In addition to Louis de Funès, discover two other “Gendarmes of Saint-Tropez” who can be seen in his film “Blow up the bank”.
On February 25, 1964, the first of the five feature films of the year was released with Louis de Funès! Blow up the bank is a detective comedy in which Victor Garnier (De Funès), a small hunting and fishing tackle merchant, finds himself ruined following an unfortunate investment. Penniless, the Garnier family decides to take revenge by robbing the bank of the man who advised them on this seedy financial investment: André Durand-Mareuil (Jean-Pierre Marielle).
The film is directed by Jean Girault, who has just shot Pouic-Pouic, with De Funès, and the two men will then move on to Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez. And precisely, two actors who will become two of the famous Gendarmes already appear in Blow up the bank alongside the future chief sergeant Cruchot.
1. Jean Lefebvre (Fougasse)
SNC / Medusa Distribuzione / The Copernic Films / PAMEC
The biggest whipping boy of the entire Saint-Tropez brigade, Fougasse, is played by Jean Lefebvre. We find him in Break the bank in the role of a site foreman whom Victor Garnier approaches to learn how to dig a tunnel without everything collapsing.
Fairly focused on the bottle, this foreman nevertheless gave good indications to Garnier, who then exploited them carefully to dig the underground path linking his shop with the Durand-Mareuil bank.
2. Guy Grosso (Tricart)
SNC / Medusa Distribuzione / The Copernic Films / PAMEC
Guy Grosso is one of the “historic” Gendarmes in the sense that he has always responded to the six films in the saga from 1964 to 1982. Jean Lefebvre, for example, will not return after Le Gendarme en promenade. That being said, the Tricart singer only has a short scene in Break the Bank, and you better not blink to see it!
Victor Garnier is probing the floor of his shop with his son to take cues for the future tunnel and a customer then enters to make a purchase. Of what, we will not know, since barely had he had time to say hello when Garnier, surprised, suddenly turns around with the pocket harpoon he was holding in his hand and the shot goes very close to said client, obviously played by Grosso. He runs away, and is probably not about to set foot in this seller again!
Copernic Films / PAMEC
In addition to The Gendarme and Blow up the bank, in 1964, De Funès will also be on the poster for Fantômas, A funny guy and Dandelions by the root of Georges Lautner. These five films will meet with very different successes, but one thing is certain: by the end of this year, De Funès had become a star of French comic cinema.