LEGENDS
Tribute
to Edith Piaf, By J.M. Smethurst.
Cont'd.
Picking up the pieces: Louis Leplée, Edith's mentor, was dead. Gerny's had closed, many of her friends had deserted her as had the radio contracts and other promises of work offered in abundance prior to the scandal. She found herself working a series of 'fill-in' slots at local cinemas, provincial tours and engagements in Belgium. She sought the protection of a song writer named Raymond Asso; their relationship developed into a very tempestuous affair. He was living with a woman by the name of Madeleine at the Hôtel Piccadilly, Pigalle; Mômone still Edith's constant companion. Somehow Mômone ended up living back with her mother - Raymond left Madeleine, he and Edith moved to the Hôtel Alsina on Avenue Junot where he set about trying to mould Edith to his ideas. Raymond and Edith's relationship lasted for three years during which time her fortunes began to improve. By the middle of 1939 she was commanding sell out performances and sharing star billing with established stars such as Marie Dubas. Raymond received his call-up papers in the August of that year - Edith met and moved in with a young singer, Paul Meurisse very shortly afterwards. They rented an apartment on Rue Anatole-de-la-Forge, a far more salubrious area than Edith's usual haunts, however, despite Meurisse's apparent classiness their relationship was decidedly tempestuous and violent arguments were commonplace. During this time she also met a new friend who was to have a special place in her life: Jean Cocteau. As a result, she regularly began visiting a private club in the cellar of the Palais Royal, Rue de Beaujolais, where he lived. There she met many artists and intellectuals of the day and Cocteau himself wrote the play "Le Bel Indifferent" especially for her from her tales of her relationship with Meurisse. With great difficulty she was persuaded to accept the lead role - the play was a huge success.
The War Years - Occupation: "Le Bel Indifferent", Cocteau's play written for and starring Edith, opened at the Bouffes Parisians in the Spring of 1940. Her first performance in support of the war effort was on the 9th May 1940 at the Bobino for the Red Cross in the company of other stars such as Maurice Chevalier and Johnny Hess. By the time "Le Bel Indifferent" had closed Meurisse had been called up and then rejected on medical grounds, Edith discovered that Mômone's husband had been killed fighting so moved her back to their apartment, and German troops were advancing towards France through Belgium. Edith left Paris for Toulouse for a tour of the unoccupied areas with Meurisse. German occupied Paris was a very different place to Edith's previous home. All artists were forced to register at the Propagandastaffel and have their songs vetted in order to be able to work. Edith fared better than most - she may have hated them but they liked her, and her use of Parisian argot enabled her to voice her opinions without reprisal. She was in great demand not only to perform benefit concerts for prisoners of war but also for the Germans themselves. Her association with the French Resistance is now well known and many owed their lives to her as a result. Professionally, the period 1940 - 1945 was a very successful one for Edith; privately however it was one containing many changes...Michel Emer, a young Jewish man, arrived at her door one Spring evening in 1940. She was rehearsing for her new season at the Bobino at the time - the last thing she wanted was to be bothered by a struggling composer pestering to be heard ! His insistence, however, paid off and Edith eventually found herself listening to an inspirational piece of music - L'Accordéoniste. Unfortunately, Edith had to part with her new-found friend; she paid his way into the unoccupied zone of France in order to "wait out" the war. He was unable to return until after the Liberation. Edith and Meurisse, although still together, were no longer the lovers they once were. The film Montmartre-sur-Seine was offered to them in 1941 and it was probably this alone that kept them together a few more months. Edith threw herself into learning her lines for her leading role and writing the lyrics for the music provided by Marguerite Monnot.
The War Years - Changes: Edith met Henri Contet when filming started on Montmartre-sur-Seine. He was employed as the film's Publicity Manager and Edith fell for him immediately. By the time the film was finished Meurisse had moved out of their apartment on rue Anatole-de-la-Forge and shortly after Edith herself moved to a place near the Bidou Bar, a favoured drinking establishment. Henri did not follow her as expected however; he was already involved with someone else and Edith resorted to flirting with other men in order to make him jealous. Her tactics were partly successful; they became lovers and Contet introduced her to a brothel proprietress named Madame Billy; Edith, running short of money, had to leave her apartment near the Bidou so rented the third floor above the brothel on the now rue Paul-Valéry, accompanied by Mômone. Contet visited regularly but still did not move in. Friends old and new were noisily entertained regularly; as were also the Gestapo, much to the annoyance of her neighbours. Her father also reappeared and started visiting weekly to Edith's delight, but her mother's demands were less welcome. There was at least one occasion when she turned up at Edith's apartment; there were several where Edith was called to the police station because of her mother's drunken behaviour, the last time being on her death. Edith did not mourn her passing.
Professionally,
Edith was going from strength to strength. Contracts for revues,
concerts and recitals were being offered constantly, sometimes more than
she could cope with. Henri Contet wrote some of his best songs for her
at this time, often based on her colourful life.
War Years and Beyond:
Edith and Mômone lived at Madame Billy's until the beginning of 1944
when the brothel was finally closed by the Gestapo. They decided to
return to the Hôtel Alsina. Louis Gassion, Edith's father died on the
3rd March 1944. He had lived in a shabby old hotel for a number of
years, by choice, but Edith had provided him with a manservant once she
became successful - fulfilling an old promise to him. It was he who
informed Edith and Mômone of their father's passing.
The funeral took place on the 8th March at the church of St Jean-Baptiste and was attended by family members from Normandy and the prostitutes from his mother's place of work in Bernay. Edith arranged for Marcelle's body to be exhumed and buried in a family grave with him in Père Lachaise. That Spring, she met the man who became her manager for the remainder of her life - Louis Barrier. He was the only agent she ever had and within only a few days of his appointment had obtained a two week contract for her at the Moulin Rouge. Her supporting act turned out to be a young singer named Yves Montand. Initially they did not see eye to eye; Edith thought he was uncultured and his songs uncouth. She took it upon herself to nurture him professionally, sometimes to his annoyance, and she even asked Henri Contet to write songs for him - by this time she was falling out of love with him and in love with Montand. Continues next