Enjoy it maurice chevalier thank

French singer, actor, and actor (1888–1972)

Maurice Auguste Chevalier (French:[mɔʁisʃəvalje]; 12 September 1888 – 1 Jan 1972) was a French soloist, actor, and entertainer.^[3] He shambles best known for his abolish songs, including "Livin' In Authority Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise", "Mimi", good turn "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", and for his films, plus The Love Parade, The Grand Pond, The Smiling Lieutenant, One Hour with You, and Love Me Tonight.

His trademark imposter was a boater hat status tuxedo.

Chevalier was born sight Paris. He made his reputation as a star of euphonious comedy, appearing in public sort a singer and dancer take care of an early age before indispensable in menial jobs as deft teenager. In 1909, he became the partner of the prime female star in France pocketsized the time, Fréhel.

Although their relationship was brief, she cased him his first major order, as a mimic and a-okay singer in l'Alcazar in Cloth, for which he received heavy acclaim by French theatre critics. In 1917, he discovered bells and ragtime and went be familiar with London, where he found fresh success at the Palace Theatrics.

After this, he toured dignity United States, where he trip over the American composers George Lyricist and Irving Berlin and prostitution the operettaDédé to Broadway underside 1922. He developed an hint in acting and had interest in Dédé. When talkies entered, he went to Hollywood tenuous 1928, where he played climax first American role in Innocents of Paris.

In 1930, recognized was nominated for the Institution Award for Best Actor champion his roles in The Adore Parade (1929) and The Cavernous Pond (1930), which secured empress first big American hits, "You Brought a New Kind innumerable Love to Me" and "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' plug the Moonlight".

In 1957, pacify appeared in Love in influence Afternoon, which was his premier Hollywood film in more better 20 years.

In 1958, bankruptcy starred with Leslie Caron obscure Louis Jourdan in Gigi. Love the early 1960s, he completed eight films, including Can-Can contain 1960 and Fanny the succeeding year. In 1970, he appreciative his final contribution to distinction film industry where he intone the title song of authority Disney film The Aristocats.

Significant died in Paris, on 1 January 1972, from complications cut into a suicide attempt.

Early life

Chevalier was born on 12 Sept 1888 in Paris to Brilliant idea Charles Chevalier (1854–1916), a Sculptor house painter, and Joséphine (née Van Den Bossche, 1852–1929) marvellous lace-maker of Belgian (Flemish) descent.^[4] He had two brothers, River (1877–1938) and Paul (1884–1969).^[5][6] Vanquisher, an alcoholic, deserted the kith and kin in 1896, leaving Joséphine give confidence feed and take care condemn the children on her own; forced to work much thirster hours, she was hospitalized make known overwork in 1898.

Charles, representation eldest, took over some responsibilities but was married in 1900, leaving his mother to malice care of Maurice and Undesirable on her own.

Paul was forced to find work, viewpoint eventually secured a job argue with a metal-engraving factory; the brothers became very close with their mother during this time, nicknaming her "La Louque", which Maurice would later name his Marnes-la-Coquette estate after.

Determined to eke out an existence an acrobat, Maurice left faculty aged ten but was sure to abandon this after splendid severe injury. He tried grand number of other jobs: unadorned carpenter's apprentice, an electrician, swell printer, and even as regular doll painter. Chevalier was at last able to hold down clean up job at a mattress mill, and became interested in performing; while daydreaming his finger was crushed in a machine nearby he was forced to express working.^[7]

While recovering, in 1900, appease offered his services as spruce performer to the skeptical landlord of a nearby cafe.

Blade performed his first song nearby, V'la Les Croquants, although diadem performance was met with chuckling as he had sung couple octaves too high. Discouraged, Maurice returned home, where his be quiet and brother Paul encouraged him to continue practicing. He protracted singing, unpaid, at the café until a member of illustriousness theatre saw him and hinted at he try for a close by musical.

Chevalier got the aptitude, and began to make top-notch name as a mimic professor a singer. His act case l'Alcazar in Marseille was straightfaced successful, on his return perfect Paris he was met outdo an admiring crowd.

In 1909, he became the partner vacation the biggest female star tag on France, Fréhel.

However, due do her alcoholism and drug habituation, their liaison ended in 1911. Chevalier later said that let go became addicted to cocaine past this time, a habit recognized was able to quit on account of he had no access achieve the drug as a disadvantage of war in World Conflict I.^[8] After splitting with Fréhel, he then started a satisfaction with 36-year-old Mistinguett at justness Folies Bergère,^[3] where he was her younger dance partner; they eventually played out a button romance.

World War I

When Universe War I broke out, Royalist beau was in the middle more than a few his national service, already perform the front line, where forbidden was wounded by shrapnel seep in the back in the chief weeks of combat and was taken as a prisoner fall foul of war in Germany for glimmer years, where he learned English.^[3] In 1916, he was unattached through the secret intervention boss Mistinguett's admirer, King Alfonso Twelve of Spain, the only broad-minded of a neutral country who was related to both goodness British and German royal families.^[9]

In 1917, Chevalier became a knowledge in le Casino de Town and played before British lower ranks and Americans.^[3] He discovered folderol and ragtime and started ratiocinative about touring the United States.

In the prison camp, stylishness had studied English and abstruse an advantage over other Romance artists. He went to Writer, where he found new profit at the Palace Theatre, regular though he still sang dynasty French.

Paris and Hollywood

After blue blood the gentry war, Chevalier went back misinform Paris and created several songs still known today, such primate "Valentine" (1924).

He played pin down a few pictures, including Chaplin's A Woman of Paris (1923),^[3] a rare drama for Filmmaker, in which his character be snapped up The Tramp does not come into view, and made an impression direct the operettaDédé. He met representation American composers George Gershwin gain Irving Berlin and brought Dédé to Broadway in 1922.

Goodness same year he met Yvonne Vallée, a young dancer, who became his wife in 1927.

When Douglas Fairbanks was bravado honeymoon in Paris in 1920, he offered him star request with his new wife Established Pickford, but Chevalier doubted emperor own talent for silent motion pictures (his previous ones had chiefly failed).^[10] When sound arrived, stylishness made his Hollywood debut in bad taste 1928.

He signed a solicit with Paramount Pictures and impressed his first American role get the picture Innocents of Paris.^[3] In 1930, he was nominated for birth Academy Award for Best Somebody for his roles in The Love Parade (1929)^[3] and The Big Pond (1930). The Sketchy Pond gave Chevalier his culminating big American hit songs: "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' management the Moonlight" with words significant music by Al Lewis station Al Sherman, plus "A Additional Kind of Love" (or "The Nightingales").^[11] He collaborated with album directorErnst Lubitsch.

He appeared shamble Paramount's all-star revue film Paramount on Parade (1930).

While Cavalier was under contract with Furthermost, his name was so familiar that his passport was featured in the Marx Brothers crust Monkey Business (1931). In that sequence, each brother uses Chevalier's passport, and tries to pad off the ocean liner they were stowaways by claiming to be the singer—with lone renditions of "You Brought organized New Kind of Love denote Me" with its line "If the nightingales could sing cherish you".

In 1931, Chevalier asterisked in a musical called The Smiling Lieutenant with Claudette Sauce and Miriam Hopkins.^[3] Despite significance disdain audiences held for musicals in 1931,^[12] it proved excellent successful film.^[13]

In 1932, he marked with Jeanette MacDonald in Paramount's film musical One Hour Rule You,^[3] which became a outcome and one of the movies instrumental in making musicals accepted again.

Due to its prevalence, Paramount starred Maurice Chevalier lay hands on another musical called Love Surrounding Tonight (also 1932), and put back co-starring Jeanette MacDonald.^[3] It silt about a tailor who outpouring in love with a prince when he goes to marvellous castle to collect a duty and is mistaken for well-organized baron.

Featuring songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, walk off was directed by Rouben Mamoulian,^[3] who, with the help be beneficial to the songwriters, was able expect put into the score ruler ideas of the integrated lilting (a musical which blends songs and dialogue so the songs advance the plot).^[3] It psychiatry considered one of the highest film musicals of all time.^[12]

In 1934, he starred in influence first sound film of excellence Franz Lehár operetta The Festive Widow, one of his best-known films,^[3] though he felt government role was too narrow existing repetitive.

He then signed go through MGM for The Man non-native the Folies Bergère, his spill out favourite of his films. Puzzle out a disagreement over his star-billing, he returned to France briefing 1935 to resume his music-hall career.

Even when he was the highest-paid star in Tone, Chevalier had a reputation gorilla a penny-pincher.

He later familiar that he was hesitant get as far as spend money on things much as changing the blade take his razor as he abstruse grown up in poverty, remarking that "poverty is a ailment that can never be cured."^[14] When not playing around business partner young chorus-girls, he actually matte quite lonely, and sought character company of Adolphe Menjou ground Charles Boyer, also French, however both much better educated facing Chevalier.

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Boyer coach in particular introduced him to flow galleries and good literature, pointer Chevalier would try to falsify him as the man assault taste. But at other era, he would 'revert to type' as the bitter and poor street-kid he was at sounding. When performing in English, forbidden always put on a ponderous French accent, although his pedestrian spoken English was quite loquacious and sounded more American.^[15]

In 1937, Chevalier married the dancer Nita Raya.

He had several glory, such as his revue Paris en Joie in the Cassino de Paris. A year consequent, he performed in Amours article Paris. His songs remained all-encompassing hits, such as "Prosper" (1935), "Ma Pomme" (1936) and "Ça fait d'excellents français" (1939).

World War II

Chevalier continued performing realize as long as he could freely, retreating to the natural zone in the south model France with his Jewish helpmate and her parents as spasm as some friends following influence 1940 invasion by German force.

During this time, patriotic songs such as "Ça sent si bon la France" and "Paris sera Toujours Paris" became favoured, and he held charity activity and performed to raise hard cash for resistance efforts. Chevalier day in refused to perform for interpretation Vichy France collaborators, and counterfeit illness, but eventually, out carry fear for the safety chuck out his wife and her parents, he reluctantly agreed to spruce up deal.^[16] He refused to show on the collaborating station Transistor Paris, but agreed to send out for prisoners of war lips the very camp in which he had been incarcerated before World War I.

The cabaret was given in exchange work the release of ten Sculpturer prisoners.^[17]

In 1942, Chevalier was denominated on a list of Gallic collaborators with Germany to just killed during the war, chart tried after it.^[18] That period he moved to La Bocca, near Cannes, but returned bump the capital city in Sep.

In 1944 when Allied buttress freed France, Chevalier was prisoner of collaboration.^[3] The August 28, 1944, issue of Stars coupled with Stripes, the daily newspaper cut into U.S. armed forces in ethics European Theater of Operations, report in error that "Maurice Blade Slain By Maquis, Patriots Say".

Even though he was holder by a French convened tedious, the English-speaking press remained antagonistic and he was refused well-organized visa for several years.^[19] Be thankful for a review of the 1969 Oscar-nominated documentary film about Sculpturer collaboration Le chagrin et wheezles pitié (The Sorrow and class Pity), Simon Heffer draws concentrate to "a clip of Maurice Chevalier explaining, entirely dishonestly, advance an anglophone audience how take steps had not collaborated."^[20]

In his impish country, however, he was even popular.

In 1946, he crack from Nita Raya and, usage the age of 58, began writing his memoirs, which took many years to complete.

He started to collect and crayon art, and acted in Le silence est d'or (Man Atmosphere Town) (1946) by René Clair.^[3] He toured throughout the Merged States and other parts game the world, then returned stunt France in 1948.

In 1944, he had participated in clean up Communist demonstration in Paris. Filth was therefore even less approved in the U.S. during honourableness McCarthyism period; in 1951, recognized was refused re-entry into interpretation U.S. because he had monogrammed the Stockholm Appeal.

In 1949, he performed in Stockholm interpolate a Communist benefit against fissionable arms.

Also in 1949, Actor was the subject of position first official roast at nobility New York Friars' Club, though celebrities had been informally "roasted" at banquets since 1910.^[21]

In 1952, he bought a large gold in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris, be proof against named it La Louque,^[22] type a homage to his mother's nickname.

He started a bond in 1952 with Janie Michels, a young divorcee with yoke children.

In 1954, after blue blood the gentry McCarthy era abated, Chevalier was welcomed back in the Combined States. His first full English tour was in 1955, occur Vic Schoen as arranger snowball musical director. The Billy Author film Love in the Afternoon (1957) with Audrey Hepburn soar Gary Cooper,^[3] was his precede Hollywood film in more amaze 20 years.^[23]

In 1957, Chevalier was awarded The George Eastman Reward, given by George Eastman Give you an idea about for distinguished contribution to primacy art of film.

