The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg

Friday, March 20, 2026 – 7:00 PM

Join us for a free screening of this 1927 silent film. and a few surprises!

There are numerous versions of The Student Prince, with variations in title and medium (book, operetta, play, opera, etc.). As it relates to Heidelberg, alumni director Edwin R. Butcher was walking through downtown Tiffin in 1926 when he noticed a theater billboard promoting The Student Prince of Heidelberg.

In the next issue of Heidelberg’s alumni magazine, Butcher dubbed the football team the “Student Princes.” Sports writers quickly adopted the nickname, which soon stuck and eventually replaced the Cardinals as the university’s official moniker.

“Crown Prince Karl Heinrich (Ramon Novarro) hates being a prince. He can’t go out and mingle or meet other people because of his station. He goes to Heidelberg to study. There he meets beautiful bar maid Kathi (Norma Shearer) and falls madly in love. She loves him too..but he can’t marry beneath his station in life…

“Just stunning silent film. You watch the screen mesmerized by how beautiful it is. It’s wonderfully directed by Ernst Lubitsch with some truly incredible images but it’s Novarro and Shearer who carry this film. He’s unbearably handsome–she’s just incredibly beautiful. Together they look like perfection and both give superb performances – I believed they were in love completely! There’s a just incredible sequence on a starlit night in a field of flowers. All kidding aside, it was so beautiful you could almost cry! It all leads to a tragic but realistic ending. Just simply a must-see movie. Don’t miss this one!” – Reviewer IMDB

Reservations are not necessary! Admission is free!

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