''The Cupboard Was Bare'' (French: ''L'armoire volante'') is a 1948 French

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Carlo Rim Carlo Rim (19 December 1902 – 3 December 1989) was a French film screenwriter, producer and director. Born Jean Marius Richard, he made an anagram of his initials (RJM - treating I and J as the same letter) for his pseudonym, adding "Carlo" a p ...

and starring

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan to ...

Pauline Carton Pauline Carton (4 July 1884 – 17 June 1974) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 190 films between 1907 and 1974. Filmography * ''La fille du Boche'' (1915) * ''Blanchette'' (1921) * ''La femme de nulle part'' (1922) * '' ...

and

Annette Poivre Annette Poivre (24 June 1917 – 2 June 1988) was a French stage and film actress.Hayward p.241 She was married to the actor Raymond Bussières with whom she sometimes co-starred. Poivre was noted for her comic performances. Selected filmography ...

.Rège p.179 It was shot at the Boulogne Studios in

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 ...

Emile Alex.

Synopsis

Alfred Puc's elderly and wealth aunt is travelling towards

on a furniture van when both she and the truck vanish. It turns out it has been stolen by thieves.

Cast

as Alfred Puc *

Berthe Bovy Berthe Bovy (6 January 1887 – 26 February 1977), sometimes known as Betty Bovy, was a Belgian actress who appeared in theatre, films and television programmes for over 60 years. Biography Born Berthe Marguerite Jeanne Bovy, she was the daught ...

as Madame Lea Lobligeois *

as Mme Ovide *

as Mimi *

Germaine Kerjean Germaine Kerjean (1893–1975) was a French stage and film actress.Crisp p.306 She spent a decade with the Comédie-Française. In films she frequently played character role A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesti ...

as Madame Coufignac *

Marcel Pérès Marcel Pérès (born 15 July 1956, Oran, Algeria) is a French musicologist, composer, choral director and singer, and the founder of the early music group Ensemble Organum. He is an authority on Gregorian and pre-Gregorian chant. Pérès was ...

as Frejus *

Albert Dinan Albert Dinan (27 March 1902 – 3 July 1976) was a French film actor.Goble p.347 He appeared in more than ninety films and television series during his career. Selected filmography * ''Bric à Brac et compagnie'' (1932) - Jean Verly * ''Lunegard ...

as P'tit Louis * Maximilienne as La commandant e de l'armée du salut * Paul Demange as Le Frise *

Louis Florencie Louis Florencie (4 December 1896 – 4 December 1951) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1927 and 1951. Selected filmography * ''Companion Wanted'' (1932) * ''Beauty Spot (film), Beauty Spot'' (1932) * ''Suza ...

as Le notaire *

Jean Toulout Jean Toulout (28 September 1887 – 23 October 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1911 and 1959. Selected filmography * ''La Digue'' (1911) * ''The Mask of Horror'' (1912) * ''The Tenth Symphony'' (19 ...

as L'acteur *

André Bervil André Bervil (1905–1972) was a French stage and film actor.Bessy p.192 He was married to the actress Suzanne Grey, and was son-in-law of Denise Grey. Selected filmography * ''My Little Marquise'' (1937) * ''Happy Days'' (1941) * ''Bolero'' (1 ...

as Le premier habitué *

Nina Myral Nina Myral, stage name of Eugénie, Hortense Gruel, (26 June 1884 – 30 March 1975) was a 20th-century French actress, dancer and singer. Filmography * 1916: ''Paris pendant la guerre'' by Henri Diamant-Berger * 1917: ''Ils y viennent tous au ...

as La première commère *

Jean Témerson Jean Témerson (1898–1956) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''The Lover of Madame Vidal'' (1936) - Guillaume - le domestique * '' With a Smile'' (1936) - Cam (uncredited) * ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937) - Gravère * ''Blanchette'' (193 ...

as Le deuxième habitué *

Christiane Sertilange Christiane is a given name, a form of the Latin ''Christiana'', feminine form of ''Christianuis'' (see Christian), or a Latinized form of Middle English '' Christin'' 'Christian' (Old English ''christen'', from Latin).. A short form is Chris. Alt ...

