The "Polo and Andre" series got its start when 20th Century Fox released "I Was an Adventuress" in 1940. It paired, for the first, time Peter Lorre with the phenomenal Erich von Stroheim. They played Polo (Peter Lorre) and Andre (Erich von Stroheim), a pair of conniving con men who travel about the European continent fleecing the upper classes with a series of cleverly planned and executed scams. The chemistry between Peter Lorre and Erich von Stroheim was a delight to all who saw this film, and inspired a series of films, with the two reprising these roles for CVP Studios.
"Prussians and Ping-Pong Paddles" was an interesting entry into the Polo and Andre series of comedies in that it showcased Peter's talent at table tennis. Off the screen, Peter was quite adept at racquet and paddle sports. He often played tennis with various celebrities as well as professional tennis players. His skill, strength, and agility were said to be quite extraordinary. Throughout his career, he would often have a Ping-Pong table set up for between-the-scenes amusement, beating all comers at this difficult game. One of his favorite opponents was Keye Luke, who was quite skilled at the sport himself. Practice paid off for Peter, which is apparent in this film. Some of the shots and maneuvers he performs are simply amazing, especially when one takes into account that none of his shots were faked.

The story involves Polo and Andre's escapades in the world of high stakes Ping-Pong. Andre manages a team composed of some of the members of his former Prussian Army regiment, and of course Polo, who is their "ringer". They travel from city to city throughout Europe, taking on all nationalities in a series of suspenseful Ping-Pong games, winning huge sums of money. Whenever the Prussian soldiers get into a tight spot at the table, they call in Polo, who never fails to save the day. Through out the film, they are accompanied by an American journalist played by Anne Fruckshrin, who is researching a big, groundbreaking article on the world of high stakes Ping-Pong for a  popular sports magazine. She provides the romantic interest in this comedy as both Polo and Andre compete for her affections.
The climax of the film is pictured in this still. The Prussian Ping-Pongers are slated to go up against George Raft and his slimy crew of gangster Ping-Pong players. Raft's team have been winning their matches by some very underhanded methods. Previous to this scene, they have captured the entire team of Prussians at gunpoint, and are holding them in an abandoned warehouse, hoping to force a default, and thereby collect all of the money. Polo and Andre have cleverly managed to avoid capture, and surprise Raft by showing up for the match. Polo single-handedly takes on the unpleasant Mr. Raft, handing him a crushing defeat, while performing some astounding trick shots in the process. George Raft was played by Myoze "Clambake" Olsen, who also played him in the ill-fated "Fight at the Finlandia", which is also outlined elsewhere in this site.
This film was one of the most popular of the Polo and Andre comedies made by CVP Studios, and earned them some good profits. Copies on video are hard to come by, but are well worth seeking out. This is truly one of the best of the whole Polo and Andre series.