The Gendarme

The Gendarme series is a series of six French comedy films set in Saint-Tropez, a fashionable resort on the French Riviera. All six films revolve around the main character of Ludovic Cruchot, played by the French actor and comedian Louis de Funès. Cruchot is an over-zealous officer of the French gendarmerie who repeatedly finds himself in the middle of a crisis, with Cruchot and the gendarmes being the best hope to solve it.

The first film in the series – The Troops of St. Tropez – was released in 1964, spawning five sequels. The last sequel was released in 1982.

The series never had an official title, but all film titles in the French language begin with the word "Le gendarme". The titles sometimes vary in different languages. For example, the first film in the series sometimes uses the English language title The Troops of St. Tropez and sometimes the title The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez.

Only Louis de Funès, Michel Galabru, Guy Grosso, Michel Modo and France Rumilly played in all six films of the series.

The Troops of St. Tropez was the most successful French cinema release in 1964 and the series enjoyed enormous global success.