Vivien Leigh: Part 2
Author: Trudy Stroup
Vivien Leigh enjoyed both a colorful career and a colorful life. One report claims that after Laurence visited Vivien backstage after the second performance he attended, she once again proclaimed to a friend her intentions to marry. When she was reminded that she was already married, her response was to quip "what does that matter?" She even took a friend with her on vacation that year and just happened to run into Laurence and Jill on the Isle of Capri. It seems no matter what she set out to do, she succeeded.
We have had a glimpse of the early life of Vivien and covered the fateful day she caught the eye of Laurence Olivier. Let's take a look at the way life changed for the headstrong, determined woman. Late in 1937, Larry and Vivian starred in "Fire Over England" together and developed a romantic relationship. They requested divorces from their spouses and both were denied. They subsequently got a small apartment together and then Larry got the call for a part in "Wuthering Heights" to be filmed in America. In 1938, he left both Jill and Vivien behind and made the trip to New York. Not to be one left behind, Vivien tried to get the leading role of Cathy in Larry's movie, only to be offered the part of friend Isabella. Refusing the part, Vivien was told about another movie being cast and won the role of Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" to be filmed in Hollywood. I believe this is where we left off in the last article.
Though Vivien was living with Larry in New York for a short time, she was required to move to California for filming. The days were long and the pace grueling. The weather was hot and the costumes were heavy. Filming in the states was not what she expected. Vivien found herself without friends or loved ones and depression began to plague her nights. In spite of the rapid pace of filming, they were falling behind schedule and filming increased to seven days a week. Vivien wrote letters to Leigh from time to time and in one such letter wrote this, "I hate Hollywood as much as I thought I would and I know I shall never be happy here." The pressure began to take its toll. Vivien had her first public manic episode. Today we call these episodes bi-polar disorder. In 1938, they were attributed to being high-strung if the episodes were few and far between. However, Vivien's episodes became more frequent as filming continued. She would be labeled Manic Depressive. Vivien began to form friendships with other cast members and became quite close to Clark Gable and his wife, Carole Lombard. She also befriended Olivia de Havilland who was ever her defender. In a 2006 interview Olivia said, "Vivien was impeccably professional, impeccably disciplined on “Gone with the Wind”. She had two great concerns: doing her best work in an extremely difficult role and being separated from Larry, who was living in New York."
Production on "Wuthering Heights" ended and Larry moved west to be with Vivien. Her happiness was evident and shined in her personality. Production wrapped on "Gone with the Wind" and Viv and Larry became the couple to be seen around Hollywood. They were frequently seen with Clark Gable and Carole Lombard at popular spots around town. The movie hit the big screen in December 1939, bringing national attention to the English actress playing the Southern Belle. Along with the good attention came the bad attention as often happens. The movie swept the Academy Awards. It was the first movie to earn 10 awards in the same event season. Vivien was the first Non-American to win the Best Actress Award. And her adulterous relationship became public knowledge. A fact that would affect the roles she and Larry would be allowed to play for quite a while. In February 1940, Leigh and Jill granted divorces to Vivien and Larry, retaining custody of their respective children, but the damage had been done. One review of “Gone with the Wind” painted the Vivien in a beautiful glow, praising her performance as a "film star". Vivien had this unexpected reaction: "I'm not a film star, I'm an actress. Being a film star, just a film star, is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity. Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvelous parts to play."
Vivien and Larry married August 31, 1940. To say it was a small affair is an understatement. The only attendants were Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin, the witnesses. Vivien wanted desperately to share the screen or stage with Larry but it just wasn't going to happen. The producers were afraid that the public view of their relationship would taint the outcome of the film. Vivien tried several times to find her way into one of Larry's movies to no avail. So they decided to produce their own play and share the stage. They invested their own money into the production of "Romeo and Juliet" but the reviews were devastating, the play closed and the financial loss was painful. To say the least, 1940 was a rollercoaster. 1941 was a new year and the couple had a new strategy. They took parts sparingly and kept a low profile, enjoying the relaxing time away from the judgment of the public. And then they got their chance to work together. "That Hamilton Woman" was a huge success and not just in the states. Winston Churchill reportedly had a showing of the movie in his home. It seemed the fickle public had quickly forgiven their indiscretions. The Olivier’s continued to be choosy about the parts they took working together on several projects. They bounced from stage to screen and back throughout their careers and continued to wow audiences in multiple countries. But sadly, manic depression reared its ugly head more and more often. Larry once said she was "suffering from an evil monster".
