Maurice Chevalier: Valentine

LINER NOTES

The prototype of the French Charmer, Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) began his career as an entertainer at a very early age. His father had died, and the family needed whatever income the young Maurice could generate. Singing in slummy suburban variety theaters, and then performing at some of France's less glamorous bathing resorts, Chevalier did his part to keep the family fed. And, much to the delight of several future generations of fans, he was able to discover and hone the various talents that would keep him on the stage long after the lash of economic necessity had ceased to drive him to the front of the crowd.

Chevalier, as they say in show business, was "a natural," who could get a smile out of the sternest of faces. Still, it was not until he was in his mid-thirties, that Chevalier's innate abilities became known to a very wide-audience. Having been released, thanks to some friendly intervention, from a Prisoner of War of Camp in Germany during World War I, Chevalier returned to Paris, where he teamed up with the revue star Mistinguett. Their act, at the Follies Bergere, quickly became the rage, and established Chevalier as the most admired performer on the scene.

The fame he won on the cabaret circuit quickly drew the attention of the movie studios who offered him large sums of money to appear in their pictures. As sound had yet to come to the movies, Chevalier declined the offers, convinced that he could not be himself if he could not speak or sing. Later, when the "talkies" appeared, Chevalier did go to Hollywood, where he lived from 1928-35 making movies which made him an international star. On the eve of World War II he returned to his native France, and disappeared from the screen for the duration of the war. After being tried and acquitted for collaborating with Germans, Chevalier reappeared on the screen in 1947 starring in the René Clair film, Silence is Golden. He then went on to win great acclaim and many new fans with a series of remarkable one man shows, in Paris, London and New York. With his intentionally heavy accent, his teasingly insinuating songs, and his ever so debonair and stylish manner, Chevalier became the embodiment of things French to English-speaking audiences. In 1950, Chevalier played what American audiences considerable his most memorable role--the male lead in the great movie musical, Gigi. In 1968, after sixty-five years of playing for an audience, Chevalier bid his beloved Paris "adieu" with a gala evening at the Champs Elysée Theater, and retired to the country, where he lived out the remainder of his days.

Seldom seen without his trademark hats, Chevalier delivered his lines and sang his songs in a gently satirical tone, which was unfailingly good natured. His most popular songs, those which best captured the spirit of his smile with a wink, were the ones he made popular in the movies and on stage during the 1930s. The best of those songs are collected here on this album. They all still have great power to entertain, despite the lapse of time.

--Joshua Brown