Released on September 9, 1964, The Gendarme in Saint-Tropez is still enjoying great success. A success that we owe in particular to Louis de Funès and Michel Galabru who have made several generations laugh, even several years after the film’s release.
Fans will also be able to find their favorite policeman this Friday, July 12, 2024 on M6. The opportunity for viewers to find emblematic actors, and in particular a very well-known face of Fort Boyard. Because he hosted the France 2 game from 1990 to 1999.
Complicated filming for “Ludovic Cruchot”
In fact, Patrice Laffont played in The Gendarme in Saint-Tropez when he was 25 years old. His role? That of the fiancé of Ludovic Cruchot, the character played by Louis de Funès. However, the filming was visibly complicated according to the former presenter of Fort Boyard.
In an interview with Téléstar, Patrice Laffont indicates that the actor who died on January 27, 1983, had taken a dislike to him, as well as to the group of young actors present during the filming. He couldn’t stand us because he took us for little idiots. It must be said that, as soon as we hear ‘Cut!’, we were going to the beach, it was driving him crazy! And He also knew that production cars had been stolen and bent…“, revealed the former presenter of Fort Boyard.
A bad memory of Louis de Funès?
He specified that the beach of Saint-Tropez was forbidden to actors, and this for a very specific reason: ” because tanned faces tended to look gray on the film of the time“In addition to this “misconduct”, Patrice Laffont also reveals that the young actors “didn’t give a damn about the movie, what we wanted was to have a laugh”.
A behavior that greatly annoyed Louis de Funès. Clearly, the understanding between the famous “policeman” and the comedian has never been at its best. Indeed, still in the same interview, the former presenter of Fort Boyard recognized: “De Funès had a lot of talent but, for some reason, he never made me laugh.”. An opinion perhaps “due to his hostility towards Le Gendarme”he justified himself.
