TRULY, MADLY – VIVIEN LEIGH AND LAURENCE OLIVIER
The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series
Welcome to The Not Old Better Show available on the radio and everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. I’m Paul Vogelzang and as part of our Smithsonian Associates Interview Series, we are about to discuss the sweeping story of a relationship between two Hollywood legends.
Our guest today is Stephen Galloway, who’ll join us in a moment when Stephen Galloway, the former executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter, and I talk political, personal, and cinematic history in this dishy interview about the tumultuous marriage of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
Stephen Galloway will be appearing Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at the Smithsonian Associates program, and the title of his presentation is Truly, Madly: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and the Romance of the Century. Stephen Galloway has written a new best-selling novel of the same name…you’ll find that and more on our website, listed in today’s show notes.
In 1934, a friend brought fledgling actress Vivien Leigh to see Theatre Royal, where she would first lay eyes on Laurence Olivier in his brilliant performance as Anthony Cavendish. She knew he was the man she was going to marry. There was just one problem: She was already married—and so was he. And that was just one of many dramatic elements in a book full of them.
A good choice for lovers of theater and cinema—and for those who live for the drama.
Decades after both actors’ deaths, the story of their love affair still captivates millions. They were two of the first truly global celebrities, whose fame was fueled by the explosive growth of tabloids and television. They seemed to have it all, but Leigh’s long-undiagnosed mental illness ultimately transformed their relationship from the stuff of dreams into a living nightmare.
Our guest today, Author Stephen Galloway draws on new research—including exclusive access to uncovered correspondence and interviews with their friends and family—for a look at their tempestuous relationship; one that took place against the backdrop of two world wars, the Golden Age of Hollywood and the upheavals of the 1960s—as they struggled with love, loss and the ultimate agony of their parting.
Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show, author Stephen Gallaway.
My thanks to author Stephen Galloway. Stephen Galloway will be appearing Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at the Smithsonian Associates program, and the title of his presentation is Truly, Madly: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and the Romance of the Century. Stephen Galloway has written a new best-selling novel of the same name…you’ll find that and more on our website, listed in today’s show notes. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience here on the radio and on podcasts everywhere.
For more information about Smithsonian Associates and details, please check out our website show notes today at notold-better.com. Thanks, everybody.
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