Juan Catalano
(CHANTEURS ET CHANTEUSES)
52 Rue de la Goutte d’Or, 75018 Paris, France
Singer Juan Catalano won the inaugural Coq d’or de la chanson française contest at l’Olympia in 1958 with his rendition of Les Gitans. The contest ran from 1958 to 1961 to reward a song written in French, by a French composer, and sang by a French artist. He was signed to the Philips label by the influential talent agent Jacques Canetti, and released around twenty singles (on Philips and its subsidiary Fontana) in the late 1950s and early 60s. In the early part of his career he was taken under the wing of the great Boris Vian. He left the showbiz lifestyle behind to become a restaurant owner in Toulouse, and Canet Plage, near Perpignan.

Geneviève Morel
(COMÉDIENNES)
8 Rue Pierre Picard, 75018 Paris, France
Actress Geneviève Morel predominately graced the cinema screen, although she made a handful of appearances in the theatre (théâtre des Mathurins, Comédie des Champs-Élysées, and théâtre Montparnasse). She made her debut in 1940 in Battement de cœur (directed by Henri Decoin), and worked on films until 1966, mostly in minor and uncredited roles.

Jean-claude Cassadesus
(Accessoires vibra timbales)
2 Rue de Steinkerque, 75018 Paris, France
Paris born Jean-claude Cassadesus began his career as a percussionist before studying composition and conducting with Pierre Dervaux and Pierre Boulez. In 1969 he was hired as assistant conductor at the Paris Opéra and the Opéra-Comique. In 1971 he co-founded the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire with Pierre Dervaux, and acted as Dervaux’s deputy there until 1976. In 1976 he became principal conductor of the Orchestre national de Lille, performing concerts locally and internationally. He directed the French Youth Orchestra in 2007. He is the son of actress Gisèle Casadesus.

Gisèle Casadesus
(COMÉDIENNES)
2 Rue de Steinkerque, 75018 Paris, France
Born into a family of artists in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, Gisèle was the daughter of musician, composer and conductor Henri Casadesus and harpist Marie-Louise Beetz, her older brother was actor Christian Casadesus. She appeared in numerous theatre and film productions, in a career spanning more than 80 years. She became the 400th member of the Comédie-Française on 1 January 1939, and honorary member on 15 April 1967.

Élysée Montmartre
72 Blvd Marguerite de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris, France
The Élysée Montmartre was originally a ballroom inaugurated in 1807, the legendary auditorium saw the creation of the French cancan and its majestic architecture was partly created by Gustave Eiffel. After the Second World War, it started hosting boxing matches and wrestling fights, and also striptease shows. In 1968, Jean-Louis Barrault staged Rabelais there, a show with music by Michel Polnareff. Montmartre resident Philippe Clair recorded his comedy 7” record Si..naï M’était Compté at the venue.

See an object relating to the Élysée Montmartre HERE.

Le Trianon
80 Blvd Marguerite de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris, France
The Trianon was built as a café concert in 1894 in the garden of the Élysée Montmartre. Opening in 1895, the Trianon-Concert was one of the first music halls in Paris. In 1939 the hall was converted into a cinema, the Cinéphone Rochechouart. Jacques Brel frequented the cinema in the early 1950s, where he wrote some of his texts.

Le Chat Noir
1st location
84 Blvd Marguerite de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris, France
The first location of the Le Chat Noir cabaret, opened by the impresario Rodolphe Salis. Le Chat Noir is thought to be the first modern cabaret. Its success was assured with the arrival of a group of radical young writers and artists called Les Hydropathes, a club led by the journalist Émile Goudeau.

René Gary
(Harmonica)
2 Pl. Charles Dullin, 75018 Paris, France
Harmonica player René Gary worked with Jacques Lasry, The Hotvill’s, and kitsch disco outfit Rosebud. His own trio, with Claude Raguet and Jean Labre, recorded two singles in New York under the name The Parisians in the late 1950s. The Gary Trio remained active until the death of René Gary in 1987. He was the technical director of the Confédération Française de l’Harmonica.

Théâtre de l’Atelier
(THEATRES DE PARIS)
1 Pl. Charles Dullin, 75018 Paris, France
The theatre opened in 1822 under the name Théâtre Montmartre. From 1914 to 1922, the building was the 600 seat Montmartre Cinema. In 1922, it returned to its original purpose, under the directorship of actor Charles Dullin, who renamed it the Théâtre de l’Atelier. André Barsacq succeeded Dullin, and led the theatre from 1940 to 1973. In the 1960s Montmartre residents who appeared here included Huguette Hue (La Surprise de l’amour, 1961), Suzanne Dehelly (Les Cailloux, 1962), and Jean-Roger Caussimon (Château en Suède, 1968).