On March 1st, 1962, Marisa Mell went to the premiere of her latest movie "Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee" based on the work of the British crime author "Edgar Wallace". The original title of the crime novel was "Gangster in London" but the producers thought that after the success of their latest Edgar Wallace movie "Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzizzen" it would be better to put another flow
er in the title in the hope to generate the same box office! Lightning did not strike twice and the movie did not do that well. The years between 1961-1963, Marisa Mell was mainly filming for the German language market while she was living in Vienna, Biberstrasse 9. On this picture, Marisa Mell is accompanied by another German movie actress Barbara Rütting. She had already a more or less established career in 1962 thanks to the enormous success of the Bavarian heimat movie "Geierwally" while Marisa Mell was still struggling to get major parts. They never made any movies together but the German language movie market and the stable of actors playing in those movies was rather limited so they all knew each other one way or the other! Although 12 years younger, Marisa Mell became good friends with Barbara Rütting during the first years of her movie career 
before she relocated abroad. When this picture was taken Barbara Rütting had not played in any Edgar Wallace movie but that would quickly change during the next years. In 1963, she played in the movie "Der Zinker", which was very successfull and two years later in another one called "Neues vom Hexer", a follow up to "Der Hexer", probably the most famous Edgar Wallace Krimi movie of all time. In 1967, she would finally play for the last time in a Wallace movie "Das Phantom von Soho", based on a novel by Edgar Wallace's son "Bryan Edgar Wallace". During the 60's, the career of Barbara Rütting was at it's height when she played in 1961
opposite Kirk Douglas in the movie "Town without Pity" and a very scandalous made for TV movie "Die Sendung der Lysistrata" together with Romy Schneider. Like many actors and actresses in the course of their career, Barbara Rütting could not keep up the momentum and she also had to move from movies to television. In the 70's and early 80's, her career shifted to television series like the German Krimi's "Derrick", "Der Alte" and "Ein Fall für Zwei". A lot of production people working on the German TV Krimi's had worked a decade before on the Edgar Wallace movies so it was not strange that also the actors switched to that medium when their careers didn't go anywhere movie wise. During the second part of the 80's, Barbara Rüttings' movie career did come to an end. Professionally her career shifted more and more to writing books which she had started in the mid 70's a
bout healthy living, cooking and other practical advice! She even wrote children's books. During this period, she got more and more involved in politics and animal welfare, especially for the Bavarian Green Party and in 2003, she got elected to the Bavarian Parliament. A job she held untill April 2nd 2009. Due to health issues, at the age of 82, she resigned from her political office! She is now living in Bavaria, Germany with her animals. Thanks to André Schneider for his valuable input!
A production photo is a staged photo by the actors acting some kind of scene or very close to a scene from the movie. The photo is not taken during shooting but mostly off scene when the actors are free and waiting for an another scene to be set up by the production crew for shooting. I had not such a photo in my collection for this movie so I bought the picture. 
On the back was written in a women's handwriting:
In late 1962, Marisa Mell was still struggling as an actress. Although the parts in her films were getting bigger and bigger, she still needed to convince the producers to accept her for a role! Her part as Lilian Granger in "Das Rätsel der Roten Orchidee" was a big step in the right direction. Being part of the Edgar Wallace franchise could mean a boost in an actor's career. So the use of a photo from that movie proved that you had a leading part, especially when your counterpart was the well known and loved actor Adrian Hoven who had already carved for himself a career in German language movies! From the writing we learn that Marisa Mell was living during the production of the movie in the 1st district of Vienna! Vienna is the capital of Austria. During the beginning of the 60's a lot of movie's were being made in Vienna for the German language market. So it was only natural that Marisa Mell, after graduation from her theatre school "Max Reinhardt Seminar", would stay in this city to get a job in the then film business. A few years later she would relocate to Rome, Italy for her career in Cinecitta. The 1st district Vienna is at present recoded as "1010" Vienna. The street where she was living is called "Biber"-strasse or in English "Beaver"-street at number "9". Take a look at the odd way she is writing the number "9". Normally a number "9" is written by putting the long stroke down from the naught on the right hand side but she makes the opposite movement and connects the long stroke down on the left hand side from the naught. I have never asked me that question but "Was Marisa Mell left handed when writing?" Today, the street still exsists, even with a number "9". The building is reformed from living quarters into an office block with a coctail bar and lounge called "Sofie's Bar", a spiritual center and a luxury car rental office! And finally we get to know her telephone number: 52-60-233. Naturally the number does not exsist anymore today and is out of order. 