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EDITH PIAF
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.
Photo:
The Bidou Bar in Rue Anatole-de-la Forge
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.
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