Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated.
Marlene enjoyed music and attended concerts. She was adept at playing the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Acting was to be her vocation. In 1921, Marlene applied for an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. She was accepted. She appeared in several stage productions, but never had more than a couple of spoken lines. In short, she wasn't setting the stage world on fire.
She attempted films for the first time in 1922 Her first film was So sind die Männer (The Little Napoleon) (1923) which was followed by Tragödie der Liebe (Love Tragedy) (1923). On this last project, she met Rudolf Sieber and married him in 1924. The union lasted until his death in 1976 although they didn't live together the whole time.
The remainder of her early film career was generally filled with bit roles. After being seen in the German production of Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930) in 1930, Marlene was given a crack at Hollywood. Her first US film was Morocco (1930) with Gary Cooper, which was followed by Dishonored (1931). This latter movie had her cast as a street walker who is appointed a spy. The film was rather boring but was a success because of Marlene's presence. In 1932, Marlene filmed Shanghai Express (1932) which proved to be immensely popular, grossing $3 million. Once again, she was cast as a prostitute. The next film was Blonde Venus (1932) which turned out to be a horrible production. Her co-star was Cary Grant and once again she was cast as a prostitute.
During this period Dietrich had been typecast as a woman of low morals and she wanted different parts. Her chance came in 1939 in Destry Rides Again (1939) when she was cast as "Frenchy", a Western saloon hostess. This began a new direction for Marlene since it shed the previous typecasting. All through the 1940s, she appeared in well-produced, well-directed films such as Manpower (1942), The Spoilers (1942), The Lady Is Willing (1942) and Pittsburgh (1942).
Afterwards the roles came less frequently, perhaps one to two films every year. In 1945, Marlene didn't appear in any. She only made seven productions in the 1950's. Her last role of any substance was Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Despite the lack of theatrical roles, Marlene still made appearances on the stage. However, by 1979, she was a shell of her former self. After breaking her leg in one performance, she never made a go of it in show business again.
Spending the last 12 years of her life bed-ridden, Marlene died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France of kidney failure at the age of 90.
Paff Der Zauberdrachen
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
Der kleine Jacky Papel liebte den Paff so sehr
und ritt auf Paff vergnügt und froh oft über Land und Meer.
Paff, der Zauberdrachen, lebte am Meer,
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
Und lockte sie die Ferne, schwamm Paff bis nach Shanghai.
Von seinem Rücken rief dann laut der Jacky froh: Ahoi!
und alle riefen: Paff in Sicht, wir segeln schnell nach Haus.
Paff, der Zauberdrachen, lebte am Meer,
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
Paff, der Zauberdrachen, lebte am Meer,
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
Ein Drachen, der lebt ewig, doch kleine Boys, oh nein!
Und so kam für Paff der Tag, und er war ganz allein.
Jacky kam nie wieder, einsam lag Paff am Strand
und hieb mit seinem Drachenschwanz hoch in die Luft den Sand.
Er weinte Drachentränen, traurig war sein Blick,
doch seine Tränen brachten ihm den Jacky nie zurück.
Weil er mit Klein-Jacky den besten Freund verlor,
schloss er sich in die Höhle ein und kam nie mehr hervor.
Paff, der Zauberdrachen, lebte am Meer,
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
The lyrics of Marlene Dietrich's "Paff Der Zauberdrachen" tell the story of a magical dragon named Paff who once lived on a paradise island surrounded by the sea. A small boy named Jacky Papel loved Paff more than anything else in the world and used to ride him joyfully over the land and sea. However, one day when Jacky went away, Paff was left alone on the island. He missed his best friend dearly and cried dragon tears, raising sand with his dragon tail. Paff then retreated into a cave and never came out again.
The song conveys the bittersweet reality of how life changes and how we must move on. Though Paff was magical and immortal, he was still deeply affected by the loss of his human friend. The lyrics also highlight the power of friendship as it transcends age, race, and species.
Line by Line Meaning
Paff, der Zauberdrachen, lebte am Meer,
Introducing Paff, a magic dragon who resided by the ocean.
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
Though he used to live in a paradisal island, it has been a long time since then.
Der kleine Jacky Papel liebte den Paff so sehr
Jacky Papel, a little boy, adored Paff more than anything else.
und ritt auf Paff vergnügt und froh oft über Land und Meer.
Jacky would ride on Paff's back joyfully, frequently exploring the land and sea.
Und lockte sie die Ferne, schwamm Paff bis nach Shanghai.
Whenever Jacky wanted to explore afar, Paff would swim all the way to Shanghai.
Von seinem Rücken rief dann laut der Jacky froh: Ahoi!
Whenever they arrived at their destination, Jacky would exclaim joyfully: Ahoi!
Die Schiffe der Piraten, die nahmen gleich reißaus,
Whenever pirate ships spotted Paff, they were frightened and fled immediately.
und alle riefen: Paff in Sicht, wir segeln schnell nach Haus.
All the pirates would yell: Paff is in sight, let's sail back home quickly!
Ein Drachen, der lebt ewig, doch kleine Boys, oh nein!
Although Paff was an immortal dragon, little boys like Jacky were not.
Und so kam für Paff der Tag, und er war ganz allein.
One day, Paff was left alone after Jacky never returned to him.
Jacky kam nie wieder, einsam lag Paff am Strand
Paff was lonely as Jacky never returned to him, leaving him stranded on the beach.
und hieb mit seinem Drachenschwanz hoch in die Luft den Sand.
In his grief, he thrashed his dragon tail, sending sand flying high into the air.
Er weinte Drachentränen, traurig war sein Blick,
Paff shed dragon tears and looked mournful.
doch seine Tränen brachten ihm den Jacky nie zurück.
However, his tears could not bring Jacky back to him.
Weil er mit Klein-Jacky den besten Freund verlor,
Since he had lost his dearest friend Jacky, he shut himself in a cave and never came out again.
schloss er sich in die Höhle ein und kam nie mehr hervor.
Paff secluded himself within the cave and was never seen again.
Paff, der Zauberdrachen, lebte am Meer,
Recapping Paff's life, a magical dragon who lived by the sea.
auf einem Inselparadies, doch das ist schon lange her.
Although he lived in a paradise island, that time had long passed.
Contributed by Thomas R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.