as La jeune mariée *

Jean Daurand Jean Daurand (1913–1989) was a French actor. He starred in ''La Nuit Merveilleuse'' and ''Derrière la Facade''. Selected filmography * ''Rothchild'' (1933) * ''Le secret d'une nuit'' (1934) * ''Pension Mimosas'' (1935) - Un groom (uncredit ...

as Le jeune marié *

Katherine Kath Katherine Kath (born Rose Marie Lily Faess; 11 August 1920 – 17 November 2012) was a French prima ballerina at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, who became an actress after suffering from an injury which destroyed her chances of continuing he ...

as L'actrice *

Gaston Modot Gaston Modot (31 December 1887 – 20 February 1970) was a French actor. For more than 50 years he performed for the cinema working with a number of great French directors. Biography Modot lived in Montmartre at the beginning of the 20th cen ...

as Un gangster *

Jacques Tarride Jacques Tarride (10 March 1903 – 5 October 1994) was a French actor. Biography He was born in the 8th arrondissement of Paris and died in La Loupe, Eure-et-Loir. He was the son of the actor Abel Tarride and the brother of the director Jean T ...

as Le commissaire-priseur *

René Hell René Hell (1891–1965) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' Special Mission'' (1946) * ''Dilemma of Two Angels'' (1948) * '' After Love'' (1948) * '' Five Red Tulips'' (1949) * '' The Red Angel'' (1949) * '' The Unexpected Voyager'' ...

as Le régissseur * Zélie Yzelle as La deuxième commère *

Luc Andrieux Luc Andrieux (1917–1977) was a French actor and assistant director. Partial filmography * ''The Queen's Necklace'' (1946) - Un geôlier (uncredited) * ''Le Bataillon du ciel'' (1947) * ''Les aventures des pieds nickeles'' (1948) - Hector * ' ...

as Le troisième habitué *

Marcelle Monthil Marcelle Monthil (8 June 1892 – 8 November 1950) was a French film actress. Born Marcelle Madeleine Montalenti in the Principality of Monaco, she died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''Love Songs'' (1930) * '' When Love Is Over'' (1931) * ...

as La cliente *

Henri Charrett Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

as Caillol *

Robert Pizani Robert Pizani (26 April 1896 – 17 June 1965) was a French stage and film actor whose 45-year career encompassed leading roles in numerous plays, revues and operettas as well as dozens of films. In operetta Pizani's roles in operetta and musical ...

as Le médecin *

Edmond Beauchamp Edmond Beauchamp (3 March 1900 – 3 June 1985), sometimes credited only as Beauchamp, was a French film and Broadway stage actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1928 and 1979. Partial filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) - Le gitan (uncredi ...

as Le commissaire * Yves Deniaud as Monsieur Martinet *

Antonin Berval Antonin Berval (1891–1966) was a French film actor.Goble p.4 He is sometimes credited simply as Berval. Selected filmography * ''Notre Dame d'amour'' (1923) * ''Arthur'' (1931) - Hubert de Fondragon * ''Le costaud des PTT'' (1931) * ''To the P ...

as Grand Charles *

Rivers Cadet Rivers Cadet (1 March 1892 – 1 November 1968) was a French actor. Cadet was born Jean Maurice Large in Paris. He was the brother of Fernand Rivers. Selected filmography * '' Maurin of the Moors'' (1932) * '' The Ironmaster'' (1933) * '' Th ...

as Boirot *

Palmyre Levasseur Palmyre Levasseur (24 December 1888 – 4 August 1963) was a French stage actor, stage and film actress.Aping p.234 Selected filmography * ''Culprit (1937 film), Culprit'' (1937) * ''Tricoche and Cacolet'' (1938) * ''The Mondesir Heir'' (1940) * ' ...

as Une actrice

References

Bibliography

* Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1948 films French comedy films 1948 comedy films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Carlo Rim French black-and-white films 1940s French films Films shot at Boulogne Studios Films scored by Georges Van Parys {{1940s-France-film-stub