Sonne, Sylt und Kesse Krabben (3½ Stars)

I've always been a fan of the 1970's German sex comedies. While they can't be called "good films" they portray a beautiful naivety that mirrors the German culture of the time. This 1971 film has less sex than most of the other films of its time, and has more in common with the American nudist films of the 1960's. There's no plot as such. We see several characters, male and female, on holiday on the island Sylt and their visits to the nude beaches. Some men are successful in picking up women, others aren't.

At some point I want to write a full essay on the 1970's German sex comedies, but today I'll just concentrate on the actress Ingrid Steeger, on the left in the above photo, who was the most famous actress in these films. The following mini-biography is adapted from information on the DVD.

Ingrid Steeger was born as Ingrid Anita Stengert on 1/4/1947 in Berlin. She grew up in poverty in the area Alt-Moabit. After visiting a business school she worked as a shorthand typist in an architect's bureau, then became an usher in a cinema, and then became a go go dancer together with her sister Jutta. A photographer discovered her and pictures of her appeared in various men's magazines.

In 1968 Ingrid Stengert won the Miss Film Festival contest. She made her first experience as an actress in Super-8 films, the first of which was "The Perverse Mistress and her Victims". This was the beginning of the wave of sex films in Germany. Ingrid Stengert was discovered by the producer Gero Wecker and soon she became one of the most prominent actresses in these films.

Out of respect to her father she changed her name to Ingrid Steeger. She starred in Oswalt Kolle's "Your husband, the unknown creature" and in many cheap and quickly produced "report films" about stewardesses, hostesses and housewives. In particular she starred in the 4th and 5th "Schoolgirl Report" films. Among Steeger's films in the early 70's there are also curiosities like the Western "A long ride to Eden" and the 3D sex film "Love in three dimensions".

From 1973 onwards Steeger appeared almost only on television. She frequently bared her breasts in the cult comedy series "Klimbim" which was based on the American series "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In". She played various roles in the series, in particular the dizzy blonde who introduced the show and the ugly daughter Gaby in the Klimbim family. She achieved great popularity and was showered with awards.

Her personal life was less successful. Ingrid Steeger and her men was the top subject of the boulevard press. In 1973 she married the cameraman Lothar Elias Stickelbrucks who helped her distance herself from sex films. In 1975 they were divorced. Steeger had a five year relationship with the Klimbim producer Michael Pfleghar who constantly abused her, even on the film sets. Together with him she also made the tv series "Two heavenly daughters" and "Susi", which failed to become as popular as "Klimbim".

After the big game hunter Peter Koenecke the actor Jean-Paul Zehnacker, who also starred in "Susi", became the next man in her life. She took up residence with him near Paris from 1983 to 1986. An affair with the director Dieter Wedel led to small roles in his successful tv series "Wild West Inclusive" and "The Great Bellheim". In 1992 she met the Dakota Indian Tom LaBlanc and married him soon after, even though she could speak no English and he could speak no German. This marriage ended after three years.

Ingrid Steeger was often a guest star in German tv series. She had more success in the theatre, From the late 1970's onwards she frequently took leading roles in major stage productions such as "Kiss me, Kate".

The press is still interested in Steeger's private life in the new millennium. She is currently involving herself in work to aid orphans in Romania. She now lives alone in Munich.