The Man of the Hour (1937)
"L'homme du jour" (original title)

Alfred Boulard, a good-natured electrician, gives his blood to save Mona Thalia, a great theater actress. Mona Thalia survives and Boulard becomes the man of the hour. Grateful to him, Mona... See full summary »

Director:

Julien Duvivier

Writers:

Julien Duvivier (adaptation), Charles Spaak (screenplay),

Stars:

Maurice Chevalier, Elvire Popesco, Raymond Aimos

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maurice Chevalier	...	Alfred Boulard / Himself
Elvire Popesco	...	Mona Thalia
Raymond Aimos	...	Le vieux cabot
André Alerme	...	François-Théophile Cormier de la Creuse (as Alerme)
Josette Day	...	Suzanne Petit
Marguerite Deval	...	Mme Christoforo
Marcelle Géniat	...	Alphonsine Boulard - la mère d'Alfred
Paulette Élambert	...	La petite soeur de Suzanne
Robert Lynen	...	Milot - l'apprenti électricien
Marcelle Praince	...	Mme Pinchon - une pensionnaire
Robert Pizani	...	Le poète efféminé
Pierre Sergeol	...	La Breloque
Charlotte Barbier-Krauss	...	Mme Legal - la patronne de la pension de famille
Simone Deguyse	...	La petite femme à la terrasse du café
Renée Devillers	...	Fanny Couvrain - la fille aux fleurs

Storyline

Alfred Boulard, a good-natured electrician, gives his blood to save Mona Thalia, a great theater actress. Mona Thalia survives and Boulard becomes the man of the hour. Grateful to him, Mona helps Alfred to become a singing star. But his fame will be short-lived.

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Genres:

Musical

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 November 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man of the Hour

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Marquis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pierre Piérade's last film.

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Soundtracks

"Ma pomme"
Music by Charles Borel-Clerc
Lyrics by 'Georges Fronsac' and 'Madame Rigot'
Performed by Maurice Chevalier
(1936)

User Reviews

Everything is relative.

This is a minor work in Duvivier's canon:a John Doe (Maurice Chevalier)becomes a star's protégé when he saves her life by giving his blood.But the hero's rise to fame will be short-lived.Duvivier's pessimism occasionally surfaces when he describes human ungratefulness,and there's a great contrast between the world of the chic remote grande dame (Elvire Popesco)and the man's modest old lady ,proud of her son.

Everything is relative.Duvivier used to release a masterwork a year in the thirties golden years ;along with Carné,Renoir,et al,he used to write the history of the French cinema in which "l'homme du jour" was nothing but a footnote.