High life
Floating the girls
Taki
hen I read about the Melbourne brothel that's preparing a flotation on the Australian stock exchange, I immediately thought of Madame Claude, and what a killing she would have made had she gone public. For any of you too young to remem- ber the most hallowed Parisian institute once more familiar to the Western world's moneyed classes than such prosaic land- marks as the Louvre and Versailles — a brief resume.
Located in the Rue Marignan, just off the Champs Elysees, Madame Claude's was the maison de passe par excellence. Claude Grudet was a tiny brunette with a strong personality and a pleasant smile. She had spent four years in Buchenwald and had a number on her arm. Although Jewish, she was strongly anti-Semitic. She was married to a soi-disant resistance hero. (Lots of those in France.) She entered the oldest profession when she met Jan, an extraordinarily beautiful Dane, who was a belle-de-jour type, i.e. she did it for the sport. Claude became her manager and the two never looked back. Once established, Claude concentrated on recruiting models, struggling actresses and dancers. These were the early Sixties, pre- inflationary times, and, unlike today, mod- els were paid little. Some were happily married and sought to supplement their allowance, all were educated, spoke more than one language, and dressed impecca- bly. Parisians still talk about certain society hostesses who began their careers as Claude girls. I know at least three of them.
Claude reigned supreme during the Six- ties and early Seventies. A client would be provided with information about size, colour of hair, nationality and sexual pref- erence. The price was $100. Men were not fawned over only to be hurried out once the price was paid. Money, in fact, was never mentioned. Some clients were per- mitted to open charge accounts. My friend Porfirio Rubirosa, the great Dominican playboy and athlete, was a regular, in fact he was the one who introduced me to her. Had Claude floated her establishment on the stock market back then she would have made the proverbial killing. Her clientelle was the Fortune 500, at least part of it.
The end came suddenly and unfairly. When George Pompidou succeeded De Gaulle as President in 1969, there were immediate rumours about his wife, who unfortunately had the same Christian name as Madame Grudet. Claude Pompidou was rumoured to be a client of Madame Claude's, using her girls for lesbian assigna- tions. The rumour was launched by ene- mies of Pompidou, namely Mitterand and his gang. As far as I know, there was abso- lutely no truth in it, Claude Pompidou being a lady who may have looked lesbian, but who behaved impeccably as First Lady.
When Giscard became president in 1974, the city went wild with rumours about him having been a customer. Giscard, a phoney aristocrat if there ever was one — his father bought the D'Estaing name — immediately had Claude closed to show he had nothing to fear. The plan was for her to open after six months. That is when she made her great mistake. Seeing others tak- ing her girls and clientele away, she passed the word to Giscard that she would do a Hewitt. The man who passed the word was Alexander de Marenches, head of the French CIA and a cousin of Arnaud de Borchgrave. Giscard had no choice. He put the fisc after her. Claude, having operated all those years while the authorities turned a blind eye, had never declared any income tax. She had to flee to Los Angeles. End of the greatest brothel ever.
Six years later, the ghastly Giscard lost to the even phonier Mitterand, who turned the whole French government into one big brothel. Claude returned, went to prison for a while, then reopened only to fail mis- erably. The rich, I suppose, were into screwing each other in business, and the young were into 'finding' themselves. Nobody cared for hookers any more. Claude then wrote a book which was better than the Pasternak one, but not much. She is now a non-person, like Hewitt and Pasternak. Alas, both Giscard and Mitterand are still around. The actual brothel is now a pizza palace.
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