Sérénade au Texas (1958)
Directed by Richard Pottier

Film Review

With Le Chanteur de Mexico proving to be one of the biggest hits at the French box office in 1956, it was hardly surprising that its two popular stars - the singer Luis Mariano and comic actor Bourvil - would be brought together for an even grander rematch.  Once again, Richard Pottier rose to the challege of directing another big budget musical extravaganza (something he became quite adept at in the latter half of his career), whilst composer Francis Lopez provided the show-stopping musical numbers, which included 'Pour l'amour d'une belle', 'A dada', 'Les pruneaux' and the eminently hummable title number 'Sérénade au Texas'.

On this occasion, the result is somewhat less successful than Pottier's previous musical offerings.  The limp western storyline of Sérénade au Texas seems to have been somewhat overlooked, consisting of little more than a lazily strung together series of clichéd ideas stolen from other films, a barely adequate narrative framework on to which the musical numbers can be thrown without a great deal of thought or logic.

For fans of the hyper-charismatic duo Mariano and Bourvil, this obvious dearth of original plot probably matters not a jot, particularly as both performers give such value doing what they obviously enjoy doing most, wowing audiences with their vocal dexterity.  It's worth remembering that whilst we tend to think of Bourvil as being exclusively an actor, he was, at the time, enormously successful as a singer and recordings of his songs probably reached far more people in France than his films.

Pottier's capabilities as a director were evidently on the decline by this late stage in his prolific filmmaking career.  After this somewhat lacklustre musical, he made only three subsequent films, all instantly forgettable.  Even those films which the director had made when he was at his most inspired in the 1940s - Huit hommes dans un château (1942), Picpus (1942), Les Caves du Majestic (1944) - are all but forgotten today, and it is hardly to his credit that he is now best known for his shamelessly kitsch collaborations with Luis Mariano, the most successful being the much-loved classic Violettes impériales (1952).

Film Synopsis

Jacques Gardel, a modest record seller, can hardly believe his good fortune when a notary, Jérôme Quilleboeuf, excitedly tells him that he has inherited an enormous oil field at a place called Big Bend in Texas.  Eager to take possession of his newfound wealth, Jacques hastily departs for Texas, accompanied by the well-meaning Quilleboeuf.  On the way, the two men meet up with a friendly company of strolling players, Roderick and his two daughters Rose and Sylvia.  On arriving in Big Bend, Jacques and Jérôme find themselves pitted against a ruthless band of gun-toting outlaws led by the town's unscrupulous banker, Abner Dawson.  Fortunately, our heroes can count on the support of Roderick and his daughters to help them in their efforts to purge the town of its thuggish criminals...