Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht

Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht (When the white lilacs bloom again) is a 1953 German film directed by Hans Deppe. It is one of the best known and most popular German films from the early 1950s. It is shown periodically on German television and still commands a wide audience.

The marriage of struggling Wiesbaden ballad singer, Willy Forster, and seamstress Therese is plagued with constant financial difficulties. After a heated argument Willy leaves Therese, unaware that she is pregnant by him. Thus, Therese becomes a single mother when Evie is born. She raises her daughter with the help of Willy's friend, Peter.

Fifteen years later, Willy, who now has an international career as a singer under his stage name, 'Bill Perry', returns to Wiesbaden as part of a European tour. He goes straight to see Therese, who does not mention that they have a daughter. However, Evie is a big fan of Bill Perry and she gets to know him anyway. Therese confides in Evie the truth about her father, and the girl later tells Willy that she is his daughter.

However, Willy's visit does not bring about the expected happy ending. Instead, Therese and Peter recognize that they are really meant for each other, and Willy comes to realize that his happiness does not lie with Therese, but rather with his longtime manager, Ellen.

The film ends at Frankfurt Airport with Peter, Therese and Evie there to see Willy and Ellen off. Willy promises his tearful daughter that he will be back to see her the following year.

In this film, pre-war German actors such as Willy Fritsch, Paul Klinger, Magda Schneider and Hertha Feiler appear alongside the children of other stars of that earlier era. Romy Schneider, the daughter of Magda Schneider and the Austrian actor, Wolf Albach-Retty, appears in her first film role together with Nina von Porembsky, the daughter of Alexa von Porembsky and Götz George, the latter the son of Heinrich George and Berta Drews.

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