Henri Garat

‘Beau garcon’ Henri Garat (1902-1959) was a popular singer and leading man in light romances during the 1930s. As the partner of Lilian Harvey in French adaptations of her film operettas he became a big star.


French postcard by Viny, no. 68. Photo: Star.


French postcard by Viny, no. 68. Photo: Star.


French postcard by Editions P.I., no. 162. Photo: Star.


French postcard by AN, Paris, no. 623. Photo: Paramount.


Dutch postcard by De Faam, Breda. Sent by mail in the Netherlands in 1932. Photo: Ufa.



German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 6300/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Ufa.

Jeune Premier

Henri (sometimes Henry) Garat was born Emile Henri Camille Garassu in Paris in 1902. He was the son of a minor actor and vaudeville performer known as Garet and the singer Césarine Lévy.

Henri began his career in 1924 as a jeune premier in music halls working with the likes of Mistinguett. In 1930 he made his first film for the Ufa, Flagrant délit/Burglars (Hanns Schwarz, Georges Tréville, 1930) starring Blanche Montel.

He replaced Willy Fritsch in the French adaptation of the popular German film operetta Die Drei von der Tankstelle (1930) starring Lilian Harvey and the result, Le chemin du Paradis/The Road to Paradise (Wilhelm Thiele, Max de Vaucorbeil, 1930) was a huge success and made Garat a 'grand vedette' in France.

He replaced Fritsch again in the French but also in the English versions of Der Kongress Tanzt (1931): Le congrès s'amuse (Erik Charell, Jean Boyer, 1931) and Congress Dances (Erik Charell, Jean Boyer, 1931), both with Lilian Harvey.

Other films with Harvey were La fille et le garçon/The Girl and the Boy (Roger Le Bon, Wilhelm Thiele, 1931), Princesse, à vos ordres/Adorable (Hanns Schwarz, Max de Vaucorbeil, 1931) and Un rêve blond/Happy Ever After (André Daven, Paul Martin, 1932) based on a script by Walter Reisch and Billy Wilder. His songs in these films became huge hits.


French postcard by Erpé, no. 779. Photo: Ufa.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 6119/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Le congrès s'amuse (Jean Boyer, Erik Charell, 1931).


With Lilian Harvey. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 6739/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Le Chemin du Paradis/The Road to Paradise (Wilhelm Thiele, Max de Vaucorbeil, 1930).


Belgian postcard by Edition de la Chocolaterie Lecoq, no. 59. Photo: Ufa. Caption: "Lilian Harvey and Henry Garat in the famous film Princesse à vos ordres."Princesse à vos ordres (Hanns Schwarz, Max de Vaucorbeil, 1931) was the French version of the early German sound film Ihre Hoheit befiehlt. Co-writer of this film was Billy Wilder. It was remade in Hollywood in 1933 as Adorable, with Garat and Janet Gaynor.


French postcard by Nels / Alliance Cinématographiques Européenne. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Flagrant Délit (Hanns Schwarz, Georges Tréville, 1931) with Blanche Montel. Flagrant Délit was an alternate-language version of Einbrecher/Burglars (Hanns Schwarz, 1930) with Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch.


French postcard by Nels / Alliance Cinématographiques Européenne. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Flagrant Délit (Hanns Schwarz, Georges Tréville, 1931) with Blanche Montel.


French postcard by A.N., Paris, no. 779. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for Delphine (Roger Capellani, 1931).


French postcard by Editions Chantal (EC), Paris, no. 24. Publicity still for Un soir de réveillon/Christmas Eve (Karl Anton, 1933).


French postcard by Éditions Chantal (EC), Paris, no. 55. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for Un soir de réveillon/Christmas Eve (Karl Anton, 1933) with Meg Lemonnier. 

Seducer

When Lilian Harvey left for Hollywood Henri Garat continued with a new partner, Meg Lemonnier, in Simone est comme ça/Simone Is Like That (Karl Anton, 1932), which became his biggest success.

He starred with Arletty in his best film, Un soir de réveillon/Christmas Eve (Karl Anton, 1933). In Hollywood he appeared with Janet Gaynor in Adorable (William Dieterle, 1933), a remake of Princesse, à vos ordres.

He returned to Paris for the Molière adaptation Les dieux s'amusent/Amphitryon (Reinhold Schünzel, Albert Valentin, 1935). In 1936 he made another comedy with Lilian Harvey, Les gais lurons/Lucky Kids (Paul Martin, Jacques Natanson, 1936), but his next films were less popular than they used to be.

At the end of the 1930s Garat started to consummate cocaine and his career declined further. His extravagances (a yacht, an aeroplane, a castle) and his divorces ruined him. His next films failed and he suffered a serious depression. In 1944 he left for Switzerland for a long period of rehab.

In 1947 he tried to make a come-back to no avail and also in the 1950s he tried several times to return in the spotlights, but sadly nobody was interested anymore in the former jeune premier. Henri Garat died in 1959 in Hyères, France, at the age of 57. He had been married four times. His wives were Betty Rowe, Marie Tchernycheff, Jacqueline Nigon, and Anna Luginbuhl. With Luginbuhl he had a son.


French postcard by Editions Chantal, Rueil, no. 53. Photo: R.A.C.


French postcard by Editions Chantal (EC), Paris, no. 94. Photo: Studio Lorelle.


French postcard by EPC (Editions et Publications Cinematographiques), no. 170. Photo: Ufa.


British postcard in the Colourgraph Series, London, no. C 153. Photo: Paramount.


French postcard by Editions E.C., Paris, no. 50. Photo: André Tranché.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 8748/1, 1933-1934. Photo: Fox.


French postcard by P.C., Paris, no. 1. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still for Il est charmant/He Is Charming (Louis Mercanton, 1932). Music sheet for the song En parlant un peu de Paris.


French postcard by P.C., Paris, no. 50. Photo and song from Delphine (Roger Capellani, 1931).


Clip from Un soir de réveillon (Karl Anton, 1933). Henri Garat sings J'aime les femmes (I Love Women). Source: Vieux Disques (YouTube).

Sources: Charlotte Hanotte (CinéArtistes, French), Paul Dubé, Jacques Marchioro (Du Temps des cerises aux Feuilles mortes, in French), Hall de la Chanson (French), Wikipedia and IMDb.