''Charming Boys'' (French: ''Charmants Garçons'') is a 1957 French

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

directed by Henri Decoin and starring

Zizi Jeanmaire Renée Marcelle "Zizi" Jeanmaire (29 April 192417 July 2020) was a French ballet dancer, actress and singer. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet ''Carmen'', produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear ...

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

and

Henri Vidal Henri Vidal (26 November 1919 – 10 December 1959) was a French film actor. Film career Henri Lucien Raymond VidalSource Les Gens du cinéma/ref> was first noticed after he won the "Apollo of 1939" contest in Paris. He was spotted by Éd ...

. It was one of two Hollywood-style musicals made by Decoin around this time along with '' Folies-Bergère.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.120 It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Robert Clavel Robert Clavel (1912–1991) was a French art director.Hayward p.245 Selected filmography * '' All Roads Lead to Rome'' (1949) * '' Tuesday's Guest'' (1950) * ''Old Boys of Saint-Loup'' (1950) * '' The Paris Waltz'' (1950) * '' Passion'' (1951) * ...

. It was made using

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

Synopsis

Lulu, a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

entertainer, has many male admirers who all turn out to be completely unreliable.

Cast

as Lulu Natier *

as Alain Cartier *

as Jo, dit Kid Chabanne - le boxeur *

François Périer François Périer (born François Pillu; 10 November 1919 – 29 June 2002), was a French actor renowned for his expressiveness and diversity of roles. He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996, with notable excursion into ...

as Robert * Gert Fröbe as Edmond Petersen *

Marie Daëms Marie Daëms (1928–2016) was a French stage, film and television actress. Hayward & Vincendeau p.127 After studying at the Lycée Jules-Ferry in Paris, Daëms made her stage debut in 1947 and her first screen appearance in 1949. She was marrie ...

as Germaine *

Renaud Mary Renaud Mary (31 July 1918 – 5 May 1977) was a French stage and film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

as Henri * Anne Carrère as Lili * Albert Médina as Le client volé au palace palace *

René Alié René ('' born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the femin ...

as Le policier au théâtre * Marius David as Le maître d'hôtel du relais *

André Chanu André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

as Le speaker * Jacques Morlaine as Un inspecteur * Jacques Dhéry as Un agent * Jean Degrave as Le célibataire *

Madeleine Suffel Madeleine Suffel (1899–1974) was a French film and stage actress.Palmer & Michael p.274 She played supporting roles in a number of films from the early 1930s onwards. Selected filmography * '' A Rare Bird'' (1935) * '' School for Coquettes'' ( ...

a sAlice - l'habilleuse *

Yves Barsacq Yves Barsacq (17 June 1931 – 4 October 2015) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 150 films. He is the son of the French-Russian production designer Léon Barsacq and the nephew of the French theatre director André Barsacq. ...

as Le détective de l'hôtel *

Jean Lara Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

as Le célibataire *

Pierre Mirat Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

as Un brigadier *

Alain Nobis Alain may refer to: People * Alain (given name), common given name, including list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Alain (surname) * "Alain", a pseudonym for cartoonist Daniel Brustlein * Alain, a standard author abbreviation u ...

as Le commissaire à Cannes *

Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...

as Le chef de la réception à l'hôtel de Deauville * Madeleine Lambert as Madame Micoulin * Jacques Berthier as André Noblet *

Gil Vidal Gil or GIL may refer to: Places * Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name * Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan * Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...

as Max, le gigolo *

Jacques Dacqmine Jacques Dacqmine (1923–2010) was a French stage, film and television actor.Hayward p.242 He was married four times, including to the actress Odile Versois. Partial filmography * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Un élève du collège (uncredi ...

as Charles

References

Bibliography

*Oscherwitz, Dayna & Higgins, Maryellen. ''The A to Z of French Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1957 films 1957 musical comedy films French musical comedy films 1950s French-language films Films directed by Henri Decoin Films shot at Billancourt Studios 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub