I understood immediately that to get success I had to make for the front door, not for the back one.

Undaunted Jean Gabin joined General Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces and earned the Médaille militaire and a Croix de guerre for his wartime valor fighting with the Allies in North Africa. He continued performing in a variety of minor roles before going into the military. He then found a French producer and director willing to cast him and Marlene Dietrich together but their film Martin Roumagnac was not a success and their personal relationship soon ended.