Figure 1.--This is the one of the few images from the film available at this time. The choir in this scene all wear white "T" shirts--except Toni who sneaks into the group. They are wearing "T" shirts because they have been called together after playing football.

An Orphan Boy of Vienna is the touching story of an orphan boy who meets a street singer who gets him accepted by the Vienna Boys Choir. It is one of the few films in wich the Vienna Choirs Boys are involved. It is a warm little film that has been compared to The Sound of Music and is full of some great music if you appreciate boy choirs.

Filmography

Orphan Boy of Vienna will be of interest mainly to boy choir historians and serious film collectors. It was produced in 1936, a year before the NAZI Anchhluss, by a company operating in Vienna and Amsterdam. This early musical was directed by Max Neufeld and features songs by the Vienna Boys Choir. The actual Vienna Choir Boys star; Toni was truly a member.

Story Line

Toni, who does not remember his dead mother, is about 11-years old. His wicked step-father kicks him out by apretencing him to a shoe repairman. The man is rather abusive to Tony, harshly crticizing the boy's work. One day, the repairman sends Tony out to buy and bring back to him a bottle of wine. On his way back, Tony joins a couple of boys for a game of football in the street. He accidentally shatters the bottle of wine and realizes he'd better replace it somehow, or his master's wrath will be ferocious.

Tony spies a poor street singer, Herr Blueml, and first tries to pinch the coins people have thrown the singer from apartment windows. The singer catches Tony and listens as the boy explains his predicament. Herr Blueml hears the shoe repairman berate Tony and order him to leave. He decides then to take in the unfortunate youngster. He lives alone in an old Vienna shack. After their dinner that night, Mr. Blueml begins to sing a song. Tony joins in and Herr Blueml is amazed with his voice. Eventually musician, Joseph Blueml, Herr Blueml quickly recognizes Toni's talent for singing.

Herr Blueml determines to have Tony, somehow, join a Vienna choir. Soon, his savior learns that the lad has a beautiful voice. His friend is so inspired by the find that he takes Toni to a prestigious school and home for boy singers, attempts to get him there enrolled by sneaking into the Vienna Choir Boys' institute. There is no evidence of the approaching Anschluss and the story focuses on the selfless assistance given Toni by Mr. Blueml, the street singer, and Toni's finding a new home with the Choir.

In one scene, a high official suddenly appears on the playground, and the boys are quickly gathered to sing for him. Toni 'blends in' with the boys and is 'discovered' not only being there but singing well. Difficult to believe that Toni already knew this song? Sure--but remember this was 1936. Fate has it that he is accepted, and for a short while, Toni is in heaven, doing what he likes best, having found surrogate parents in the musician and a nun who mothers the boys in the choir.

The film follows Toni as he is placed in Choir #3 and strives to fit in with boys who have biological parents. Toni's path to acceptance with the choir is somewhat complicated initially. As the choir prepares to leave for the Tyrol for a summer vacation, Toni watches sadly as the other boys receive going away packages from their mothers; Toni is an orphan, and he feels the loss of his parents deeply. Unfortunately, a bit of jealousy mixes with his emotions, and Toni has a brief quarrel with his best friend among the boys. All is quickly smoothed over by Sister Maria, a surrogate parent to Toni.

Figure 2.--Toni is this clip from the film wears a suit jacket.

Toni has one other hurdle in this winning film. Trouble occurs when a substantial sum of money comes up missing and our young hero is pinpointed at the scene of its disappearance. Is Toni to be condemned as a thief, tossed back out onto the streets, or might the true source of the vanished cash be found? Sister Maria becomes both a 'mother figure' and a temporary problem for him--when he is accused of stealing a 1000 AS note. Of course, the money was simply misplaced and Sister Maria discovers it, but not before Toni has run away in shame.

Herr Blueml, Toni's adopted father was offered a position by the choir and has accompanied Toni and the choir to the Tyrol. He sets off in search of Toni and eventually rescues him from drowning in a swift stream.

The film ends with a with very touching and beautiful Mass in the mountains of the Tyrol (far western Austria) which features many of the locals in folk costumes. Along with Sound of Music, this film is also similar to a Walt Disney production, Almost Angels.

Location

There are majestic scenes in the Austrian mountains where the boys have a summer camp.

Language

The film is in German. The subtitles are in white, making them difficult to read at times.

Assessment

As one watches this film, one cant help but wonder if some of them wound up in German military after Hitler absorbed Austria in 1937. The boys look to be younger teenagers, so most would have been eligible for conscription by 1940-41. -- G

Altogether, this film remains a very likable feature. "An Orphan Boy" captures a time and place long gone. Its innocence and gentility bring to mind how impoverished for warmth and heart so much entertainment is today. -- JB

Clothing

HBC at this time has very little information about the clothes that the boys are wearing. They wear white "T"-shirts and short pants in one scene wear they are playing football. Toni is pictured in another scene wearing a suit jacket. The choir sings and travels in their blue sailor suits, very similar to today's uniform of the Vienna Choir Boys. Toni is the only boy who wears shorts in the film, with kneee socks.

Suit

Toni is first seen in a well patched jacket that appears to have a herringbone pattern, a white or light colored shirt with a collar, suspenders that have one strap missing (so that the one remaining strap looks a bit like a military style shoulder strap), medium colored above the knee shorts, light/medium knee socks turned down a bit at top, and leather lace up shoes. Tonis clothes improve as the movie progresses. He wears a light colored suit jacket and matching shorts that look new in one scene at the choir's residence in the Tyrol. These shorts are a somewhat shorter than those he wore at the beginning of the film.

Ties

The boys are not wearing ties in any of the scenes.

Lederhosen

In one scene two younger boys engage Toni in a street game. Both appear to be wearing lederhosen with ankle socks. The younger appearing of these two boys wears a white/light colored pullover shirt without a collar and what look like closed toe sandals, and the other boy wears a light colored shirt with a collar, sleeves rolled up above the elbows, and leather shoes.

Toni is the only boy wearing short pants except for one excursion into the Tyrolean mountains. Most of the boys wear Tyrolean hats, and all wear shorts and knee socks. Some wear long sleeved field jackets with utility pockets, while others wear vests over long sleeved shirts, rolled at the sleeves.

Choir uniforms and costumes

A few scenes have the choristers in costumes for performances. One rehersal appears to be for a play set during the time of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Football

The choir boys are playing soccer (football) in one scene. The boys wear white T shirts with distinctively square necklines. Their shorts are quite dark and appear to be made for physical training. Their socks are varied. Most wear dark knee socks, a few wear dark ankle socks, and for some, the knee socks are in various stages of descent down their shins! Dark leather shoes are worn by all all the boys.

Footwear

Their footwear is a little harder to discern, due to the angle and range of the film's shots, but the shoes are leather in all cases. Toni wears traditional lederhosen with suspenders in this scene.

(Der) schönste Tag meines Lebens (Austria, 1957)

Like Orphan boy of Vienna this film tells a very similar story (coming to the Vienna Boys Choir, being an orphan, brougt to the choir be Mr Bluemel, the nun caring for him, the sum of money missing, the story with the misplaced money and Tony suspected, Tony saved from drowning, etc.)? Even the names are the same! Well, Max Neufeld is connected to both films.