in der Luft" ("It's in the Air"). Marlene Dietrich has one of the principal parts and is triumphantly successful. Suddenly she belongs in the front row of the Berlin theater world. Her charm, her singing and her dancing are big assets and establish her success. Her song hit, "Wenn die Beste Freundin mit der Besten Freundin" ("When the Best Friend with the Best Friend"), from this revue is still remembered by Berlin theater-goers. And naturally now she draws the attention of the film world. This is what her first director, Robert Land, has to say about her discovery for the movies: "I saw and heard Marlene Dietrich in 1928 in the revue, 'It's in the Air,' and was fascinated. I said to myself at once that this artist was made for the films, and I asked her to call on me to talk things over. She came, but said at once that it was of no use, that she had been in about thirty pictures and had gotten nowhere; that she had never been selected for a principal part and probably was not suited for it. All that talk did not discourage me. I asked her to drink a glass of water to notice her natural motions. My impressions of this confirmed me in this (Continued on page 98) Miss Dietrich, who is Mrs. Rudolf Sieber in real life, in the library of her Berlin home. Here she divides her time between her family and her work.