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Maurice did a lot of dancing in his act in his
earlier days. He was classified as an "eccentric dancer" and could contort his body easily to do a myriad of comic
movements. He is credited with creating the "camel walk" that kids especially, like to do. I, too, learned it as
a kid. Years later I found out that it was Maurice Chevalier who had created it way back when.
This portrait photo and also the
one below with the cap on seem to be from the period when Maurice first went to Hollywood, circa 1929. He was 40 years old
and was self-conscious about being that age to embark on a Hollywood movie career. No matter what age Maurice was, he always
seemed younger.
Maurice's caricature by the famous Al Hirschfeld, done during the later years of Chevalier's long career.
After
making "The Merry Widow" in 1934, Maurice made one other movie, "Folies Bergere," before leaving Hollywood
in 1935, thus ending his "first" Hollywood career. "The Merry Widow" and "Folies Bergere" were
the last two Hollywood movies in which his name would be first in the billing and, therefore, first on the movie theater marquees
throughout the world.
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