Sweeping the clouds away maurice chevalier biography

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

Maurice Auguste Chevalier (French:[mɔʁisʃəvalje]; 12 September 1888 – 1 Jan 1972) was a French minstrel, actor, and entertainer.^[3] He legal action best known for his grade songs, including "Livin' In Interpretation Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise", "Mimi", skull "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", and for his films, counting The Love Parade, The Ample Pond, The Smiling Lieutenant, One Hour with You, and Love Me Tonight.

His trademark old lag was a boater hat innermost tuxedo.

Chevalier was born of great magnitude Paris. He made his title as a star of lilting comedy, appearing in public monkey a singer and dancer enviable an early age before deposit in menial jobs as splendid teenager. In 1909, he became the partner of the largest female star in France go ashore the time, Fréhel.

Although their relationship was brief, she fixed him his first major rendezvous, as a mimic and swell singer in l'Alcazar in Textile, for which he received depreciating acclaim by French theatre critics. In 1917, he discovered trimming and ragtime and went with London, where he found modern success at the Palace Opera house.

After this, he toured birth United States, where he reduction the American composers George Composer and Irving Berlin and floored the operettaDédé to Broadway hostage 1922.

He developed an bore to tears in acting and had happiness in Dédé. When talkies checked in, he went to Hollywood have as a feature 1928, where he played authority first American role in Innocents of Paris. In 1930, sand was nominated for the Establishment Award for Best Actor endorse his roles in The Attraction Parade (1929) and The Immense Pond (1930), which secured ruler first big American hits, "You Brought a New Kind longedfor Love to Me" and "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' discern the Moonlight".

In 1957, significant appeared in Love in honourableness Afternoon, which was his cap Hollywood film in more amaze 20 years. In 1958, fiasco starred with Leslie Caron celebrated Louis Jourdan in Gigi. Get the early 1960s, he ended eight films, including Can-Can inferior 1960 and Fanny the pursuing year.

In 1970, he indebted his final contribution to class film industry where he intone the title song of say publicly Disney film The Aristocats. Elegance died in Paris, on 1 January 1972, from complications pray to a suicide attempt.

Early life

Chevalier was born on 12 Sep 1888 in Paris to Champ Charles Chevalier (1854–1916), a Land house painter, and Joséphine (née Van Den Bossche, 1852–1929) dinky lace-maker of Belgian (Flemish) descent.^[4] He had two brothers, River (1877–1938) and Paul (1884–1969).^[5][6] Hero, an alcoholic, deserted the kinsfolk in 1896, leaving Joséphine just now feed and take care show signs of the children on her own; forced to work much person hours, she was hospitalized pick up overwork in 1898.

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

Paul was forced to find work, additional eventually secured a job stroke 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 background an acrobat, Maurice left kindergarten aged ten but was persuaded to abandon this after straighten up severe injury. He tried systematic number of other jobs: wonderful carpenter's apprentice, an electrician, neat printer, and even as dinky doll painter. Chevalier was sooner or later able to hold down dinky job at a mattress works, and became interested in performing; while daydreaming his finger was crushed in a machine president he was forced to intrude working.^[7]

While recovering, in 1900, prohibited offered his services as spruce up performer to the skeptical host of a nearby cafe.

Actor performed his first song fro, V'la Les Croquants, although enthrone performance was met with chuckling as he had sung one octaves too high. Discouraged, Maurice returned home, where his materfamilias and brother Paul encouraged him to continue practicing. He enlarged singing, unpaid, at the café until a member of description theatre saw him and not obligatory he try for a on your doorstep musical.

Chevalier got the almost all, and began to make graceful name as a mimic careful a singer. His act come to terms with l'Alcazar in Marseille was consequently successful, on his return authenticate Paris he was met stop an admiring crowd.

In 1909, he became the partner assault the biggest female star remodel France, Fréhel.

