Alfred Poznański (23 January 1883 – 26 June 1934), better known by his alias Alfred Savoir, was a Polish-born French comedy playwright of Jewish background.

Career

Alfred Poznański was born into a Jewish family in the Polish city of

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

when it was part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

on 23 January 1883. After being educated in a public junior high school in Łódź, he was admitted to the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

, where he studied law. On graduating, he settled in Paris. Poznanski became a playwright, writing in French under the pen name of Alfred Savoir. His plays were mainly staged in France, but some were put on in Poland. His first play to be staged was the comedy ''Le troisième couvert'' (the Third cover). His work included sarcastic comedy and vaudeville, but also some serious pieces such as a historical drama about Catherine the Great (''La Petite Catherine''). He co-founded the weekly magazine "Marianne" and was one of the editors. Poznanski served in the French air force in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was awarded the Legion of Honour for his courage. Savoir was a rival of Steve Passeur, but had little doubt about his own superior ability. After seeing the first performance of a work by Passeur, he was heard to say, "What an admirable play! I am going to write it." Savoir's plays were called ''vaudeville idéologique'', and he was called "the Bernard Shaw of the Boulevard." His farces took a relaxed attitude towards sex, "an appetite in which man is revealed as funny". This common view among Parisians of the time was disturbing to the more puritan and sentimental Americans. His play ''Lui'', about a man who thinks he is god, was the basis for the stage play ''Himself'' written by

Mercedes de Acosta Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1892 – May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, and novelist. Although she failed to achieve artistic and professional distinction, de Acosta is known for her many lesbian affairs with celebrated Broadway and ...

. His 1922 comedy ''Banco'', thought to be daring at the time, was adapted by

Clare Kummer Clare Kummer (January 9, 1873 — April 21, 1958) was an American composer, lyricist, and playwright. Early life Kummer was born Clare Rodman Beecher in Brooklyn, New York, the granddaughter of Rev. Edward Beecher and great-granddaughter of Lym ...

and played by

Alfred Lunt Alfred David Lunt (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American actor and director, best known for his long stage partnership with his wife, Lynn Fontanne, from the 1920s to 1960, co-starring in Broadway and West End productions. After th ...

in Washington and New York with some success. Banco was filmed by Paramount in 1925. His circus farce ''Der Dompteur'' (The Lion Tamer) was staged at Berlin's

Theater am Schiffbauerdamm The ''Theater am Schiffbauerdamm'' () is a theatre building at the ''Schiffbauerdamm'' riverside in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, opened on 19 November 1892. Since 1954, it has been home to the Berliner Ensemble theatre company, founde ...

in March 1931 with a cast that included

Carola Neher Carola Neher (born Karola Neher; 2 November 1900 – 26 June 1942) was a German actress and singer. Biography Neher was born in Munich in 1900. She started to work as a bank clerk in 1917. In the summer of 1920, she made her debut performance ...

Fritz Kampers Fritz Kampers (14 July 1891 – 1 September 1950) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1913 and 1950. Early life Fritz Kampers was the son of a Munich hotel owner, spent his early childhood in Garmisch-Partenk ...

Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...

and

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

. Paramount Pictures founded a film production studio at St. Maurice in mid-1930, where they planned to produce all their European films, all of which were multilingual. Savoir succeeded Adolphe Osso as head of production in the French language, with the scripts subject to approval by a committee that included Sacha Guitry and Pierre Benoît. Alfred Savoir died in Paris on 26 June 1934. Savoir's play ''La Huitième Femme de Barbe-Bleue'' was adapted as the film ''

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife ''Bluebeard's Eighth Wife'' is a 1938 Paramount Pictures American romantic comedy film directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper. The film is based on the 1921 French play ''La huitième femme de Bar ...

'' by

Charles Brackett Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films. Life and career Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...

and

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...

. The film, directed by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

, was released in March 1938. It starred

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...

and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

. The play concerned a man who repeatedly married on the basis that his wife would agree to a divorce and settlement when he had lost interest in her. His eighth wife challenged this arrangement, and eventually obtained a marriage on her own terms. The plot was somewhat controversial in the USA at that time.

