Florelle

Last updated

Florelle
Florelle en 1939 (Studio Harcourt).jpg
Florelle in 1939
Born
Odette Élisa Joséphine Marguerite Rousseau

(1898-08-09)9 August 1898
Died28 September 1974(1974-09-28) (aged 76)
La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, France
Occupation
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1911–1956
Spouse(s)
Marcel Foucret
(m. 1934;div. 1944)

Florelle (born Odette Élisa Joséphine Marguerite Rousseau, 9 August 1898 – 28 September 1974) was a French soprano singer and actress. She gained fame as Polly Peachum in the French film The Threepenny Opera , after which she had numerous other film roles. In the 1940s, she retired from the stage, but continued to make film appearances during the war. [1]

Contents

Early life

She was born as Odette Élisa Joséphine Marguerite Rousseau on 9 August 1898 in Les Sables-d'Olonne, Vendée. She came from a wealthy family living in the district of La Chaume, the oldest in the town of Sables-d'Olonne. Her father, an employee of the town hall, left his job to go into business and the family came to live in Paris; her mother worked at the café La Cigale.

Career

Odette began her stage career at the age of 13, singing at the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique and the Moulin Rouge. She is notably the partner of Raimu beginning in a sketch entitled "Le Marseillais et la Parigote". She worked in different establishments, then, in 1914, left for her first tour abroad with the troupe of "L'Européen"; It was then that she adopted the pseudonym of Florelle, named after a singer in the troupe, Jean Flor. The tour was interrupted at the beginning of August in Vienna, Austria, by the outbreak of World War I.

After the war, she was noticed by Maurice Chevalier, with whom she participated in three films in the early 1920s. Florelle nevertheless remained attached to the music hall; in 1925, she was chosen as an understudy for Mistinguett and as such was the leader of the Moulin-Rouge review "This is Paris" in a tour of South America. Back in Paris, she conducted a second version of "This is Paris" from 1927; in 1928–29, she again toured internationally in Europe; It was then that she was noticed by the Austrian filmmaker Georg Wilhelm Pabst.

During the 1930s, she devoted herself a lot to the cinema, where her activity was intense from 1930 to 1936; after L'Opéra de quat'sous , she toured again with Pabst ( L'Atlantide ), but also with Robert Siodmak ( Tumultes ), Raymond Bernard ( Les Misérables ), Fritz Lang ( Liliom ) and Jean Renoir ( The Crime of Monsieur Lange ). On stage, in 1934 she played the title role of the musical Marie Galante by Jacques Deval, in which she found the music of Kurt Weill, but which does not meet with success. She records several discs, whether or not related to the films she was filming.

Florelle's career subsequently declined: with her only notable post-war film was Gervaise (1956) by René Clément.

Death

She lived for a few years running a café in Sables-d'Olonne. She returned to Paris for a while, then returned to Les Sables, living until her death in La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, at age 76 in a certain oblivion and, it seems, in poverty.

Selected filmography

YearTitleRoleDirector(s)Notes
1912 The Mask of Horror Abel Gance Credited as Mlle Rousseau
1930 The Prosecutor Hallers Agnès Robert Wiene
Love Songs Robert Florey Alternative-language version of the German film
Rendezvous
My Wife's Teacher
1931 Venetian Nights Pierre Billon
Robert Wiene
French-language version of the film
The Love Express
My Aunt from Honfleur Albertine André Gillois
The Threepenny Opera Polly Peachum G. W. Pabst French-language version
About an Inquest Erna Kabisch Henri Chomette
Robert Siodmak
French-language version of the film Inquest
Montmartre Irène Raymond Bernard
1932 The Nude Woman Lolette Jean-Paul Paulin
The Improvised Son Maud René Guissart
The Wonderful Day Gladys Yves Mirande
Robert Wyler
Remake of the 1929 silent film of the same title
Monsieur, Madame and Bibi Anne Weber Jean Boyer
Max Neufeld
French-language version of the German film
A Bit of Love
1933 La dame de chez Maxim's La Môme Crevette Alexander Korda French-language version of the film
The Girl from Maxim's
1934 Les Misérables Fantine Raymond Bernard
The Last Night Evelyne Ebert Jacques de Casembroot
1936 The Crime of Monsieur Lange Valentine Cardès Jean Renoir
1952 Three Women André Michel
1956 Blood to the Head Sidonie Vauquier Gilles Grangier
Gervaise Maman Coupeau René Clément Final film

Related Research Articles

Moulin Rouge Cabaret in Paris, France

Moulin Rouge is a cabaret in Paris, France.