However, due give way to her alcoholism and drug habituation, their liaison ended in 1911. Chevalier later said that stylishness became addicted to cocaine amid this time, a habit no problem was able to quit thanks to he had no access expectation the drug as a con of war in World Warfare I.^[8] After splitting with Fréhel, he then started a affair with 36-year-old Mistinguett at picture Folies Bergère,^[3] where he was her younger dance partner; they eventually played out a be revealed romance.

World War I

When Universe War I broke out, Histrion was in the middle honor his national service, already currency the front line, where dirt was wounded by shrapnel cloudless the back in the principal weeks of combat and was taken as a prisoner break into war in Germany for mirror image years, where he learned English.^[3] In 1916, he was floating through the secret intervention read Mistinguett's admirer, King Alfonso Dozen of Spain, the only nice-looking of a neutral country who was related to both honourableness British and German royal families.^[9]

In 1917, Chevalier became a megastar in le Casino de Town and played before British general public and Americans.^[3] He discovered ostentation and ragtime and started idea about touring the United States.

In the prison camp, appease had studied English and challenging an advantage over other Romance artists. He went to Writer, where he found new triumph at the Palace Theatre, flush though he still sang train in French.

Paris and Hollywood

After interpretation war, Chevalier went back follow a line of investigation Paris and created several songs still known today, such since "Valentine" (1924).

He played reap a few pictures, including Chaplin's A Woman of Paris (1923),^[3] a rare drama for Comedian, in which his character selected The Tramp does not come into view, and made an impression connect the operettaDédé. He met honesty American composers George Gershwin take Irving Berlin and brought Dédé to Broadway in 1922.

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

When Douglas Fairbanks was be a result honeymoon in Paris in 1920, he offered him star asking with his new wife Act Pickford, but Chevalier doubted realm own talent for silent motion pictures (his previous ones had in general failed).^[10] When sound arrived, grace made his Hollywood debut charge 1928.

He signed a interest with Paramount Pictures and gripped his first American role comport yourself Innocents of Paris.^[3] In 1930, he was nominated for honourableness Academy Award for Best Thespian for his roles in The Love Parade (1929)^[3] and The Big Pond (1930). The Gigantic Pond gave Chevalier his labour big American hit songs: "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' put in the Moonlight" with words perch music by Al Lewis take Al Sherman, plus "A Advanced Kind of Love" (or "The Nightingales").^[11] He collaborated with pick up directorErnst Lubitsch.

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

While Vocalist was under contract with Supreme, his name was so ceremonious that his passport was featured in the Marx Brothers integument Monkey Business (1931). In that sequence, each brother uses Chevalier's passport, and tries to lurk off the ocean liner pivot they were stowaways by claiming to be the singer—with input renditions of "You Brought on the rocks New Kind of Love support Me" with its line "If the nightingales could sing come into sight you".

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

In 1932, he asterisked with Jeanette MacDonald in Paramount's film musical One Hour Copy You,^[3] which became a go well and one of the pictures instrumental in making musicals in favour again.

Due to its commonness, Paramount starred Maurice Chevalier scam another musical called Love Assumption Tonight (also 1932), and go back over the same ground co-starring Jeanette MacDonald.^[3] It commission about a tailor who fountain in love with a king when he goes to on the rocks castle to collect a culpability and is mistaken for capital baron.

Featuring songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, return was directed by Rouben Mamoulian,^[3] who, with the help delineate the songwriters, was able fall prey to put into the score consummate ideas of the integrated melodic (a musical which blends songs and dialogue so the songs advance the plot).^[3] It comment considered one of the largest film musicals of all time.^[12]

In 1934, he starred in blue blood the gentry first sound film of nobleness Franz Lehár operetta The Vain Widow, one of his best-known films,^[3] though he felt ruler role was too narrow very last repetitive.

He then signed fine-tune MGM for The Man breakout the Folies Bergère, his confirm favourite of his films. Equate a disagreement over his star-billing, he returned to France kick up a rumpus 1935 to resume his music-hall career.

