La Miss

Elaborate entertainment. Sensational showgirls. Colorful costumes. Sounds like Las Vegas, right? Wrong. It's Paris. Yes, Paris as in France. Without the French cabarets and their flashy stage shows, where would Las Vegas be? Without the grand diva, Mistinguett, who dared to don those feathery costumes and fifty-pound headpieces, where would the showgirls be? The tempting Mistinguett set today's standards almost one hundred years ago.

Gay Paree tumbled into the twentieth century with its colorful cabarets and their unique form of live entertainment. Originally home to a series of amateur acts hosted by a flamboyant master of ceremonies, the bawdy cabarets soon evolved into the magnificent music halls whose golden age began with the end of World War I. The French cafés and their dazzling revues each showcased a glamorous 'chanteuse' wearing extravagant costumes, amid spectacular sets, complemented by a chorus of gorgeous girls and fine-looking men. None was so popular as Mistinguett who with her million dollar legs, and risqué routines, captivated Paris.

Before she called herself Mistinguett, she was Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois, born on April 5, 1875 in Enghien, France to alcoholic parents. Her mother, Jeannette, made ladies' hats, while her father, Antoine, was a carpenter. Despite their own problems, the Bourgeois wanted their daughter to become a sophisticated young woman. They sent her to school and demanded she learn to play the violin, but Jeanne had other ideas. She hated school, dropping out to sell carnations in front of a local casino. She even went so far as trading her violin lessons for singing lessons. By the time she was fifteen, Jeanne had made a name for herself performing in the neighboring cafés. But that wasn't all.

Around this time, Jeanne had an affair with a wealthy Latin American boy and gave birth to a son. Motherhood was not on her agenda so she willingly gave the baby to his father's family. In return, they paid Jeanne a tidy sum for her trouble. With money in her pocket and her life back on track, Jeanne was ready for Paris. Not satisfied with just a mediocre career on the stage, she wanted more. Jeanne worked hard yearning to be the center of attention-the main focus of the room. When a song-writing acquaintance made up the name Miss Tinguette, Jeanne liked it. She made it her own by running it together and eventually dropping the final 'e'. Hence, Mistinguett was born. La Miss debuted at the Casino de Paris in 1895 soon becoming the toast of Parisian nightlife.

Each evening at 9:30 sharp, she made her dramatic entrance in the spotlight. Descending an enormous flight of stairs, amidst colorful feathers and sparkling jewelry, Mistinguett carefully navigated each step one at a time in her high-heeled shoes. Cautiously balancing an enormous headdress while maneuvering an exaggerated train behind her, she reached the front of the stage. As she stood majestically before her cheering fans, La Miss took charge. Her numbers, ranging from soft ballads to bawdy dance routines, secured her place in the limelight.

In 1903, when Maurice Chevalier first met Mistinguett, he was fifteen and in awe of the charismatic music hall queen. She was exciting as she enthusiastically entertained her nightly audiences who couldn't get enough of her. After being mesmerized by her performance at the Eldorado, he drummed up enough courage to knock on her dressing room door. "You've got a pretty little face. You'll get to the top," she told him as she made a dramatic exit from the theater on the arm of her latest paramour. And so began a lifelong relationship from which neither of them would ever be completely free.

Three years later, Chevalier himself was working at the Eldorado as P.I. Fliers watched from the audience. Fliers, an author, was also the director of revues at the famed Folies Bergère where La Miss now reigned. Impressed with young Chevalier's performance, Fliers offered him a job at his celebrated music hall. After that, pairing him with the electric Mistinguett was inevitable.

Chevalier couldn't wait to work with his dream partner and in their very first number together, they rolled themselves up in a rug-a very compromising position. As the weeks wore on and they fine-tuned their dance, Chevalier kissed Mist while hidden in the rug. Much to his delight, she liked it. According to Mist: "It was that damn carpet that started it all."

La Miss, however, was already involved with Louis Vermeuil, a celebrated French stage actor, so the clandestine meetings began. When Vermeuil ran across a love letter written to Mist by Chevalier, he demanded they meet in the alley behind the Folies Bergère. Vermeuil found out the hard way that his rival was an amateur boxer. From then on, it was Chevalier, fifteen years her junior, who escorted La Miss to the posh restaurants and trendy clubs where she held court night after night.

