La Mère Denis in Saint-Hymer, Calvados (14)

I was once in Calais with a young French woman with whom I was living in England: she had to renew her road tax and we made a few days of it. On the evening before returning we were eking out the few francs we had left and decided to watch a film: the only one on was Les Bronzés, which Jacqui afterwards declared 'Un film de vacances', and as a young movie buff I agreed. However, I've now reviewed this early film of Patrice Leconte's, plus a number of his later ones, and have a different opinion: Leconte has certainly made several important films, and although Les Bronzés isn't one of them, it's not to be wholly dismissed.

The above paragraph is merely an introduction. Before the film, there was a female face, the viewers laughed, and Jacqui explained that this was the TV personality 'La Mère Denis'. OK, so many years later I discover that 'La Mère Denis' was Jeanne Denis (1893-1989), who was famous for selling Vedette washing machines on TV.

At a time when TV adverts were focussed on the young and the beautiful female (preferably as unclothed as allowed), an adventure in advertising washing machines with an old woman who had spent many years as a washer woman was very risky: but it paid off in a big way for Vedette washing machines, whose sales increased greatly, and 'La Mère Denis' became famous throughout France. She spent her final years in L'Auberge du Prieuré, Saint-Hymer, where she is buried. The auberge faces a lavoir which a few years ago was going to be named after her, although so far it hasn't. Her grave is visited by many people.

The newpaper Libération showed a large photo of La Mère Denis on its front page on 18 January 1989, speaking of 'Mort d'une vedette', which is a pun on the Vedette washing machine brand and 'vedette' meaning 'star'.