Georges Feydeau, the best-known writer of French farce in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote more than twenty full-length comic plays and twenty one-act ones. Some of these have been adapted for the cinema. Although Feydeau was active well into the era of film he never wrote for the medium, but within two years of his death in 1921 other writers and directors began to take his plays as the basis for films, of which more than twenty have been made, in several countries and languages.
Films based on Feydeau plays Film titleBased on Feydeau's playYearCountryDirector La dama de Chez Maxim's La Dame de chez Maxim 1923 Italy Amleto Palermi Il tacchino Le Dindon 1925 Italy Mario Bonnard Take Care of Amelia Occupe-toi d'Amélie! 1925 Italy Telemaco Ruggeri Un fil à la patte 1925 France The Queen of Moulin Rouge La Duchesse des Folies-Bergère 1926 Austria Robert Wiene On purge bébé On purge bébé 1931 France Jean Renoir Take Care of Amelie Occupe-toi d'Amélie! 1932 France Marguerite Viel and Richard Weisbach Un fil à la patte 1933 France Karl Anton The Girl from Maxim's La Dame de chez Maxim 1933 UK Alexander Korda La dame de chez Maxim's La Dame de chez Maxim 1933 France Alexander Korda Champignol malgré lui 1933 France Fred Ellis L'Hôtel du libre échange 1934 France Marc Allégret Monsieur chasse! 1947 France Willy Rozier Keep an Eye on Amelia Occupe-toi d'Amélie! 1949 France Claude Autant-Lara The Girl from Maxim's La Dame de chez Maxim 1950 France Marcel Aboulker The Turkey Le Dindon 1951 France Claude Barma Un fil à la patte 1955 France Guy Lefranc Äktenskapsbrottaren L'Hôtel du libre échange 1964 Sweden Hasse Ekman Hotel Paradiso L'Hôtel du libre échange 1966 UK Peter Glenville A Flea in Her Ear La Puce à l'oreille 1968 France/US Jacques Charon Le P'tit vient vite Léonie est en avance ou le Mal joli 1972 Canada Occupe-toi d'Amélie! 1981 Italy Flavio Mogherini La Puce à l'oreille 1981 ArgentinaPancho Guerrero Un fil à la patte 2005 France Michel Deville A Finada Mãe da Madame Feu la mère de madame 2016 Brazil Bernard Attal
Television adaptations
In the 1960s and 1970s the BBC filmed a series of fourteen farces by Feydeau, adapted by Caryl Brahms and Ned Sherrin, under the collective title Ooh La La!. Some were adapted from one-act plays, others from full-length ones. All fourteen starred Patrick Cargill.
TitleAdapted fromCo-starringwith Patrick CargillProducerYearRef A Good Night's Sleep Feu la mère de Madame Amanda Barrie Stuart Allen 1968 "Ooh La La: A Good Night's Sleep", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 All Night Sitting Tailleur pour dames Amanda BarrieAnton Rodgers Stuart Allen 1968 "Ooh La La: All Night Sitting", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 A Little Bit to Fall Back On Les Pavés de l'ours Amanda BarrieJim DaleFabia Drake Stuart Allen 1968 "Ooh La La: A Little Bit to Fall Back On", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Above Reproach C'est une femme du monde Amanda BarrieDonald SindenBarbara Windsor Stuart Allen 1968 "Ooh La La: Above Reproach", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Making a Pass Dormez, je le veux! Amanda BarrieRobertson Hare Stuart Allen 1968 "Ooh La La: Making a Pass", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted Gibier de potence Amanda BarrieAnton Rodgers Stuart Allen 1968 "Ooh La La: Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Call Me Maestro Amour et piano Fenella FieldingRoy Hudd G. B. Lupino 1968 "Ooh La La: Call Me Maestro", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Keep an Eye on Amelie Occupe-toi d'Amélie! Judi DenchBill Fraser Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: Keep an Eye on Amelie", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 A Pig in a Poke Chat en poche Richard BriersJoan Sims Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: A Pig in a Poke", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 A-Hunting We Will Go Monsieur chasse! Barbara MurrayTony BrittonJoan Hickson Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: A-Hunting We Will Go", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 The Lady from Maxim's La Dame de chez Maxim Bernard CribbinsBarbara WindsorBetty Marsden Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: The Lady from Maxim's", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Paying the Piper Le Dindon Amanda BarrieMichael AldridgeMichael Bates Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: Paying the Piper", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Caught in the Act La Puce à l'oreille Dinah SheridanPatricia RoutledgeBernard BresslawDennis Waterman Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: Caught in the Act", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022 Kept on a String Un Fil à la patte Freddie JonesEleanor Summerfield Douglas Argent 1973 "Ooh La La: Kept on a String", BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 April 2022
References