Madeleine Carroll, who recently returned to the United States from France, where she spent part of the war and post-war years, introducing her husband, French war-hero Henri Lavorel (right) to Bob Hope, in New York. Madeleine will return to Hollywood to resume her screen career.
MADELEINE CARROLL IN ENGLAND
British-born film star Madeleine Carroll and her French husband, Mr Henri Lavorel, were among the arrivals at Southampton today, Thursday, in the ‘Queen Elizabeth’. After a night in London, Mr. And Mrs. Lavorel are going to their house outside Paris, taking with them Madeleine’s mother, who lives in Kent.
The envelope contained material relating to Madeleine Carroll, actress, co-star, alongside Robert Donat, of The 39 Steps – some documents and three large format photographic prints, all originally from the archives of a newspaper, though the photographs had originally been issued by Reuters.
I thought vaguely about whether John and Kate had laughed to themselves as they cooked this up – and whether they were laughing still. This wasn’t worth £100. Or even £50. I wondered whether I shouldn’t actually just throw it all into the canal.
But I didn’t.
The most evocative (and poignant) of the documents was a letter to the editor of the newspaper in question, taking issue with inaccuracies in its obituary of Carroll – and pointing out for the record that she had, contrary to popular belief, lived for many years in Spain. The signature is illegible, but beside it someone has written, ever so faintly, in pencil: a cousin ?
I felt a shiver of shame. Up until this point I hadn’t been interested in Carroll. Not in the slightest.