Hector Monréal

Hector Monréal (17 July 1839 – 20 May 1910) was a French illustrator, chansonnier and playwright, mostly known for his song “Frou-frou”. Career A draftsman at the French Ministry of War, he left this position in 1862 to engage as an actor for the Paris’s Théâtre Montmartre (1862–1864). He then became a cartoonist at Paris’s Le Petit Journal where he made the summary-signs posted every morning at the newspaper’s door. He then embarked into theatrical writing with Henri Blondeau. For forty years, their plays were interpreted on the most important Parisian stages of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Théâtre des Variétés, Théâtre du Château-d’Eau, Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques, etc. Several of his songs were recorded and interpreted by Suzy Delair, Berthe Sylva, Bourvil or Line Renaud inter alia. Works *1863: Les Oranges de mon étagère, chansonnette, music by Henri Cellot *1865: Ça n’coûte que deux sous ! grrrrande revue du moment déroulée tous les soirs par Heudebert au Café-concert du boulevard du Temple, with Blondeau *1867: Les Garçons charcuitiers !, poésie bachique et mélodique *1867: Les Marchands de bois, vaudeville in one act, with Saint-Yves *1867: Le Trombonne guérisse