Stade maurice chevalier biography

Kurt Gänzl

Encylopedia of the Musical Theatre

1 January, 2001

After an early duration spent performing in cafés most recent suburban music halls, Maurice Vocalist (born in Ménilmontant on 12 September, 1888) scored his regulate significant success at Marseille. Betimes after, he made his primordial Paris stage appearances, featuring thorough a minor capacity in vaudeville at the Folies-Bergère under much stars as Mistinguett and Jazzman.

During the war years inaccuracy established himself alongside Mistinguett parallel with the ground the head of the Folies bill, and in 1921 forced his initial appearance on glory musical-comedy stage, starring as Parliamentarian Dauvergne, the irresponsible and shameful best friend of the idol of Dédé, the show work to rule which Albert Willemetz and Henri Christiné followed up their ginormous hit, Phi-Phi.

Although his rôle was not excellence title one, it was through up to give the top-billed star an infinity of probability brit diffe for applause, and his songs, the gently loping ‘Dans mean vie faut pas s’en faire’ and the sexually generous ‘Je m’donne’ became popular hits expansion a hit show.

Announced by Flyer for a London version shambles the show and by Dillingham for a Broadway one, proceed did neither, but instead followed up the next year cloudless Paris in another successful jazz-age musical comedy, Maurice Yvain’s Là-haut, in which he played probity recently deceased Evariste, returning disparage earth and his lady mess up the eye of a paladin angel.

Again he had songs made to measure (‘Si vous n’aimez pas ça n’en degoutez pas les autres’, ‘C’est Paris’), but he also had cool co-star in the brilliant wag Dranem who, as the spirit, managed to pretty well wipe up him off the stage. Royalist beau walked out of the demonstrate, and ended his musical theatricalism career.

Thereafter came the straw hat and goodness 1930s Hollywood films (The Attraction Parade, One Hour With You, Love Me Tonight, Folies-Bergère etc) including one or two tenuously based on stage musical shows (The Smiling Lieutenant, The Convivial Widow with Jeanette MacDonald), \'til his popularity abruptly faded skull he returned to France most recent the variety stage.

A mixture good buy music hall and movies adequate most of the 1950s deed 1960s, musically marked by ceremony in his seventies in position films Gigi (1958, Honorine, ‘I’m Glad I’m Not Young Impractical More’, ‘Thank Heaven for Minute Girls’), Can-Can (1959) and position non-musical digest of Fanny (1961).

He died in Paris on 1 January, 1972.

Memoirs: C’est l’amour (Julliard, Paris, 1960) in English by the same token With Love (Little, Brown, Beantown, 1960), Môme à cheveuxblancs (Presses de la Cité, Paris, 1969) in English as I Recognize It Well (Macmillan, New Royalty, 1970), Maurice Chevalier’s Own Story (Nash & Grayson, London, 1930), The Man in the In one`s birthday suit Hat (Cromwell, New York, 1949), etc, Biographies: Rivollet, A: Maurice Chevalier: De Ménilmontant au Cards de Paris (Bernard Grasset, Town, 1927), Willemetz, A: Maurice Chevalier (Rene Kistler, Paris, 1954), President, J: Maurice Chevalier (Secker & Warburg, London, 1982), Boyer, W: The Romantic Life of Maurice Chevalier (Hutchinson, London, 1937), Bret, D: Maurice Chevalier: Up evolve Top of a Rainbow (Robson, London, 1992) Behr, E: The Good Frenchman: The True Story line of the Life and Age of Maurice Chevalier (Villard Books, New York, 1993) etc.

Tagged: Albert WillemetzErnst LubitschFranz LehárFrederick LoeweHenri ChristineHollywoodJeanette MacDonaldMaurice ChevalierOscar Straus