A man naps his way to capitalism while his kid corrupts a stuffy uncle. Peak 70s German chaos.
The somewhat indolent father Traugott Wurster looks after his six sons while his wife works in a butcher's shop. One day, when Traugott falls into a mysterious prolonged sleep, mother Wurster is forced to give the children to relatives. Markus is sent to the stuffy Uncle Theodor, who turns into a childhood friend under his influence. Mother Wurster also "rents" the sleeping Traugott to a furniture store, which uses him to advertise mattresses in the shop window.
Acting
Gert Fröbe playing twins with zero vanity, fully committed to the bit.
Direction
Ehmck's deadpan staging of the absurd—Fassbinder's weird cheerful cousin.
Writing
Satire so dry it sneaks up and bites you three scenes later.
Director
Gustav Ehmck
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gert Fröbe was fresh off playing Goldfinger; this was his deliberate return to German comedy roots. The man contained multitudes.
Ehmck's 'Geisterstunde' TV slot made him the king of respectable German weirdness—this film was his theatrical flex.
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