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That’s Success! Section Nine: The Movies
Frank und Florian, who didn't really know what was happening,
wiped the sand out of their eyes.
It was true! Their car was being towed along by that single-decker plane they knew so well.
The fat black gouvernor had no head for heights and lamented pathetically.
They were now overlooking the landscape from a height of at least 3300 foot –
down below they saw Italy's “boot” in the Mediterranean. They were making very good progress.
They were soon crossing the Alps, and then came Germany and Berlin Tempelhof.
Frank and Florian were whisked off to a hotel by a very pleasant gentleman
who introduced himself as an officer of an
“International Air Travel Company”. Our two runaways
spent a marvellous week there, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
One evening as they were strolling through the bright lights of Berlin
and crossed the Kurfürstendamm,
they saw a long row of colourfully dressed young men
carrying large posters on their backs and fronts
bearing the following inscription in luminescent letters:
Frank and Florian The two Globetrotters
A Great Adventure Picture at the HELIOS-PALACE
In somewhat smaller letters further down they read: A Sam Brankwyn Production. —
They stared wide-eyed,
and then ran off as if possessed looking for the Helios Film Palace.
A large neon advertisement was already in place,
and a brightly coloured, resplendent picture of Frank and Florian in their red car
hung on the wall of the tall building.
Down below at the entrance the fat dark gentleman from Liberia was doing the honours;
this time he was attired in an elegant black dinner jacket.
His whole face lit up
the moment he saw the two main characters of the film showing up in person.
In their excitement, Frank and Florian had not noticed
that Mr. Sam Brankwyn had been walking behind them for quite a while;
he now pushed them gently through the entrance to the theater.
He sat with them in the best seats in the grand box, and announced with a pleased chuckle:
“We are having the first performance the day after tomorrow in Hamburg;
we shall see the film then once more.”
He turned to Frank and said: “Your parents must be there too!”
And that is how Frank and Florian became popular film stars,
without wanting to or even knowing about it,
and Mr. Sam Brankwyn of Chicago, the millionaire, *** and beggar, was their discoverer.