Blanc comme neige

This is Bourvil playing Bourvil;in many movies he made,he played the village idiot who was eventually smarter than one could have expected."Pas Si Bete" (not so dumb) was the title of one of his early comedies.And "Le Corniaud" (1964), his biggest success ,was based on the same pattern.

Bourvil is one of the French actors it's impossible not to like.Even when the screenplay is rather mediocre (this one borrows a lot from "Fric Frac" (1939) but this one had three fabulous actors ),Bourvil wins you over.

Leon plays the cornet in the fanfare but he 's looking for a job."Thanks to " Monsieur Bob, a shady person from the underworld,who becomes his manager (a word Bourvil pronounces a la Française),he finds a night watchman job in a luxury hotel where he learns to operate the lift and to turn a blind eye to get tips from people bringing a pet or a "paying' lover in their rooms.As for Monsieur Bob,he is more interested in the safe of his protégé's hotel.

Like Fernandel in "Fric Frac" ,Bourvil has problems with vocabulary;whereas the former could not understand slang,the latter understands the recherché language in his own way.

Bourvil sings one song ("C'est L'Piston") which went on to become one of his greatest hits.The word "Piston " has two meanings in French : "cornet" (see the fanfare) and " string-pulling" (the stupid lump thinks that Monsieur Bob's string-pulling will make him a cornet star)

Fine support by Paulette Dubost as the hero's squeeze ,who does not like that one plays footsie with her because she has her feet firmly on the ground.