Mistinguett lived large surrounding herself with luxury and royal lovers. Her dressing room was always filled with flowers, mirrors and feathers. Besides her Paris apartment, she owned spectacular homes in Normandy, Bougival and Antibes. Before Chevalier, her torrid love affairs were legendary. She carried on with an Indian Prince, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, as well as the future King Edward VII of England. She also turned down the King of Sweden and the German Crown Prince. Unashamed of her influence over some of the most powerful men in the world, she never hesitated to call on any one of them for favors.

Money motivated her. Known for being cheap, Mistinguett hated paying for things. She either expected them for free or required a man to pick up the bill. She was even known to steal silverware from chic restaurants and hotels where she expected free service. If they refused, La Miss demanded huge discounts saying the publicity that her presence alone generated, increased their business. She trusted no one-especially where money was concerned, and took care of all her own finances. Her frugal reputation didn't bother her one bit. "The public likes to label its stars. I was stingy, therefore they did not saddle me with other vices." On December 1, 1913, after four deferments, Chevalier was called upon to serve in the French army. Mist was devastated begging him not to go. She even offered to use her considerable influence, but he assured her that he was in no danger since these were peaceful times. Maybe it was woman's intuition, but Mist was not convinced. In the spring of 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo made the news. Shortly after, Chevalier's regiment found themselves in the middle of a war. Later that year, he was shot in the back and taken as a German prisoner of war. Mist made it her life's mission to obtain her lover's freedom even going so far as calling upon her former lover, King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

Although Mistinguett never fully disclosed exactly what she did to win Chevalier's release, it's believed she worked covertly for the French Military Intelligence. By offering to help the Germans if they agreed to let her lover go, she infiltrated a German spy ring in Switzerland. She would then report her findings back to the French. Her business with the French government remains shrouded in secrecy. Nevertheless, in 1918, just before the Great War ended, the French military court asked her to testify against a German espionage ring that she helped uncover. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the case, the records were permanently sealed and have never been made public.

Upon Chevalier's return to Paris, Mist was anxiously waiting. She arranged to have him hired once again at the Folies Bergère where he regained his former popularity as her dancing partner. Chevalier, however, was a different man. The war had changed him and he was growing tired of La Miss. He found her incessant chatter about Paris nightlife irritating. He grew tired of her whims and spoiled behavior. Onstage, they were equals and he admired her talent. Offstage, he grew impatient with her domineering ways. "…I was finding her whims and caprices less easy to bear. Our lives, private and professional, were the same as before, but we seemed to have lost our mental bond. Before the war, all she said and did was perfect, fascinating. Now, to my own astonishment, I found myself disagreeing with her actions and attitudes and the way she went about her work. I was no longer swept passively along in the wake of that irrepressible temperament…"

The big rift came when Mist paid an unexpected visit to his apartment and discovered ladies perfume and underwear strewn about. Even though they continued dancing together professionally, their personal partnership was never the same. By 1919, Chevalier completely ended their life when he left for London to broaden his career and escape the headstrong diva. She spent the rest of her years searching for partners who resembled her famous French lover. "Chevalier's presence never brought me anything special, but his absence dominated the rest of my life."

Mistinguett played the Paris music halls for over fifty years. She was, at one time, the highest paid female entertainer in the world. In 1919, her legs were insured for 500,000 francs. She was the first to sing "Mon Homme" whose English version, "My Man," was later made famous by Fanny Brice. Mistinguett, along with Max Dearly, created the famed Apache Dance where the male dancer callously throws around his female partner. She also popularized the elaborate showgirl costumes with their weighty headpieces. Mistinguett still performed onstage at 75 years old, in addition to being a spokesperson for various products earning herself a fortune in her later years.

Upon hearing of the fatal stroke that took Mistinguett's life on January 5, 1956, Chevalier wrote: "…You can take your rest, Mist. You who were the Parisienne personified, more than anyone ever was before, as much as anyone will ever be again. You were the body and soul, the wit and chic of the feminine city. They all adored you, gallery, stalls and boxes, and you will remain, for every one, a shining light in the City of Light."

And so, another city of light is indebted to this incredible woman who created her own unique style. Whether they know it or not, the sensational showgirls of Las Vegas pay tribute to her each night. Mistinguett lives on in every song and dance as they don those feathery costumes with their fifty-pound headpieces. And just like audiences who applauded and whistled for Mistinguett one hundred years ago, audiences today clap and stomp their feet for her successors.