Commissaire Cabrol and Inspector Ménardeau, of the Police judiciaire, investigate a murder in the world of junk dealers.
La mémoire longue is an episode of the feature-length French detective series Les Cinq Dernières Minutes (1958-1996).
Created by journalist, director, scriptwriter and producer Claude Loursais, Les Cinq Dernières Minutes is one of the first series in the History of French television. It was launched on January 1, 1958 on the only channel of RTF (Radiodiffusion Télévision Française), the predecessor of ORTF (Office de radiodiffusion-télévision française). Les Cinq Dernières Minutes went through many changes in three "eras" until France 2 shown its 149th episode on December 20, 1996. The first era (1958-1973) was penned by Claude Loursais — who directed most of its episodes — with Fred Kassak, Louis C. Thomas, Michel Lebrun, Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe, Henri Grangé, André Maheux, Jean Cosmos, etc. This version starred Raymond Souplex as Inspecteur/Commissaire Antoine Bourrel and Jean Daurand as Inspecteur Dupuy.
The popularity of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes peaked in the 1960s-1970s and turned Raymond Souplex and Jean Daurand into TV stars. Bourrel's catchphrase (« Bon Dieu, mais c'est bien sûr! ») entered the vernacular. The series was adapted in Germany (Dem Täter auf der Spur, 1967-1973). The programme switched from black and white to colour in 1971 and Dupuy was gradually phased out after Jean Daurand's health issues. Following the death of Souplex in 1972, four TV movies were tested by Loursais between July 1974 and January 1975 (not in production order) on the Deuxième chaîne and Antenne 2: Rouges sont les vendanges, Fausse note, Si ce n'est toi and Le Coup de pouce. Those films, independent from Les Cinq Dernières Minutes though built on its "formula", introduced new detectives and the famous theme music by Marc Lanjean (1) was notably absent.
In 1974, Jacques Debary (Poker d'as) was announced as the unnamed commissaire of Loursais' new (as yet untitled) mystery drama and that the shooting of its first episode had begun. This episode, called Le lièvre blanc aux oreilles noires, was aired by Antenne 2 on May 19, 1975 as part of a relaunched Cinq Dernières Minutes. Commissaire Broussard (Debary) had to be renamed Cabrol because there was a real-life supercop named Broussard. Helmed by Claude Loursais and penned by novelist and writer Jean Chatenet, La mémoire longue is the second episode of what TV magazines called "Les Nouvelles Cinq Dernières Minutes". Actor Marc Eyraud returns as Inspector Ménardeau, seen in Si ce n'est toi, Fausse note and Rouges sont les vendanges.
Martin Lagache, a petty junk dealer, and his girlfriend Thérèse steal a box of phonograph cylinders during the moving of the wealthy antique dealer Gilles Pierrefort. Soon, Martin behaves like he has received a huge sum of money. A furious Pierrefort arrives at his shop and wants to see him but the young man is found stabbed to death. Cabrol and Ménardeau interrogate two colourful junk dealers, Georgette and Félix, and meet Gilles Pierrefort. When he arrived in summer 1974, Ménardeau was quickly compared to Columbo. His creator Claude Loursais, irritated by this comparison, argued that the inspector preceded the American lieutenant (2). Except that the dishevelled detective portrayed by Peter Falk was first seen on French TV in December 1972.
Claude Loursais probably stopped feeling annoyed because La mémoire longue is influenced by Columbo beyond the presence of Ménardeau, even if the murderer is not known from the start. The great stage, television and cinema actor Jean Topart (Rocambole) is fabulous as Gilles Pierrefort. Topart had an extraordinary voice, which made him work extensively for radio and dubbing. The antique dealer is Jean Chatenet's answer to the rich villains of Columbo. Of course, Cabrol and Ménardeau engage in a psychological confrontation with him. At some point, Ménardeau says that he must talk to his wife. Officially christened Cabrol in this episode, the commissaire is "softer" than in Le lièvre blanc aux oreilles noires. The Gitanes Maïs smoker has now the sense of humour.
Anémone plays Thérèse. The actress played supporting roles in three episodes of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes in a row, this one included. In the 1980s, she became a star of the big screen and had a versatile career with films such as Le père Noël est une ordure (1982) or Le grand chemin (1988). In the former her character is named Thérèse too. Also with René Lefevre (Félix), Georgette Anys (Georgette), Bernard Allouf (Martin Lagache), Liliane Gaudet, Nono Zammit, Henri Crémieux... Produced by Jean Le Coz. There's no original music, as often with French TV productions of the time. Cinematography by Pierre Mareschal. Video editing by Christiane Coutel. Film editing by M-L Stockhrasen. The duo Cabrol-Ménardeau bowed out in 1991, to be replaced by Pierre Santini (Un juge, un flic) as Commissaire Julien Massard and Pierre Hoden (Inspecteur Antoine Barrier) from 1992 to 1996.
The episodes of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes from 1958 to 1991 are available on Madelen, the streaming service of INA. The Cabrol-Ménardeau era was shown in Germany on ZDF as Kommissar Cabrol ermittelt - Die Fälle des Monsieur Cabrol.
(1) Arsenic Blues, composed by Marc Lanjean for the movie La Peau de l'ours (1957).
(2) Télé 7 Jours N°793 (May 10, 1975).
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