Cent francs par seconde

Jacques Antoine,till his death in 2012,was indefatigable,ceaselessly creating new games for the radio and TV.For the record ,"Tournez Manèges" "Le Schmilblick " and "Fort Boyard" ,to name but three,were his ideas.

So was "100 Francs Par Seconde" (100 F a second),a radio program in the fifties ;this game may seem silly ,but certainly not more stupid than many games of today .

A guy is sick and tired of losing every time he tries his luck at "100 Francs a second.He mistakes a young man ,Philippe,for a fortune-teller and he asks him to have a go at the radio game.

A game sponsored by a quinine tonic wine (supposed to pep you up)made by M.Bourdinet who fired Philippe who was more interested in his boss's daughter than in his work.

After a forfeit (a bolster blow on the head),Philippe's got all the answers:history,geography,science,music,sculpture,literature ,you name it;even algebra and quadratic Equations!(only an event can stop the game:a train coming into a station;but what a Lucky break:railroad men are on strike!) The game becomes a marathon ,the winner reaching millions of Francs threatening to ruin his former boss.

This is a very pleasant comedy by Jean Boyer,with now and then,lines which hit home ,even if its last twenty minutes are a little repetitive .Philippe Lemaire ,the romantic male lead of the era ,proves he was efficient as a comic actor as well;he was dethroned in the sixties by a young generation of actors and committed suicide in the early naughties.

like this? Try this.....

"lo Scopone Scientifico" ,Luigi Comencini,1969.