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Ralph Benatzky


1884 - 1957

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The composer Ralph Benatzky was born as Rudolph Josef Frantisek Benatzky in Austria.

He first began a military career but he was released from the army when he became ill.
Instead he began to study music, philosophy and German philology in Vienna. He also began to compose first own songs, among others for the cabaret "Hölle".

Ralph Benatzky continued to work for different cabarets in the next years and he wrote numerous songs with frivolous and funny contents.

Finally he wrote his first operetta in 1910 and in the next years followed other operettas for which he became famous. To these operettas belong "Liebe im Schnee" (16), "Historische Revueoperetten" (28), "Casanova" (28), "Die drei Musketiere" (29) and of course his most popular operetta "Im weissen Rössl" (30).

Besides operettas he also composed several revues like "Adieu Mimi" (26), "Meine Schwester und ich" (30), "Bezauberndes Fräulein" (33) and "Das kleine Café" (34).

When the political situation changed in Germany which Ralph Benatzky became aware very soon he already left Germany in 1932 and went to Switzerland.

His music was used for the cinema in 1928 for the first time when his operetta "Casanova" (28) was filmed of the same name.

From 1930 he wrote other film compositions for "Der unsterbliche Lump" (30), "Die letzte Kompagnie" (30), "Ihre Durchlaucht, die Verkäuferin" (33), the operetta filming "Im weissen Rössl" (35) and "Die ganz grossen Torheiten" (37).

When he wrote some songs for Zarah Leander for her movie "Zu neuen Ufern" (37) he created two big hits with the songs "Yes, Sir!" and "Ich steh im Regen".

In 1938 he went to the USA but returned to Switzerland briefly afterwards. In 1940 he emigrated to the USA definitely where he lived till 1948.

To his last cinematical works belong "Damals" (43), "Axel an der Himmelstür" (44), "Min syster och jag" (50), "Verklungenes Wien" (51), "Der König mit dem Regenschirm" (54) and "Meine Schwester und ich" (54). Normally these were filmings of his former operettas.

Ralph Benatzky was married with the singer Fédi Férard, the singer Josma Selim and the dancer Melanie Hoffmann.


Other movies from Ralph Benatzky:
Chauffeur Antoinette (32) Wer wagt – gewinnt (35) Mädchenpensionat (36) La historia del caballito blanco (48) Unvergängliches Licht (51) Bezauberndes  Fräulein (53) Al cdavallino bianco (54)

 
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