Stage plays

* 1906: ''Le Troisième Coupable'', directed by

Lugné-Poe Aurélien-Marie Lugné (27 December 1869 19 June 1940), known by his stage and pen name Lugné-Poe, was a French actor, theatre director, and scenic designer. He founded the landmark Paris theatre company, the Théâtre de l'Œuvre, which produce ...

* 1907: ''Le Baptême'', by Alfred Savoir and Fernand Nozière, directed by

Théâtre Fémina The Théâtre Fémina or Salle Fémina was an entertainment venue located at 90 avenue des Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was inside the Hôtel Fémina, designed by the architect .R. 1907, p. 460. History Based in the ...

, 26 November * 1913: ''L'Épate'', by Alfred Savoir and ,

, 25 January * 1914: ''Madame'', by

Abel Hermant Abel Hermant (3 February 1862 – 29 September 1950) was a French novelist, playwright, essayist and writer, and member of the Académie française. Life and career Hermant was born in Paris, the son of an architect. He received a degree from t ...

and Alfred Savoir, Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin, 10 February * 1921: ''La Huitième Femme de Barbe-Bleue'', Théâtre de la Potinière, 14 January * 1921: ''Ce que femme veut'', by Alfred Savoir and Étienne Rey, Théâtre des Mathurins * 1922: ''Banco'', Théâtre de la Potinière * 1923: ''La Couturière de Lunéville'',

Théâtre du Vaudeville The Théâtre du Vaudeville was a theatre company in Paris. It opened on 12 January 1792 on rue de Chartres. Its directors, Piis and Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets sur des airs connus", including vaudevilles. Af ...

, Théâtre Femina * 1924: ''Banco'',

Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle ...

* 1924: ''La Grande Duchesse et le garçon d'étage'', directed by

Charlotte Lysès Charlotte Lysès (1877–1956) was a French stage and film actress.Capua p.124 Selected filmography * '' The Heir of the Bal Tabarin'' (1933) * '' La dame de chez Maxim's'' (1933) * '' The Rosary'' (1934) * ''The Last Waltz'' (1936) * ''The Brig ...

, Théâtre de l'Avenue * 1924: ''La Sonate à Kreutzer'', by Fernand Nozière and Alfred Savoir, Maison de l'Œuvre * 1926: ''Le Figurant de la Gaîté'' * 1926: ''Le Dompteur ou l'anglais tel qu'on le mange'', staged by Gaston Baty, Théâtre Michel * 1927: ''Passy 08-45'', Théâtre de la Potinière * 1927: ''Les Deux Amis'', staged by

Théâtre de l'Œuvre The Théâtre de l'Œuvre is a Paris theatre on the Right Bank, located at 3, Cité Monthiers, entrance 55, rue de Clichy, in the 9° arrondissement. It is commonly conflated and confused with the late-nineteenth-century theater company named Th� ...

* 1929: ''Banco'', staged by

Jules Berry Jules Berry (born Marie Louis Jules Paufichet; 9 February 1883 – 23 April 1951) was a French actor. Biography Early life Berry and his two brothers were born to parents who sold hardware and settled in Poitou. The family moved to Paris in 188 ...

, Théâtre de la Potinière * 1929: ''Chez les Chiens'', Théâtre de la Potinière * 1930: ''La Petite Catherine'', directed by René Rocher, Théâtre Antoine * 1932: ''La Pâtissière du village ou Madeleine'', directed by Louis Jouvet,

Théâtre Pigalle The Théâtre Pigalle was a theatre in Paris, located in the rue Pigalle in the ninth ''arrondissement''. History Opened on June 20, 1929, financed by Philippe de Rothschild on the estate of his father Henri de Rothschild, the Rothschilds' amb ...

* 1932: ''La Margrave'', directed by Louis Jouvet, Comédie des Champs-Élysées * 1932: ''Maria'', Théâtre des Ambassadeurs, 26/10 * 1932: ''Banco'',

Théâtre Marigny The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panora ...