Montmartre Hill in the north of Paris, France

Montmartre is a large hill in Paris's 18th arrondissement. It is 130 m (430 ft) high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank in the northern section of the city. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by rue Caulaincourt and rue Custine on the north, rue de Clignancourt on the east, and boulevard de Clichy and boulevard de Rochechouart to the south, containing 60 ha. Montmartre is primarily known for its artistic history, the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on its summit, and as a nightclub district. The other church on the hill, Saint Pierre de Montmartre, built in 1147, was the church of the prestigious Montmartre Abbey. On August 15, 1534, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier and five other companions bound themselves by vows in the Martyrium of Saint Denis, 11 rue Yvonne Le Tac, the first step in the creation of the Jesuits.

Mistinguett French actress and singer

Mistinguett was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world.

Folies Bergère Music hall and theatre in Paris, France

The Folies Bergère is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trévise, with light entertainment including operettas, comic opera, popular songs, and gymnastics. It became the Folies Bergère on 13 September 1872, named after nearby Rue Bergère. The house was at the height of its fame and popularity from the 1890s' Belle Époque through the 1920s.

Yvette Guilbert French cabaret singer

Yvette Guilbert was a French cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque.

Jane Avril French can-can dancer made famous by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec through his painting

Jane Avril was a French can-can dancer made famous by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec through his paintings. Extremely thin, "given to jerky movements and sudden contortions", she was nicknamed La Mélinite, after an explosive.

Les Sables-dOlonne Subprefecture and commune in Pays de la Loire, France

Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in Western France, on the Atlantic Ocean. A subprefecture of the department of Vendée, Pays de la Loire, it has the administrative level of commune. On 1 January 2019, the municipalities of Olonne-sur-Mer, Château-d'Olonne and Les Sables-d'Olonne merged, retaining the latter name.

Jean Launois

Jean Launois was a French artist. Born in Les Sables-d'Olonne in Vendée, Launois demonstrated a gift and passion for drawing. His parents encouraged him, but his formal training was limited to working with Charles Milcendeau and later with Auguste Lepère. He had a short stint at the Ecole Julian in Paris. Launois did many sketches, drawings, and paintings during and after World War I.

Les Essarts, Vendée Part of Essarts-en-Bocage in Pays de la Loire, France

Les Essarts is a former commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of Essarts-en-Bocage.

<i>Formidable</i> (album) 1992 soundtrack album by La Toya Jackson

Formidable is the soundtrack to the show performed at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France by American singer La Toya Jackson. Only 3,000 copies were created and it has become one of the most sought-after albums by her fans.

Gina Manès French actress

Gina Manès was a French film actress and a major star of French silent cinema. After an early appearance in a Louis Feuillade film, she had significant roles in films of Germaine Dulac and Jean Epstein, including Cœur fidèle.

Maurice Durand was a French architect. He was active in the Vendée department, primarily in the area around Les Sables-d'Olonne, and many of his buildings may still be seen in that area today.

Sylvie Tellier

Sylvie Tellier is a French television personality, businesswoman, and former beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2002. Previously, Tellier had been crowned Miss Lyon 2001, becoming the seventh woman from Rhône-Alpes to be crowned Miss France. As Miss France, Tellier also competed at Miss Universe 2002.

Tours station

Tours station is a railway station serving the city of Tours, Indre-et-Loire department, western France. It is situated on the Paris–Bordeaux railway, the Tours–Saint-Nazaire railway, and the non-electrified Tours–Le Mans railway. The Gare de Tours is a terminus; most TGV trains only serve the nearby Gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps.

Marguerite Macé-Montrouge French singer and actress

Marguerite Macé-Montrouge, became a professional actress at the age of 14, and was an early member of Offenbach's troupe, before enjoying a long stage career in Paris and elsewhere.

Marie Delna

Marie Delna was a French contralto. A major singer in Paris, particularly at the Opéra-Comique, she enjoyed an international career in the 1890s through to the 1910s and left several recordings.

<i>Années folles</i>

The Années folles was the decade of the 1920s in France. It was coined to describe the rich social, artistic, and cultural collaborations of the period. The same period is also referred to as the Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age in the United States. In Germany, it is sometimes referred to as the Golden Twenties because of the economic boom that followed World War I.

Paulette del Baye French-Cuban stage and film actress

Paulette del Baye, born Catalina Francisca Paulina Batalla, was a French actress, singer, dancer and vaudeville performer from Cuba.

Anna Tariol-Baugé

Anna Tariol-Baugé was a French operetta singer and theatre actress. She is known for her performances in Offenbach's operettas.

Raphaël Toussaint

Raphaël Toussaint, is a French painter residing in the Vendée department. Landscape designer, he practices “poetic reality”.

References

  1. O'Connor, Patrick (2001). "Florelle, Odette". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan.