Playboy of Paris
Playboy of Paris is a 1930 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Ludwig Berger and starring Maurice Chevalier, Frances Dee (in her film debut), and O.P. Heggie. It was based on a 1911 play The Little Cafe by Tristan Bernard which had previously been adapted into a 1919 French silent film.[1] Paramount produced a separate French-language version Le Petit Café, also starring Chevalier, which broke records for an opening-day attendance in Paris.[2]
Playboy of Paris | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ludwig Berger |
Produced by | Ludwig Berger |
Written by | Tristan Bernard (play) Percy Heath Vincent Lawrence |
Starring | Maurice Chevalier Frances Dee O.P. Heggie Stuart Erwin |
Music by | Howard Jackson John Leipold |
Cinematography | Henry W. Gerrard |
Edited by | Merrill G. White |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | October 31, 1930[1] |
Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film introduced the song "My Ideal", composed by Richard A. Whiting and Newell Chase with lyrics by Leo Robin, which became a jazz standard.
Synopsis
Albert Loriflan, a waiter in a Paris cafe, unexpectedly inherits a large sum of money from a wealthy relative. His unscrupulous boss, Philibert, refuses to release him from his long-term contract in the hope that Albert will buy him off with a large payment. But Albert refuses, and continues to work at the cafe even though he is now very rich. Before long he falls in love with Philibert's daughter Yvonne.
Main cast
- Maurice Chevalier as Albert Loriflan
- Frances Dee as Yvonne Phillbert
- O.P. Heggie as Philibert
- Stuart Erwin as Paul Michel
- Eugene Pallette as Pierre Bourdin
- Dorothy Christy as Mlle. Berengere
- Cecil Cunningham as Mlle. Hedwige
- Tyler Brooke as Cadeaux
- William B. Davidson as Monsieur Bannack
- Charles Giblyn as Gastonet
References
- Bradley, p. 118
- The Films and Career of Maurice Chevalier (Gene Ringgold, Dewitt Bodeen, The Citadel Press, 1973), ISBN 0-8065-0354-8. P.95.
Bibliography
- Bradley, Edwin M. The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography Of 171 Features, 1927 Through 1932. McFarland, 2004.