The screenwriter Walter Reisch and actress Marlene Dietrich were friends. After Dietrich's move to the United States in 1930, they sent each other long letters. Reisch kept the Hollywood star abreast of the events in the German and Austrian film industry which, from 1933, principally meant reporting on disbarment and censorship. He himself was also affected. He had left Berlin and had returned to Vienna, where he also found work immediately, but his name was not allowed to be shown in the credits - after all, the Austrians wanted to sell their films to Germany.

He also responded to the professional fortunes of his correspondent, including short reviews of her latest films in his letters. In 1934, Marlene Dietrich filmed The Scarlet Empress (Die scharlachrote Kaiserin, 1934); Elisabeth Bergner was also to be seen on the big screen as Catherine the Great at the same time. Reisch assured his friend that Elisabeth Bergner was no competition for her in this film.

Their letters were largely, but not exclusively, about films. Reisch never forgot, for example, to include his best wishes to Rudi Sieber, her husband, and daughter Maria (called Heidede).

The correspondence broke off when Walter Reisch went to Hollywood himself in 1937 – they were now able to meet again in person. Not until the 1980s did correspondence resume between the screenwriter and the isolated film diva.

Further reading:
Krenn, Günter (Hg.): Walter Reisch. Film schreiben. Wien: Verlag Filmarchiv Austria 2004