Leotaurus1975's video: Nachts ging das Telefon Anita Spada Paul Dorn 1936 38

"Nachts ging das Telefon" (Lit. At night the telephone rang) is one of willi Kollo's most enduring compositions. In this tango the singer recalls a love affair and remembers how - each time the telephone rang at night - he/she knew exactly who was on the other end. The video features two disiticntly different versions. The first one was recorded by Anita Spada for Telefunken in October 1936. It is a very intimate version and at times one feels as if she is truly singing into a telephone. Anita Spada (1913- ?) was born Anneliese Kambeck made only a handful recordings. She starred in operettas and in revues at Berlin's famous Scala music hall. In October 1939 she was arrested together with Otto Stenzel, the Scala's resident bandleader and a number of other people after they were denounced to the Gestapo by the journalist Wilhelm Fanderl. They had attended a party where Stenzel had not only expressed his frustration with the war but also toasted to a "fourth reich". Otto Stenzel ended up in Sachsenhausen and Anita Spada in Ravensbrück where they were held for a few weeks before being released on the condition they never speak about what they went through. (Source : Different Drummers : Jazz in the culture of Nazi Germany by Michael H. Kater) . In 1942 Anita Spada married none other than Hans Hinkel an SS official and close associate of Joseph Goebbels in the Propaganda Ministry and member of the NSDAP since 1921. Apparently they had been involved bedore her arrest and he had a hand in obtaining the release of both Stenzel and Anita Spada. Hinkel became "Reichsfilmintendant" in 1944 and was extradited to Poland after the war. He was tried for his involvement in the looting of Polish art and remained in prison until 1952. Anita Spada and Hinkel divorced. Her most famous recording is perhaps her version of "Lili Marleen" made for Imperial in 1941. This record is still found frequently at fleamarkets in Belgium to this day. About the record Telefunken A 2098 / mx. 21451 October 1936 The second version in this video was recorded by the Theo Heldt orchestra with vocals by Paul Dorn. While still a tango this version has more tempo and a different intonation in the refrain. Paul Dorn (1905-1945) was very popular refrain singer who recorded with most of Germany's popular bands. By the end of the 1930s his singing style was judged rather old fashioned and singers like Rudi Schuricke and Horst Winter became more popular. He was mobilised in the army around 1940 and fell near Danzig in 1945. He made is last recordings with the Fud Candrix orchestra for Telefunken in 1942 while on leave from the army. About the record Kalliope (Austria / Clangor Schallplatten Volksverband matrix) K 2044 / mx. 4604 Late 1937 or early 1938 (?)