As World War II began taking its toll, the Oliviers decided to travel and entertain the troops. Vivien began experiencing symptoms of the flu and was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. A stay in the hospital eliminated her symptoms, but she would suffer from the effects throughout the rest of her life. In 1945, Vivien was filming "Caesar and Cleopatra" when she discovered she was expecting Larry's baby. Unfortunately, Vivien lost the baby in a fall during rehearsal and it sent her into her most drastic manic depressive episode to date. She took a year away from acting to recover and then returned to the London stage, her first love. In 1949, she won the role of Blanche Du Bois in the London production of "Streetcar Named Desire". She claimed her year of playing a woman trying to hide her mental illness drove her to madness. However, she followed the stage production with the film version in 1951 opposite Marlon Brando. From this point on, some critics say her film performances suffered greatly.
In 1953, Vivien suffered another miscarriage and had a complete mental breakdown. Larry was at her side for twenty years and they divorced in 1960. Larry remarried. Vivien never married again. She continued to act for a few more years. Her last play was "Ivanov" in which she portrayed a woman who dies of tuberculosis. In May 1967, tuberculosis reared its head once again. She was on the road to recovery when, on July 8th, her lover, Jack Merivale, returned home and found her asleep. He went to check on her half an hour later and found her on the floor. She had passed away. Merivale called Larry and he rushed to her home and prayed over her.
Vivien only made about twenty movies in her thirty plus year career. Although she didn't like to be thought of as typecast, she tended to play women who were headstrong, and slightly mentally ill. I think it was a way of letting out all of the pent up stress caused by her illness.
Her true love was the stage. The doe eyed beauty was preparing to begin rehearsal in London for her next play when she passed away. The London theatre district blacked out all light for an hour in her honor. She was truly a force to be reckoned with who forged her way against all odds. Her light was extinguished far too early. I can only imagine what she might have accomplished had she had more time.
© 2015-2016 Trudy Stroup. All rights reserved.
Author: Trudy Stroup
Vivien Leigh enjoyed both a colorful career and a colorful life. One report claims that after Laurence visited Vivien backstage after the second performance he attended, she once again proclaimed to a friend her intentions to marry. When she was reminded that she was already married, her response was to quip "what does that matter?" She even took a friend with her on vacation that year and just happened to run into Laurence and Jill on the Isle of Capri. It seems no matter what she set out to do, she succeeded.
We have had a glimpse of the early life of Vivien and covered the fateful day she caught the eye of Laurence Olivier. Let's take a look at the way life changed for the headstrong, determined woman. Late in 1937, Larry and Vivian starred in "Fire Over England" together and developed a romantic relationship. They requested divorces from their spouses and both were denied. They subsequently got a small apartment together and then Larry got the call for a part in "Wuthering Heights" to be filmed in America. In 1938, he left both Jill and Vivien behind and made the trip to New York. Not to be one left behind, Vivien tried to get the leading role of Cathy in Larry's movie, only to be offered the part of friend Isabella. Refusing the part, Vivien was told about another movie being cast and won the role of Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" to be filmed in Hollywood. I believe this is where we left off in the last article.
Though Vivien was living with Larry in New York for a short time, she was required to move to California for filming. The days were long and the pace grueling. The weather was hot and the costumes were heavy. Filming in the states was not what she expected. Vivien found herself without friends or loved ones and depression began to plague her nights. In spite of the rapid pace of filming, they were falling behind schedule and filming increased to seven days a week. Vivien wrote letters to Leigh from time to time and in one such letter wrote this, "I hate Hollywood as much as I thought I would and I know I shall never be happy here." The pressure began to take its toll. Vivien had her first public manic episode. Today we call these episodes bi-polar disorder. In 1938, they were attributed to being high-strung if the episodes were few and far between. However, Vivien's episodes became more frequent as filming continued. She would be labeled Manic Depressive. Vivien began to form friendships with other cast members and became quite close to Clark Gable and his wife, Carole Lombard. She also befriended Olivia de Havilland who was ever her defender. In a 2006 interview Olivia said, "Vivien was impeccably professional, impeccably disciplined on “Gone with the Wind”. She had two great concerns: doing her best work in an extremely difficult role and being separated from Larry, who was living in New York."
