With World War 2 in its final stages an American C-47 transport plane is flying over Germany releasing propaganda leaflets encouraging the Germans to surrender. However, when enemy flak rocks the airplane one of the Americans named "Lieutenant Roger Carrington" (Ken Berry) is accidentally thrown out and is forced to parachute behind enemy lines. Although his parachute is spotted by German troops he manages to evade them long enough to take shelter in a house owned by a wealth baroness named "Marlene" (Eva Gabor) who not only hates the war but has recently been widowed and is quite lonely. So to remedy the situation she hides him in a secret basement until the German troops begin to search elsewhere. Not long afterward, the war ends but rather than telling Roger this news Marlene convinces him that it is raging even more violently in order to keep him there with her. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a rather typical light-hearted comedy for the period in which it was made and was helped somewhat by the appearances of several grade-B actors including Werner Klemperer (as the German officer "Major Erich Mueller"), Jim Backus (as the American "Colonel") along with the aforementioned Ken Barry and Eva Gabor. To be clear, while this isn't a great comedy by any means, it managed to pass the time well enough and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
13 Reviews
Best for 60's TV nostalgia buffs only
irishm19 November 2013
I'm not entirely sure what to think of this one. I wouldn't say it was 'good', but I've got a soft spot for Ken Berry and I got a kick out of the rest of the 1960's vintage cast
it's worth watching if you like that kind of thing. Probably the best of the bunch was Hans Conreid as a psychotic ex-Nazi kindergarten teacher whose curriculum includes teaching five-year-olds to throw grenades in preparation for the next war, which he fully intends for the glorious Fatherland to finally win for a change. Bad taste, yeah probably
but Conreid delivered and I thought his was one of the best performances.
Lots of "Hogan's Heroes" alumni in addition to Werner Klemperer: Jon Cedar and Walter Janowitz, who both had recurring roles on the series appear, as do occasional guest-stars like Woody Parfrey and Parley Baer. (How did John Banner get out of being in this movie, which required so many comic Germans?) I don't recall that Klemperer's character was the mayor, though could there be some confusion because his troops referred to him as "Herr Major" during the war, which in German is pronounced "my-OR"? The version I saw on streaming had truly terrible, badly-echoing sound in the scenes that took place in the foyer in Gabor's mansion; they could have gotten better quality with two tin cans and a piece of string. Sound was okay in the rest of the film, though.
Five stars for the nostalgia factor and occasional cute bits, but nothing that can be seriously recommended for any other reason. Baby-boomers may enjoy it if their expectations aren't terribly high.
Lots of "Hogan's Heroes" alumni in addition to Werner Klemperer: Jon Cedar and Walter Janowitz, who both had recurring roles on the series appear, as do occasional guest-stars like Woody Parfrey and Parley Baer. (How did John Banner get out of being in this movie, which required so many comic Germans?) I don't recall that Klemperer's character was the mayor, though could there be some confusion because his troops referred to him as "Herr Major" during the war, which in German is pronounced "my-OR"? The version I saw on streaming had truly terrible, badly-echoing sound in the scenes that took place in the foyer in Gabor's mansion; they could have gotten better quality with two tin cans and a piece of string. Sound was okay in the rest of the film, though.
Five stars for the nostalgia factor and occasional cute bits, but nothing that can be seriously recommended for any other reason. Baby-boomers may enjoy it if their expectations aren't terribly high.
Cute, but nothing fresh
TVholic28 April 2013
As an early TV-movie, this rounded up a welter of stars from popular 1960s sitcoms that had just been cancelled. It's too bad the writers didn't give them anything new to do.
Leading the charge is Ken Berry as a good-hearted, dutiful but otherwise oblivious and bumbling American officer. A World War II clone of his Captain Parmenter from F-Troop. Eva Gabor is an aristocratic socialite again, so if you've seen Green Acres, you know what to expect. Werner Klemperer brings back Colonel Klink under a different name. And Jim Backus is the same blustery blowhard he was as Thurston Howell. This must have been very easy to write since all the writers had to do was imagine what the previous characters would have done. But that's to be expected since the two writers of this never had sitcom experience. They were gag writers for variety shows.
It has its charms as a piece of very lightweight fluff. Just don't go in expecting too much or you'll be disappointed.
