''The Ménard Collection'' (French: ''La collection Ménard'') is a 1944 French

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Bernard Roland and starring Lucien Baroux,

Suzy Prim Suzy Prim (11 October 1896 – 7 July 1991) was a French actress. She was born Suzanne Mariette Arduini in Paris and died in 1991 in Boulogne-Billancourt. She began her screen career as a child actress during the silent era. Selected filmo ...

and Suzanne Dehelly. Bertin-Maghit p.183 It was shot at the François 1er Studios in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

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

Robert Dumesnil.

Synopsis

Renée a young woman from

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

arrives in

in search of her father who she has never met and knows only by his surname Ménard. Using the

phone book A telephone directory, commonly called a telephone book, telephone address book, phonebook, or the white and yellow pages, is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that ...

she attempts to hunt him down, meeting a whole collection of Ménards with varying professions and personalities none of whom prove to be her father.

Cast

* Lucien Baroux as Le conservateur du musée de mathématiques *

as Madame Ménard * Suzanne Dehelly as Dora *

Foun-Sen Foun-Sen (28 February 1915 – 5 February 1989) was a French-Vietnamese film actress. She was married to the film director Léo Joannon.Keith p.125 Selected filmography * '' Port Arthur'' (1936) * ''Samson'' (1936) * ''Wolves Between Them'' 193 ...

as Renée Ménard *

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 filmogr ...

as L'employé de l'état civil *

Pierre Larquey Pierre Larquey (10 July 1884 – 17 April 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1913 and 1962. Born in Cénac, Gironde, France, he died in Maisons-Laffitte at the age of 77. Selected filmography * ''P ...

as Le psychiatre fou *

Jean Brochard Jean Brochard (; 12 March 1893 – 17 June 1972) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1933 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' A Man's Neck'' (1933) - Petit rôle (uncredited) * ''Boubouroche'' (1933) * '' ...

as Le guide *

Jean Périer Jean (Alexis) Périer (2 February 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French operatic baryton-martin and actor. Although he sang principally within the operetta repertoire, Périer did portray a number of opera roles; mostly within operas by Wolfgang ...

as Le vieillard *

Jean Mercanton Jean Mercanton (20 May 1920 – 4 November 1947) was a French film actor.Goble p.106 Mercanton began his career as a child actor, making his film debut in the year of his birth. Selected filmography * ''Miarka (1920 film), Miarka'' (1920) * ''The ...

as Paul - le jeune sportif *

René Génin René Génin (25 January 1890 – 24 October 1967) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1931 and 1965. Selected filmography * ''Vertigo'' (1935) * '' The Mutiny of the Elsinore'' (1936) * '' The Bri ...

as Le clochard * Marguerite Deval as Madame veuve Ménard *

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 Un amie de la veuve Ménard *

Gabrielle Fontan Gabrielle Fontan (16 April 1873 – 8 September 1959) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 120 films between 1927 and 1959. Selected filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (1929) * '' The La ...

as La concierge * Maximilienne as Une demoiselle Ménard * Julienne Paroli as Un amie de la veuve Ménard * Charles Lemontier as Le maître d'hôtel *

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 * '' Make a Living'' (1931) * '' Companion Wanted'' (1932) * '' Beauty Spot'' (1932 ...

as Le commissaire *

Georges Bever Georges Bever (1884–1973) was a French film and television actor.Goble p.38 Selected filmography * '' The Crystal Submarine '' (1927) * '' Chérie'' (1930) * ''The Man in Evening Clothes'' (1931) * '' I'll Be Alone After Midnight'' (1931) * '' ...

as Le garçon de café * Jean Morel as Le président * Jacques Meyran as Le médecin du vieillard * Max Dalban as L'assistant *

Édouard Delmont Édouard Delmont (5 December 1883 – 22 November 1955) was a French actor born Édouard Marius Autran in Marseille. He died in Cannes at age 72. Filmography *1930 : ''L'Arlésienne (1930 film), L'Arlésienne'' de Jacques de Baroncelli *1930 ...

as Le colonial *

Marguerite Moreno Marguerite Moreno (born Lucie Marie Marguerite Monceau; 15 September 1871, Paris - 14 July 1948, Touzac, Lot) was a French stage and film actress. On 12 September 1900, in England, she married the writer Marcel Schwob, whom she had met in 18 ...

as La romancière *

Robert Le Vigan Robert Le Vigan (born Robert Coquillaud, 7 January 1900 – 12 October 1972) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1931 and 1943 almost exclusively in small or supporting roles. He was, according to film academic Gin ...

as Amédée Garbure

References

Bibliography

* Bertin-Maghit, Jean Pierre. ''Le cinéma français sous Vichy: les films français de 1940 à 1944''. Revue du Cinéma Albatros, 1980. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1944 films French comedy films 1944 comedy films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Bernard-Roland French black-and-white films 1940s French films Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris {{1940s-France-film-stub