They Were So Young

1954 drama film directed by Kurt Neumann

October 20, 1954 (1954-10-20) (Germany)
January 7, 1955 (1955-01-07) (United States)

Running time

80 minutesCountriesWest Germany
United StatesLanguageEnglish

They Were So Young (German: Mannequins für Rio) is a 1954 German-American drama film directed by Kurt Neumann and written by Felix Lützkendorf, Kurt Neumann and the blacklisted screenwriters Dalton Trumbo and Michael Wilson (both uncredited). The film stars Scott Brady, Raymond Burr and Johanna Matz and was released on January 7, 1955 by Lippert Pictures.^[1]^[2] It was shot at the Bendestorf Studios near Hamburg with sequences shot in Lazio. The film's sets were designed by the art director Hans Sohnle. Caterina Valente makes her film debut as a singer.

Plot

A group of attractive European girls answer an advertisement to be fashion models in Rio de Janeiro. Their employer is really an escort agency and the girls are expected to go out with rich men. When one of them, Eve, is approached by Richard Lanning, a drunken American who comes into her room, she breaks a bottle over his head. The agency holds their passports and documents and inform Eve that she is expected to work off her debt at duties their employer decides upon.

Eve and her friend Connie escape, Eve goes to a police station, Connie attempts to go to the Dutch consulate but is kidnapped by her employer's thugs and taken back where she is drugged and beaten. When the police bring Eve back they refuse to believe her story and tell her to straighten out her problems with her employer by herself.

Eve realises the only person she knows in Rio is Lanning, and goes to him for help. Lanning, a US Army Engineer in Germany during the war and now a mining engineer outside Rio believes Eve and brings her to his powerful employer, Jaime Coltos who agrees to help. Unknown to Lanning, Coltos is actually head of the escort agency and plans to imprison Eve and Connie aboard a riverboat to sexually entertain agricultural and mining workers.

Cast

Scott Brady as Richard Lanning
Raymond Burr as Jaime Coltos
Johanna Matz as Eve Ullmann

Uncredited (in order of appearance)

Ingrid Stenn as Connie Brewers
Gisela Fackeldey as Mme. Lansowa
Kurt Meisel as Pasquale
Katharina Mayberg as Felicia
Eduard Linkers as M. Albert
Gordon Howard as Garza
Elizabeth Tanney as Emily
Erica Beer as Elise LeFevre
Hanita Hallan as Lena
Hannelore Axman as Vincenta
Willy Trenk-Trebitsch as Bulanos
Pero Alexander as Manuel
Josef Dahmen as Dr. Perez
Gert Fröbe as Lobos
Caterina Valente as Singer

References

^ Hal Erickson (2016). "Mannequin-f-r-Rio - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
^ "They Were So Young (1955) - Overview". TCM.com. 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2015-09-03.