The 1935 film "The Count of the Old Town" is a Swedish film set in the central Stockholm area known as "Old Town." The "Count" is a local character and he and several other residents become involved with a group of criminals operating in the area. Sweden had a liquor law where one needed a government license to purchase alcoholic beverages. The licenses were only given to people who were employed and "respectable." Illegal liquor distributors or "bootleggers" took advantage of the law similar to what happened in America. A master criminal known as "Diamond-Lasse" has a gang which robs a jewelry store and later a bank. The bank robbers steal 15,000 Swedish crowns in coins. A Swedish crown (Krona) was worth around United States 20 cents then. A mysterious man named Ake Larsson arrives and begins befriending the locals by giving them cigarettes and money to buy liquor. Some suspect that he is a member of the criminal gang or the big man himself. A pile of silver coins from a bank robbery is shown exposed in a box of fish (herrings).

The Swedish title was "Munkbrogreven" or "The Count of Old Monk's Bridge." The English title was changed to "The Count of the Old Town" as few Americans would know what "Old Monk's Bridge" meant.

The film opens with a view of the Stockholm city skyline.

Two men approach a jewelry store.

The store sign reads "Gold Silver." The men enter the store, steal some items, and leave. The next day there are newspaper headlines.

The newspaper page is dated 27 July 1934. Another headline mentions "Nazistes" (the then new German government). One reader states "It's crooks like that who give us honest guys a bad name." A young man, Ake Larsson, arrives in the Old Town area.

Ake hands out cigarettes to the local men hanging around. Inspector Goransson is a local policeman and enforcer of the liquor laws. He becomes suspicious of Ake and follows him to a hotel. Elsa Edlund, a young woman, is the niece of the hotel owner Klara Edlund and works at the hotel.

Elsa hides Ake in a room and after the policeman leaves, later takes him to Borstis, the hotel manager, who checks him in. Ake and Elsa immediately become friends and later take walks around town.

The main subjects of local discussion are the robbery gang and the liquor situation. Mrs. Amelia Blomkvist is a wealthy widow who owns a fresh fish store. Her employee Gurkan would like to marry her but she is not interested in him. Amelia advertises in the newspaper section "Joint Happiness" section for a husband and a Mr. Ernst Berglund answers her advertisement. He immediately charms her and they make plans to get married, including joining their finances.

Amelia has 28,000 crowns in cash and gives it to Bergland to deposit it in a bank. Elsa visits Amelia's fish store which has a new employee as Gurkan has left.

Elsa asks for the fish but the employee first tells her they are not for sale and then that they have been sold. Something looks funny to Elsa and she handles the fish.

The man attacks Elsa but she screams and fights him off. Ake and the policeman Goransson arrive and arrest the man.

Ake reveals himself to be a newspaper reporter and tells Inspector Goransson that he will give all the credit for the arrest to the inspector in his report. Elsa and the inspector handle the "herring."

The coins appear to be real silver Swedish Krona (Crown) coins:

A Swedish One Krona coin from the time of the film:

Silver, 25.0 mm, 7.50 gm

Obverse: King facing left, GUSTAF V SVERIGES KONUNG 1935
Reverse: Arms, MED FOLKET FOR FOSTERLANDET (With the People of the Fatherland) 1 Kr.

Ake then tells the inspector that a local beggar known as "Blind Karlsson", is actually "Diamond-Kasse." Ake had noticed that the begger kept lights on in his apartment. When Karlsson's false beard and glasses are removed, Amelia recognizes him as Ernst Berglund.

Amelia's money is recovered. There is a happy ending with Amelia and Gurkan getting married, Klara and Greven (the count) getting married, and Elsa and Ake becoming engaged.

Edvin Adolphson as Ake Larsson
Ingrid Bergman as Elsa Edlund (This was Ingrid Bergman's first film)
Waldemar Dalquist as Greven (The Count)
Eric Abrahamson as Borstis (Hotel owner)
Julia Caesar as Klara Borstis
Tollie Zellman as Amalia Blomkvist (Fish store owner)
Sigurd Wallen as Gurkan (Amalia's employee)
Weyler Hildebrand as Inspector Goransson
Arthur Fischer as Ernst Berglund / Blind Karlsson
Directors: Edvin Adolphson, Sigurd Wallen
Writers: Siegfried Fischer, Arthur Fischer, Gosta Stevens