Tony Sandler channels the ‘chansonnier’ in a performance at the Peddie School.
By: Susan Van Dongen
Look in the dictionary under the word "debonair" and you might find a photo of the late Maurice Chevalier. He was, of course, the handsome gentleman in the straw boater and tuxedo, known to Americans as the avuncular character who sang "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" and "I Remember it Well" in Gigi.
Chevalier, who was born in 1888 (the same year the Eiffel Tower was dedicated), was not a young man during the height of his Hollywood popularity, but still effused charm and sophistication. Imagine him decades before, as a young boulevardier performing in Parisian bistros, silent films and some of the earliest "talkies" with the likes of Clara Bow, Jean Harlow and Claudette Colbert. Ooh la la!
Performers like Chevalier don’t seem to exist anymore. That’s one reason why veteran singer and entertainer Tony Sandler equally continental and suave has been bringing his mentor to life in the program Chevalier: Maurice and Me, which will be at the Peddie School in Hightstown Nov. 12, as part of CAPPS’ Light Sunday series.
An elegant, uplifting tribute to one man’s odyssey of courage, love and nobility of purpose, the show follows Chevalier from his roots as a street urchin to an international legend.
"What attracted me the most was his rags to riches story, which I recount throughout the show," Mr. Sandler says, speaking from his home in Minneapolis.
The Frenchman with the 1,000-watt smile began his life in poverty, but was streetwise, resilient and driven, taking his talents to the cabarets and clubs of Paris. He made his first film in 1908, a short, black and white silent comedy titled Trop Crédules.
He joined the French Army in World War I as an infantryman, but was wounded, captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Spending two years in the Alten Grabow POW camp, Chevalier learned English from fellow prisoners. After the war, he returned to making French films. When Hollywood started to create motion pictures with sound, Chevalier left for America, making his first "talkie" in 1929 Love Parade, with Jeannette McDonald.
"Maurice Chevalier made 50 films in his life, all the way back to the silent film era," Mr. Sandler says. "In fact, he put the talkies into a musical spin. He was definitely loved by the ladies and performed with most of the big stars of the time ‘la belles du cinema.’"
He took to heart the responsibility for cheering up a nation devastated by the aftermath of World War I, then later by World War II, a challenge considering the rumors of being a Nazi collaborator during the German occupation of France.
"He had great ups and downs," Mr. Sandler says. "He was living quite cozily in the south of France but his girlfriend was Jewish, so the Nazis forced him to perform for them in Paris. Otherwise they threatened to take her and her family away to a concentration camp. Then the Nazis coerced him to perform in Germany for the French prisoners of war. Chevalier did only one show, and in fact managed to help free a number of prisoners while there.
"But by then the Nazis touted that he had made a full-fledged (pledge), showing French support for the German cause," he continues. "Maurice had no way at the time to defend himself, so it became a vicious rumor circulating throughout the world totally untrue."
Even after the war, a local resistance group treated Chevalier like a traitor, kidnapping and beating him, soaking the singer for a heavy ransom but the world supported him. Parisians paraded through the city in his favor and friends like Charles Boyer and Marlene Dietrich put the word out in Chevalier’s favor.
"Maurice was eventually forgiven," Mr. Sandler says.
Life would lighten up in Europe for the dashing singer, but the McCarthy era delayed a successful return to the United States. Chevalier, along with thousands of others, had signed a nuclear non-proliferation petition and was branded a communist.
"For 10 years, he was shunned by the American public, although he was performing all over the world, including Canada," Mr. Sandler says. "Finally all that nonsense went away and he came back stronger than ever."
Born in Belgium, Mr. Sandler has been a cabaret performer since youth, singing in numerous European capitals, including Berlin during the height of the Cold War.
He made his debut performance in the United States in 1963, meeting future singing partner Ralph Young when they both played the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. During lulls backstage, the two men experimented with the distinct contrapuntal style that would become their trademark when they teamed up as the duo, Sandler & Young.
They signed with Capitol Records shortly after, recording a string of successful albums, including their first, Side by Side, which featured the hit single "Dominique." Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, the duo appeared on numerous variety shows as abundant on TV back then as reality shows are now. The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show and The Mike Douglas Show all welcomed Sandler & Young as guests.
"We must have been on ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ a hundred times," Mr. Sandler says.
Mr. Young retired at age 65, but Mr. Sandler was by no means ready to call it quits. Since he speaks an array of languages, he went on to record not only in English but in Italian, Spanish and French as well as create a flurry of musical projects. His latest, Chevalier: Maurice and Me, will be recorded and broadcast on PBS in the spring of 2007.
Mr. Sandler, who has been performing for 50 years, seems to be busier and more creative than ever, with four separate, polished musical acts at the ready.
"It’s mainly the Chevalier show, though, which is a portrayal of Maurice’s long life he was onstage for 70 years," says Mr. Sandler. "It became an intriguing story for me because we kind of intertwined during our careers.
"I grew up about 150 miles from Paris and was greatly influenced by the ‘chansonniers’ of the time, such as Yves Montand," he continues. "But first and foremost, there was Maurice. It was truly the golden age of entertaining that he lived through. I doubt that this same career would be possible at all today. "
Chevalier: Maurice and Me, starring Tony Sandler, will be at the Mount-Burke
Theater at the Peddie School, South Main Street, Hightstown, Nov. 12, 2 p.m. Tickets
cost $16. For information, call (609) 490-7550. On the Web: www.peddie.org/capps.
Tony Sandler on the Web: www.tonysandler.com

