The Daily News Of The Virgin Islands

JACK PARR'S FAVORITE IN ST. THOMAS

A Bad Cold Made For Genevieve's TV Fame

Genevieve, the French sensation of the "Jack Parr Show" is on the island for a short vacation. St. Thomas she finds to be paradise and comparable to the French and Italian Rivieras in its informality.

This is not her first trip to the Virgin Islands however. Like many others who return for occasional visits, she first came here on her honeymoon and has made several trips down since then.

"We found a cute little house on St. Thomas that we had thought of buying," she said, "but then we found this beautiful town house on East 50th Street in New York and I fell in love with it. It's the first home I've owned and it's very exciting."

Looking back on her career, Genevieve pointed out that she first arrived in America in 1954, accompanied by her partner, Luc Poret, now manager of the Gate here in St. Thomas. Together in Paris the two operated a combination restaurant-night club, "Chez Genevieve."

Questioned as to how she became such an overnight success on the "Jack Parr Show" the entertainer revealed that it was all a quirk of circumstances.

Her first appearance on the show was in the capacity of a singer and it was not planned that she would join the panel following her performance. At the time she was scheduled to appear she was suffering from a bad cold but she went on anyway. Half-way through the number she completely lost her voice and ended up talking the remainder of the song.

"I thought I was a failure" she said, "and I went off into a corner in the wings and began to cry." Unknown to her Parr had been informed that "the little French girl" was backstage crying. He came back to console her, and unknown to Genevieve, the two of them were on the camera during the episode. Parr invited her to come out and sit on the panel along with the other guests, and that was the beginning of what was to be a lasting relationship between the two.

Thousands of letters came into NBC following a rather innocent outburst of Genevieve's when on one of the shows Parr asked a guest, Gypsy Rose Lee, whether or not she was going to strip.

"I didn't realize that he was kidding at the time so I immediately burst forth in shocked indignation because I don't like strip tease acts," Genevieve said.

Apparently the millions of viewers were taken by Genevieve's comically innocent reaction judging from the many favorable responses the network received following the incident.

All last winter and spring Genevieve along with Poret toured in her own show, "An Evening With Genevieve."

With hardly time for a rest, she then went back on the road during the summer in Cole Porter's "Can-Can," a musical she has been doing for some time now.

"I am through with the road and travelling for the time being," she says. Contrary to popular belief very little money is realized out of night club appearances. Genevieve points out to get a show together with new gowns, musical arrangements and all that goes along with it will cost a performer in the neighborhood of $25,000 she said.

"You perform in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami and Las Vegas and in the end it is only the Vegas appearance that really pays enough to make it worth your while," she points out.

Genevieve plans to remain in St. Thomas through Sunday. Her husband, New York producer, will join her on Thursday and the two will divide their time.

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OUT OF HER ELEMENT in front of the TV cameras. Genevieve, the talented French personality and a favorite on the "Jack Parr Show" is shown as she stirs the pot of a French creation in the kitchen at the Gate. Stating that cooking is her favorite past time and hobby, Genevieve couldn't resist taking over the chef's duties at the local restaurant which her former partner, Luc Poret manages. She will be visiting in St. Thomas through the weekend.
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where she is living, and St. Thomas going over old times with Poret.
As for the future Genevieve says she plans to do a Jack Parr Show once a month and the rest of the time just resting at home
and engaging in her favorite pastime, cooking.
A trip to Europe in the Winter and a tour of Africa along with Parr in the spring will round out her season's activities before she probably relents and hits the time between Hassal Island road in the summer.