Bundle of correspondence

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 133 FRD1/1/146
  • Former Reference
      GB 133 RDF1-15; RDF17-41. Manuscript and typescript.
  • Dates of Creation
      20 Sep 1943-22 Jul 1955
  • Physical Description
      40 pieces; 48 leaves.

Scope and Content

With Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965), writer, including some related correspondence with RD's agent Christopher Mann. Topics covered include: Farjeon's play Madame Recamier, sent to RD for his consideration in 1943, and ultimately returned as unsuitable; The Glass Slipper, written by Farjeon and her brother Herbert for RD in 1943; Farjeon's account of the last performance of the play in February 1945 (/17); the possibility of a revival the following year; RD's production [of The Cure for Love] in 1945; a play entitled The Absolute at Large by an unnamed Czech writer; RD's verdict on the 1945-6 production of The Glass Slipper, including criticism of Stephen Thomas, an actor engaged on the Farjeons' advice (/25); RD's performance [in Much Ado About Nothing at the Aldwych] in October 1946; Jane Douglass's interest in producing The Glass Slipper in New York in 1947; the acquisition by Laurence [Olivier] of the production rights for the play in 1950; the sale of the film rights for the play in 1954, and Farjeon's criticism of the film script.

Also included are: two typescript poems by Farjeon (/1-2); a typescript copy of an article by Farjeon entitled 'How we came to write The Glass Slipper'; and an agreement dated 7 Oct 1943 between Meadway Productions Ltd and the Farjeons for the writing of a Christmas Entertainment provisionally entitled Cinderella (/8).

Related Material

Further correspondence with Farjeon is included in FRD1/8/1. See also FRD1/5 for further papers relating to The Glass Slipper.