Les Rois du gag

Les Rois du gag is a 1985 French comedy film directed by Claude Zidi. It was released on 12 March 1985 in France.

Plot
Paul Martin and François Leroux are brothers-in-law, friends, room-mates and gagmen without fame. But one day, one of the most famous television comics, Gaëtan, who has just laid off two of his gagmen considered too old and not original enough, finds himself in the little theatre where Paul and François produce themselves under the name of "Gagsters". Having come to meet Georges Khorseri, a mate of Paul and François, he assists for the first part at their duet. Seduced by their style, he hires them.

For both of them, it is the beginning of the fame, but Gaëtan has a hard time to convince his wife, the shrewish Jacqueline, that he loves his troublemaker job, because she dreams of his as the role of the prestigious director Robert Wellson (a grotesque pastiche between Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick), who will soon shoot his latest masterpiece near Paris.

Cast

 * Michel Serrault ... Gaëtan / Robert Wellson
 * Gérard Jugnot ... Paul Martin
 * Thierry Lhermitte ... François Leroux
 * Macha Méril ... Jacqueline
 * Mathilda May ... Alexandra
 * Didier Kaminka ... René
 * Coluche ... Georges Khorseri
 * Maurice Baquet ... Robert
 * Pierre Doris ... Jean
 * Carole Jacquinot ... Catherine Martin
 * Ticky Holgado ... the man who files a claim for injuries
 * Pierre Tchernia ... the Césars host
 * Claude Brasseur ... himself at the César (uncredited)
 * Philippe Noiret ... himself at the César (uncredited)
 * Pierre Richard ... himself at the César (uncredited)

Cultural references and parodies
The program and the character of Gaëtan were freely inspired of the humour programs of the period hosted by Stéphane Collaro and his team in the mid-1980s with The Collaro Show and Benny Hill.

The director Robert Wellson is a parody of Orson Welles, with close resemblances with Jean-Luc Godard and Frederico Fellini.

On the filming stage of Robert Wellson (Michel Serrault), Jacqueline (Macha Méril), the spouse of Gaëtan (also Michel Serrault), recommends to the make-up artist not to put too much face powder on the face of her husband, arguing that his character "comes out of the sewers, not from La Cage aux Folles".

Production
At the beginning, the scenario was written by Les Charlots and Michel Serrault but because of a problem between the group and the director, the film was re-written for Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte.

The role of Georges, the hysterical comic, was portrayed by Coluche who made one of his last film appearances before his tragical death on motorcycle.

Claude Brasseur, Philippe Noiret, Pierre Richard and Pierre Tchernia appeared in their own role during a sketch of fake awards.