Ludwig Stossel

Ludwig Stossel (February 12, 1883 – January 29, 1973) was an actor born in Lockenhaus, Austria. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses who were forced to flee Europe when the Nazis came to power in 1933.

Stossel began performing on the stage in Austria and Germany when he was only 17. He soon became a successful character actor and played for the most important stages of Germany, among other at Max Reinhardt in Berlin, at the Barnowsky-Buhne and at the German Kunstlertheater. Stossel became a movie actor at a later age. His first motion picture was a small role in the silent movie, In der Heimat, da gibt's ein Wiedersehn! in 1926 at the age of 43. He appeared in about a half dozen silent movies in Germany after this. Stossel received more roles with the arrival of sound.

Stossel's first sound movie was Georg Wilhelm Pabst's Skandal um Eva in 1930. The following year, he appeared in Max Neufeld's Opernredoute (Opera Ball). Later that year, he appeared as a hotel owner in the German comedy Die Koffer des Herrn O.F. (The suitcases of Mr. O.F.) starring Peter Lorre and Hedy Lamarr. In 1932, he appeared as Riederer, The Amtshauptmann of the town of St. Vigil in Der Rebell. Next he played Leon in Hande aus dem Dunkel (Hands from the Darkness). In 1933, Stossel received a small part in Fritz Lang's famous mystery thriller Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (The Testament of Dr. Mabuse). This film was later banned by the Nazi government. Later, he played Pichler in the Carl Boese's comedy Heimkehr ins Gluck (Lucky Homecoming). This would be his last movie in Germany.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Stossel was forced to leave Germany because of his Jewish background. He went back to Austria and appeared in a few movies, but his main activity was in the theater. In 1934, he appeared in the comedy, Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice). His last movie in Austria was in 1937 with Pfarrer von Kirchfeld (The Pastor From Kirchfeld). After Hitler's forces took over Austria in the Anschlus of 1938, Stossel was imprisoned several times before he was able to escape Vienna and get to Paris. He, and his wife Lore Birn, eventually made it to London. He appeared in Dead Man's Shoes and another British film production before heading to Hollywood in 1939.

Stossel received his first role in an American movie in 1940. It was a good part as he played a pastor in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi take-over in the wartime drama Four Sons starring Don Ameche. His best scene is when he delivers the news to Frau Bern (Eugenie Leontovich) that her son has been killed in the war.

In 1942, he appeared with Ilka Gruning in Underground. Stossel and Grunig appeared again in the Oscar-nominated Kings Row starring Ronald Reagan, Ann Sheridan and Claude Rains. Stossel and Grunig also appeared together in the Sonja Henie film Iceland. Later that year, Stossel was cast to play Lou Gehrig's father in Pride of the Yankees starring Gary Cooper in the title role. German actress Elsa Janssen played Gehrig's mother.

A few months later, at the age of 59, he received the role of Mr. Leuchtag, who along with his wife are leaving Europe for America in Casablanca. They have only one scene in the movie when they are having a drink in Rick's Cafe with their good friend Carl the waiter (S.Z. Sakall) and struggling a bit with their English. He asks his wife (Ilka Grunig) for the time, "Liebchen - sweetnessheart, what watch?" She answers, "Ten watch" and he replies "such much." Carl assures them they will get along beautifully in America [note: The German translation for 10 o'clock is "zehn Uhr" however Uhr is also the German word for clock or in this case watch, thus ten watch].

Stossel appeared in supporting roles in over 40 movies after Casablanca, most in the following ten years. The following year, he had a small role in another Humphrey Bogart movie, Action in the North Atlantic.

He did a couple of anti-Nazi movies like Hitler's Madman in 1943. In this movie he portrays the mayor of a small town that is wiped out by a Nazi mass-execution in reprisal for the assassination of SS Commander Reinhard Heydrich. Later that year, he appeared in The Strange Death of Adolph Hitler.

In 1944, he appeared in the Boris Karloff horror movie The Climax. Later in 1944, Stossel teamed up with his movie wife from Pride of the Yankees, Elsa Janssen, to play Mr. and Mrs. Steelman, a German couple loyal to America who drive their traitorous pro-Nazi son, played by George Sanders (who is actually working undercover for the U.S. government), out of their house in the spy drama They Came to Blow Up America. In 1945, they teamed up again to play Mr. and Mrs. Otto in the "B" crime drama Dillinger. Next, he was bitten in the throat by Count Dracula, played by John Carradine, in House of Dracula. Later in 1945, Stossel played a teacher, who along with a llama, is in the opening scene of the Fred Astair musical Yolanda and the Thief.

When the Second World War ended in 1945, Stossel decided not to return to Germany like many other German actors and actresses but remained in his adopted country making movies. In 1946, Grunig and Stossel got to play husband and wife again. Instead of being the Leuchtags, they were now the Muellers in Temptation starring Merle Oberon, George Brent and Paul Lukas.

In 1947, he had a small role portraying Albert Einstein in The Beginning or the End. In 1948, he portrayed one of the lonely bachelor professors at a musical research institute in the Danny Kaye musical A Song is Born. In 1949, Grunig and Stossel appeared in their last film together when they received roles in the drama The Great Sinner starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. In 1953, Stossel played a Grand Duke in the musical Call Me Madam starring Ethel Merman and Donald O'Connor. His last film was in 1960, where he had a small role in the Elvis Presley movie, G.I. Blues.

Stossel also did television. In 1955, he played Ludwig, a Carl the waiter clone, in the television version of Casablanca. He made two guest appearances on Perry Mason during the series' second season, including the role of Adolph Van Beers in "The Case of the Shattered Dream." From 1958 to 1960, Stossel played Charles Bronson's father in ABC's television series Man with a Camera. From 1953 to 1963, Stossel appeared as a guest in a number of television shows including; Cavalcade of America, My Three Sons, The Donna Reed Show, and The New Phil Silvers Show (where he parodied his Gallo wine television commercials). He guest starred in two Robert Young comedy series, Father Knows Best and Window on Main Street.

Stossel became famous doing a long series of commercials for Italian Swiss Colony wine producers. Dressed in an Alpine hat and lederhosen, Stossel was their spokesman. His motto was, "That Little Old Winemaker, Me!" (they did not use his voice but had Jim Backus voice dub the line).

Stossel died on January 29, 1973 in Beverly Hills after a fall just 14 days short of his 90th birthday. He was cremated at Groman Mortuary in Hollywood Forever, and the ashes were sent to Vienna, Austria.