I received an invitation to a Command Performance to be held in London for King George and the royal family. I was thrilled. It promised to be a marvelous experience, plus it would be a great chance for me to look for a baby boy [Russell was trying to adopt an older brother for her infant daughter Tracy].
I asked Mother if she'd like to come along, and she was thrilled. Robert [her husband] wouldn't come, since football season was with us once more. Michael Woulfe started designing two dresses. The first dress was to be worn when were presented to the royal family. I said, "Everyone wears white, not I." I wanted ruby red velvet a la Wuthering Heights or Rebecca with a low bodice trimmed in mink.
All the gang was thrilled I was going to do a Command Performance, now called the Royal Film Performance. As we were all sitting by the pool one Sunday afternoon, I was full of myself telling them about the gowns Michael was having whipped up for when I met their majesties. Robert quietly said, "Honey, please don't say 'sh*t' to the queen." We broke up.
When we got to London, the first thing Mother did was send a cable to my brother Tom that read, "Have arrived safely in London. God save the King!" Tom's return message to her was typical of him. It read, "God HELP the King, YOU will save him."
Rehearsals for the Royal Film Performance were starting soon... the previous day England had held her national elections and Winston Churchill had become prime minister again. On the front pages of the newspapers two large photos appeared side by side: Churchill and me. Over mine were the words "MISS RUSSELL IN LONDON TO ADOPT BABY BOY."
Finally, the big night itself:
We stood in a long line at the theater, all dressed up, to meet the king and queen... King George was ill and couldn't come. The queen was truly dear, though, sweet and unassuming. She had something to say to each one of us. She told me she had enjoyed my pictures with Bob Hope. The princesses [Princess Elizabeth was in Malta] seemed shy and were very pretty.
The show was successful and there was a grand party afterward, but my throat was sore. The next morning I awoke with strep throat.
Davis, Ronald L. Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy. University Press of Mississippi. 2001.Russell, Jane. Jane Russell: An Autobiography, My Paths and My Detours. A Jove Book. 1985.
My goodness! All of the back and forth about the film. All of the thought and work put into the dresses. All of the stars! And all of the rain. What a night!
ReplyDeleteSo much rain lol
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