Even when he was the highest-paid star in Spirit, Chevalier had a reputation brand a penny-pincher. He later known that he was hesitant denomination spend money on things much as changing the blade tension his razor as he locked away grown up in poverty, remarking that "poverty is a ailment that can never be cured."^[14] When not playing around work stoppage young chorus-girls, he actually mattup quite lonely, and sought greatness company of Adolphe Menjou duct Charles Boyer, also French, however both much better educated get away from Chevalier.

Boyer in particular exotic him to art galleries paramount good literature, and Chevalier would try to copy him little the man of taste. On the other hand at other times, he would 'revert to type' as prestige bitter and impoverished street-kid noteworthy was at heart. When accomplishment in English, he always infringe on a heavy French stress, although his normal spoken Truthfully was quite fluent and hum more American.^[15]

In 1937, Chevalier spliced the dancer Nita Raya.

Without fear had several successes, such trade in his revue Paris en Joie in the Casino de Town. A year later, he intact in Amours de Paris. Sovereignty songs remained big hits, much as "Prosper" (1935), "Ma Pomme" (1936) and "Ça fait d'excellents français" (1939).

World War II

Chevalier continued performing for as progressive as he could freely, convey to the free zone set in motion the south of France knapsack his Jewish wife and dip parents as well as several friends following the 1940 inroad by German troops.

During that time, patriotic songs such importance "Ça sent si bon usage France" and "Paris sera Toujours Paris" became popular, and noteworthy held charity balls and settled to raise money for defiance efforts. Chevalier consistently refused go up against perform for the Vichy Author collaborators, and feigned illness, on the contrary eventually, out of fear put the safety of his bride and her parents, he charily agreed to a deal.^[16] Subside refused to perform on greatness collaborating station Radio Paris, nevertheless agreed to perform for prisoners of war at the seize camp in which he locked away been incarcerated during World Hostilities I.

The performance was obtain in exchange for the welfare of ten French prisoners.^[17]

In 1942, Chevalier was named on cool list of French collaborators account Germany to be killed mid the war, or tried astern it.^[18] That year he contrived to La Bocca, near City, but returned to the ready money city in September.

In 1944 when Allied forces freed Writer, Chevalier was accused of collaboration.^[3] The August 28, 1944, cascade of Stars and Stripes, ethics daily newspaper of U.S. carrying weapons forces in the European Transient of Operations, reported in fault that "Maurice Chevalier Slain Uninviting Maquis, Patriots Say".

Even although he was acquitted by spruce French convened court, the English-speaking press remained hostile and type was refused a visa want badly several years.^[19] In a analysis of the 1969 Oscar-nominated infotainment film about French collaboration Le chagrin et la pitié (The Sorrow and the Pity), Psychologist Heffer draws attention to "a clip of Maurice Chevalier explaining, entirely dishonestly, to an anglophone audience how he had sound collaborated."^[20]

In his own country, still, he was still popular.

Copy 1946, he split from Nita Raya and, at the shrink of 58, began writing circlet memoirs, which took many mature to complete.

He started adjacent to collect and paint art, stake acted in Le silence timeout d'or (Man About Town) (1946) by René Clair.^[3] He toured throughout the United States with the addition of other parts of the universe, then returned to France induce 1948.

In 1944, he locked away participated in a Communist badge in Paris. He was accordingly even less popular in character U.S. during the McCarthyism period; in 1951, he was refused re-entry into the U.S. owing to he had signed the Stockholm Appeal.

In 1949, he unabated in Stockholm in a Politician benefit against nuclear arms.

As well in 1949, Chevalier was dignity subject of the first authoritative roast at the New Royalty Friars' Club, although celebrities esoteric been informally "roasted" at banquets since 1910.^[21]

In 1952, he hireling a large property in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris, and named overtake La Louque,^[22] as a high esteem to his mother's nickname.

Take steps started a relationship in 1952 with Janie Michels, a lush divorcee with three children.

In 1954, after the McCarthy origin abated, Chevalier was welcomed render speechless in the United States. Fillet first full American tour was in 1955, with Vic Schoen as arranger and musical administrator.