Production on "Wuthering Heights" ended and Larry moved west to be with Vivien. Her happiness was evident and shined in her personality. Production wrapped on "Gone with the Wind" and Viv and Larry became the couple to be seen around Hollywood. They were frequently seen with Clark Gable and Carole Lombard at popular spots around town. The movie hit the big screen in December 1939, bringing national attention to the English actress playing the Southern Belle. Along with the good attention came the bad attention as often happens. The movie swept the Academy Awards. It was the first movie to earn 10 awards in the same event season. Vivien was the first Non-American to win the Best Actress Award. And her adulterous relationship became public knowledge. A fact that would affect the roles she and Larry would be allowed to play for quite a while. In February 1940, Leigh and Jill granted divorces to Vivien and Larry, retaining custody of their respective children, but the damage had been done. One review of “Gone with the Wind” painted the Vivien in a beautiful glow, praising her performance as a "film star". Vivien had this unexpected reaction: "I'm not a film star, I'm an actress. Being a film star, just a film star, is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity. Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvelous parts to play."
Vivien and Larry married August 31, 1940. To say it was a small affair is an understatement. The only attendants were Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin, the witnesses. Vivien wanted desperately to share the screen or stage with Larry but it just wasn't going to happen. The producers were afraid that the public view of their relationship would taint the outcome of the film. Vivien tried several times to find her way into one of Larry's movies to no avail. So they decided to produce their own play and share the stage. They invested their own money into the production of "Romeo and Juliet" but the reviews were devastating, the play closed and the financial loss was painful. To say the least, 1940 was a rollercoaster. 1941 was a new year and the couple had a new strategy. They took parts sparingly and kept a low profile, enjoying the relaxing time away from the judgment of the public. And then they got their chance to work together. "That Hamilton Woman" was a huge success and not just in the states. Winston Churchill reportedly had a showing of the movie in his home. It seemed the fickle public had quickly forgiven their indiscretions. The Olivier’s continued to be choosy about the parts they took working together on several projects. They bounced from stage to screen and back throughout their careers and continued to wow audiences in multiple countries. But sadly, manic depression reared its ugly head more and more often. Larry once said she was "suffering from an evil monster".
As World War II began taking its toll, the Oliviers decided to travel and entertain the troops. Vivien began experiencing symptoms of the flu and was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. A stay in the hospital eliminated her symptoms, but she would suffer from the effects throughout the rest of her life. In 1945, Vivien was filming "Caesar and Cleopatra" when she discovered she was expecting Larry's baby. Unfortunately, Vivien lost the baby in a fall during rehearsal and it sent her into her most drastic manic depressive episode to date. She took a year away from acting to recover and then returned to the London stage, her first love. In 1949, she won the role of Blanche Du Bois in the London production of "Streetcar Named Desire". She claimed her year of playing a woman trying to hide her mental illness drove her to madness. However, she followed the stage production with the film version in 1951 opposite Marlon Brando. From this point on, some critics say her film performances suffered greatly.
In 1953, Vivien suffered another miscarriage and had a complete mental breakdown. Larry was at her side for twenty years and they divorced in 1960. Larry remarried. Vivien never married again. She continued to act for a few more years. Her last play was "Ivanov" in which she portrayed a woman who dies of tuberculosis. In May 1967, tuberculosis reared its head once again. She was on the road to recovery when, on July 8th, her lover, Jack Merivale, returned home and found her asleep. He went to check on her half an hour later and found her on the floor. She had passed away. Merivale called Larry and he rushed to her home and prayed over her.
Vivien only made about twenty movies in her thirty plus year career. Although she didn't like to be thought of as typecast, she tended to play women who were headstrong, and slightly mentally ill. I think it was a way of letting out all of the pent up stress caused by her illness.
Her true love was the stage. The doe eyed beauty was preparing to begin rehearsal in London for her next play when she passed away. The London theatre district blacked out all light for an hour in her honor. She was truly a force to be reckoned with who forged her way against all odds. Her light was extinguished far too early. I can only imagine what she might have accomplished had she had more time.
© 2015-2016 Trudy Stroup. All rights reserved.