Renate Mueller at the Cathay in 1934

Many China Rhymers will know and love the Cathay Cinema on Avenue Joffre (Huai Hai Middle Road), one of the loveliest of Shanghai’s remaining pre-war movie houses (and still an active cinema). What I did not know was that as well as British and American films the cinema also screened big German movies from the famous UFA studios and with English subtitles (and air-con). Here is the poster for the 1934 screening of Little Sideslip. A small mystery – I am not sure which of the star Renate Mueller’s movies for UFA this actually was as the English title for the film is a little difficult to match to any of her movies and isn’t listed anywhere I know of under this title – any ideas welcome?

Mueller was a massive UFA star in the 1920s, right up there with Dietrich, though, unlike Marlene, she remained in Germany and died (under what some think was highly suspicious circumstances) shortly after leaving in hospital in 1937 for a knee operation (or possibly to try and cure drug addiction).