Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

was cast summarily from the halls of
learning.
The lad then became an apprentice
carpenter, but he still saw, among the
falling chips, the rainbow vision of thu
cafe-Concert and circus. Electrician,
then printer for a spell, he lost jobs
with perfect abandon. Working in
doll factory, his job being to paint
porcelain faces Chevalier painted deep
vermillion cheeks, Transforming the
dolls into fantastic theater puppets
end he was fired again.
Now, at the age of Is, he is sales
man for q painting shop, and he has
fallen in love. The lucky lady is Geor-
gette, a blonde miss of 10 Summers.
But the romantic, imaginative Maurice
takes the childish affair very seriously
indeed. The boss of the paint store
concluded that the future stage star
wasn't worth Is cents day and fired
him. He went walking with his Geor-
gctte, and as they passed a church
from which a wedding party was
emerging. the boy, mimicking a comic
song, stretched wide his arms and the
closing door crushed one of his fingers.
In thu hospital Maurice decided to re-
nounce his love for Georgette.
He went to work in a nail factory
and did so we'll that he seemed to have
found his niche in life-manufacturing
nails. But between his tasks the boy
would steal into the yard and rehearse
the songs of some favorite actor. After
working hours he went to gymnasium
determined to become an acrobat. But
sprained ankle and crushed face,
suffered in the practice of his art,
caused his mother to put her foot down
on future efforts along those lines.
Undaunted by all his rebuffs. Cheva-
lier went to the Concert of the Three
Lions and boldly told the manager of
some highly successful engagements
which existed only in his imagination.
He asked for a chance as singer On
the insistence of the managers wife,
the boy received his chance and he was
a pronounced failure. Small wonder,
for he never had sung with a piano
before, much less appear in public.
"All right" he soliloquized Il have
been a failure. That can happen to
any one. Next time I will succeed"
And in that spirit he sought future
chances. His first came as a singer
at the Casino DIES Tourelles. 1t paid
him francs an evening, four eve
tating popular hits and stars. A friend
in Paris took him to meet the cele-
brated Mistinguett, one of the foremost
musical comedy stars of Paris, and the
lady, scanning his sparkling face. is
said to have predicted, You need have
no worry about your future with face
like yours" A few years sped swiftly
by and Chevalier found himself, now
tall handsome youth in his late teens.
as dancing partner to Mistinguett at
the famed Folies Bergere.
In 1918 Chevalier joined his regi-
ment to serve the period of training
which France eXactS from all her sons.
The war began and Chevalier, entering
it singing, came out wounded and a
prisoner in Germany. He and friend
escaped from the prison camp by pass
ing themselves off as Red Cross work.
ers. France honored him with mill
tary cross.
Chevalier readily adapted himself to
the changed Paris Immediately follow
ing the war. Again he became the
partner of Mistinguett. and they APP
peared in the Folies Bergere and the
Casino de Paris. He dressed as an
American sailor for his dancing sets.
and they we're hugely successful so
much so that his name glittered in cleo
trio lights. He was star.
He went to London and appeared
with Elsie Janis in revue entitled
Hello America" For several years he
has been the star In Partisan musical
revues, once appearing in Argentina.
Chevalier is married to Suzanne VAL
lee, with whom he used to sing in the
Empire at Paris.