* 1933: ''La Voie lactée'', comedy in 3 acts, directed by

Harry Baur Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor. Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic ''Beethoven's Gr ...

, Théâtre des Mathurins * 1949: ''Le Figurant de la Gaîté'', Théâtre Montparnasse * 1953: ''La Petite Catherine'', in two acts, directed by

Christian-Gérard Christian Gérard Mazas (4 October 1903 – 27 July 1984), known as Christian-Gérard,Sometimes spelt without hyphen. was a French stage and film actor as well as theater director. Theatre Comedian * 1932 : ' by Jacques Deval, directed by J ...

, Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens

Adaptations

*1910: ''The Kreutzer Sonata'', by Fernand Nozière and Alfred Savoir after Tolstoy, directed by

, Theatre Femina *1911: ''The Eternal Husband'', by Fernand Nozière and Alfred Savoir after Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Théâtre Antoine

Filmography

*''

Bluebeard's 8th Wife ''Bluebeard's 8th Wife'' (alternately ''Bluebeard's Eighth Wife'') is a 1923 American silent romantic comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Sam Wood and stars Gloria Swanson. The ...

'', directed by

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as '' A Night at the Opera'', '' A Day at the Races'', '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', '' ...

(1923, based on the play ''La Huitième Femme de Barbe-Bleue'') *'' Lost: A Wife'', directed by William C. deMille (1925, based on the play ''Banco'') *'' The Grand Duchess and the Waiter'', directed by Malcolm St. Clair (1926, based on the play ''La Grande Duchesse et le garçon d'étage'') *''

His Tiger Lady ''His Tiger Lady'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Hobart Henley and written by Herman J. Mankiewicz, Alfred Savoir and Ernest Vajda. The film stars Adolphe Menjou, Evelyn Brent, Rose Dione, Émile Chautard, Mario Carillo and ...

'', directed by

Hobart Henley Hobart Henley (born Hess Manassah Henle; November 23, 1887 – May 22, 1964) was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He was involved in over 60 films either as an actor or director or both in his twenty-year career ...

(1928, based on the play ''Le Figurant de la Gaîté'') *''

The Dressmaker of Luneville ''The Dressmaker of Luneville'' (french: La couturière de Lunéville) is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Madeleine Renaud, Pierre Blanchar and Jeanne Fusier-Gir. It was made at the Joinville Studios by the French ...

'', directed by Harry Lachman (France, 1932, based on the play ''La Couturière de Lunéville'') *'' The King of Paris'', directed by

Jack Raymond Jack Raymond (1886–1953) was an English actor and film director. Born in Wimborne, Dorset in 1886, he began acting before the First World War in '' A Detective for a Day''. In 1921 he directed his first film and gradually he wound down his a ...

(UK, 1934, based on the play ''La Voie lactée'') *''

Ladies Should Listen ''Ladies Should Listen'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Cary Grant, Edward Everett Horton, Frances Drake, and Nydia Westman. Plot The switchboard operator Anna Mirelle ( Frances Drake) in an apartment bui ...

'', directed by Frank Tuttle (1934, based on the play ''Passy 08-45'') *''

Here is My Heart ''Here Is My Heart'' is a 1934 American musical comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby, Kitty Carlisle, and Roland Young. Based on the play ''La Grande-duchesse et le garçon d'étage'' by Alfred Savoir, the film is about a ...

'', directed by Frank Tuttle (1934, based on the play ''La Grande Duchesse et le garçon d'étage'') *''

Dressed to Thrill ''Dressed to Thrill'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Harry Lachman and written by Samson Raphaelson. The film stars Tutta Rolf, Clive Brook, Robert Barrat, Nydia Westman and Dina Smirnova. The film was released on August 16, 1935, by ...

'', directed by Harry Lachman (1935, based on the play ''La Couturière de Lunéville'') *''

'', directed by

(1938, based on the play ''La Huitième Femme de Barbe-Bleue'')

Screenwriter

*''Time to Love'', directed by Frank Tuttle (1927)

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Savoir, Alfred 1883 births 1934 deaths 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights Writers from Łódź Polish emigrants to France