Line #5 Creator/MauriceChevalier


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maurice-chevalier-006_8442.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:''"♫ Paris sera toujours Paris ♫"'' [[labelnote:Translation]]"Paris will always be Paris."[[/labelnote]]]]
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4	Maurice Auguste Chevalier (September 12, 1888 – January 1, 1972) was a world-famous French actor and [[{{Chanson}} singer]].
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6	He first struck fame in his native France, where he was a popular music hall star during the 1910s and 1920s and scored many hits like "Valentine," "Mimi" and "Louise." In 1927, he moved to Hollywood, where [[MediaNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies sound films were just getting in vogue,]] thus opening an entire market for movie musicals. Chevalier starred in many of them, including ''Film/TheLoveParade'' (1929), ''The Big Pond'' (1930), ''Film/LoveMeTonight'' (1932), and ''Film/{{Gigi}}'' (1958). He appeared alongside famous Hollywood movie stars of the day, including Creator/JeanetteMacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Creator/ClaudetteColbert, Leslie Caron, Creator/CharlesBoyer,[[note]]Boyer was another Frenchman whose career in Hollywood overlapped with Chevalier's. Boyer tended to get the dramatic and romantic parts that called for a French lead, while Chevalier got the light comedies and musicals. And both of them were inspirations for the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' character, WesternAnimation/PepeLePew[[/note]] Creator/JayneMansfield and Music/FrankSinatra.
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8	For decades Maurice Chevalier was the most famous French entertainer on the planet, easily recognizable due to his iconic yellow boater hat, tuxedo and heavy UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}ian accent. Even Creator/TheMarxBrothers built an entire comedic scene around him in ''Film/MonkeyBusiness'' (1931), even though [[InvisibleCelebrityGuest he didn't appear in the film at all]]. He appeared as himself in the ''Series/ILoveLucy'' episode "Lucy Goes To Mexico" (1958).
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10	Chevalier's accent (which was actually specific to Paris and not any other place) has in fact become a stereotype for the French variant of FunnyForeigner. Whenever a comedian pretends to imitate a Frenchman he is indirectly mimicking the way Chevalier spoke English in his native Parisian accent, including his famous ''"hon hon hon"'' laugh. It has become such a StockParody (to the dismay of many modern French folks, who also tend to get annoyed that "[[BritainIsOnlyLondon France is only Paris]]"), comparable to PoirotSpeak and MockCousteau, that we even included a page for it and [[TropeNamer named it after him]]: the MauriceChevalierAccent.
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12	!!Maurice Chevalier films with pages on this wiki:
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14	* ''Film/TheLoveParade'' (1929)
15	* ''Film/TheSmilingLieutenant'' (1931)
16	* ''Film/OneHourWithYou'' (1932)
17	* ''Film/LoveMeTonight'' (1932)
18	* ''Film/{{The Merry Widow\|1934}}'' (1934)
19	* ''Film/LoveInTheAfternoon'' (1957)
20	* ''Film/{{Gigi}}'' (1958)
21	* ''Film/CountYourBlessings'' (1959)
22	* ''Theatre/CanCan'' (1960)
23	* ''Film/ABreathOfScandal'' (1960)
24	* ''Film/{{Fanny}}'' (1961)
25	* ''Literature/InSearchOfTheCastaways'' (1962)
26	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'' (1970) [[note]]Performed the film's opening theme, in both French and English versions[[/note]]
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28	!! Maurice Chevalier's work and references in media provide examples of the following tropes:
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30	* BorrowedCatchPhrase: His signature ''"hon hon hon"'' laugh has become the standard way French people laugh in American comedy, even to people who have no idea that Chevalier originated this stereotype.
31	* {{Chanson}}: One of the representatives of the genre.
32	* ClothesMakeTheLegend: His yellow boater hat and tuxedo.
33	* FunnyForeigner: In most Hollywood films he appeared in Chevalier is always the happy and charming Frenchman.
34	* GayParee: He was born and raised in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, debuted his career there and celebrated the city in many songs.
35	* GlamorousWartimeSinger: He was particularly successful during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Phoney War]].
36	* IconicItem: His yellow boater hat and tuxedo.
37	* JustAStupidAccent: His accent is often treated this way in comedy.
38	* OneWomanSong: ''"Louise", "Mimi", "Valentine"'',...
39	* PersonaNonGrata: Was accused of collaborating with the Nazis during World War II, causing him to be shut out of multiple theaters. Chevalier always maintained that, while he did entertain the Nazis on several occasions, he only did so [[LeonineContract because his lover was Jewish and the Nazis knew it]].
40	* SharpDressedMan: Just look at the image on this page.
41	* SignatureHeadgear: What would Chevalier be without his canotier?
42	* SignatureLaugh: His often imitated ''"hon hon hon"'' laugh.

Context Creator / MauriceChevalier