Established in the centre of the town, the Olympic Music Hall presented all the great singing and music hall stars: Ella FITZGERALD, Gilbert BÉCAUD, Charles AZNAVOUR, Manitas de PLATA, Johnny HALLIDAY, etc.Committee for the diffusion of Arts and Letters by the Cinema
The experiment was conclusive judging from the attendances. In ten days there were twenty thousand paying entries, to which must be added four or five thousand guests, which gives an average of two thousand five hundred persons each evening. During the Games, "Grenoble Entertainment" in collaboration with the C.D.A.L.C. (Committee for the diffusion of Arts and Letters by the Cinema), the R.I.F.S. (The International Film Meetings for the Young) and the Grenoble Cine Club organised three film festivals; the second week of the sporting film; film festival for the young, and Homage to French Cinema.Gilbert BÉCAUD
It should also be noted that about ten concerts were given in Grenoble during the month of February. The Municipal Theatre and the Civic Cultural Centre presented rich and varied programmes; Giorgy CZIFFRA, National Orchestra of Paris (conducted by Ch. MUNCH and Serge BAUDO), University choir and interview with Olivier MESSIAEN.
Other artists, Lili LASTINE, Felicien WOLFF, Marie-Claire ALAIN were presented in both Catholic and Protestant Churches. In the domain of plastic art there were numerous manifestations. About twenty exhibitions were specially organized for the games, to which must be added the programmes of the private galleries which also made a remarkable effort.
The exhibitions at the Dauphinois Museum at St-Marie-d'en-Haut, the Art Museum (the finest Provincial Museum), the Le Corbusier and the Snow and Mountain exhibition, to mention only the main ones, were much appreciated.
The Bavarian Tavern, another temporary establishment, attracted extraordinary crowds. Twenty thousand people at least dined there during the period of the Olympic Games.
Two manifestations were outside the limits of what is usually called entertainment. By their originality they contributed to the success of the Winter Olympics.
Organized for those who wanted to profit from their stay in Grenoble to find out about the possibilities of the region, the Centre of Documentation on Regional Life fulfilled its role well.
An original idea which proved a great success was the cultural tours in minicoaches. Installed in the schools of the town, the techni-clubs, recreational centres for the young, fostered interesting contacts between young people from all over the world.
