"C'est Maigret" - A blog dedicated to Rupert Davies

This blog is dedicated to the memory of the English actor Rupert Davies (22 May 1916 Liverpool – 22 November 1976 London) "C'est Maigret, c'est Maigret. You are the flesh and bones of Maigret!" enthusiastically exclaimed Belgian writer Georges Simenon when he met Rupert Davies. How comes a woman from Germany to be fascinated by an English actor playing a French detective? I hardly knew anything about this television series which was broadcast from 1960 until 1963. But since I watched the first episode I was immediately fascinated and now I'm a devoted fan of Rupert Davies. I mostly post on this blog in my native language German but I try to post in English as much as I can. Everybody who is equally fascinated by the immortal portrayal of Commissaire Jules Maigret by Rupert Davies please don't hesitate to contact me. Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial fansite and any photo material used on this blog belongs to its respective right holders. No copyright infringement of any kind is intended. All verbal contributions on this site are exclusively written by me and therefore my intellectual property - unless stated otherwise.

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Unwavering love Rupert Davies as Jules Maigret and Helen Shingler as his wife in "Maigret at Bay" (1969) "Maigret at Bay" is based on the novel "Maigret se défend" ("Maigret defends himself") by Georges Simenon (1964). In this television film, Maigret defends himself against the malicious slander of a young woman who accuses him of rape.

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Rupert Davies as Jules Maigret in "Maigret at Bay" (1969)

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Almost like a family "High Politics" ("Maigret und der Minister") (1962) Rupert Davies: Jules Maigret Helen Shingler: Madame Maigret Ewen Solon: Lucas Neville Jason: Lapointe

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The esteemed label "Pidax," to whom we owe the first release of "Maigret" starring Rupert Davies in 2015 - six years before the now-defunct label "Network" released the original version (!) - has also released the six episodes lost in the German television archives, as well as the television film "Maigret at Bay," which was never broadcast in Germany and was shown in 1969 as part of the "BBC Play of the Month" series, on DVD (in the original English with German subtitles). This means that "Maigret" is now available in its entirety on DVD in Germany. I’m still very proud that I was allowed to write a tribute for the booklet of Volume Four.

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Rupert Davies and his fans

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Dear Manuela,

Thank you for your reply and sorry if I am bothering you again. I come from the Czech Republic and I was born after the death of Rupert Davies. Although we belonged to the Eastern Bloc, our television broadcast quite a lot of western movies and series. Some of them, especially of British provenance, were and still are extremelly popular here. I´m quite sure if Czechoslovakian television had ever broadcast this Maigret, it would have belonged to the most popular ones. Because Simenon´s novels were always among best-selling books in the communist era. Therefore I was a bit confused when I read in one of the news articles published on your blog, that Maigret was broadcast by the Czechoslovakian television in the late 60´s which caused that the people from Uzhorod, Ukraine, recognized Rupert Davies when he was filming Waterloo. I´ve been trying to verify this information in the archive of Czech TV and other platforms, I asked my relatives who remember that time, I showed them the beginning of an episode with the theme song but no one remembered ever seeing it. The theme song and the whole beginning is simply a masterpiece that can´t be forgotten from my point of view, but perhaps I´m mistaken.

Sorry for this long and perhaps uninteresting mail, I just wanted to share the results of my "investigation" with someone. I´m still going through the information you´ve gathered about Rupert Davies and your comments on the episodes of Maigret because it´s material for a long study. I can only repeat that I´m really impressed by your effort. You´ve paid Mr. Davies a great tribute, a tribute that he deserves because he has made millions of people happy. Many thanks from one humble fan from Prague.

Best regards

Eva

Dear Eva,

thank you very much for your message.

First of all you do not bother me at all and your mail is very interesting.

We have something in common because I’m from Saxony and I grew up in East Germany so I think we share certain similar memories. I can confirm that the novels by Georges Simenon were very popular in the former GDR but were very hard to get.

I can't guarantee that all the information in the magazine articles I published on my blog are correct. Sadly I don’t know if “Maigret” was ever shown on Czech television.

But I know for sure that “Maigret” was first shown on the West German television channel ZDF (“Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen” - “Second German Televsion”) in 1965 and only repeated once in 1968. “Maigret” was only shown once on East German television in 1969/1970. The series was never repeated because the broadcasting rights were expired, and so the German version (the dubbing is so brilliant that even Rupert Davies was very happy with it) rotted in the archives, some episodes are lost for ever since then. Just in 2015 the still existing episodes of “Maigret” of the German version were released on DVD.

