Patachou
Encyclopedia
Patachou, real name Henriette Ragon (born 10 June 1918) is a French singer and actress. She is an Officier of the Légion d'honneur
.
the butte of Montmartre
, called Patachou. (Their son Pierre Billou had some success as a singer in the 1970s and wrote J'ai oublié de vivre for Johnny Hallyday
.) She began to sing in the bistro, and journalists began to call her Patachou after the name of her cabaret (pâte-à-choux means cream puff dough). Georges Brassens
sang there, and together they sang the duet Maman,papa. In effect she was the first to interpret his songs, Le bricoleur, La chasse aux papillons etc. The evening she sang them for the first time she suggested her audience stay to the end of the show and meet the writer of these songs, and Brassens went up on to the Patachou stage for the first time and sang Le Gorille and P..de toi. In some ways in the post-World War II age she was able to both turn back the calendar and yet remain contemporary – most evident in her mode of dress, a plain white shirt with high Dior
collar and tight-fitting tailored skirt. Sometimes she would collect half-ties (she would snip neckties of customers reluctant to join in the singing) – Thomas Dewey
and Errol Flynn
were among her victims.
music-hall, toured in France and then further afield. From 1953, at the Palladium
, the Waldorf Astoria
, and Carnegie Hall
, and throughout the United States.
From the beginning of the 1970s she toured Japan and Sweden where 'L'eternal Parigot', with her cheeky Parisian register was popular.
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Early life
Born in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, Henriette Ragon began her working life as a typist, then a factory worker, a shoeseller and an antique dealer.Patachou
In 1948, with her husband Jean Billou she took over a cabaret-restaurant onthe butte of Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
, called Patachou. (Their son Pierre Billou had some success as a singer in the 1970s and wrote J'ai oublié de vivre for Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
.) She began to sing in the bistro, and journalists began to call her Patachou after the name of her cabaret (pâte-à-choux means cream puff dough). Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens , 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter and poet.Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier...
sang there, and together they sang the duet Maman,papa. In effect she was the first to interpret his songs, Le bricoleur, La chasse aux papillons etc. The evening she sang them for the first time she suggested her audience stay to the end of the show and meet the writer of these songs, and Brassens went up on to the Patachou stage for the first time and sang Le Gorille and P..de toi. In some ways in the post-World War II age she was able to both turn back the calendar and yet remain contemporary – most evident in her mode of dress, a plain white shirt with high Dior
Dior
Dior can mean:* Christian Dior SA, a French clothing retailer* In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium:**Dior Eluchíl, a Half-elven of the First Age**Dior , a Steward of GondorDior is a surname, and may refer to:...
collar and tight-fitting tailored skirt. Sometimes she would collect half-ties (she would snip neckties of customers reluctant to join in the singing) – Thomas Dewey
Thomas Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey was the 47th Governor of New York . In 1944 and 1948, he was the Republican candidate for President, but lost both times. He led the liberal faction of the Republican Party, in which he fought conservative Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft...
and Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
were among her victims.
First recordings
From 1952 her first records appeared; she appeared at 'Bobino', a MontparnasseMontparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
music-hall, toured in France and then further afield. From 1953, at the Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
, the Waldorf Astoria
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
, and Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, and throughout the United States.
From the beginning of the 1970s she toured Japan and Sweden where 'L'eternal Parigot', with her cheeky Parisian register was popular.
Filmography
- 2003 : San-Antonio by Frédéric Auburtin : Ruth Booz
- 2001 : Drôle de FélixDrôle de FélixDrôle de Félix is a 2000 French film, a road movie written and directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau. It stars Sami Bouajila as the title character.- Plot :Félix, a young gay man of Arab descent, living in Dieppe, is currently unemployed and HIV positive...
by Olivier DucastelOlivier DucastelOlivier Ducastel is a French film director, screenwriter and sound editor who currently works in collaboration with partner Jacques Martineau.- Biography :...
and Jacques MartineauJacques MartineauJacques Martineau is a French film director and screenwriter who works in collaboration with partner Olivier Ducastel.- Biography :...
: Mathilde, Grandmother - 2001 : Belphégor, le fantôme du Louvre by Jean-Paul SaloméJean-Paul SaloméJean-Paul Salomé is a French director.- Selected filmography :*1994 Les Braqueuses with Clémentine Célarié, Catherine Jacob and Annie Girardot...
: Geneviève - 1999 : Pola XPola XPola X is a 1999 French romantic drama film starring Guillaume Depardieu, Yekaterina Golubeva and Catherine Deneuve. The film is loosely based on the Herman Melville novel Pierre: or, The Ambiguities. It revolves around a successful young novelist who is confronted by a woman who claims to be his...
de Leos CaraxLeos CaraxLeos Carax is a French-born film director, critic, and writer. Carax is noted for his poetic style and his tortured depictions of love. His first major work was Boy Meets Girl , and his notable works include Lovers on the Bridge and the controversial Pola X...
: Marguerite - 1999 : Les Acteurs by Bertrand BlierBertrand BlierBertrand Blier is a French screenwriter and film director.Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. He is the son of Bernard Blier....
: Blind old lady - 1993 : Les Grandes Marées by Jean Sagols : Sophie Leclerc
- 1993 : Cible émouvante by Pierre SalvadoriPierre SalvadoriPierre Salvadori is a French Corsican film director from Santo-Pietro-di-Venaco known for works on romantic comedies such as Hors de prix ....
: Madame Meynard - 1990 : "Night Of The Fox"
- 1986 : la Rumba by Roger HaninRoger HaninRoger Hanin is a French actor , best known for playing the title role in the 1989-2006 TV crime series, Navarro.-Personal life:...
- 1983 : Le disparu du 7 octobre, TV Film by Jacques Ertaud : "Blanche Auroux"
- 1953 : Femmes de Paris by Jean BoyerJean BoyerJean Boyer was a French film director and songwriter.- Songs :* 1930 : Un regardé, dans le film Flagrant délit...
, Patachou sings Brave Margot by Georges BrassensGeorges BrassensGeorges Brassens , 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter and poet.Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier...