Abstract
Perhaps the biggest star in the history of French popular cinema, Fernandel remains inseparable from his comic roles. This article will examine the “serious” films made by the star in the 1950s, placing them in context: one can be surprised why the actor was acting at the time in another genre. The article analyzes these films in the light of the discussions on the popularity of Fernandel from the letters sent by ordinary moviegoers to the editor of the magazine Le Film complet, debates that are about both the comic/dramatic dichotomy and differences in gendered and generational reading. We try to explain why the (young) female readers of the magazine welcomed the dramatic roles of an actor they disliked in comic performances, while the men (young and old) enjoy both types of movies, for other reasons than those expressed by the female fans of the star.
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