He was called Pierre-Louis Guerin (1906-1982), French director and director of the Lido, was a well-known member of the Parisian upper class. After attending high school, he enrolled in medical school in Paris, where his father was dean. In his early twenties he was fascinated by the magic of the music hall. One day he went to see a show in the midst of a display of feathers and jewels singing "C'est mon homme". He was struck by it to the point that he dropped out of medical school and enrolled in the music conservatory to devote himself to studying the cello. During the period that saw him engaged in military service, with little money in his pocket but a cello as a life partner, he decided to open a night club. He bought "L'Ammiraglio" a venue that had been closed for some time, and launched an invitation to all the people of the variety show who wandered through France not occupied by the Germans.
Piaf, Trenet and André Claveau joined him
For four years Guerin did his apprenticeship as king of variety in an alpine refuge for resistance fighters. After the war, "L'Ammiraglio" and all his crew headed for the capital, and dropped anchor in a small place called "The Club", a gamble, because the nightclubs were all closing down. Guérin, however, understood the reason… the old clubs could not compete with the new fashion of the new cinemas, and in order for the night clubs to find their new location, it was necessary to bring spectacular ideas. And it was then that they offered him the "Lido", it was a Turkish bath that owed its name to the Venetian-style tiles. In this adventure he bet everything, to the point that he also decided to buy the entire large underground room. At that moment, Guérin thought aloud: "Why on earth more than 100 people who pass through the Champs Elysées shouldn't they enter my hall? A thousand a night would be enough!” The Paris Lido it was completely refurbished and equipped with modern stage machinery. Guérin knew exactly what he wanted: a show of irresistible splendor conducted with chronometric precision and at a pace that would leave the client breathless. He then decided to hire a new director and chose René, who had staged major shows in the United States in previous years.
"Cafe in Paris", was their debut, it was June 1947, and it was an immediate success.
Their stage ability to make everything artistic was such that nothing could cause scandal. An appearance on the Lido represented such a dream for the artists that they even offered themselves without a salary to work on the Lido. But Guérin always preferred to look for talent by traveling everywhere, from Germany to Great Britain, up to Argentina. There are several hundred shows that have been presented on the Lido, but what is remembered is the corps de ballet with the very famous "Bluebell", dancers who perform adorned with feathers during the intervals between one number and another. Feathers were an indispensable accessory for the show, just think that the very old company, the Fevier, produced feathers exclusively for the Lido.
The most glamorous and elegant dancers in Paris, the Bluebell Girls
Shapes and colors of every shade were soft as an impressionist painting, while shapes like corollas of
flowers adorned statuesque bodies, and their lightness made every show a magnificence of harmony.
Guérin, when he observed his guests admiring the “Bluebell”, as if they were princesses straight out of an illustrated book, she realized that there could only be nobility in the profession she had chosen. His idea of setting up a large sumptuous show within everyone's reach satisfied a need of the contemporary world. He had understood that all the men of the world, from kings to the humblest people, all have in common the unsatisfied need for a dream, for escape and for magic. But the aesthetic that narrates and colors this timeless story with happiness is undoubtedly the most fascinating.
The famous corps de ballet was founded in 1932 by the Irish dancer Margaret Kelly, nicknamed "Miss Bluebell” for the color of her eyes. Her company debuted in 1932 with Kelly's innovative theatrical style and their lavish costumes consisted mainly of feathers and headdresses. In later years, the feathers were often replaced with light bulbs.