Leading the charge is Ken Berry as a good-hearted, dutiful but otherwise oblivious and bumbling American officer. A World War II clone of his Captain Parmenter from F-Troop. Eva Gabor is an aristocratic socialite again, so if you've seen Green Acres, you know what to expect. Werner Klemperer brings back Colonel Klink under a different name. And Jim Backus is the same blustery blowhard he was as Thurston Howell. This must have been very easy to write since all the writers had to do was imagine what the previous characters would have done. But that's to be expected since the two writers of this never had sitcom experience. They were gag writers for variety shows.
It has its charms as a piece of very lightweight fluff. Just don't go in expecting too much or you'll be disappointed.
Comedies With Nazis Are In Poor Taste
JasonDanielBaker5 February 2015
A clumsy (and gullible) American Lieutenant Roger Carrington (Ken Berry) in charge of dropping propaganda leaflets over Germany during a mission at the close of World War Two falls out of the plane and parachutes into enemy territory. He escapes the horrors of a prisoner of war camp by breaking into the castle of a lonely and flighty widowed Baroness Marlena Hoffman (Gabor).
He eludes the attention of the very determined German Major (Werner Klemperer) out to capture both him and the heart of the Baroness. She instead romances the American and refuses to let him leave even after the war has been over for several years.
The possessive Baroness lies to him telling him that Germany is winning the war and since he can't speak German and is out of radio contact he doesn't know the difference. She creatively translates print news to keep the charade going. She even gives local veterans beer money to dress up in their old uniforms and drop by the house pretending that the war is still going on so he'll think she still has to hide him.
Only one of the servants, a pretty young maid named Ava, decides that the charade is cruel and aims to put a stop to it. If only she could speak English she could tell him what has been going on. Then the old Major finds out about the ruse and decides to have a bit of fun with Roger. A few other Germans wistful about the days of the Third Reich also decide to have a bit of fun with Roger. A string of coincidences serve to keep things unnecessarily complicated.
Think F-Troop meets Hogan's Heroes meets Green Acres if you want to be cynical. Berry, Gabor and Klemperer are not exactly trying to expand their acting range in these roles. It could just as easily have been Bob Crane (or Don Knotts or Bob Denver) in Berry's role or Barbara Eden in Gabor's. In fact it could just as easily have been a cartoon for the most part.
Werner Klemperer, Norbert Schiller, Jon Cedar, Ben Wright, Walter Janowitz, Martin Kosleck, Parley Baer were all on Hogan's Heroes at one time or another during its six-year run. Baer had also appeared on Green Acres. Woodrow Parfrey had been on Mayberry RFD. These people all knew each other and how to play off of each other and made a big difference as far as timing goes maximizing the potential of the material.
Green Acres and Hogan's Heroes as well as Mayberry RFD (on which Berry starred in addition to F-Troop) were all casualties axed by CBS in 1971. Few of the cast members of those shows had careers as bright after that. But the stars of these shows were in some cases still under contract to their respective production companies in 1969 and still very popular with small screen audiences. The result is a movie like this, which pools their resources.
Ken Berry had graduated from F-Troop to the Andy Griffith spin off Mayberry RFD. Werner Klemperer (an absolute scream hamming it up in his role here) had portrayed Colonel Klink on Hogan's Heroes for six years and Gabor (Zsa Zsa or Eva? Like there's a difference) had starred on Green Acres for the same amount of time. Even Jim Backus formerly of Gilligan's Island (another CBS staple) made it out for this one.
This paint-by-numbers TV sitcom romantic comedy produced by Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas could have been so much more if the people behind it had decided that they actually wanted to do something different. But the slapstick elements are done well and it is a fun madcap romp, which plays like a typical Disney movie. Thomas was a sitcom pioneer and filled the cast with actors who were well known within the genre. A number of them had worked with him or for him numerous times before.
There are various TV sitcom style moments in which the characters comically make their way through different mildly funny situations. It runs only 75 minutes, which I attribute to commercial breaks. Even at that short length it looks as though it was padded with a couple of minutes with a long opening titles door knob sequence inter-cut with and followed by stock footage of wartime newsreels to set the scene and minutes here and there throughout of even more stock footage. The costuming and sets look like they were expropriated leftovers from other productions.
The mostly small screen cast, crew and producers concoct harmless escapist family entertainment that is actually quite tolerable in parts. "Not nearly as stupid as it looks" is not the type of critic's blurb that ends up on a movie poster or the back of a DVD but it is the one I am sticking with because it fits.
He eludes the attention of the very determined German Major (Werner Klemperer) out to capture both him and the heart of the Baroness. She instead romances the American and refuses to let him leave even after the war has been over for several years.
The possessive Baroness lies to him telling him that Germany is winning the war and since he can't speak German and is out of radio contact he doesn't know the difference. She creatively translates print news to keep the charade going. She even gives local veterans beer money to dress up in their old uniforms and drop by the house pretending that the war is still going on so he'll think she still has to hide him.
Only one of the servants, a pretty young maid named Ava, decides that the charade is cruel and aims to put a stop to it. If only she could speak English she could tell him what has been going on. Then the old Major finds out about the ruse and decides to have a bit of fun with Roger. A few other Germans wistful about the days of the Third Reich also decide to have a bit of fun with Roger. A string of coincidences serve to keep things unnecessarily complicated.
Think F-Troop meets Hogan's Heroes meets Green Acres if you want to be cynical. Berry, Gabor and Klemperer are not exactly trying to expand their acting range in these roles. It could just as easily have been Bob Crane (or Don Knotts or Bob Denver) in Berry's role or Barbara Eden in Gabor's. In fact it could just as easily have been a cartoon for the most part.
Werner Klemperer, Norbert Schiller, Jon Cedar, Ben Wright, Walter Janowitz, Martin Kosleck, Parley Baer were all on Hogan's Heroes at one time or another during its six-year run. Baer had also appeared on Green Acres. Woodrow Parfrey had been on Mayberry RFD. These people all knew each other and how to play off of each other and made a big difference as far as timing goes maximizing the potential of the material.
Green Acres and Hogan's Heroes as well as Mayberry RFD (on which Berry starred in addition to F-Troop) were all casualties axed by CBS in 1971. Few of the cast members of those shows had careers as bright after that. But the stars of these shows were in some cases still under contract to their respective production companies in 1969 and still very popular with small screen audiences. The result is a movie like this, which pools their resources.
Ken Berry had graduated from F-Troop to the Andy Griffith spin off Mayberry RFD. Werner Klemperer (an absolute scream hamming it up in his role here) had portrayed Colonel Klink on Hogan's Heroes for six years and Gabor (Zsa Zsa or Eva? Like there's a difference) had starred on Green Acres for the same amount of time. Even Jim Backus formerly of Gilligan's Island (another CBS staple) made it out for this one.
This paint-by-numbers TV sitcom romantic comedy produced by Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas could have been so much more if the people behind it had decided that they actually wanted to do something different. But the slapstick elements are done well and it is a fun madcap romp, which plays like a typical Disney movie. Thomas was a sitcom pioneer and filled the cast with actors who were well known within the genre. A number of them had worked with him or for him numerous times before.
There are various TV sitcom style moments in which the characters comically make their way through different mildly funny situations. It runs only 75 minutes, which I attribute to commercial breaks. Even at that short length it looks as though it was padded with a couple of minutes with a long opening titles door knob sequence inter-cut with and followed by stock footage of wartime newsreels to set the scene and minutes here and there throughout of even more stock footage. The costuming and sets look like they were expropriated leftovers from other productions.
The mostly small screen cast, crew and producers concoct harmless escapist family entertainment that is actually quite tolerable in parts. "Not nearly as stupid as it looks" is not the type of critic's blurb that ends up on a movie poster or the back of a DVD but it is the one I am sticking with because it fits.
A knock-off....and a rather dim one at that!
planktonrules12 February 2016
A few years before this made for TV movie was made, Alec Guinness, Robert Redford and Mike Connors made "Situation Hopeless...But Not Serious". It was a remake of a 1960 episode of the TV show "Playhouse 90". In this story, two American fliers who are shot down over Germany during WWII are taken prisoner by a very strange German civilian. Instead of turning them in to the authorities, he imprisons them in his house and keeps them there because he likes the company...even though, after a while, the war has ended! He doesn't tell the men this and only after they escape do they suspect something is amiss!
"Wake Me Up When the War Is Over" is pretty much a ripoff of this earlier film as the plots are just too similar to be coincidental...though the cast and style is much more like a 1960s sit-com than the earlier film.
When the film begins, a bumbling idiot, Lt. Carrington (Ken Barry) falls out of his transport plane and he is hidden in the mansion belonging to the Baroness (Eva Gabor). While she obviously is trying to help hide the guy, she also takes full advantage of his now knowing any German and keeps him there even though the war soon ends. She loves him and wants to keep him for herself. She even pays German war vets to dress up and occasionally ransack the place to make him think the war is still going strong. What will happen when the idiot eventually realizes that the war has been over for a long, long time.
While the previous movie had been clever and actually made sense...in an odd way, this film simply makes little sense. Instead of being a normal flier like Connors and Redford, Barry's character is just too dumb to be real. How can he not understand even one word of German or the way the various Germans try to tell him that the war is over?! Requiring such a dim-witted character basically takes a decent idea and spoils it. The presence of other 60s sit- com actors, Gabor ("Green Acres"), Werner Klemperer ("Hogan's Heroes"), Jim Backus ("Gilligan's Island") and Parley Baer ("The Andy Griffith Show") further heightens the slight and rather kookiness of the film---all it's missing is a bad laugh track. Additionally, seeing the character steal a Nazi uniform and running about Germany circa 1950 is a bit grotesque! As a result of these things and its complete lack of originality, I suggest you skip this one unless you are so totally bored you don't have energy to pick up the remote to change the channel!!
"Wake Me Up When the War Is Over" is pretty much a ripoff of this earlier film as the plots are just too similar to be coincidental...though the cast and style is much more like a 1960s sit-com than the earlier film.
When the film begins, a bumbling idiot, Lt. Carrington (Ken Barry) falls out of his transport plane and he is hidden in the mansion belonging to the Baroness (Eva Gabor). While she obviously is trying to help hide the guy, she also takes full advantage of his now knowing any German and keeps him there even though the war soon ends. She loves him and wants to keep him for herself. She even pays German war vets to dress up and occasionally ransack the place to make him think the war is still going strong. What will happen when the idiot eventually realizes that the war has been over for a long, long time.
While the previous movie had been clever and actually made sense...in an odd way, this film simply makes little sense. Instead of being a normal flier like Connors and Redford, Barry's character is just too dumb to be real. How can he not understand even one word of German or the way the various Germans try to tell him that the war is over?! Requiring such a dim-witted character basically takes a decent idea and spoils it. The presence of other 60s sit- com actors, Gabor ("Green Acres"), Werner Klemperer ("Hogan's Heroes"), Jim Backus ("Gilligan's Island") and Parley Baer ("The Andy Griffith Show") further heightens the slight and rather kookiness of the film---all it's missing is a bad laugh track. Additionally, seeing the character steal a Nazi uniform and running about Germany circa 1950 is a bit grotesque! As a result of these things and its complete lack of originality, I suggest you skip this one unless you are so totally bored you don't have energy to pick up the remote to change the channel!!
I'm not even sure why I watched this
bensonmum222 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Lt. Roger Carrington (Ken Berry) accidentally falls out of a plane behind German lines. He is taken in by Baroness Marlene (Eva Gabor) who falls in love with him. He can't speak German, so he's dependent upon her for news of the war. She never tells him the war's ended because she's afraid he'll leave. She goes to great lengths to convince him the Germans are still looking for him. About four year later, with the help of a sympathetic maid, Carrington escapes and decides to do what he can for the Allied war effort.
I'm not even sure why I watched this. Going in, I was almost certain I wouldn't like it. I have never cared for Ken Berry's style of slapstick and have never found him particularly funny - in fact, I usually find him annoying. While Wake Me When the War Is Over didn't necessarily change my opinion on Berry, the movie isn't half bad (what a ringing endorsement). Yeah, most of it is more silly than funny, but there were a few moments that that made me chuckle. Carrington's "rampage" across Germany is easily the best part of the movie. For example, the scene where Carrington jumps out of the window of a moving train because he's certain the Gestapo is about to close in was quite funny.
I suppose the acting is about what you'd expect from a 1969 television movie starring television actors. Most play pretty much to form. Eva Gabor plays a cross between herself and Lisa Douglas. Werner Klemperer basically plays a toned down Col. Klink. And Jim Backus chews just a bit less scenery than Thurston Howell. It's not much of a stretch for any of the actors. The highlights in the cast for me, however, were Hans Conried (always good) and Danielle De Metz (what a revelation).
Overall, my 5/10 rating is probably a bit generous.
I'm not even sure why I watched this. Going in, I was almost certain I wouldn't like it. I have never cared for Ken Berry's style of slapstick and have never found him particularly funny - in fact, I usually find him annoying. While Wake Me When the War Is Over didn't necessarily change my opinion on Berry, the movie isn't half bad (what a ringing endorsement). Yeah, most of it is more silly than funny, but there were a few moments that that made me chuckle. Carrington's "rampage" across Germany is easily the best part of the movie. For example, the scene where Carrington jumps out of the window of a moving train because he's certain the Gestapo is about to close in was quite funny.
