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. After the Moulin engagement she and Montand toured Orléans,
Lyons and Marseille (Montand's home town), but Montand was not a great hit.
They returned to Paris and gradually Montand began to blossom into a performer
of high demand. Their relationship however, began to suffer by the time
Etoile sans lumière started filming ;things limped along
between them until it's completion , then shortly after,Edith left him to tour
Alsace. Along with her went another newly discovered talent - this time in the
form of nine singers who were known as "Les Compagnons de la
Chanson". Their leader, Jean-Louis Jaubert soon became her lover and in
typical Edith style she moved them all in to a new home - 26 rue de Berri, just
off the Champs Elysee. After Alsace came another film, this time with Les
Compagnons - Neuf Garcons et un Coeur. Unlike Etoile sans Lumiere it only
enjoyed minimal success,but one song from it was to achieve greatness: La Vie
en Rose. Written by Edith herself, it was initially "Les Choses en Rose" but
for a friend of hers, Marianne Michel. She suggested the substitution and the
rest, as we say, is history. Jaubert was not destined to rule Edith's attention
for long .In 1946 they embarked on a none too successful tour of Greece where
she met an actor named Takis Menelas. His adoration was such that he offered to
divorce his wife and marry her; his suggestion however, that she gave up her
career in order to stay in Greece was too big a sacrifice - she refused .She
left Greece; and Menelas, behind after hearing that her next tour had just been
accepted - America.
1996-2009 ©J.M.Smethurst