Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) was a celebrated French singer and actor whose charm and charisma made him a significant figure in both French and American entertainment. He initially began his career as an acrobat but transitioned to music and film after an accident ended his acrobatic pursuits. Chevalier served in World War I, where he was captured and later learned English, which aided his future in Hollywood. His early films in the 1900s paved the way for his stardom, especially with hits like "Love Me Tonight" and "Gigi," showcasing his distinctive singing style and engaging performances.
Known for his unique blend of singing and conversational delivery, Chevalier's songs often featured playful double entendres, appealing to a wide audience even during challenging times, such as World War II. He became a beloved figure for his representation of Gallic charm and sophistication, with his performances leaving a lasting legacy in the musical film genre. Despite facing accusations of collaboration during the war, he was later cleared and continued to thrive in his career, receiving a special Academy Award for his lifetime achievements. Chevalier's influence extended to later generations of entertainers, inspiring artists like Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick, Jr. His legacy endures as one of the most iconic entertainers of the 20th century.
Subject Terms
Maurice Chevalier
French pop and show tune singer
- Born: September 12, 1888
- Birthplace: Ménilmontant, France
- Died: January 1, 1972
- Place of death: Paris, France
A cultural ambassador for France, Chevalier brought to Hollywood in the 1930’s the image of the cavalier French playboy. In the late 1940’s Chevalier’s sunny French-jazz style influenced many singers until rock and roll took hold in the late 1950’s.
The Life
Born in 1888, Maurice Auguste Chevalier (mah-REES sheh-VAHL-yay) established his reputation as a singer and dancer when his career as an acrobat came to an abrupt end after an accident. While in the military, he was wounded and captured by the Germans in World War I. After a two-year incarceration, during which he learned English from a fellow prisoner, Chevalier returned to Paris, where he discovered jazz and became a huge star.
Chevalier began making short French films in 1908. He was called to Hollywood in 1928; two years later he was nominated for two Academy Awards as Best Actor. Two films with Jeanette MacDonald, One Hour with You and Love Me Tonight, were smash hits in 1932 and helped create the craze for Hollywood musicals. Audiences loved Chevalier’s naughty double entendres and insouciant characters.
Chevalier spent World War II in France and protected his Jewish wife, Nita Ray. He performed at the German prisoner of war camp where he had been interned in World War I, but he refused to sing on German radio. After the war, Chevalier was accused of collaborating with France’s enemies, and he was marked for death by the French Resistance. Later, he was cleared of the charges.
Chevalier reestablished his American film career in the 1950’s with Cole Porter’s Can-Can (1960), Billy Wilder’s Love in the Afternoon (1957), and most notably Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Gigi (1958). He received a special Academy Award for his lifetime of work in 1958. Chevalier continued to tour and made a few minor films in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. He died in Paris after a brief illness at age eighty-three.
The Music
A charming, smiling fellow in his trademark tuxedo and straw hat, Chevalier was the embodiment of Gallic charm. Chevalier knew the limitations of his voice, which was a natural rather than a well-trained one. His sunny performances helped audiences momentarily forget the difficult times they were enduring. He was everyone’s favorite bachelor uncle or perhaps secret French lover.
Early Works. In many of his songs (such as “Mimi” and “Louise”), Chevalier spoke the middle section, which allowed him to act out instead of merely singing the song. In his work as a music-hall entertainer, Chevalier had to project a song to the last row of seats, so he developed impeccable diction. His recorded voice was so precise that listeners with little knowledge of French could understand some of the words. “Paris sera toujours Paris” (Paris, stay the same) was one of Chevalier’s most popular songs during World War II, tolerated by the occupying Germans.
Love Me Tonight. Marcel Orphül’s documentary on the French Occupation, when Germany occupied France during World War II, Le Chagrin et le pitié (1971; the sorrow and the pity) famously ends with Chevalier singing “Sweepin’ the Clouds Away” from his Hollywood debut Paramount on Parade (1930). However, it was 1932’s Love Me Tonight, with songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, that elevated Chevalier to stardom in a long string of motion-picture musicals in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Love Me Tonight introduced two Chevalier standards, “Isn’t It Romantic?” and “Mimi.” Chevalier displays his suave, man-about-town side in “Isn’t It Romantic?” as the verses of the song pass from person to person, locale to locale, until they reach MacDonald in her chateau. In “Mimi,” which does not advance the plot, Chevalier flirts suggestively with MacDonald, in his trademark singsong and talky delivery. This song later bounces from character to character in the chateau.
Gigi. This 1958 film adaptation of Collette’s story—about a young girl who, despite being groomed to be a rich man’s plaything, finds true love—introduced Chevalier to a younger generation. Chevalier plays to type as actor Louis Jourdan’s bachelor uncle who gives his nephew romantic advice gleaned from his years of romancing beautiful women. This is one of Chevalier’s best dramatic performances. His semispoken rendition of “I Remember It Well” blends beautifully with the character of his former lover, Hermione Gingold, who was not a singer and primarily spoke her lyrics. His jaunty “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore” charms audiences once again with his smiling, boulevardier manner.
Musical Legacy
Chevalier was one of the best-loved performers in France and America for more than half a century. His early work in Hollywood helped establish the musical motion picture as a popular genre. Singers of a later generation, such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, modeled their stage personas as happy-go-lucky ladies’ men on Chevalier, and their light, jazzy singing styles paid homage to his. Even three decades after Chevalier’s death, Harry Connick, Jr., demonstrated his debt to Chevalier in sunny but sophisticated performances.
Principal Recordings
albums:Encore Maurice!, 1982; No Business Like Show Business, 1994; Fourteen Songs, 1995; Ma pomme y d’ la joie, 1996; Moi avec une chanson, 1998; The Romance of Paris, 2000; Valentine, 2002; Inoubliable, 2002.
writings of interest: With Love, 1960;I Remember It Well, 1970.
Bibliography
Behr, Edward. The Good Frenchman: The True Story of the Life and Times of Maurice Chevalier. New York: Villard, 1993. Behr captures the shadow beneath Chevalier’s sunny smile: problems maintaining romantic relationships, fears of returning to the poverty of his youth, and feelings of inadequacy.
Bret, David. Maurice Chevalier: On Top of a Rainbow. London: Robson Books, 1993. Fully authorized biography of Chevalier details the accusations against Chevalier for collaborating with the Germans and the French Resistance marking him for death.
Chevalier, Maurice. I Remember It Well. New York: Macmillan, 1970. Chevalier’s recollection of his life’s events should be balanced with other biographies.
Chevalier, Maurice, Eileen Pollock, and Robert Mason Pollock. With Love. Boston: Little, Brown, 1960. Lively, personal account of Chevalier’s life.
Vals, François. Maurice Chevalier. Paris: Didier Carpentier, 2002. Chevalier’s right-hand man for the last twenty years of his career shares his insights. Vals had access to Chevalier’s personal material.