Léo Daniderff
Encyclopedia
Léo DaniderffLéo Daniderff (born Gaston-Ferdinand Niquet in Angers
, France
16 February 1878; died Rosny-sous-Bois
, France 24 October 1943) was a French
composer of the pre-World War II
area.
His 1917 comical song, Je cherche après Titine (lyrics by Louis Mauban and Marcel Bertal), became world-famous due to Charlie Chaplin
singing it in gibberish
in Modern Times
(1936), especially because it was the first time his character ever spoke in the movies. The title means I am looking for Titine, and Titine is the diminutive of some feminine first names like Martine and Clémentine.
A few years later, in 1939, the song was (again) adapted into Wąsik, ach ten wąsik (Oh, what a moustache!) Polish cabaret
number, performed by Ludwik Sempoliński and which tried to "decide" who was funnier and who brought more to the world, Chaplin or Hitler. After the outbreak of WWII, Gestapo
tried to locate both Sempoliński and the lyricist, who was either Julian Tuwim
or Marian Hemar
, but failed for both.
Chaplin, in his film The Great Dictator
(1940), decided to parody Hitler himself.
Around 1964 Jacques Brel
also wrote
a song named Titine, incorporating fragments of the melody and referencing both Daniderff's song and Chaplin.
Other singers were Georgette Plana and Yves Montand
.
The song was parodied by Gary Muller in 1982 as "My Name Is Not Merv Griffin
".
The song's copyright belongs or belonged to Editions Léon Agel and Les Nouvelles Editions Méridian.
Daniderff other hit song "Sur la Riviera" was used as theme for Jean Renoir
's Boudu Saved from Drowning
(1932).
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
16 February 1878; died Rosny-sous-Bois
Rosny-sous-Bois
Rosny-sous-Bois is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.It is the seat of the national centre of road information of the national gendarmerie.- Heraldry :-Transport:...
, France 24 October 1943) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer of the pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
area.
His 1917 comical song, Je cherche après Titine (lyrics by Louis Mauban and Marcel Bertal), became world-famous due to Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
singing it in gibberish
Gibberish
Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense...
in Modern Times
Modern Times (film)
Modern Times is a 1936 comedy film by Charlie Chaplin that has his iconic Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment on the desperate employment and fiscal conditions many people faced during the Great Depression, conditions created, in...
(1936), especially because it was the first time his character ever spoke in the movies. The title means I am looking for Titine, and Titine is the diminutive of some feminine first names like Martine and Clémentine.
A few years later, in 1939, the song was (again) adapted into Wąsik, ach ten wąsik (Oh, what a moustache!) Polish cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
number, performed by Ludwik Sempoliński and which tried to "decide" who was funnier and who brought more to the world, Chaplin or Hitler. After the outbreak of WWII, Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
tried to locate both Sempoliński and the lyricist, who was either Julian Tuwim
Julian Tuwim
Julian Tuwim , sometimes used pseudonym "Oldlen" when writing song lyrics. He was a Polish poet, born in Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, of Jewish parents, and educated in Łódź and Warsaw where he studied law and philosophy at Warsaw University...
or Marian Hemar
Marian Hemar
Marian Hemar , born Jan Maria Hescheles, also Jan Mariański , Marian Wallenrod, was a Polish Jewish poet, journalist, playwright, comedy writer, and songwriter: he himself said that before the outbreak of World War II he had written 1200 songs including hits like Może kiedyś innym razem and Upić...
, but failed for both.
Chaplin, in his film The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator is a comedy film by Charlie Chaplin released in October 1940. Like most Chaplin films, he wrote, produced, and directed, in addition to starring as the lead. Having been the only Hollywood film maker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was...
(1940), decided to parody Hitler himself.
Around 1964 Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
also wrote
Les Bonbons
Les Bonbons is Jacques Brel's seventh studio album. Also known as Les Vieux, Jacques Brel Accompagné par François Rauber et Son Orchestre, and Encore, the album was released in 1966 by Barclay. The original 1966 album was itself a composite of two earlier releases, one from 1963 and one from 1964...
a song named Titine, incorporating fragments of the melody and referencing both Daniderff's song and Chaplin.
Other singers were Georgette Plana and Yves Montand
Yves Montand
-Early life:Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in...
.
The song was parodied by Gary Muller in 1982 as "My Name Is Not Merv Griffin
My Name Is Not Merv Griffin
My Name Is Not Merv Griffin is a 1982 novelty song by Gary Muller. It is a parody of "Je cherche après Titine", music by Léo Daniderff, lyrics by Louis Mauban and Marcel Bertal....
".
The song's copyright belongs or belonged to Editions Léon Agel and Les Nouvelles Editions Méridian.
Daniderff other hit song "Sur la Riviera" was used as theme for Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
's Boudu Saved from Drowning
Boudu Saved from Drowning
Boudu Saved from Drowning is a 1932 French film directed by Jean Renoir. Renoir wrote the film's screenplay, from the play by René Fauchois...
(1932).