You are absolutely right the opening scenes of each episode - the striking of the match on the wall, the lighting of the pipe and the catchy music (“Maigret” had a different theme music in Germany which was composed by Ernst August Quelle) are immortal.

If you have further information or questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you have an account on Facebook you can contact me there as well: https://www.facebook.com/rupertdaviesactor/

Kind regards

Manuela

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Dear Manuela,

I want to thank you for your blog because it made me very happy. And I´m sure not only me but all people who were/are fascinated by Rupert Davies´s Maigret. I discovered this series last summer and frankly speaking I did not expect much of it. I was simply looking for some British crime serie to help filling my free time. I can´t either say I´m a great fan of Maigret stories but I read a lot of them and I also saw Maigret series with Michael Gambon, Bruno Cremer and Rowan Atkinson. I watched them once and I have never felt a need to watch them again but it´s absolutelly different with Rupert Davies´s Maigret. The adaptations and cast are absolutelly superb, BBC set a very high standard by this serie and Mr. Davies is a joy to watch. It also made me to return to Simenon´s novels which I read now with more understanding and interest than before. And then I found your blog and I was absolutelly stunned by tremendous work you did. I especially appreciate the articles and interviews with Mr. Davies that offer an interesting insight into his nature. I´m grateful to you and again thank you. Hut ab!

Best regards

Eva

Dear Eva,

Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm really very happy about it.

I wasn't even born when “Maigret” was first shown on television - in 1960 in Great Britain, 1965 in what was then West Germany. But this television series still has a legendary reputation in my home country, and so I chose to purchase the German DVD release of the first season in 2015 (years before the complete English release!), although until then I had thought Jean Gabin was unsurpassable as Inspector Maigret.

But Rupert Davies in the role of his life fascinated me from the first moment, which led me to become an ardent fan of his. For the German DVD release of the fourth season I was even allowed to write a contribution to the booklet (“My friend Maigret - Rupert Davies and the role of his life / A tribute by a later-born fan”), which gave me great pleasure.

I believe Rupert Davies made himself immortal with his brilliant portrayal of Inspector Jules Maigret. It is my heartfelt desire to remember this wonderful actor for us later born fans.

Best regards

Manuela

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Was wäre Kommissar Jules Maigret (Rupert Davies), dieser lebenskluge und einfühlsame Mann, ohne die wunderbare Frau an seiner Seite? Sie ist das Fundament seines Lebens.

Helen Shingler verfügt als Madame Maigret über ebensoviel Herzenswärme wie gesunden Menschenverstand. Zwar hat sie keinerlei physische Ähnlichkeit mit der von Georges Simenon beschriebenen Figur, doch deren Sanftheit, Nachsicht und Güte vermittelt sie auf kongeniale Weise. Sie und Rupert Davies harmonieren so großartig, dass der Zuschauer nicht auch nur eine Minute den Eindruck hat, hier verkörperten lediglich zwei Schauspieler ihre Rollen, sondern man empfindet es, als seien die Beiden das, was sie so grandios darstellen: ein in tiefer Liebe verbundenes, mit einander älter gewordenes Ehepaar. Alle Szenen zwischen ihnen sind erfüllt von einer herzerwärmenden Zärtlichkeit. Rührende kleine Gesten verdeutlichen die Innigkeit der Liebenden: sei es das Einhaken bei dem Anderen, das Ergreifen der Hand, sanfte Berührungen am Arm oder der Schulter, liebevolles Streicheln über die Wange, das Aneinanderschmiegen und die häufigen Küsse.

Während der strapaziösen Ermittlungen von Kommissar Maigret - nicht selten ist er wie etwa in “Maigret und die Wahrsagerin” und in “Maigret verliert eine Verehrerin” bis zum frühen Morgen in seine Arbeit vertieft - ist seine Frau auf seine Gesundheit bedacht. Sie achtet darauf, dass er wenigstens etwas Schlaf bekommt und versorgt ihn mit Stärkungsmitteln wie gutem Essen, Kaffee, Bier und einem heißen Bad. Im Krankheitsfall sorgen sie rührend für einander. In “Maigret nimmt Urlaub” besucht Maigret seine sich von einer Blinddarmoperation erholende Gattin täglich im Hospital und registriert mit Begeisterung ihre Genesung. In “Maigret trifft einen Schulfreund” erhält sie den liebevollen Zuspruch ihres Mannes, als sie unter Zahnschmerzen leidet. In “Maigret und der Verrückte” übernimmt Madame Maigret persönlich die Pflege ihres durch eine Schussverletzung verwundeten Mannes.