I suppose the acting is about what you'd expect from a 1969 television movie starring television actors. Most play pretty much to form. Eva Gabor plays a cross between herself and Lisa Douglas. Werner Klemperer basically plays a toned down Col. Klink. And Jim Backus chews just a bit less scenery than Thurston Howell. It's not much of a stretch for any of the actors. The highlights in the cast for me, however, were Hans Conried (always good) and Danielle De Metz (what a revelation).
Overall, my 5/10 rating is probably a bit generous.
Missing a laugh track as well as laughs.
mark.waltz23 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Horny baroness Eva Gabor keeps an American soldier (Ken Berry) under "her protection" in this T.V. movie that fails to land laughs, after succeeding to land in the public domain, and thus a cheap, easy find on home video. Every available sitcom star of the late 1960's was called up to appear in this goofy farce that is as juvenile as any episode of "Green Acres", "Hogan's Heroes" and "Gilligan's Island" combined. Werner Klemperer is the jealous German who schemes to get rid of Berry because of his own desires for Gabor, the results being so beyond idiotic that you may not make it to the cameos by such familiar names as Hans Conreid and Jim Backus.
The slight plot has Berry falling out on a plane and landing on Gabor's lawn, hidden in her boudoir from the Nazi's and made her plaything. The war ends and she doesn't let him know it's over. Klemperer pretends to be a part of the resistance to get rid of him, and uses fellow former soldiers in their uniforms with S.S. armbands to scare him and get him out of Gabor's mansion. The slapstick is of the Scooby Doo mentality, with much of Klemperer's Colonel Klink mentality, so having said that, you know where the target audience must have been. Toss in both Backus and Conreid in to vie for Gabor's affections, with slight sexual innuendo, and you know where this will end up.
The slight plot has Berry falling out on a plane and landing on Gabor's lawn, hidden in her boudoir from the Nazi's and made her plaything. The war ends and she doesn't let him know it's over. Klemperer pretends to be a part of the resistance to get rid of him, and uses fellow former soldiers in their uniforms with S.S. armbands to scare him and get him out of Gabor's mansion. The slapstick is of the Scooby Doo mentality, with much of Klemperer's Colonel Klink mentality, so having said that, you know where the target audience must have been. Toss in both Backus and Conreid in to vie for Gabor's affections, with slight sexual innuendo, and you know where this will end up.
What a CUTE little TV Movie!
CineTigers16 August 2005
I received this movie in a pack called "50 all-star Movies" for $18 (45 cents each). This classic farce was a vehicle for a stable of TV sitcom stars to score some summer work. What a DELIGHT! Ken Berry (F-Troop / Mayberry RFD) as the Hapless American. Eva Gabor (Green Acres) as the scheming baroness. Werner Klemperer (Hogan's Heroes) as the jealous mayor. And a fine supporting TV cast including Hans Conried (Snidley Whiplash) and Jim Backus (Gilligans Island / Mr Magoo). OK, so the screwball twists don't reach the comic mastery of BLAZING SADDLES or BRINGING UP BABY, and the sets are definitely TV budget, but I said its a CUTE little movie, not Oscar material. If you find it in a dollar bin or a friend's DVD pile, by all means enjoy yourself some evening.
A Commentary on Hogan's Heroes
theowinthrop15 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is a mildly amusing comedy that was made for television in 1969 and starred Eva Gabor, Ken Berry, and Werner Klemperer. In a sense, it suggests what might have happened under certain circumstances to Col. Robert Hogan at the hands of Col. Wilhelm Klink if Hogan's activities came to Klink's attention in 1946, but Hogan was in some kind of difficulties that Klink could use against him.
Klemperer plays Mayor Erich Mueller, a dedicated Nazi official, who only had one failure in his wartime career that rankled. He was certain that an allied airman was in the area near his city, and that he should have been captured. But he did not find the airman. And with reason. This airman was Lieutenant Robert Carrington (Ken Berry) who stumbled into the estate of Baroness Marlene (Eva Gabor). Lonely ever since her husband died (although Mueller has occasionally shown some distinct interest towards her), the Baroness hides Carrington, and he becomes her toy boy. Basically he is kept "imprisoned" by her from late 1943 to 1946. You see, she makes sure he does not hear any English spoken radio telling about the Nazis surrendering, and when he asks what is being said in German she explains the Nazis have invaded England (and been beaten back two or three times).
