''Service Entrance'' (French: ''Escalier de service'') is a 1954 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 ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed and written 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 Etchika Choureau,

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

and

Robert Lamoureux Robert Lamoureux (4 January 1920 – 29 October 2011) was a French actor, screenwriter and film director. He appeared in more than 30 films between 1951 and 1994. He starred in the film ''The Adventures of Arsène Lupin'', which was entered ...

. 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 ...

and at the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

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

Serge Piménoff Serge Piménoff (1895–1960) was a Russian-born French art director. He designed the sets for the 1958 film ''Les Misérables''.Hayward p.232 Selected filmography * '' Nights of Princes'' (1930) * '' The Unknown Singer'' (1931) * '' Sailor's Son ...

Synopsis

Walking alone and looking desperate, young Marie-Lou ( Etchika Choureau) is taken in hand by Léo, a street photographer and his squatter friends. They all want to know what happened to her, so to satisfy their curiosity, Marie-Lou starts recounting her unfortunate experiences as a housemaid. On account of adverse circumstances, she tells them, she lost all of the jobs she had in five different families. To crown it all, the young man she has fallen in love with, a brilliant artist, is in prison.

Cast

* Etchika Choureau as Marie-Lou *

as Béatrice Berthier *

as François Berthier *

Sophie Desmarets Sophie Desmarets (1922–2012) was a French film actress.Davis p.145 Selected filmography * ''Battement de coeur'' (1940) - (uncredited) * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Henriette Lefranc * ''L'homme qui joue avec le feu'' (1942) - Gabrielle * ...

as Madame Dumény * Jean Richard as Jules Béchard *

Saturnin Fabre Saturnin Fabre (4 April 1884 – 4 October 1961) was a French film actor. Selected filmography * ''La rafale'' (1920) - comte de Bréchebel * ''Mademoiselle de La Seiglière'' (1921) * '' The Road Is Fine'' (1930) - Le professeur Pique * '' ...

as Monsieur Delecluze * Mischa Auer as Nicolas Pouchkoff * Alfred Adam as Le cousin Albert *

Junie Astor Rolande Jeanne Risterucci (1911–1967), better known as Junie Astor, was a French actress. Selected filmography * ''Stradivarius'' (1935) * ''The Lower Depths'' (1936) * ''Women's Club'' (1936) * ''Excursion Train'' (1936) * ''27 Rue de la Paix ...

as Aline Béchard *

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

as Cesare Grimaldi, the father, Italian artist *

Marc Cassot Marc Cassot (1923–2016) was a French film and television actor. Ince p.161 He was also a prominent voice actor, dubbing foreign films for release in France. Selected filmography * '' Night Warning'' (1946) * ''Les Amants du pont Saint-Jean'' (1 ...

as Benvenuto Grimaldi, the son, brilliant painter * as Carlotta Grimaldi, the daughter, prostitute *

Andréa Parisy Andréa Parisy (sometimes credited as Andrée Parizy; 4 December 1935 – 27 April 2014), was a French film actress. Born Andrée Marcelle Henriette Parisy in Levallois-Perret, she was best known for her roles in films such as ''Le Petit Bai ...

as the second girl Grimaldi *

Marthe Mercadier Marthe Mercadier (23 October 1928 – 15 September 2021) was a French actress. Filmography Awards * In 1974, she was named Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. * In 1989, she won the ''Molière Award'' of the Best Comic Show. * In 2007, she was n ...

as Hortense Van de Putte *

Héléna Manson Elena Eugenia Manson (18 August 1898 – 15 September 1994) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1925 and 1989. Selected filmography * ''La vocation d'André Carel'' (1925) – L'amoureuse de Cardan * '' T ...

as Madame Delecluze * Jacques Morel as Georges Dumény *

Yves Robert Yves Robert (19 June 1920 – 10 May 2002) was a French actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. Life and career Robert was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France. In his teens, he went to Paris to pursue a career in acting, starting with ...

as Courbessac *

Jean-Marc Thibault Jean-Marc Thibault (1923–2017) was a French film and television actor.Halliwell p.56 He also directed three films. Selected filmography * ''First on the Rope'' (1944) * ''Cage of Girls'' (1949) * '' I Like Only You'' (1949) * ''Women of Paris'' ...

as Léopold dit Léo * Anne Roudier as Madame Grimaldi * Albert Michel as the sexton, friend of "Grimaldi" *

Fernand Sardou Fernand Sardou (September 18, 1910 – January 31, 1976La Gloire de Pagnol
p. 235.) was a French singer ...

as Scarfatti, the conservative of du Louvre *

Claire Gérard Clair or Claire may refer to: *Claire (given name), a list of people with the name Claire * Clair (surname) Places Canada * Clair, New Brunswick, a former village, now part of Haut-Madawaska * Clair Parish, New Brunswick * Pointe-Claire, Q ...

as Victorine, the mechanical street-sweeper of Louvre *

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 a sexton * Sylvain Levignac as a guest in engagements *

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

as a guest in engagements *

Rudy Lenoir Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

as inspector * René Lefebvre-Bel as a restaurateur of pictures *

Claude Sylvain Claude Sylvain (1930–2005) was a French actor and singer.Powrie p.257 After appearing in films of the 1950s, playing in a mixture of female lead and supporting roles, she switched to appear as a performer in cabaret where she met her husband F ...

as Une copine de Léo * Estella Blain as Une copine de Léo

References

Bibliography

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

External links

*
Escalier de service (1954)
at the ''Films de France'' 1954 films French anthology films French comedy-drama films 1954 comedy-drama films 1950s French-language films French black-and-white films Films directed by Carlo Rim Gaumont Film Company films Films shot in Paris Films set in Paris Films shot at Billancourt Studios 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub