Westward. Encounters with Swiss American Women

At age 19 Linda needed a different environment. “I was advised to get out of the provincial atmosphere of Bern. And after I had auditioned for the Kammerspiele in Hamburg for a French comedy The Stork’s Nest, I was able to sign my first contract myself.”

Linda Geiser and Dinah Hinz at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg. (Fall 1954)

For two years she was at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg where she had many parts and was happy until, one day, the boss kicked her out. That hurt. “They said that I had been rude and disrespectful toward a director. I felt that I was treated unfairly, got the short end of the stick, packed my bags, and my family welcomed me home with open arms.”

In spite of the disappointment, Linda remained true to the theater. Subsequently she played in two productions in Berlin and soon thereafter was engaged by the Komödie in Basel. Offers for television and radio plays were also not lacking. “Then came a dreadful German movie Der Königswalzer (The King’s Waltz) in which I played Princess Elisabeth of Wittelsbach. Long before Romy Schneider I portrayed the future empress of Austria in this super trashy film that was the first German film in cinemascope. Shooting it was pure torture. The cameraman first had to fly to Hollywood to learn the new technique and returned with an extra thick lens that, fastened to the front of the camera, made the wide screen effect possible. But this also meant that the lights had to be three to four times as strong; we had tropical heat in the studio. Actors and technicians outdid each other perspiring. The result was a film with a cheerful atmosphere.” In addition to the films the young Swiss woman found nightlife in Munich very interesting. “I met many colleagues who are friends until today – if they are still alive.”