1 / 5
an old book with a picture of a man in a suit and tieseveral old letters are lined up on top of each otherseveral old papers with handwriting on them sitting next to each otherseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacean old document with a handwritten letter on it sitting on top of a table
ROUILLAC

112 - Albert Willemetz (1887–1964), librettist, lyricist and scree…
See original version (French)

Estimate €150 - €300
Sale commission
Description
Albert Willemetz (1887–1964), librettist, lyricist and screenwriter Set of 26 autograph letters and postcards, 1920–1949, addressed to René Benjamin, including: Personal letter, [1920]; a production of the revue *Paris qui jazz* at the Casino de Paris, during which the star Mistinguett performed the legendary song *Mon homme* for the very first time, the lyrics to which had been written by Albert Willemetz No, my dear René, I’m not dead: I’m just a bit daft, which is worse. I’m putting on a big revue at the Casino de Paris with costumes by Poiret, a burning bar, a locomotive, a Spanish dancer, 12 Hawaiians, 250 extras… and a delightful donkey… who can’t do a thing… I’m planning to take a break next week and finally have a nice little month’s holiday. (…) And what are you up to? ‘Romantically and theatrically’. Tell me about your plans. Mine are very simple: to scrape together enough money quickly so I can get out of here and leave the stage to those who get on my nerves… It really is far too tiring and disappointing a profession! There’s too much jealousy and not enough goodwill. I don’t think I’ll be urging my son to follow in my footsteps. The Home Office wasn’t very lucrative, but it was a quiet, peaceful little life… long live the civil service! What on earth was I doing in this mess??... Several exchanges, 1931, concerning the writing of the play *Paris*, created by René Benjamin with the help of Albert Willemetz L.A.S., Rosalba, Marnes-la-Coquette, [1931] My dear René, after much trouble I managed, as I told you in a telegram, to see Volterra. To do so, we had to go all the way to Baghdad—that is to say, have dinner at 10 o’clock in the evening at the Colonial Exhibition—and when the jazz band deigned to turn the volume down a little, I managed, amidst the Black people, the nude dancers and the whirling dervishes, to wring from him, bit by bit, a few answers and some details. Here is the situation. It is exactly as I had predicted. Pagnol has promised to deliver the finished *Fanny* to him so that rehearsals for the play can begin in early September. He has just one scene left to fine-tune and a few hundred pages to edit. Léon is counting heavily on this sequel to *Marius*. He told me it was remarkable and even better than *Marius*, and that he intended to run it all year round. Under these circumstances, he added, I have no right to stop Benjamin’s play! He is also keeping *Marigny* in the cinema for good. He’s obtained permission from the City of Paris! What do you want to do? Which way would you prefer me to go? Porte Saint Martin, where you’d very likely get a second run (after Rostand’s play), or Pigalle during the season... P.A.S., Rosalba, Marnes-la-Coquette, 2 July 1932; support following the failure of the Paris performance 3 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1931–1932, Ernest Willemetz, Albert’s father FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale René Benjamin, the 20th-century Balzac scholar
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like