Three from the Gasoline Station

Robert, Peter and Fritz are three inseparable friends who have more energy than money. Struggling to get by, they take a chance on a derelict gasoline station, planning to renovate it into a functioning service stop with improvisation and cheeky charm. Their small enterprise starts to show promise as the men trade jokes, schemes and mechanical tinkering for customers and cash. Complications arrive when Gaby Kossmann, the attractive daughter of a local petroleum executive, appears and attracts attention from all three. Romance upends the easy camaraderie and forces each man to weigh loyalty against desire. The film keeps a light tone, focusing on comic misunderstandings and romance without revealing how the love triangle resolves. It stays warm and lighthearted throughout.

Three from the Gasoline Station was released in 1955, directed by Hans Wolff from a screenplay by Gustav Kampendonk. The German comedy features Adrian Hoven, Walter Müller, Walter Giller, Germaine Damar and veteran actor Willy Fritsch in supporting roles, notably.

Specific box office figures aren't widely cited for this title, and it didn't reach international blockbuster status. It performed modestly in postwar German markets, where audiences preferred light comedies and musicals, but exact grosses are not commonly recorded, available today.

Contemporary critics gave the film mild praise for its easy humor and the chemistry among the three leads, and modern user ratings average 6.3 out of 10 from a small number of votes. Main themes include friendship, rivalry over love, and postwar optimism and reconstruction, set against everyday working-class life.

While not as widely known internationally, the movie captures popular tastes of 1950s West Germany and influenced local light-comedy traditions. It remains of interest to genre enthusiasts and scholars who study representations of male friendship, economic recovery, and the period's style in costume and set design for classic film screenings.