History Main / TheChanteuse

A stock character in anything even very loosely inspired by FilmNoir, and what most people think of when they hear the word "FemmeFatale". Every lounge will have a sultry female singing a sultry song (or TorchSong). Her favorite outfit is a long evening gown with a slit up the side, pearl necklace, and more than likely high heels and opera gloves. If she becomes a named character, she will often be the Veronica in a BettyAndVeronica romantic subplot. She could just be there in the background because every lounge that has anything approaching a FilmNoir feel must have this trope.

A stock character in anything even very loosely inspired by FilmNoir. Every lounge will have a sultry female singing a sultry song (or TorchSong). Her favorite outfit is a long evening gown with a slit up the side, pearl necklace, and more than likely high heels and opera gloves. If she becomes a named character, she will often be the Veronica in a BettyAndVeronica romantic subplot. She could just be there in the background because every lounge that has anything approaching a FilmNoir feel must have this trope.

* Zigzagged with Miss Kitty, the mouse showgirl/singer in the BadGuyBar sequence in ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''. She starts off as the Chanteuse, then switches costume and song-style for a livelier, jauntier, more burlesque performance halfway through the song.

* The first appearance of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' character Ruby (later known as Sergeant Detritus's wife) is in ''Discworld/MovingPictures'' as a chanteuse at a troll nightclub. Her trollish growling is translated in footnotes as "Falling in Love Again", complete with Marlene Dietrich's accent.

Lucille is one in WesternAnimation/AMonsterInParis [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsXvXlK4CTs&t=11s here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hFljpXz7co here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZThmW0ZK4w&t=1s here]]. In fact, that's her actual JOB!

* Paige pulls this off in season 5 of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' , singing "Fever" to her boyfriends Nate in vintage garb and hair (Of course she does. She's Creator/RoseMcGowan).

* Red, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}''. She doesn't get much of a chance to show off her voice, though, as it's stolen right at the start of the game.

* Carol [=MacLaine=] in ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition''.
* Venus in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.

* Olivia Ofrenda in ''VideoGame/GrimFandango''

* [[OneSceneWonder Miss Kitty Mouse]] from ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''.

A stock character in anything even very loosely inspired by FilmNoir. Every lounge will have a sultry female singing a sultry song (or TorchSong). Her favorite outfit is a long evening gown, pearl necklace, slit up the side, and more than likely high heels and opera gloves. If she becomes a named character, she will often be the Veronica in a BettyAndVeronica romantic subplot. She could just be there in the background because every lounge that has anything approaching a FilmNoir feel must have this trope.

* ''Literature/AutobiographyOfRed'' has a tuxedo-clad {{Bifauxnen}} version singing tango music in a bar in Argentina.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** In ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', Seven of Nine was made one in a holoprogram set in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII German-occupied France]].
** In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Odo was coached in flirting by Vic Fontaine, who created for this purpose a holo-version of Kira, who fulfilled this trope. [[spoiler: She was in the end swapped for the ''real'' Kira.]]
* Jan Levinson makes a cameo appearance as one of these in ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' episode "Threat Level Midnight" [[ShowWithinAShow movie-within-a-movie]] possibly a [[ActorAllusion nod]] to Melora Hardin's cameo as one in ''Film/TheRocketeer'' (or maybe simply because [[TheCastShowoff she can sing]]).
* The ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' Noir episode has Lois in this role and Lana as the FemmeFatale. While Chloe ironically is mimicking the 40s and 50s Lois Lane.
* The season six opener of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' had Ziva David playing this part very well, with the actress Creator/CoteDePablo actually doing her own singing. Then someone rudely left a bomb behind. (What, this is NCIS, you know!)
* In several episodes of ''Series/TwinPeaks'', Creator/JuleeCruise can be seen singing in The Roadhouse, a bar in the town.

* The unnamed singer played by Music/{{Foxes}} in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Mummy on the Orient Express", who sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxLR6cP1_Q8 a 20s jazz version]] of "[[Music/{{Queen}} Don't Stop Me Now]]".

* ''Series/PeakyBlinders'': When Grace first comes from Northern Ireland to Birmingham, she gets hired at the Shelbys' pub because she's pretty and can sing Irish ballads and sentimental songs. [[spoiler:Of course, it turns out she's actually a spy working for Inspector Campbell and (indirectly) MI5]].

* Bridgette on ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaWorldTour'', in particular during one of the Aftermath episodes, where she sings "[[AwardBaitSong I'm Sorry]]" in this style to Geoff, and was even SittingSexyOnAPiano for part of it.

* There's one in the magical speakeasy scene in ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'', although considering the singer is a goblin and/or house-elf (it's hard to tell), it's plays out more as FanDisservice than anything else.

A saloon singer may fill a similar role in [[TheWestern Westerns]], and a comely barmaid singing Irish ballads and sentimental songs may take the role in an Irish pub (be it in Ireland or, at least as often, [[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora abroad]]) Compare GlamorousWartimeSinger, LoungeLizard. The rarely seen [[SpearCounterpart male version]] is known as a ''chanteur''

* Mary kate wiles plays this character in ''Theatre/SpiesAreForever''

* The season six opener of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' had Ziva David playing this part very well, with the actress Cote de Pablo actually doing her own singing. Then someone rudely left a bomb behind. (What, this is NCIS, you know!)

* Music/{{Lana Del Rey}} constructed her entire musical and visual aesthetic from this trope