Dranem

Dranem , of its true name Charles Armand Ménard , is a singer and whimsical French born with Paris on May 23rd, 1869, street Castle-Landon, deceased on October 13rd, 1935. Its repertory of songs stupid (and often embarrassing) did of him one of the most popular high-speed motorboats of the Café-concert.

Difficult beginnings

Wire of a craftsman-jeweller, it is very early attracted by the café concert. In September 1890, it launches out on the boards of a company of amateurs of its district, “the Glassmaking”. After its military service, it becomes made in a merchant of straps, then salesman of orthopedic instruments. The evening, it will listen to the high-speed motorboats of the caf' conc' : Mayol, Kam-Hill, Ouvrard, Libert, Polin, while continuing to occur with the Glassmaking. It decides to be a name of scene and opposite it his: Ménard becomes Dranem .

Henri Moreau, a dramatic author customer of the newsstand which the mother of Ménard holds, recommends it to the director of Gaîté Montparnasse. Hearing is a failure. Dranem tries its chance of caf' conc' in caf' conc'. Everywhere he is refused.

The April 1894, it is engaged with the Electric-Concert Champ de Mars like comic troupier “kind Polin”. He hardly convinces and its seal is reduced two days afterwards. Nevertheless, the director of Gaîté Montparnasse turns over to listen to it, finds that it progresses and engages it in another establishment which it directs: “The Parisian Concert”.

Success

One day of 1896, with the Square of the Temple, it buys a small skimped jacket, too broad and too short, yellow pants striped of green, enormous godasses without laces and a small odd hat. The evening even, it gives up its costume of Comique troupier and revêt this strange getup. The cheeks and the made up nose of red, it enters in scene while running, as continued. It stops in front of the hole of the blower and sings the closed eyes, which it only opens to simulate fright to output similar incongruities. It is a triumph. The Dranem kind was born.

In 1900, it occurs in Eldorado, the temple of the Café-concert. It will remain there more than twenty years.

The shortly after their creation, any Paris takes again its " saws ": the son of a gniaf , I have two quetsch plum trees in my garden , the garden peas , Pétronille, you feel mint , the hole of my quay , the cooked fruits … It also excels in the comic Monolog. Dranem connects turned on round, in province and abroad. Everywhere it is delirious it.

The intellectuals are not sulky this favorite of the popular public: in 1910, requiring it director Antoine makes him play the doctor in spite of him , of Molière, in Odéon. Criticism is dithyrambic.

In 1911, it founds the old people's home of Ris Orangis for the old ones of the spectacle, which the president Armand Fallières inaugurates.

During the First World War, it sings in the hospitals and bids its farewell with the song recital in Eldorado on October 23rd, 1919.

It turns initially to the theater, then towards the Opérette. It divides the poster with Maurice Chevalier in Là-Haut and shines in many musical comedies written by Albert Willemetz.

Dranem does also much radio. In one of its emissions, as a chef, it will have as kitchen boys the duettists Charles and Johnny.

In 1923, he marries Suzette O' the Nile, which he will divorce in 1931.

In 1924, it publishes a novel: a natural rich person .

He dies on October 13rd, 1935, at the 66 years age. Ultimate wills: “I always made laugh my friends during my life, I do not want to sadden them during my funeral”. Defense thus to visit it on its bed of dead and prohibition to follow its funeral. With its request, it is buried in the park of Ris Orangis.

Some songs

the garden peas (its greater success - 25000 specimens sold in 1904)
hole of my quay ''
will cacahuetera It (laughing parody of Violetera )
you feel mint ''
the vine with the sparrows
Vl' with the tinker!
the wooden leg
One does not include/understand me
the funny plumber
Raymonde
I am a
the song of the doge

Operettas

Flup (1920) - Role: Flup
Up there (1923) - Role: Frisotin
the lady into machine-made (1923) - Role: Girodo
In chemyse (1924) - Role: Phoebus Lahirette
Disturb to me (1924) - Role: Mr Picotte
PLM (1925) - Role: The controller
Three naked young girls , of Albert Willemetz (1925) - Role: Hégésippe
devil in Paris (1927) - Role: The devil
Lives Leroy (1929) - Role: Fabrice
Louis XIV (1929) - Role: Louis
Begonia (1930 - Role: Saturnin
Six girls to marry (1930) - Role: Adolphe
Couscous (1931)
Still fifty centimes (1931) - Role: Hercules Boulot
It is charming (1932) - Role: Emile Barbarin
One evening of midnight supper (1932) - Role: Honore
Two pennies of flowers (1933)
the sisters Hydrangea (1934)
Uncle (1934) - Role: Amboise

Catalog of films

the hen , of Rene Guissart (1932)
Ah! what a station! , of Rene Guissart (1932)
Mr Albert , of Karl Anton (1932)
It is charming , of Louis Mercanton (1932)
Miche , of Jean de Marguenat (1932)
One evening of midnight supper , of Karl Anton (1933)
Ciboulette , of Claude Autant-Lara (1933)
the king of the de luxe hotels , of Carmine Braided (1932)
the war of the waltz , of Ludwig Berger (1933)
The hypochondriac , of Lucien Jaquelux and Marc Méranda (1934)
Mr Sans-Gêne , of Karl Anton (1935)
the mascot , of Leon Mathot (1935)

Anecdotes

Dranem had baptized its small hat of scene of the name of " Poupoute".

Among the admirors of Dranem, let us quote Maurice Chevalier, Paul Léautaud, Raymond Queneau or André Breton. And it is extremely probable that Bourvil, Boby Lapointe and Coluche took as a starting point its repertory and by its character.

the critic Francisque Sarcey regarded it as " an idiot of génie".

With most extremely of its success, Dranem will be copied much: its imitateurs are called Bertin, Tinmar, Darier, Bastian or even Dalila Rives, called " female Dranem ".

Maurice Chevalier began with the variety by imitating Dranem.

Dranem was so popular that one will make even candy boxes or statuette-memories in Régule with his effigy.

" How Dranem can it have the cheeck to output in front of a hilarious public ineptitudes of his repertory? The voluntary silly thing pushed at this point confines with the genius ". Boris Vian

Dranem will be the first to sing with the radio an advertizing song for the Galleries Beards: the song of the catch Ambois .

Bonds

A very complete page on Dranem, with audio and video extracts: here: http://www.chanson.udenap.org/fiches_bio/dranem.htm

Another page devoted to Dranem, with list of songs: there: http://www.delabelleepoqueauxanneesfolles.com/Dranem.htm

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