Auch die Tatsache, dass die Beiden über viele Dinge gemeinsam lachen können, hat ihr Eheglück befördert. In “Maigret und sein Revolver” neckt er seine Frau damit, dass er angeblich vergessen hat, ihr für das bevorstehende Abendessen mit ihrem Hausarzt und Freund Dr. Pardon Blumen mitzubringen. Mit schelmischem Lächeln überreicht er der Verdutzten einen Strauß und bringt sie damit zum Lachen. Als Madame Maigret in der Folge “Maigret und der Weihnachtsmann” im Überschwang der Gefühle ihren Mann umarmt und dieser deshalb versehentlich ein Glas in die Spüle fallen lässt, quittieren sie die daraus resultierenden Scherben mit einem herzlichen Lachen. Für ebenso viel Amüsement bei Beiden sorgen Jules Maigrets Bemühungen in “Maigret und die Hellseherin” auf Bitten seiner Frau einen Twist auf das Tanzparkett zu legen. So ist es nur folgerichtig, dass die letzte Einsstellung der finalen Episode “Maigret als Zuschauer” die Maigrets zeigt, wie sie sich lauthals lachend umarmen.

Gelegentliches liebevolles Frotzeln stört die Harmonie nicht, etwa wenn sie in “Maigret nimmt Urlaub” wohl nicht zu Unrecht annimmt, er verbringe einen Großteil seiner Freizeit in Cafès, während er sie in “Frau Maigret als Detektiv” die gesamte Episode damit aufzieht, dass ihr - allerdings ohne ihr Verschulden - das Mittagessen verbrannt ist.

Die intensive Ermittlungstätigkeit, die ihren Gatten häufig zu den unpassendsten Zeiten und Gelegenheiten wie beispielsweise mitten in der Nacht (“Maigret und der faule Dieb”) oder dem gemeinsamen Urlaub (“Maigret ist wütend”) von ihrer Seite fernhält, nimmt Madame Maigret im Verlauf der Serie nicht stets mit ihrer sprichwörtlichen Engelsgeduld hin, sondern empört sich darüber mehr oder weniger deutlich. Wenn die Maigrets, was selten genug vorkommt, einmal verschiedener Meinung sind wie in “Maigret und die Adligen” so dauert der Zwist nur kurze Zeit, und das Ehepaar findet zu seiner gewohnten Harmonie zurück.

Die große Tragik im Leben der Maigrets ist der Verlust ihrer Tochter. Das Mädchen ist im Alter von drei oder vier Jahren an einer schweren Krankheit verstorben. Weitere Kinder blieben ihnen versagt, und noch immer ist der Tod ihres Kindes eine offene Wunde für Madame Maigret, denn als eine Nachbarin in “Maigret und der Weihnachtsmann” ebenso takt- wie gedankenlos das Ereignis erwähnt, ringt die sanfte Gattin des Kommissars mit den Tränen. Die tiefe gegenseitige Liebe der Maigrets hat das Ehepaar auch diesen Schicksalsschlag bewältigen lassen.

Rupert Davies und Helen Shingler gestalten die Beziehung zwischen Jules und Louise Maigret weitaus inniger als in den Romanen von Georges Simenon, und jede ihrer gemeinsamen Szenen ist eine wahre Freude für den Zuschauer.

© Text: Manuela Hertel

Musik:

Detlef Engel: "Zeig mir bei Nacht die Serne" ("Let it be me") (1960) Lys Asia: "Deine Liebe" ("True Love") (1957) und  "Für immer" ("Moon River") (1962)

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The handing out of presents for Christmas at the Maigret home

Rupert Davies and Helen Shingler in “Maigret: A Crime for Christmas” (1961)

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The dream couple celebrates Christmas

Rupert Davies as Jules Maigret and Helen Shingler as his wife in “A Crime for Christmas” (1961)

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They are already at the handing out of Christmas presents Rupert Davies as Jules Maigret and Helen Shingler as his wife in "Seven Little Crosses"

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A lovely first advent Sunday to you all! Jules Maigret (Rupert Davies) decorates the Christmas tree in the episode "Seven Little Crosses"

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This wonderful expressive face

Rupert Davies

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Forever in my heart

Rupert Davies (22 May 1916 – 22 November 1976)