This movie is a showcase to display the talents of Joseph Schmidt, an East European Jewish tenor, who to rose fame in Germany and elsewhere even as the Nazis had already ascended to power. He is listed as 1.53m (5 ft) tall, and that's probably a charitable exaggeration.
The movie is set in Vienna. Joseph is a music student seeking fame and the love of Annerl, who is also being pursued by an American film tenor and by a local film dresser. A series of misunderstandings add comic touches to this love quadrangle.
Schmidt was filmed as being of normal stature, which meant he was constantly standing on unseen boxes. It was kind of fun to figure out how boxes would be laid out during a scene so he and other actors could move about.
If you want to experience Joseph Schmidt, I would recommend starting with "Ein Lied Geht um die Welt", which deals with his shortness head on and has more interesting characters.
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