It All Started So Gaily(1944)

It All Started So Gaily is a comedy following two legation secretaries tasked with retrieving a red portfolio of secret documents their minister carelessly left hidden in a hotel room—though he cannot recall which one. As Clemens and Bobi search through various hotel rooms, their mission quickly derails. Clemens becomes distracted by Annette, a young woman he encounters, abandoning his duty entirely. Meanwhile, Bobi spots what appears to be the red folder in another room, only to be promptly thrown out by its occupant, Olivia. What unfolds is a farcical scramble through hotel corridors and bedrooms, where romantic entanglements and mistaken identities prove far more compelling than recovering classified documents. The film balances slapstick chaos with romantic comedy as the two secretaries navigate their hopelessly bungled assignment.