Erik Charell

Erik Charell was the stage name of Erich Karl Löwenberg, a German director, dancer and actor who worked in both theatre and film. He was born on 8 April 1894 and died on 15 July 1974. He is best remembered as a creator of lavish musical revues and operettas, above all The White Horse Inn (Im weißen Rössl), a stage production that became one of the best known entertainments of its era, and The Congress Dances (Der Kongress tanzt), the film musical that carried his showman's approach to the screen. His career therefore bridges the live revue stage and the early sound film, and his work is a useful example of how the spectacle of popular theatre was adapted for cinema audiences in Germany between the wars.