Ihr sehr ergebener… (1955)

Ihr sehr ergebener…: Directed by Gordon Douglas. With Liberace, Joanne Dru, Dorothy Malone, Alex Nicol. Tony Warrin has it all: a popular pianist who plays any style, he has money, great clothes, a penthouse overlooking Central Park, a rich blond fiancée, a loyal brunette secretary secretly in love with him, and a date at Carnegie Hall. On concert night, disease deafens him. While medical science works on a cure, he must find other ventures. He learns lip reading and, using high-powered binoculars, eavesdrops on conversations in the park. When he finds people in need, he plays God, interceding with help. Meanwhile, his fiancée is falling in love with another man, his secretary quits, and his doctors give him new hope. Carnegie Hall and true love may be within reach.

“The music alone is worth the price of admission in this somewhat corny film, but with Liberace in the romantic lead who in their right mind would have expected anything more. The plot: famous pop/concert pianist, at the peak of his career, suffers a sudden loss of hearing threatening his career and his personal life. The personal life is portrayed in the lovely form of a doting and smitten fan played by Dorothy Malone who captures the heart of our leading man, all this transpiring under the watchful eyes of the musicianu0026#39;s administrative assistant/girl Friday, played by Joanne Dru, who has been reluctant to tell him of her hidden love for him. While Liberace is no Barrymore, his performance is a credible one. He is complemented by a fine supporting cast, including trouper William Demerast as his manager, Lurene Tuttle as a sad mother of a snooty daughter, and Richard Eyer as a crippled boy longing to join the other kids on the football field. The latter two flesh out a subplot wherein the star learns to cope with new challenges in his own life by helping others to deal with problems in theirs. Once you get over the fact that Ms. Malone and Ms. Dru would be quite unlikely to give Liberace the amorous attentions in real life that they afford him in the movie, the film is actually quite entertaining. If you enjoy Liberaceu0026#39;s musical style, this movie is worth watching–and listening to–for that reason alone. Watch it with an open mind and I am sure you will be entertained by this movie.”