It All Started So Gaily (1944): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1944, It All Started So Gaily is a comedy film directed by Theo Lingen, running about 90 minutes.

What it’s about. Clemens and Bobi, two legation secretaries, are sent on a delicate mission by their minister: it concerns a red portfolio with secret papers, which the minister stuck under a bed mattress and forgot about when he met someone on a rendezvous. And to make things more difficult, the horny minister can't remember which room he left it in. After several incidents in different hotel rooms, neither secretary has found a thing. There's not a trace of the portfolio; but Clemens is more interested in Annette, the young lady in one of the hotel beds, than in the portfolio. He forgets his mission and can think only of her. Boni, in the meantime, has found his way into a room, where Olivia is staying and sees a red, leather folder there. But the woman throws him out in short order.

Who’s in it. It All Started So Gaily stars Johannes Heesters as Clemens Verné, Theo Lingen as Bonifatius 'Boni' Zeck, Christl Mardayn as Olivia and Inge List as Annette, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.4/10, It All Started So Gaily has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch It All Started So Gaily page.

If you liked it. Fans of It All Started So Gaily tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.