Fritz Genschow ~ This card is from the Bunte Filmbilder series from 1937. Card is #442 in excellent condition, VF. About 1½"x2¼".

Fritz Genschow (May 15 1905 in Berlin , - June 21 1977 ) was a German actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. Trained at the Reicherschen Hochschule für Dramatische Kunst in Berlin, Fritz Genschow began his film career at the end of the silent era. In 1930 he founded the Berlin Children's Theater with Renée Stobrawa. Even though the advent of the Nazi era put an end to his plans for the Children's Theater, Genschow adapted the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf (1937) to National Socialist ideology. He had an uncredited part in the 1943 Titanic epic which was deemed to be too pro-British for release by the Nazi authorities. At the end of World War II, Genschow suffered the typical period of black listing by the Allies before returning to act direct and produce through the 1950s and early-1960s.

This lot consists of a genuine German cigarette premium issued between about 1930 and 1937. In general, German cigarette cards and premiums make an interesting and inexpensive addition to any collection. The Nazi government of Germany opposed smoking and eventually put an end to cigarette cards. As a result, the native German card collecting hobby never developed to the extent of that in Britain or the United States. As a result, most German premiums and cards cost only a fraction of what might be expected from their American and British cousins.

Large photos are shown smaller than actual size while small ones are generally enlarged to as much as twice their original size. Almost all photos and cards are scanned through protective sleeves or pages which tends to cut the clarity a bit. Enlarged defects tend to look worse than they actually are.