In Art Buchwald's “I’ll Always Have Paris!” name-dropping achieves the status of artform. In his second
memoir, Buchwald shares many memories of meeting the famous, his unembellished writing style
making these encounters somewhat tolerable. A college dropout with no knowledge of French and with more than a soupçon of confidence, Buchwald decided on Paris as the ideal temporary destination for an aspiring writer. In 1948, the young ex-Marine booked passage to France on a troopship salvaged from the War. Buchwald took up residence in a hotel upon arrival. Realizing that more permanent lodgings would extend his resources, the author contacted someone he knew living in Paris. His childhood friend, Buddy had planned to vacate his
apartment for the summer. The apartment temporarily became Buchwald’s. Signing up for the G.I. Bill required a commitment to study. Buchwald’s academy of choice was the Alliance Francaise, a French language school. The only thing Buchwald learned was that the attendance taker would take bribes. He never attended class or attained a satisfactory knowledge of French. Throughout his stay in Paris, Buchwald’s adventures proved a mix of luck and nerve. Supporting himself through money provided by the G.I. Bill and selling his French gasoline stamps for American dollars, Buchwald felt fairly affluent. Fortunately for Buchwald, when his status as a non-student became an issue and he lost the monthly $75 US Government stipend, he was writing for the Herald Tribune, making $25 weekly. The writer relocated to the Hotel des Etats-Unis. Being in Paris during the expatriate “boom” enabled Buchwald to talk himself into a job. As entertainment writer for the Herald Tribune, Buchwald frequented bars and cafes, making connections. Actors, musicians and gangsters entered Buchwald’s gang of acquaintances, and his Tribune columns. He wrote two columns, one on films and the other on nightclubs. Not a polyglot, Buchwald navigated the world of French cinema by awarding every picture a good review. The column on nightclubs enabled Mr. Buchwald to escort the famous and infamous around Paris. He introduced Elvis and many others to Parisian nightlife. Buchwald’s memoir distills the character of Paris during the years when artists, writers and assorted celebrities converged on the city. The book also focuses on Buchwald’s more intimate life. He courts and, with Lena Horne’s help, marries a woman very much his opposite. The couple obviously relished the notion of difference, adopting three children: Joel from Ireland, Connie from Spain and Jennifer from France. After fourteen years, Buchwald realized that Paris had become mundane, acknowledging that his column had grown hackneyed. Accompanied by his mini-United Nations, he reluctantly returned to the United States. Washington, D.C. would be his next destination; political satire, his genre.