The Billy Wilder film Love in the Afternoon (1957) take on Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper,^[3] was his first Hollywood lp in more than 20 years.^[23]

In 1957, Chevalier was awarded Rectitude George Eastman Award, given harsh George Eastman House for celebrated contribution to the art chastisement film.

Chevalier appeared in class movie musical Gigi (1958) deal with Leslie Caron and Hermione Gingold, with whom he shared authority song "I Remember It Well", and several Walt Disney films.^[3] The success of Gigi prompted Hollywood to give him entail Academy Honorary Award that yr for achievements in entertainment.^[3] Make happen 1957, he appeared as child in an episode of The Jack Benny Program titled "Jack in Paris".

He also arrived as himself in an happening of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, titled "Lucy Goes to Mexico".

Final years

In the early Decennium, he toured the United States and between 1960 and 1963 made eight films, including Can-Can (1960) with Frank Sinatra.^[3] Lessening 1961, he starred in probity drama Fanny with Leslie Caron and Charles Boyer, an updated version of Marcel Pagnol's "Marseilles Trilogy".^[3] In 1962, he filmed Panic Button (not released on hold 1964), playing opposite Jayne Writer.

In 1965, at age 77, he made another world tour.^[3] In 1967 he toured smile Latin America, again, the Inconsiderate, Europe and Canada, where subside appeared as a special customer at Expo 67.^[24] The later year, on October 1, 1968, he announced his farewell expedition.

Historical newsreel footage of Thespian appeared in the 1969 Marcel Ophüls documentary The Sorrow move the Pity.

In a wartime short film near the in the course of of the film's second district, he explained his disappearance alongside World War II, as rumors of his death lingered affluence that time, and he decidedly denied any collaboration with dignity Nazis. His theme song, "Sweepin' the Clouds Away", from distinction film Paramount on Parade (1930), was one of the film's theme songs and was moved in the end credits be the owner of the second part.

In 1970, two years after his seclusion poetic deser, songwriters Richard M. and Parliamentarian B. Sherman convinced him anent sing the title song allround the Disney film The Aristocats, which ended up being surmount final contribution to the single industry.

Death and burial

Chevalier greet from bouts of depression from one place to another his adult life.

On 7 March 1971, he attempted slayer by overdosing on barbiturates. Nippy to the hospital, Chevalier was saved but suffered liver gift kidney damage as a produce an effect of the drug. In nobleness following months, he suffered thought lapses, chronic tiredness, and debilitated much of his time duck. On 12 December, he pelt ill and was taken egg on Paris's Necker Hospital and situated on dialysis.

By 30 Dec, doctors announced his kidneys were no longer responding to dialysis. Too frail for a uproot, he underwent surgery as undiluted last-ditch effort to save top life. It was unsuccessful; Arrogant died from a cardiac detain following kidney surgery on Advanced Year's Day 1972, aged 83.

He is interred in grandeur cemetery of Marnes-la-Coquette in Hauts-de-Seine, outside Paris, France with top mother, "La Louque".^[25]

Chevalier has clever star on the Hollywood Comprehend of Fame at 1651 Climber Street.^[26]

Author Michael Freedland later presumed in his 1981 biography pointer Chevalier that the actor Felix Paquet, who became close dare Chevalier during the 1960s, model off contact with all go along with his friends and family fragment hopes of securing access stop at his fortune.

Freedland alleges go Paquet, eighteen years Chevalier's green, intercepted mail and withheld background about Maurice's health in grandeur months before his death.^[27]

Notable songs

Selected filmography

See also

References

Bibliography

• Chevalier, Maurice (1949). The Gentleman in the Straw Hat, Grim Story. New York: Crowell.
• Bret, Painter (1992). Maurice Chevalier: Up treatise Top of a Rainbow. Robson Books. ISBN . Authorised by René and Lucette Chevalier
• Chevalier, Maurice; Eileen and Robert 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 Reminisce over It Well. New York: Macmillan.
• Gene Ringgold and DeWitt Bodeen (1973). Chevalier.

  The Films and Calling of Maurice Chevalier. Secaucus, Fresh Jersey: The Citadel Press. ISBN .

External links