''Double or Quits'' (French: ''Quitte ou double'') is a 1953 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Robert Vernay Robert Vernay (May 30, 1907 in Paris – October 17, 1979 in Paris) was a French director and screenwriter. Career In 1937, Vernay worked as assistant director to Julien Duvivier on ''Pépé le Moko''. In 1944, Vernay directed an adaptation of ...

and starring Zappy Max, Suzanne Dehelly and

Danielle Godet Danielle Godet (1927–2009) was a French stage and film actress.Lloyd p.78 Partial filmography * '' The Man Without a Name'' (1943) - Une figurante * ''The Idiot'' (1946) * '' Man About Town'' (1947) - Une spectatrice * ''Ploum, ploum, tra-la-l ...

.Rège p.999 It was shot at the

Epinay Studios The Epinay Studios are film production studios located in Epinay in northern Paris. It was a complex with two distinct and separate structures. The earliest was built in 1902 by Eclair Film. A second studio was controlled by the French subsidia ...

outside

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Claude Bouxin Claude Bouxin (17 February 1907 – 23 February 1997) was a French art director.Soister p.280 He designed the film sets for over ninety productions. Selected filmography * '' Roger la Honte'' (1933) * '' The Lady of Lebanon'' (1934) * '' Fanatis ...

. Along with Zappy Pax it features several performers who had become famous on the Radio Circus show on

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

Synopsis

Charlotte, a mature

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

from Bourganeuf in

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

is a huge fan of Zappy Max, the host of a popular radio show. She sends him letters but to impresses him also sends him the picture of an attractive younger woman Marie. When Zappy arrives in the city as part of his national tour Charlotte persuades Marie to take her place in a meeting and the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Charlotte enters as a contestant in the radio show's double of quits game and wins money.

Cast

* Zappy Max as Zappy Max * Suzanne Dehelly as Charlotte Nodier *

as Marie Chassagne *

Jean Tissier Jean Tissier (1896–1973) was a French stage, film and television actor.Goble p.440 A prolific actor, he had more than two hundred fifty appearances on screen during his career. He was married to the actress Georgette Tissier. Selected filmograp ...

as Joly *

René Blancard René Blancard (12 March 1897 – 5 November 1965) was a French film actor. He appeared in 80 films between 1922 and 1965. Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) - Bras-Rouge * ''Montmartre'' (1925) - Frédéric Charanç ...

as Maîtee Albert Chassagne *

Roland Armontel Roland Armontel (21 December 1901 – 15 March 1980) was a French actor. Born Auguste Louis Magnin in Vimoutiers, Orne, France, he died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''Fun in the Barracks'' (1932) * ''Let's Touch Wood'' (1933) * ''Les Mis ...

as Chassagne - le père de Marie *

Paul Azaïs Paul François Robert Azaïs (6 May 1902 – 17 November 1974) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1929 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' The Three Masks'' (1929) - Le fils Vescotelli * ''Le défenseur'' ( ...

as Tonio * Line Renaud as La chanteuse *

Georgette Anys Georgette Anys (15 July 1909 – 4 March 1993) was a French film and television actress. A character actress, she appeared mainly in French productions, but also some American films which were shot in Europe including Alfred Hitchcock's ''To Catch ...

as Une spectatrice * France Asselin as La jeune mère de l'enfant malade *

Gaby Basset Gaby Basset (29 March 1902 Varennes-Saint-Sauveur, Saône-et-Loire, France – 7 October 2001 Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France) was a French film actress.Goble p.37 Selected filmography * '' Everybody Wins'' (1930) - Simone * ''Le poign ...

as Une voisine *

Léon Berton Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

as Le concierge de la mairie *

Thomy Bourdelle Thomy Charles Bourdelle (20 April 1891 – 27 June 1972) was a French actor. Bourdelle was born in Paris and died in Toulon, Var, France. Selected filmography *'' Roger la Honte'' (1922) * '' Surcouf'' (1925) * '' Jocaste'' (1925) * ''Jean ...

as Le chef monteur *

Jean Clarieux Jean Clarieux (April 3, 1911 – February 11, 1970) was a French film and television actor. Generally a supporting actor appearing in smaller parts, he played a more substantial role in René Clément's 1946 resistance film '' The Battle of the Ra ...

as Le chauffeur *

Max Dalban Max Dalban (27 May 1908 – 9 February 1958) was a French film actor.Macdonald p.244 Selected filmography * '' Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932) * '' Chotard and Company'' (1933) * ''Street Without a Name'' (1934) * ''Toni'' (1935) * ''The Ali ...

as Le cafetier * Marcelle Féry as La femme du barbu *

Fernand Gilbert Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885– ...

as Un spectateur * Gérard Lucas as Henri *

René Marc 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 feminin ...

as Un employé de Radio-Luxembourg *

Jacques Marin Jacques Marin (9 September 1919 – 10 January 2001) was a French actor on film and television. Marin's fluency in English and his instantly recognisable features made him a familiar face in some major American and British productions (''Cha ...

as Lucien * Marie Navarre as La servante *

Jean-Marie Serreau Jean-Marie Serreau (28 April 1915 – 22 May 1973) was a 20th-century French actor, theatre director and a former student of Charles Dullin. Serreau directed the in Paris during the 1950s-1960s and established the at in Vincennes in 1970. He c ...

as Panard * Solange Sicard as La paysanne

References

Bibliography

*Dyer, Richard & Vincendeau, Ginette. ''Popular European Cinema''. Routledge, 2013. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1953 films French comedy films 1953 comedy films 1950s French-language films Films directed by Robert Vernay Films shot at Epinay Studios Films set in France 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub