19 June 2003 - 31 August 2003

R.A. Stemmle was no less than a master of all disciplines. His works encompass almost all forms of visual arts. After his beginnings at puppet and amateur theatres in Magdeburg during the 1920s, he quickly made it to the top stages in Berlin with his own theatre plays – as an author, dramatic adviser and assistant director. "En passant", he dedicated himself to children′s theatre, cabaret and radio, which was still a young medium at that time, and soon became a sought-after screenwriter from 1932 onwards. He wrote screenplays for well-known directors and directed many films himself as of 1934. After the end of the war, he again turned to theatre and cabaret work, organised revue shows for the US occupying troops and even staged an opera at Walter Felsenheim′s renowned house. He wrote the screenplays for some of the most significant post-war films produced by young DEFA.
The post-war cinema of the FGR owes him the 1950s wave of entertainment films (usually set in an Italian surrounding and featuring popular hit songs), the Edgar Wallace and the Karl May series, for which he wrote some of the most important adaptations. From the beginning of the 1960s onwards, he increasingly worked for television and quickly became a specialist for documentaries.
During the preparation of a TV series for the Südwestfunk, Stemmle suffered a heart attack. He died in Baden-Baden in 1974.
We would like to extend thanks to Mrs Annelise Stemmle. Furthermore, Mr Ralf Pierau provided several exhibits as well as help and support.