The Baroness decides to hire some needy former Wermacht soldiers to come at night, and double check the house (always missing Carrington), every two or three months. As Pooh Bah would have said, merely corroborative detail to enhance a bald and uninteresting narrative. Unfortunately, one night they run into Mueller. Now he is a minor fugitive - being a former Nazi official he is subject to possible arrest. They tell him about the idiot Carrington and the Baroness' scheme. Mueller is not pleased: after all he was right but the Baroness fooled him. But then, he decides to have some fun of his own.
He watches while the Baroness goes to town. Then he goes to the house and confronts Carrington - not to kill him, but to get rid of him. Mueller pretends he is a member of the anti-Nazi underground, and gives Carrington instructions of how to get to various rendezvous with underground agents. He also gives Carrington a Nazi uniform for a disguise (although Carrington can't speak much German, remember?). So he sends the befuddled American off on a motorcycle in a uniform that causes everyone to stare in disbelief. This only convinces Carrington that he is in danger - so he goes to the addresses given him by Mueller (to the apartment of former Nazi Hans Conried, who pretends he is a suspicious underground leader interrogating Carrington). And so it goes until the conclusion, when finally Carrington "is rescued" from the circle of ex-Nazis who are bedeviling him. As for the Baroness, she is resigned when the American leaves for the states at the end. She has a new, more willing boy toy in hiding: Mueller.
Silly as it was, it was well acted and had a mad logic of it's own. It was a an amusing movie, and gave Ken Berry a rare chance at a lead role in a film. It also gave Klemperer a kind of finale for the career of Col. Wilhelm Klink.
Klemperer plays Mayor Erich Mueller, a dedicated Nazi official, who only had one failure in his wartime career that rankled. He was certain that an allied airman was in the area near his city, and that he should have been captured. But he did not find the airman. And with reason. This airman was Lieutenant Robert Carrington (Ken Berry) who stumbled into the estate of Baroness Marlene (Eva Gabor). Lonely ever since her husband died (although Mueller has occasionally shown some distinct interest towards her), the Baroness hides Carrington, and he becomes her toy boy. Basically he is kept "imprisoned" by her from late 1943 to 1946. You see, she makes sure he does not hear any English spoken radio telling about the Nazis surrendering, and when he asks what is being said in German she explains the Nazis have invaded England (and been beaten back two or three times).
The Baroness decides to hire some needy former Wermacht soldiers to come at night, and double check the house (always missing Carrington), every two or three months. As Pooh Bah would have said, merely corroborative detail to enhance a bald and uninteresting narrative. Unfortunately, one night they run into Mueller. Now he is a minor fugitive - being a former Nazi official he is subject to possible arrest. They tell him about the idiot Carrington and the Baroness' scheme. Mueller is not pleased: after all he was right but the Baroness fooled him. But then, he decides to have some fun of his own.
He watches while the Baroness goes to town. Then he goes to the house and confronts Carrington - not to kill him, but to get rid of him. Mueller pretends he is a member of the anti-Nazi underground, and gives Carrington instructions of how to get to various rendezvous with underground agents. He also gives Carrington a Nazi uniform for a disguise (although Carrington can't speak much German, remember?). So he sends the befuddled American off on a motorcycle in a uniform that causes everyone to stare in disbelief. This only convinces Carrington that he is in danger - so he goes to the addresses given him by Mueller (to the apartment of former Nazi Hans Conried, who pretends he is a suspicious underground leader interrogating Carrington). And so it goes until the conclusion, when finally Carrington "is rescued" from the circle of ex-Nazis who are bedeviling him. As for the Baroness, she is resigned when the American leaves for the states at the end. She has a new, more willing boy toy in hiding: Mueller.
Silly as it was, it was well acted and had a mad logic of it's own. It was a an amusing movie, and gave Ken Berry a rare chance at a lead role in a film. It also gave Klemperer a kind of finale for the career of Col. Wilhelm Klink.
Truly a buried treasure
lordzedd-312 July 2022
It has an amazing cast, it's incredible that it's so obscure. It's basically a one joke movie but it is a funny one joke, for the most part. It does start wearing thin near the end. But a great cast, a unique liar revealed rom-com. At the time of this review it's hard to find but look for it on free streaming channels, it's worth searching for.
