Tino Rossi
1907 - 1983Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, Rossi was gifted with a voice well suited for opera. He became a tenor in the French cabaret style. Later, he appeared in various movies. During his career it is reported he recorded over 2000 songs and he appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1954 production, Si Versailles m'était conté... directed by Sacha Guitry. His romantic ballads had especially women swooning and his art songs by Jules Massenet (1842–1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875–1947), and other composers, sold out theaters wherever he performed.
Among his most famous hits, Petit Papa Noel sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Over the course of his 50-year singing career, Tino Rossi recorded over 2000 songs and sold over 200 million albums making him one of the best selling (and mostly forgotten) artists of all time.
As a young man, Rossi played guitar and sang in many places of his hometown of Ajaccio, but later he went to perform in Marseille and at resort clubs along the French Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia Records roster that included the biggest stars of that time such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, and Jean Sablon.
Rossi's success was greatly aided by songwriter Vincent Scotto (1876–1952), who wrote his first hits and collaborated with him for many years, composing and arranging many of Rossi's songs. Prior to World War II, Rossi was a major box office attraction in the French-speaking world, and expanded his audience in 1938 to the U.S. and Canada during a first visit there. Rossi began his film career with a role in Les Nuits Moscovites (1934); his first real success came with Marinella (1936).
During the Occupation of France by Nazi Germany Rossi's film career reached its peak, notably with Fièvres (1942), Le Soleil a toujours raison (1943), Mon amour est près de toi (1943) and L'Île d'amour (1944). Like many celebrities, Tino Rossi was arrested on 7 October 1944 by several police officers in search of information on his close Corsican friend, Etienne Leandri, suspected of active collaborationism. Following three months' detention in the prison of Fresnes, near Paris, during which he stubbornly refused the assistance of a lawyer, he was freed from further detention by a judge, who deemed the charge leveled against him void of substance. Tino Rossi who, in October 1943, had loaned his personal car to a resistance network to transport weapons and enable several escapes (including that of a general), accepted—an extremely rare action at the time—exceptional official apologies.
In 1946 he recorded his song Petit Papa Noël for a movie. The song remained classic for the family and sold several million copies after being released on CD in 1992.
He is the recipient of the prestigious musical award Grand Prix du Disque.
Rossi died of pancreatic cancer in 1983 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. His body was transported to Ajaccio for burial in the family grave. His wife died in 2003 aged 79. ...
Source: Article "Tino Rossi" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Sérénade aux nuages
André Cayatte
Tino Rossi
Sylvio, a successful singer, has found a way to take a peaceful vacation, safe from his female adulators: to travel incognito. He puts up at an old castle whose landlord, Count Fabrice, a ruined nobleman, seeks a hidden treasure. Posing as the nephew of the castle gardener, Sylvio enjoys happy days and even finds the time to fall in love with Gracieuse, the count's daughter. Unfortunately for him, his impresario ends up locating him...
Song of the Clouds
Si Versailles m'était conté
Sacha Guitry
Michel Auclair, Jean-Pierre Aumont
Witty narration follows the history of Versailles Palace; founded by Louis XIII, enlarged by autocratic Louis XIV, whose personal affairs and amours, and those of his two successors, are followed in more detail to the start of the Revolution, after which the story is brought rapidly up to date. A huge cast plays mainly historical persons who appear briefly.
Royal Affairs in Versailles
Le chant de l'exilé
André Hugon
Tino Rossi, Ginette Leclerc
In the French Basque Country, Ramon, the son of a farmer and fruit and vegetable merchant with a beautiful voice, has the good life. He is engaged to his charming cousin Maria. But his daily life is called into question when, during a fight, he believes he has killed a bad boy. He flees to Algeria where, with a friend, he joins the Saharan Pioneers.
Le Chant de l'exilé
Envoi de fleurs
Jean Stelli
Tino Rossi, Micheline Francey
Envoi de Fleurs is based on incidents in the life of French composer Paul Delmet. Played by popular French singing star Tino Rossi, Delmet is depicted as a man all too willing to give up personal happiness in favor of blind ambition. After carrying on a romance by correspondence with beautiful young Suzanne (Micheline Francey), Delmet is on the verge of marrying the girl. Instead, he allows himself to be talked out of leaving France to further his own career, with disastrous results for all concerned.
Sending of Flowers
Fièvres
Jean Delannoy
Tino Rossi, Jacqueline Delubac
Despite a perfect marriage and a superb career as a singer, Jean Dupray cheats on his wife. She dies while listening to the song he dedicated to her, "Maria". He then retired to the south where he led a life in complete anonymity. But his best friend's fiancé recognizes him and seduces him. Following a fight with his best friend, he decides to return to order by becoming a monk.
Fièvres
Naples au baiser de feu
Augusto Genina
Joe Alex, Mireille Balin
Mario Esposito, who sings in a Neapolitan restaurant, is in love with Assunta, the niece of Teresa, the owner of the place. He shares his apartment with Michel, his best friend. This one has fallen under the spell of Lolita, a gorgeous adventuress he met at the cathedral where he officiates as the organist. But things go awry as, while Michel intercedes with Aunt Teresa for Assunta's hand in his favor, Mario in turn falls in love with Lolita. On the very day of his wedding with Assunta, Mario runs away with Lolita, thus betraying both his love and his friend. But it does not take long before the young singer realizes the big mistake he has made.
Naples Under the Kiss of Fire
Deux amours
Richard Pottier
Tino Rossi, Simone Valère
Sylvain is the town clerk of the small Provençal village of Coursoul. He is the darling of all the girls in the country. His brother, Désiré, a disabled carpenter, secretly loves Toinette, the lumber merchant's daughter. She falls in love with Sylvain. This one, convinced by the director of a traveling circus of the excellence of his voice, is about to leave everything to follow his career. But Désiré learns from Toinette that she is expecting a child from Sylvain. He goes to inform his brother, who reconsiders his decision. But Désiré will leave in his place, not to sing, but with his bruised heart to play Paillasse.
Two Loves
