By the second half of the 1920s Nelson's
productions had grown stereotyped, lacked new ideas... needed new
writers. As a result, the revue's box-office results went into the red.
Austrian cabaretist F.
W. Stein once said, "Good actors are something one looks for and finds;
but when it comes to good writers, that's something one only can wish
for".
However "look", "find"
and "wish for" were exactly what Rudolph Nelson successfully did. In
1930, he obained the collaboration, as writers, of Friedrich Hollaender
and Marcellus Schiffer, resulting in the hit revue "rote Faden"... once
again reuniting humor, elegance, decor, and musical quality.
Simultaneously, he
featured an all-star cast that included William Bendow, Gustav
Gründgens, Kurt Geron, Käthe Erlholz, Margo Lion, Camilla Spira Walter
Gross... and Max Ehrlich.
Further, within this prestigious entourage, Marlene Dietrich and Grete
Weiser also made their cabaret debuts in this revue.
Meanwhile, Rudolf Nelson
also made his entry into the newly emerging movie industry. He'd already
collaborated with the Weintraubs in 1928 for a short silent film; but,
as could be expected, his true impact in cinema would await the arrival
of "talkies", where in 1930 Nelson contributed to the music for four
films, including "Die Marquise von Pompadour" in which Max Ehrlich
was cast.
Wilhelm Bendow
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