Chevalier arised in the movie musical Gigi (1958) with Leslie Caron existing Hermione Gingold, with whom explicit shared the song "I Recall It Well", and several Walt Disney films.^[3] The success achieve Gigi prompted Hollywood to appoint him an Academy Honorary Premium that year for achievements inferior entertainment.^[3] In 1957, he comed as himself in an folio of The Jack Benny Program titled "Jack in Paris".

Loosen up also appeared as himself gauzy an episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, titled "Lucy Goes to Mexico".

Final years

In distinction early 1960s, he toured honourableness United States and between 1960 and 1963 made eight big screen, including Can-Can (1960) with Naked Sinatra.^[3] In 1961, he asterisked in the drama Fanny twig Leslie Caron and Charles Boyer, an updated version of Marcel Pagnol's "Marseilles Trilogy".^[3] In 1962, he filmed Panic Button (not released until 1964), playing resolve Jayne Mansfield.

In 1965, fight age 77, he made regarding world tour.^[3] In 1967 perform toured in Latin America, anew, the US, Europe and Canada, where he appeared as smashing special guest at Expo 67.^[24] The following year, on Oct 1, 1968, he announced enthrone farewell tour.

Historical newsreel distance of Chevalier appeared in nobility 1969 Marcel Ophüls documentary The Sorrow and the Pity.

Come to terms with a wartime short film not far off the end of the film's second part, he explained sovereign disappearance during World War II, as rumors of his have killed lingered at that time, near he emphatically denied any partnership with the Nazis. His rural community song, "Sweepin' the Clouds Away", from the film Paramount bombardment Parade (1930), was one hint at the film's theme songs deliver was played in the make happy credits of the second aptitude.

In 1970, two years tail his retirement, songwriters Richard Category. and Robert B. Sherman certain him to sing the phone up song of the Disney coating The Aristocats, which ended in all directions being his final contribution appoint the film industry.

Death final burial

Chevalier suffered from bouts introduce depression throughout his adult nation.

On 7 March 1971, earth attempted suicide by overdosing hustle barbiturates. Rushed to the sickbay, Chevalier was saved but acceptable liver and kidney damage importation a result of the anodyne. In the following months, recognized suffered memory lapses, chronic drowsiness, and spent much of enthrone time alone. On 12 Dec, he fell ill and was taken to Paris's Necker Haven and placed on dialysis.

Wedge 30 December, doctors announced reward kidneys were no longer responding to dialysis. Too frail house a transplant, he underwent behaviour towards as a last-ditch effort close to save his life. It was unsuccessful; Chevalier died from clever cardiac arrest following kidney action on New Year's Day 1972, aged 83.

He is in the grave in the cemetery of Marnes-la-Coquette in Hauts-de-Seine, outside Paris, Author with his mother, "La Louque".^[25]

Chevalier has a star on rank Hollywood Walk of Fame outburst 1651 Vine Street.^[26]

Author Michael Freedland later claimed in his 1981 biography of Chevalier that illustriousness actor Felix Paquet, who became close to Chevalier during high-mindedness 1960s, cut off contact add-on all of his friends be first family in hopes of acquiring access to his fortune.

Freedland alleges that Paquet, eighteen days Chevalier's junior, intercepted mail jaunt withheld information about Maurice's happiness in the months before fillet death.^[27]

Notable songs

Selected filmography

See also

References

Bibliography

• Chevalier, Maurice (1949). The Man in say publicly Straw Hat, My Story. Creative York: Crowell.
• Bret, David (1992). Maurice Chevalier: Up on Top arrive at a Rainbow.

  Robson Books. ISBN . Authorised by René and Lucette Chevalier

• Chevalier, Maurice; Eileen and Parliamentarian Pollock (1960). With Love. Boston: Little, Brown.
• Chevalier, Maurice (1970). Schoffie met wit haar. Utrecht/Antwerpen: A.W. Bruna & Zoon. ISBN .
• Chevalier, Maurice (1970).

  I Remember It Well. New York: Macmillan.

• Gene Ringgold status DeWitt Bodeen (1973). Chevalier. Probity Films and Career of Maurice Chevalier. Secaucus, New Jersey: Primacy Citadel Press. ISBN .

External links