Le coup de pouce is a colour 97-minute French mystery TV movie produced by ORTF (Office de radiodiffusion-télévision française) and aired by Antenne 2 on January 16, 1975. It's also a very peculiar episode of the feature-length detective series Les Cinq Dernières Minutes, which ran from 1958 to 1996.
Les Cinq Dernières Minutes is one of the first series in the History of French television. Created by journalist, director, scriptwriter and producer Claude Loursais, it was launched on January 1, 1958 on the only channel of RTF (Radiodiffusion Télévision Française), the predecessor of ORTF. Les Cinq Dernières Minutes went through several changes in three "eras" until France 2 shown its 149th episode on December 20, 1996. The first era (1958-1973) was penned by Loursais — who helmed most of it — 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.
Les Cinq Dernières Minutes was originally a mystery gameshow aired live. After the format and live broadcasting were dropped, the series explored different socio-professional environments in episodes shot in studio on video and on 16mm film for the locations. The popularity of the programme 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! ») even entered the vernacular. From 1967 to 1973 there was a German adaptation called Dem Täter auf der Spur. Les Cinq Dernières Minutes switched from black and white to colour in 1971. Dupuy was gradually phased out after Jean Daurand's health issues.
In September 1972, Raymond Souplex worked on the 56th episode, Un gros pépin dans le chasselas. The shooting was interrupted by the ORTF rolling strikes of October but the scenarios of two episodes, Les griffes de la colombe and Fausse note, were ready (1) so Souplex rehearsed the former on November 20. He died two days later from cancer, aged 71. Claude Loursais decided that Episode 56, finished thanks to script changes and editing, would be the last one (2). Nevertheless, four TV movies were tested between July 1974 and January 1975 (not in production order) on the Deuxième chaîne and Antenne 2 (3): Rouges sont les vendanges, Fausse note, Si ce n'est toi (formerly Les griffes de la colombe) and Le Coup de pouce.
Those films, independent from the series though built on its "formula", tried new investigators and they are retrospectively considered as "La période intermédiaire" of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes. The famous theme music by Marc Lanjean (4) was notably absent. Written by Jean Cosmos (in 1973) and directed by Claude Loursais, Le coup de pouce was aired by Antenne 2 on January, 16, 1975. Christian Barbier, who reached fame with the ORTF drama L'Homme du Picardie (1968), returns as the Commissaire Le Carré from Rouges sont les vendanges. Le Carré's dog Rougeole is back too but not Inspecteur Ménardeau (Marc Eyraud). Rouges sont les vendanges was the third appearance of Ménardeau. In Si ce n'est toi, the character was the colleague of Commissaire Lindet (Henri Lambert) and he solved a case on his own in Fausse note.
Adrien Ridon, an old sculptor, lives with other artists in a Parisian cité soon to be demolished. Jacques Mouriez, an industrialist, and his wife Cathy invite Adrien for a drink at their appartment. Ridon gets to know a friend of Mouriez, chef de cabinet at the ministry of culture, and asks him if he could help listing his master work as a monument to prevent the demolition of the cité and the expulsion of the artists. Cathy Mouriez meets sculptor Yves Le Gouverneur, a friend of Adrien Ridon. Later, Yves dies in an apparent accident. The second Le Carré is nowhere near as good as Rouges sont les vendanges. Talkative and overlong, Le coup de pouce was majoritarily shot (5) in the Buttes-Chaumont studios. Christian Barbier arrives after 49 minutes.
In February 1973, Claude Loursais considered the idea of a new series centered on a commissaire and a juge d'instruction (investigating judge) (6). In Le coup de pouce, Commissaire Le Carré works with a debonair judge, played by Maurice Jacquemont. Bernard Musson is Fosseuse, his sarcastic clerk, after an appearance as another character in Si ce n'est toi. There was a juge d'instruction in Un gros pépin dans le chasselas, co-written by Jean Cosmos. Years later, the screenwriter co-created Julien Fontanes, magistrat (1980-1989) for TF1. Maurice Barrier delivers a great performance as Yves Le Gouverneur. Sybil Saulnier (Cathy) was noticed by Life Magazine in 1963 for a "striking resemblance" with Marilyn Monroe. Actress and singer Jacqueline Danno plays Raymonde, Yves' ex-wife.
With Harry Max (Adrien Ridon), Jean-François Poron (Jacques Mouriez), Josée Yanne (Hélène), Philippe Valauris (Albert), Hélène Vallier (Gina Solari), Maurice Lédé (Pol Sapiterni), Louis Lyonnet (Robert), Louis Julien (Frédéric), Nicole Derlon (Hairdresser), Jean Labib (Inspecteur Martineau), Nicole Huc (Lucienne), Eric Meningand and Roland Husson. Produced by Hélène Rambert and Oreste Delsale. Cinematography by Pierre Mareschal. Video editing by Christiane Coutel. Film editing by Joseph Neveu. Sculptures by Pierre Sizonenko and Simon Jacquemond. Metal sculpture by Michel Hennique. There's no original music, as often for the ORTF productions, and no credited sound illustrator for the use of library music.
In 1974, it was announced that Jacques Debary (Poker d'as) was the unnamed commissaire of Loursais' new (as yet untitled) mystery drama, whose shooting of the first episode had begun. Called Le lièvre blanc aux oreilles noires, this episode was aired by Antenne 2 on May 10, 1975 as part of... Les Cinq Dernières Minutes. Commissaire Broussard (Jacques Debary) had to be renamed Commissaire Cabrol prior to transmission because there was a real-life supercop named Broussard. Marc Eyraud returned as Ménardeau in the following episode for an association with Cabrol which lasted until 1991. Pierre Santini (Un juge, un flic) as Commissaire Julien Massard and Pierre Hoden (Inspecteur Antoine Barrier) were the final duo of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes from 1992 to 1996.
Perrette Souplex, the daughter of Raymond Souplex, guest starred as Bourrel's daughter in a 1995 episode. The episodes of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes from 1958 to 1991 are available on Madelen, the streaming service of INA. Brigade des Mineurs,
the 1977-1979 social drama series created by Claude Loursais and
starring Jean Daurand as Commissaire Dupuy, is on Madelen too.
(1) Michel Lebrun in Télé 7 Jours.
(2) Télé 7 Jours.
(3) ORTF was dismantled in December 1974 and the Deuxième chaîne was renamed Antenne 2. The latter became France 2 in 1992.
(4) Arsenic Blues, composed by Marc Lanjean for the movie La Peau de l'ours (1957).
(5) In Autumn or Winter 1973.
(6) Télé 7 Jours.
The "Période intermédiaire" of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes on this blog:
