Figure 1.--Here we see Herr Blüeml at the beginning of "A Orphan Boy of Vienna". He is singing and playing his according on the streets. Toni tries to pick up some of the coins people thrrow down from their windows. We think that the boys in low-budget films like this mostly wore their own clothes rather than costumes.

"An Orphan Boy of Vienna" is really a boarding school film. The difference is that Toni, the main charcter, is not from a well-to-do family, but is an abused orphan with a stereotypical wicked step father. Toni who does not remember his mother is aprenticed to a mean cobbler whonused him as unpaid labor. The film once the action shidts to the Choir contains the sorts of conflicts (jealousy, friendship, rivalry) that are the staples of boarding school films. At one point Toni is suspected of theft, but the missing money turns out to be a harmless accident, and there is no dishonesty involved at all.And the boarding school is the famed Vienna Choir Boys school. Thus the film contains the added feature of wonderful choral music as well as beautiful scenery. The fil is set in both Vienna and the Tyrolean mountains in the years just before the NAZI Anschluss (1938).

Orphan Appretice

As the story opens he is working for and kept by a gruff old cobbler who treats him as a mere servant to help him with mending shoes and running errands for him. Toni, who does not remember his dead mother, is about 11-years old. His wicked step-father kicked him out by apretencing him to the shoe repairman. The man is 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.

Herr Blüeml

Toni spies a poor street singer who plays the accordian, Herr Blueml. He 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. Herr Blueml lives alone in great poverty. He is essentisally a street person. He does, however, have a shack. Herr Blueml despite his poverty becomes Toni's surrogate father.

Singing

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. Toni has a beautiful soprano voice and is a talented would-be musician but whom the cobbler never permitted to sing even while working. Blumell takes Toni to a High Mass at a Viennese church and hears the wonderful music of the service, provided by the famous Vienna Choir Boys, and is enthralled.

Joining the Vienna Choir Boys

Herr Blueml determines to have Tony, somehow, join a Vienna choir. He is so inspired by Toni's voice that he takes Toni to a prestigious school and home for boy singers. He attempts to get him 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. Toni joins the boys in a game of football (soccer). Then the Choir rector, a kindly priest who runs the Vienna choir school, happens to arrive on the field. The boys stopp their game and gther around the rector. They sing a song 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. This leads to Toni's being admitted to the elite group of Vienna Choir boys, Fate has it that he is accepted.

Fitting In

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. The other boys are boarders, not orphans. Toni gets a new uniform (a sailor suit with long trousers). He is cared for lovingly by Sister Maria, who is matron--the nun who looks after the boys and serves as their surrogate mother. But Toni is very sad to leave his beloved Blumell, who will now go back to his lonely existence as a street person. Then, the rector, who sees how close Toni is to the street musician, appoints Blumell as a caretaker of the boys at the choir school so Toni and his foster father are reunited.

Parents

Toni's path to acceptance with the choir is somewhat complicated initially. The choir boys are treated to a vacation in the Tyrol, but before they leave the boys' mothers visit the school. Toni watches sadly as the other boys receive going away packages and warm clothing for the mountains from their mothers. Toni is an orphan, and he feels the loss of his parents deeply. Toni feels left out because he has no mother to give him presents and send him off with a parental blessing, 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.

Summer Vacation

The climatic scenes occur with the boys in the Tyrol in a kind of summer camp. 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 AS 1000 note. Of course, the money was simply misplaced and Sister Maria discovers it, but not before Toni has run away in shame. Herr Blueml 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. He almost drowned. It looks as though Toni will die, but Sister Maria nurses him back to health

Mountain Mass

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.

Conclusion

The film ends with the Vienna Choir Boys (Toni included) going off to America for a singing tour of the United States.