It Could Happen Only in Paris

Summary

1955 BBC production of It Could Only Happen in Paris by Alfred Savoir of Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française. The production, presented under the European Play Exchange banner, came about as a result of co-operation between European broadcasting organisations (on which see Michael Barry’s article, ‘Exchanging Television Plays with the Continent’, in the Radio Times, 29 April 1955, p. 15). It included filmed excerpts of Parisien scenes.

Theatre play

It Could Happen Only in Paris [Le Figurant de la Gaîté] by Alfred Savoir (1883-1934) [more information]

Play synopsis

A light-hearted comedy. Albert loves the capricious Princess, but he is only an ‘extra’ sharing the stage with her in a theatrical production. Through a hoax he is able to meet her, but not as himself: he is so poor that he has only his theatrical costumes to wear.

Production history

First staged at the Théâtre Montparnasse, Paris, in 1949.

Date of transmission

Sunday 1 May 1955

Time

8.30-10.00pm

Series

European Play Exchange

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Claude Barma (also ‘special film sequences shot in Paris by’)

Playwright

Alfred Savoir (1883-1934)

Adapted for Television by

Claude Barma

Adapted for Television by

Isabelle Kloucowsky

Translator

Basil Bartlett

Composer

Jean Marion ('incidental music’)

Sets / Settings

Richard R. Greenough ('settings ... reproduced by’)

Set Designer

Jean-Jacques Gambut

Cast

Bruno Barnabe	The Prince
Basil Bartlett	Duc de Deauville
Michael Brennan	Monsieur Thomas
Tony Britton	Albert Landier
Edgar K. Bruce	Monsieur Verdon
Peter Bull	Circus Director
John G. Heller	The Tenor
Brenda Hogan	Annette
Christie Humphrey	The Soprano
Sam Kydd	Employee
Vera Lennox	Cloak-Room Attendant
Chris O’Brien	Masseur
Lloyd M. Pearson	Maître d’Hôtel
Robert Sansom	Doctor
Julie Somers	Maid
Gaby Sylvia	Princess Elvira
David Tudor-Jones	Second Hindu
Geoffrey Underwood	First Hindu
Colin Wall	Page
Lockwood West	Manager

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

comedy; French drama

Print sources

Title

From the ‘50s: Plays from France (Blog article)

Author/creator

John Wyver (Author)

Reference

https://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/from-the-50s-plays-from-france, published 4 August 2013

Title

Radio Times, 29 April 1955 (Magazine)

Linking notes

illustrated article, p. 14; Michael Barry’s article, ‘Exchanging Television Plays with the Continent’, p. 16