Dietrich and Chevalier, in love and in song

IN the 1930s, a romance kindled between two of the biggest movie stars in the world: Marlene Dietrich and Maurice Chevalier. But fearful of attracting negative publicity (both performers were married, and Dietrich had already been served a writ in costar Gary Cooper’s divorce proceedings), the couple soon went their separate ways. Years later, they would reunite under circumstances right out of one of their melodramas -- when Chevalier was put on trial for treason in France after World War II. Their story is now being brought to life onstage in “Dietrich & Chevalier, the Musical.”

“I’d always admired Chevalier tremendously as an entertainer,” says playwright Jerry Mayer. “But I’d never heard about this part of his history, until about 10 years ago when I read a biography on him. It was really shocking, because he was the poster boy for France.”

The musical begins with Dietrich receiving word of the accusations against her former paramour, and traces their relationship through flashbacks strung together by signature tunes, including “Lili Marlene,” “Isn’t It Romantic?” and “Falling in Love Again.”

The contrast between their individual paths could hardly be more striking. During World War II, the German-born Dietrich made anti-Nazi broadcasts and entertained half a million Allied troops and war prisoners across North Africa and Western Europe. For her efforts, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the U.S. government, while France named her a Chevalier (the name translates to “knight”) of the Legion of Honor.

And Chevalier himself? “During the war he was singing in Paris for nightclub audiences and there were German officers in the audience. The French started to think he was a collaborator.” Mayer explains. “They even accused him of singing in Berlin for Hitler.” Chevalier did perform in Germany, says the playwright, “in a French prisoner of war camp with the proviso that they would release 10 guys from his old Parisian neighborhood. I found out he was going out with a woman from the Folies Bergere and she was Jewish. And the Gestapo knew she was Jewish. They threatened to expose her and send her and her parents to Dachau unless he would sing in Paris. I thought it was fascinating. Here’s this guy caught between a rock and a hard place. And then he gets accused by the French underground of being a bad guy. So I really wanted to tell his side of the story.”

To fill the role of the “Blonde Venus” star, the producers cast Cissy Conner, who had previously played Dietrich in a one-woman show, while Ray Baker portrays the suave Maurice. “My wife is falling in love with him,” Mayer says with a laugh.

--

Pauline.O’ C[email protected]

--

‘DIETRICH & CHEVALIER, THE MUSICAL’

WHERE: Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th St., Santa Monica

WHEN: 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays; ends May 4

PRICE: $25

INFO: (310) 459-1548; www.santamonicaplayhouse.com