Pauley
French postcard. 1930s.
Pauley or Paul Pauley (1886-1938) was a French actor and singer, who knew a prolific career in French cinema of the 1930s.
Paul Pauley was born Louis Eugene Paul Marien February 18, 1886 in Paris. From 1904 on, he sang in several café-concerts in the capital, and he would eventually record six records in 1919. He was also the interpreter of several revues and plays, such as: T’as-t-y les tickets?/You got the tickets? (1915) with Félicien Tramel and Dranem, Si que j’serais roi/If I were King (1921) with Arletty and Marguerite Deval, La Belle Angevine (1922) by Maurice Donnay and Andre Rivoireau, and Un miracle/A Miracle (1927) by Sacha Guitry, the latter two plays presented at the Parisian Théâtre des Variétés, where he became a regular. In 1923 he created the role of Father Grenu in the operetta Ciboulette by Reynaldo Hahn. Critics accused him of not being able to play anything other than heavy antics in comedies, and singing silly songs (sometimes close to the repertory of Dranem). According to playwright and director André Antoine, "The authors, theatre directors and probably he himself too abused his obesity." In 1928, he created the role onstage of Régis de Castel-Bénac in Topaze by Marcel Pagnol. Apparently Pagnol had selected him himself. The subtlety of his playing was recognized. When a critic was surprised he had so long hidden his talent by giving his audience only these antics, Pauley answered he played the roles that where given to him, and had no choice. Pauley was a highly educated and bibliophile man, and played vaudeville with great finesse. Actually, Colette said of him: "Paradoxically, when he plays, his physique becomes light as a balloon." In 1931 Pauley imitated Lucienne Boyer, having the audience roar with laughter. He sang on several records for Polydor between 1931 and 1934, such as the famous song 'Amusez-vous' from the operetta by Guitry, Willemetz and Heymann, Florestan Ier, prince de Monaco (1934) in which Pauley performed as Rosambeau. In 1936, he participated in one of the first television broadcasts by French television, in the company of the Tyrolean Esther Kiliz.
Paul Pauley was a typical actor of French sound cinema of the 1930s, who had started in the silent era. From 1904 on he already acted in one- and two-reelers by Pathé. In 1921, he landed his first role in Asmodée à Paris/Asmodeus in Paris, a short film directed by Chaudy. In 1924 he played the pope Alexis in Jacques Robert’s Le Comte Kostia/Count Kostia, while he also acted in Luitz Morat’s La Ronde Infernale/The Infernal Circle (1927). With the advent of talking pictures, however, his film career really set off, and he would appear in over thirty feature films and twenty shorter films between 1930 and 1938. Often filmmakers used Pauley’s obesity for excessively comic effect, but some parts were more remarkable. In 1931 he retook on screen the role he played on stage already in Le blanc et et le noir/The White and the Black by Sacha Guitry. In 1932-1933 he repeated his part of Régis de Castel-Bénac in the filmic adaptation of Topaz, directed by Louis J. Gasnier and with Louis Jouvet in the title role. Pauley then played Piedalouette in L’affaire Coquelet /The Coquelet case (1934) by Jean Gourguet and with Marcel Levesque and Alice Tissot. He was the Marquis de la Tour-Barrée in On ne roule pas Antoinette/You Don’t Fool Antoinette (1936) Paul Madeux and with Armand Bernard and Simone Renant. He had the male lead of Mercadet in the Balzac adaptation Le faiseur/The Fixer (1936) by André Hugon, a story about a man who invents a fictive associate to fight his creditors. Just like Becket's Godot, the associate - called Godeau! - never shows up. He also was Gaston in Au son des guitares/At the Sound of the Guitars (1936) by Pierre-Jean Ducis, a star vehicle for Tino Rossi singing Bella Ragazzina, Tant qu’il y aura des étoiles and Chanson pour ma brune. Pauley was Baron de la Carbonnière in Mon député et sa femme/My Deputy and his Wife (1937) by Maurice Cammage and starring Pauline Carton and Suzanne Dehelly. Moreover, he played Schuppanzigh in Un grand amour de Beethoven/ A Great Love of Beethoven (1936) by Abel Gance, with Harry Baur in the role of the famous composer, and with Jany Holt and Annie Ducaux co-starring. Pauley’s career was crowned with his unforgettable part of Mr Woss in La rue sans joie/Joyless Street (1938), André Hugon’s remake of the classic silent film by G.W. Pabst. The film starred Albert Prejean and Dita Parlo, while the great singer Fréhel sang L’Amour des hommes. In La rue sans joie Jeanne de Romer (Dita Parlo), works to feed four mouths: her mother, her crippled grandfather, a brother and a sister, all depending on her modest salary. When her boss Mr. Woss (Paul Pauley)is arrested for fraud, she is forced into misery and falls in the hands of dubious owner of a fashion house (Marguerite Deval) and a rich cattle merchant (Pierre Alcover). The film hinted at the crisis in France during its years of the Popular Front. It was Pauley’s last film performance.
