Fréhel
Encyclopedia
Fréhel was a French singer and actress.
Breton
family, Marguerite Boulc'h was a child left to a life on the streets in the dark side of Paris. In her teens she got a break when she met one of the female music-hall performers who heard her sing and introduced her to show business promoters. She began performing under the stage name
"Pervenche" and soon met and married Robert Hollard, a performer who used the nom de guerre "Roberty". Alcohol entered her life at an early age and her drinking became a problem for her husband. Their marriage did not last long and Boulc'h's husband left her for the Parisian singer, Damia
. Fréhel then began a relationship with Maurice Chevalier
but that too did not last long and after he left her for the much older megastar Mistinguett
. The distraught girl, still only 19 years old, then attempted suicide
.
Following her failed suicide attempt
, in 1911 Marguerite Boulc'h tried to escape her pain and travelled to Bucharest
, Turkey
and then to Russia
where she remained for more than ten years. Lost in a world of alcohol and drugs, she returned to Paris in 1923 to a shocked public that saw the wasted shadow of the singer they had known and loved. She then signalled a new beginning by switching to the stage name "Fréhel", taking the name from Cap Fréhel
in Brittany
where her parents had been born. Singing as Fréhel, at the Paris Olympia
in 1924 she recaptured the former magic with a powerful performance and was soon headlining at the most popular venues in the country. Part of what is now referred to as the bal musette, Fréhel often sang accompanied by pipes and/or an accordion player.
In the 1930s, she appeared in several motion pictures, almost always portraying a singer in a minor or supporting role. The most notable films in which she performed were 1931's Cœur de Lilas, based on the Tristan Bernard
play, and Pépé le Moko
that starred Jean Gabin
. While her alcohol abuse continued, she nevertheless was a major show business force of 1930s France. Of all her songs, her 1939 La Java Bleue, with music by Vincent Scotto
, proved her most popular.
Despite being one of Europe's most sought after performers, her destructive addictions led to her dropping out of sight for years. She never found the love she had sought for so long and died in 1951, alone in a hotel in Pigalle. She was interred in the Cimetière de Pantin
, near Paris.
Her 1934 recording Si tu n'étais pas là was featured in the 2001 soundtrack
for the film Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie
).
Biography
Born in Paris, France to a poor and dysfunctionalDysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
family, Marguerite Boulc'h was a child left to a life on the streets in the dark side of Paris. In her teens she got a break when she met one of the female music-hall performers who heard her sing and introduced her to show business promoters. She began performing under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
"Pervenche" and soon met and married Robert Hollard, a performer who used the nom de guerre "Roberty". Alcohol entered her life at an early age and her drinking became a problem for her husband. Their marriage did not last long and Boulc'h's husband left her for the Parisian singer, Damia
Marie-Louise Damien
Marie-Louise Damien was a French singer and actress better known by the stage name Damia.-Robert Hollard:...
. Fréhel then began a relationship with Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
but that too did not last long and after he left her for the much older megastar Mistinguett
Mistinguett
Mistinguett was a French actress and singer, whose birth name was Jeanne Bourgeois. She was at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world...
. The distraught girl, still only 19 years old, then attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Following her failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
, in 1911 Marguerite Boulc'h tried to escape her pain and travelled to Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and then to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
where she remained for more than ten years. Lost in a world of alcohol and drugs, she returned to Paris in 1923 to a shocked public that saw the wasted shadow of the singer they had known and loved. She then signalled a new beginning by switching to the stage name "Fréhel", taking the name from Cap Fréhel
Cap Fréhel
Cap Fréhel is a peninsula in Côtes-d'Armor, in northern Brittany, France which extends off the Côte d'Émeraude into the Golfe de Saint-Malo. No towns or villages are situated on the peninsula however two lighthouses, one from the 17th century and the other one from 1950, are located at the tip of it...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
where her parents had been born. Singing as Fréhel, at the Paris Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
in 1924 she recaptured the former magic with a powerful performance and was soon headlining at the most popular venues in the country. Part of what is now referred to as the bal musette, Fréhel often sang accompanied by pipes and/or an accordion player.
In the 1930s, she appeared in several motion pictures, almost always portraying a singer in a minor or supporting role. The most notable films in which she performed were 1931's Cœur de Lilas, based on the Tristan Bernard
Tristan Bernard
Tristan Bernard was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer.-Life:Born Paul Bernard into a Jewish family in Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France, he was the son of an architect...
play, and Pépé le Moko
Pépé le Moko
Pépé le Moko is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin. It depicts an infamous gangster, Pépé le Moko who tries to escape the police by hiding in the casbah of the city of Algiers...
that starred Jean Gabin
Jean Gabin
-Biography:Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise département, about 22 mi north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly...
. While her alcohol abuse continued, she nevertheless was a major show business force of 1930s France. Of all her songs, her 1939 La Java Bleue, with music by Vincent Scotto
Vincent Scotto
Vincent Scotto was a French composer.-Biography:Vincent Scotto started his career in Marseille in 1906 and later moved to Paris. Over the course of a lifetime, he wrote 4,000 songs as well as sixty operettas. He was friends with Marcel Pagnol and wrote music for his films...
, proved her most popular.
Despite being one of Europe's most sought after performers, her destructive addictions led to her dropping out of sight for years. She never found the love she had sought for so long and died in 1951, alone in a hotel in Pigalle. She was interred in the Cimetière de Pantin
Cimetière de Pantin
The Cimetière de Pantin in the town of Pantin in the suburbs of Paris, France opened on November 15, 1886 and is the largest cemetery in the city, occupying 1.07 km². Located in the north-eastern section of the city, Pantin is a garden style burial grounds with more than 8,000 trees and streets...
, near Paris.
Her 1934 recording Si tu n'étais pas là was featured in the 2001 soundtrack
Amélie (soundtrack)
Amélie is the soundtrack to the 2001 French film Amélie.Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet chanced upon the largely accordion and piano driven music of Yann Tiersen while driving with his production assistant who put on a CD he hadn't heard before. Greatly impressed, he immediately bought Tiersen's entire...
for the film Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie
Amélie
Amélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
).
Songs
- Comme un moineau (1925)
- Où est-il donc? (1926)
- À la dérive (1932)
- Si tu n'étais pas là (1934)
- Où sont tous mes amants (1935)
- Tel qu'il est (1936)
- La Der des der (1939)
- La Java bleue (1939)
Selected filmography
- Cœur de lilas (1931)
- La Rue sans nomLa Rue sans nomLa Rue sans nom is a novel by Marcel Aymé, published in june 1930. It was adapted into a film in 1934 by Pierre Chenal.-Plot:The story focus on a street in the Parisian banlieue where live italian and french workers...
(1934) - Confessions of a CheatConfessions of a CheatConfessions of a Cheat is a 1936 film starring, written and directed by Sacha Guitry.-Plot:When the main character was a young boy, he was caught stealing money from the family shop. As a punishment, he was not allowed to join his family on their picnic...
(1936) - Pépé le MokoPépé le MokoPépé le Moko is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin. It depicts an infamous gangster, Pépé le Moko who tries to escape the police by hiding in the casbah of the city of Algiers...
(1937) - L'Innocent (1937)
- La Rue sans joie (1938)
- L'EntraîneuseL'EntraîneuseL'Entraîneuse is a 1940 French language motion picture drama directed by Albert Valentin. The screenplay was written by Charles Spaak...
(1940)