Werner Schmah & Walter Dobschinski und seine Solisten (Amiga 1948)

Recorded: 1 Oktober 1948, Berlin Diector:Walter Dobschinski Vocals: Werner Schmah Matrix: 1188 In 1948, Hans Doll and Ralph Maria Siegel penned a German version of Édith Piaf’s hit "La vie en rose," titled "Schau mich bitte nicht so an" ("Please Don't Look at Me Like That"), though the rest of the lyrics also departed from the original. In total, there have been at least 28 German-language versions, including—as the earliest—a recording by Werner Schmah with Walter Dobschinski and his soloists (1948), as well as versions by Lale Andersen, Detlev Lais, and Ursula Maury (all in 1949), and the Horst Winter Orchestra (1950). Marlene Dietrich sang the song in French in the Alfred Hitchcock film Stage Fright (German title: *Die rote Lola*). The song has been featured in at least 32 motion pictures. ============================ Werner Schmah (born February 9, 1926, in Berlin; died March 19, 1997, in the same city) was a German Schlager singer (baritone). During the Second World War, in 1943, he lost both of his hands and part of his eyesight, which prevented him from returning to his original profession. From 1945 to 1948, he underwent vocal training, and beginning in May 1947, he participated in recordings for RIAS in West Berlin, Radio Berlin in East Berlin, and later for the NWDR. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he recorded a number of popular Schlager songs. "Schau mich bitte nicht so an" ("Please Don't Look at Me Like That") was his greatest hit. ======================== Walter Dobschinski was born in Berlin in 1908. He began working as a bar pianist in 1930, after qualifying in musical fields at the music school in Berlin/Lichtenberg. In the following years he played in the orchestras of Teddy Staufer and Kurt Hohenberger, the German Dance and Entertainment Orchestra and the Berlin Radio Dance Band. He founded his own chapel at the end of the 1940s and recorded several titles at AMIGA from 1949 onwards. He lived in West Berlin and played trombone and bass, and also appeared as a composer and arranger. Walter Dobschinski died in 1996.