The 1944 movie version of Heinrich Spoerl's 1933 (and set pre 1914, pre WWI) humorous and mildly satirical novel Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt (starring Heinz Rühmann as main protagonist Hans Pfeiffer) is called just Die Feuerzangenbowle, roughly translated as The Punch Bowl in English, but that the noun die Feuerzangenbowle actually signifies a very potent and specific type of punch, namely heated and mulled red wine sweetened with rum laced sugar syrup, and indeed using rum that is from eighty to ninety percent alcohol to be precise, as the rum and sugar mixture is set aflame before being poured into the wine, and which according to the movie gives a wonderful "Kater" and with Kater (which actually means tomcat in German) also being the German term for an alcohol induced hangover.
But yes, even though I have adored Die Feuerzangenbowle as a movie ever since I first saw it with my family while visiting my grandparents in Germany in 1979 for Christmas (when I was thirteen years old), after reading (as a university student) about how Heinz Rühmann was Adolf Hitler's favourite actor, that although staunchly apolitical, Rühmann was not just on pretty good terms with Hitler but was also excused from military service (even though a sadly goodly number of the other actors starring in Die Feuerzangenbowle were in fact killed in action), well, I can now no longer view, I can now no longer watch Die Feuerzangenbowle without feeling more than a trifle guilty and rather emotionally uncomfortable (and how Heinz Rühmann supposedly was Anne Frank's favourite actor as well, this does not really change my feelings of discomfort regarding Die Feuerzangenbowle as a film all that much either).
And just to point out that in Germany proper (and probably also in Austria and the German part of Switzerland) Die Feuerzangenbowle (as a movie) is pretty much a household name, with many if not even most Germans more than likely not really all that aware of the problematic issues regarding Die Feuerzangenbowle's production, filming etc. (and that my family certain did not know and also did not really appreciate me pointing the above out to them either), so that during Advent, so that before Christmas Eve Die Feuerzangenbowle enjoys particular popularity amongst university students (as a rather cult classic so to speak and with German university students often approaching Die Feuerzangenbowle like in the USA and in Canada happens with say The Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Princess Bride, with Die Feuerzangenbowle being shown and everyone attending dressed as the movie's cast, drinking the wine and rum punch while at the same time quoting the dialogues of Die Feuerzangenbowle verbatim).
However, while pretty much EVERYONE in Germany knows or at least is probably familiar with Die Feuerzangenbowle film, the majority of Germans are likely rather unaware of Die Feuerzangenbowle being based on Spoerl's novel of the same name, subtitled as being Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt (a small town mischief). And while I certainly knew there was a novel on which Die Feuerzangenbowle is based (as I did briefly check this out at the University of Waterloo Library when I was doing research for my PhD and became curious), I indeed both had neither read Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt nor was I aware of the fact that Heinrich Spoerl actually also wrote the screenplay for Die Feuerzangenbowle film (and which was of course equally why the novel and the movie have felt so similar when I a few days ago finally got to read Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt, and that yes, Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt and especially if viewed within its historical context has been a both fun and also a worthwhile reading experience for me, and very much and hugely especially since Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt while very much similar, is also considerably more detailed than the film version and that Die Feuerzangenbowle as a movie both omits several events and is also sometimes if not even generally more exaggeratedly light and fluffy than is the case with Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt).
So in Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt Spoerl's generally delightfully readable and engaging narrative shows how the respected young writer (and professor) Dr. Hans Pfeiffer, while enjoying Feuerzangenbowle punch with some of his older colleagues, sadly realises that he is unable to participate in the conversations and in the remembrances his colleagues are having and sharing about school. For albeit at the age of twenty-four Dr. Pfeiffer already is a renowned and financially successful author, he in fact lacks the entire range of school experiences since Hans Pfeiffer was homeschooled by a an elderly private tutor and never attended school. Therefore, on the spur of the moment (and of course quite inebriated from copious mugs of Feuerzangenbowle), Dr. Pfeiffer decides to disguise himself as an upper form student and to finally attend secondary school incognito and with basically all the youthful follies that this entails, including lovesick infatuation, including schoolboy crushes so to speak and of course first and foremost the joys of pulling off all kinds of pranks (and especially on his teachers).
Finally, while Heinrich Spoerl's featured text for Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt is a bit old-fashioned (but to be honest much more readable and hugely more engagingly entertaining than for example Thomas Mann, Theodor Fontane, Günter Grass and company and also with no oh so common for and in much of German literature verbal diarrhoea), the contents and the thematics Spoerl uses in Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt alongside of the various dialects have been not only been wonderfully diverting but also have had me giggling so much while reading that my partner got curious (and now wishes that he knew enough German to read Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt as this novel does not appear to have been translated into English). And indeed, even though with regard to gender roles and gender stratification, Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt is pretty much incredibly outdated and kind of hugely sexist, hugely misogynistic, I still (even as a feminist) have quite massively enjoyed reading Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt and that I actually have enjoyed reading Die Feuerzangenbowle. Eine Lausbüberei in der Kleinstadt quite a bit more than watching the Die Feuerzangenbowle film.