Casimir (1950)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Richard Pottier

Writers:

Gérard Carlier (screenplay)
Jean Manse (dialogue)

Release Date:

17 December 1954 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

In spite of his failures as a peddler, Casimir guaranteed his fiance that this time the vacuum cleaners will work for good...

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Fernandel	...	Casimir
Germaine Montero	...	Angelita Garcia y Gonzalez
Bernard La Jarrige	...	Paul-André - un peintre
Jacqueline Duc	...	Denise (as Jacqueline Duc de la Comédie Française)
Gaston Orbal	...	Poiret (as Orbal)
André Numès Fils	...	L'huissier dela Société Prima (as Numès fils)
Cécile Didier	...	La gouvernante du docteur
Robert Seller	...	Dr. Labrousse
Lucien Hector	...	Le cafetier
Charles Fawcett	...	Mr. Brown, le PDG de Prima
Darling Légitimus	...	Caroline (as Darling-Légitimus)
Julien Maffre	...	Le cireur (as Maffre)
Émile Riandreys	...	Le grippé (as Riandreys)
Alfred Arlais
Edmond Méry

Also Known As:

Three Feet in a Bed (USA)
Vita di un commesso viaggiatore (Italy)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm)

Certification:

West Germany:6 | USA:Not Rated | France:U

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

La Société Française de Cinematographie

Trivia:

French censorship visa #9455.

Vacuum Cleaners Suck ...

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

... if you're trying to sell them door-to-door as Fernandel finds himself doing as the eponymous Casimir. Hungarian Richard Pottier went to bat some 38 times in his career and can at least claim that he worked with Jacques Prevert (on Une Oiseau rare) but for a Journeyman director this isn't bad at all. Speaking for myself I liked the way Pottier was prepared to spend the first three reels giving Fernandel a chance to establish his klutziness with a couple of set-pieces one in an executive's office and one in a psychiatric clinic before getting to the main thrust of the plot. When he calls on painter, Andre, he is unaware of the relationship between Andre and South American gotrocks Angelita. Having given her the air Andre wants to make himself scarce before she shows up and when she does she mistakes Casimir for Andre, natch. The usual complications follow and much is made of a scene in which Casimir and Andre are sharing a bed. Angelita has booked both a manicurist and a pedicurist and the latter is called on to do a skull (double take) when Fernandel gets out of bed, his pajama bottoms concealing his feet as the pedicurist is still working on the unseen Andre's. It all works out in the end and is highly enjoyable providing you like Fernandel.