The Wing or the Thigh: the Coluche – Louis de Funès clash this evening on France 3

In this junk food comedy, they play a father and son. Between these two giants, the filming of The Wing or the Thigh, broadcast this evening at 9:05 p.m. on France 3, could have turned sour. Director Claude Zidi tells…

In 1976, Louis de Funès, 62 years old, was a huge star and Coluche, 32 years old, the rising comedian. How did the meeting go?

Claude Zidi: An anecdote sums it up: at the start of filming, while I was doing the first shot of the two actors facing each other, Louis burst out laughing. Taken aback, Coluche asks him why. De Funès replies: “Because you are very funny…“Then Coluche, in a very serious tone, blurted out:”You know, we can’t make this movie if you laugh every time I’m funny. Please, Louis, never do this again!“He was imposing his territory, and rightly so. I think de Funès laughed on purpose to test his partner. After this incident, they showed impeccable professionalism.

Is it true that de Funès, who was recovering from a double heart attack, was filming surrounded by a medical team?

The insurance companies had required Christian Fechner, the producer, to have a resuscitation doctor on the set. They also made me sign a contract in which I only received my fee at the end of the film. Just to be sure that everything goes well with Louis. Fortunately, he was in Olympic form: I was more tired than him…

The detestable character Tricatel is inspired by the industrialist Jacques Borel, pioneer of fast food in France. You weren’t afraid of trials?

No, because Tricatel is a character of pure fiction. Before the film, I, unfortunately, went to lunch in a Jacques Borel restaurant: it was filthy, truly filthy, and this bad food inspired me to write the screenplay.

Julien Guiomar, who plays Tricatel, died last November… (this interview was given in 2011, Editor’s note)

He leaves a big void. It was a treat to film with this charming, cultured man, an immense actor and poet at heart. Julien was the polar opposite of Tricatel. The unforgettable Commissioner Blorel des Ripoux will also remain in my heart.

Charles Duchemin (Louis de Funès) is the boss of a famous red gastronomic guide. Did you investigate the Michelin guide for the scenario?

My frequent attendance at good Parisian restaurants was enough to nourish my story. The title of the film was also born in an excellent restaurant, Le Petit Colombier, rue des Acacias, in the seventeenth arrondissement. Its chef, Bernard Fournier, offers me a poultry and asks me: “The wing or the thigh?“

The scene where De Funès and Coluche enter the Tricatel factory would have been filmed in the immense Pernod-Ricard complex, in Créteil…

It’s true. Christian Fechner managed to enable us to work in this gigantic place with a futuristic design. We also took stolen shots in cranes, on construction sites around the factory…

At the beginning of the 80s, you achieved two other great successes, Inspector Burr And Banzaiwith Coluche. What did you like about him?

I spotted him in his early days, when he performed in small Parisian venues. I loved his incredible inventiveness: Michel was capable of imagining a world, characters and new gags. A perfectionist, he always carried a tape recorder around to record his ideas on the spot. He had the makings of a great actor.

Interview Jean-Baptiste Drouet for 7 Days TV