Comedies with Nazis are NOT in Poor Taste
arfdawg-16 February 2017
The Plot. During the latter days of WW2 an American Lieutenant (Berry), accidentally falls out of an airplane that he was on and falls into German territory.
He is taken in by a Baroness (Gabor). She is taken with him and doesn't want him to leave, so she doesn't tell him that the war has ended.
So, for nearly five years he thinks that the war is still going on, and so when he leaves her estate he thinks that he has to do what he can to defeat the Germans, cause he can't find anyone who speaks English or is willing to tell him that the war is over.
This is basically a rehash of the Japanese WW2 story of a soldier who didn't know the war was over. That was a comedy too. Mell Brooks made fun of Nazis and it not only was in TWO movies, but also on Broadway. So Jason Daniel Baker who wrote a moronic dissertation on IMDb is a fool.
Get a life.
Is this a good movie? Not really. It's a TV film that you can sit through. It takes a bit to get started and then it kicks in. Not awful, but not so memorable. It's serviceable.
The available prints of this color movie are bleached out so there is virtually no color any more. More like a green hue with an occasionally red.
Gabor was the hot sister.
He is taken in by a Baroness (Gabor). She is taken with him and doesn't want him to leave, so she doesn't tell him that the war has ended.
So, for nearly five years he thinks that the war is still going on, and so when he leaves her estate he thinks that he has to do what he can to defeat the Germans, cause he can't find anyone who speaks English or is willing to tell him that the war is over.
This is basically a rehash of the Japanese WW2 story of a soldier who didn't know the war was over. That was a comedy too. Mell Brooks made fun of Nazis and it not only was in TWO movies, but also on Broadway. So Jason Daniel Baker who wrote a moronic dissertation on IMDb is a fool.
Get a life.
Is this a good movie? Not really. It's a TV film that you can sit through. It takes a bit to get started and then it kicks in. Not awful, but not so memorable. It's serviceable.
The available prints of this color movie are bleached out so there is virtually no color any more. More like a green hue with an occasionally red.
Gabor was the hot sister.
Promising idea mostly wasted
Wizard-89 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The idea behind "Wake Me When the War Is Over" - an Allied soldier fooled into thinking World War II is still brewing when in fact it finished years earlier - was a promising one. And the end results do occasionally have some amusement (it's fun to see Werner Klemperer from "Hogan's Heroes" here.) But for the most part, I didn't find this comedy to be particularly funny. I think the biggest problem with the movie is that most of the characters come across as stupid. The hero in particular is a real dimwit, who makes a bunch of stupid actions such as never listening to English radio broadcasts or finding German- English dictionaries. With him being just as stupid as most of the other characters, the premise seems stretched out to the breaking point. If everyone had been a lot smarter, I might have bought the situation and found things to be funny. But as it is, I couldn't wait for the movie to be over.
Beautiful Ladies
januszlvii2 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Wake Me When The War Is Over is proof that beautiful ladies Eva Gabor ( Countess Marlene) and Danielle De Metz ( her maid Eva), can make a movie better then it should be: This is essentially another version of Serious But Not Hopeless ( where a German hides an American from the Nazi's and when the War is over neglects to tell him). Here it is Eva Gabor doing it to Ken Berry.( Roger), there.it is Alec Guinness doing it to Robert Redford and Mike Connors. Wake Me When The War Is Over also offers a more plausible scenario. Why? Roger is very good in bed with the Countess, and naturally she enjoys that. He does the same thing later in a haystack with Eva ( who is the one person who actually helps Roger). By comparison Guinness is simply lonely. Spoilers ahead: The ending of Wake Me Up When The War Is Over also offers up a more realistic outcome. Roger ends up marrying Eva ( even though she could not speak English and he could not speak German ( he wanted to learn but the Countess said no), while in the other movie after Redford and Connors are freed and go to San Francisco, Guinness follows them ( talk about creepy). Now are there problems with this movie? Sure Danielle speaks with a French accent and in English ( instead of German) despite being unable to supposedly speak English ( but despite only being a maid is the smartest person in the movie ( not to mention being beautiful)). I would ordinarily say this movie is fair, 5/10 stars ( still much better then Situation Hopeless But Not Serious ( which offers up the worst performances of the careers of Redford, Connors and especially Guinness)). But because of looking at the two Eva's ( Gabor and Danielle's character) I will add a star apiece for 7/10 stars.
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