Pauley’s definite trademark was his roundness. Wherever he appeared, what first strikes is his size of one meter fifty-six, but in all directions. His obesitas was also his handicap because especially in film it got him mainly vaudeville parts. Still he made himself remarkable, not because of his size but because of his acting which was so full of finesse, grace and flexibility, as Pascal Donald remarks. Although he sang a lot, Pauley has never been a real singer of chansons like Polin, even if early in his career he was one of Polin’s emulators (so not just an imitator). Especially in his early recordings, his art resulted in a contrast between his looks and his voice. Later, when acting in cinema, he would practice with much finesse a more natural voice. Victim of a heart attack, Paul Pauley died prematurely in Paris on May 13, 1938. He was only fifty-two years.
Sources: Pascal Donald on Ciné-Artistes, Wikipedia, French IMDB. Two songs of Pauley from 1919 can be heard via Donald's original page on www.dutempsdescerisesauxfeuillesmortes.net/fiches_bio/pau....
Pauley
French postcard. 1930s.
Pauley or Paul Pauley (1886-1938) was a French actor and singer, who knew a prolific career in French cinema of the 1930s.
Paul Pauley was born Louis Eugene Paul Marien February 18, 1886 in Paris. From 1904 on, he sang in several café-concerts in the capital, and he would eventually record six records in 1919. He was also the interpreter of several revues and plays, such as: T’as-t-y les tickets?/You got the tickets? (1915) with Félicien Tramel and Dranem, Si que j’serais roi/If I were King (1921) with Arletty and Marguerite Deval, La Belle Angevine (1922) by Maurice Donnay and Andre Rivoireau, and Un miracle/A Miracle (1927) by Sacha Guitry, the latter two plays presented at the Parisian Théâtre des Variétés, where he became a regular. In 1923 he created the role of Father Grenu in the operetta Ciboulette by Reynaldo Hahn. Critics accused him of not being able to play anything other than heavy antics in comedies, and singing silly songs (sometimes close to the repertory of Dranem). According to playwright and director André Antoine, "The authors, theatre directors and probably he himself too abused his obesity." In 1928, he created the role onstage of Régis de Castel-Bénac in Topaze by Marcel Pagnol. Apparently Pagnol had selected him himself. The subtlety of his playing was recognized. When a critic was surprised he had so long hidden his talent by giving his audience only these antics, Pauley answered he played the roles that where given to him, and had no choice. Pauley was a highly educated and bibliophile man, and played vaudeville with great finesse. Actually, Colette said of him: "Paradoxically, when he plays, his physique becomes light as a balloon." In 1931 Pauley imitated Lucienne Boyer, having the audience roar with laughter. He sang on several records for Polydor between 1931 and 1934, such as the famous song 'Amusez-vous' from the operetta by Guitry, Willemetz and Heymann, Florestan Ier, prince de Monaco (1934) in which Pauley performed as Rosambeau. In 1936, he participated in one of the first television broadcasts by French television, in the company of the Tyrolean Esther Kiliz.
Paul Pauley was a typical actor of French sound cinema of the 1930s, who had started in the silent era. From 1904 on he already acted in one- and two-reelers by Pathé. In 1921, he landed his first role in Asmodée à Paris/Asmodeus in Paris, a short film directed by Chaudy. In 1924 he played the pope Alexis in Jacques Robert’s Le Comte Kostia/Count Kostia, while he also acted in Luitz Morat’s La Ronde Infernale/The Infernal Circle (1927). With the advent of talking pictures, however, his film career really set off, and he would appear in over thirty feature films and twenty shorter films between 1930 and 1938. Often filmmakers used Pauley’s obesity for excessively comic effect, but some parts were more remarkable. In 1931 he retook on screen the role he played on stage already in Le blanc et et le noir/The White and the Black by Sacha Guitry. In 1932-1933 he repeated his part of Régis de Castel-Bénac in the filmic adaptation of Topaz, directed by Louis J. Gasnier and with Louis Jouvet in the title role. Pauley then played Piedalouette in L’affaire Coquelet /The Coquelet case (1934) by Jean Gourguet and with Marcel Levesque and Alice Tissot. He was the Marquis de la Tour-Barrée in On ne roule pas Antoinette/You Don’t Fool Antoinette (1936) Paul Madeux and with Armand Bernard and Simone Renant. He had the male lead of Mercadet in the Balzac adaptation Le faiseur/The Fixer (1936) by André Hugon, a story about a man who invents a fictive associate to fight his creditors. Just like Becket's Godot, the associate - called Godeau! - never shows up. He also was Gaston in Au son des guitares/At the Sound of the Guitars (1936) by Pierre-Jean Ducis, a star vehicle for Tino Rossi singing Bella Ragazzina, Tant qu’il y aura des étoiles and Chanson pour ma brune. Pauley was Baron de la Carbonnière in Mon député et sa femme/My Deputy and his Wife (1937) by Maurice Cammage and starring Pauline Carton and Suzanne Dehelly. Moreover, he played Schuppanzigh in Un grand amour de Beethoven/ A Great Love of Beethoven (1936) by Abel Gance, with Harry Baur in the role of the famous composer, and with Jany Holt and Annie Ducaux co-starring. Pauley’s career was crowned with his unforgettable part of Mr Woss in La rue sans joie/Joyless Street (1938), André Hugon’s remake of the classic silent film by G.W. Pabst. The film starred Albert Prejean and Dita Parlo, while the great singer Fréhel sang L’Amour des hommes. In La rue sans joie Jeanne de Romer (Dita Parlo), works to feed four mouths: her mother, her crippled grandfather, a brother and a sister, all depending on her modest salary. When her boss Mr. Woss (Paul Pauley)is arrested for fraud, she is forced into misery and falls in the hands of dubious owner of a fashion house (Marguerite Deval) and a rich cattle merchant (Pierre Alcover). The film hinted at the crisis in France during its years of the Popular Front. It was Pauley’s last film performance.
Pauley’s definite trademark was his roundness. Wherever he appeared, what first strikes is his size of one meter fifty-six, but in all directions. His obesitas was also his handicap because especially in film it got him mainly vaudeville parts. Still he made himself remarkable, not because of his size but because of his acting which was so full of finesse, grace and flexibility, as Pascal Donald remarks. Although he sang a lot, Pauley has never been a real singer of chansons like Polin, even if early in his career he was one of Polin’s emulators (so not just an imitator). Especially in his early recordings, his art resulted in a contrast between his looks and his voice. Later, when acting in cinema, he would practice with much finesse a more natural voice. Victim of a heart attack, Paul Pauley died prematurely in Paris on May 13, 1938. He was only fifty-two years.
Sources: Pascal Donald on Ciné-Artistes, Wikipedia, French IMDB. Two songs of Pauley from 1919 can be heard via Donald's original page on www.dutempsdescerisesauxfeuillesmortes.net/fiches_bio/pau....