[ Phyllis Hartnoll, theatre historian. ] Correspondence with her agent W. T. Macqueen-Pope, impressario Jack Hylton and actress Freda Jackson regarding her translation of 'The Lady of the Camellias', together with two versions of the translation.

An interesting collection, giving an insight into theatre practices in post-war Britain. Hartnoll is commissioned by the actress Freda Jackson, then at the height of her popularity, to produce an adaptation of the play, Jackson gets impressario Jack Hylton and producer Anthony Hawtrey on board, and there is the inevitable falling out between the actress and the author, with Macqueen-Pope, who is acting as Hartnoll's agent, playing the mediator, as matters become acrimonious. Jackson had made her debut in 1934 at the Northampton Repertory Company, and the same company would finally stage Hartnoll's adaptation in July 1955. She would later list the role as her favourite in her entry in 'Who's Who in the Theatre'. For more information about Hartnoll - a poet who had won the Newdigate Prize while at Oxford in 1929 - see her obituary in The Times, 28 January 1997. The present collection, from the Macqueen-Pope papers, is in good condition, with light signs of age and wear. The following description is in eight sections. ONE: Typescript of 'The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. Translated and Adapted by Phyllis Hartnoll. Undated. Hobbits given as address. 96pp., 4to. Bound with orange ribbon in red card wraps with white typed labels. A few autograph emendations, including the melodramatic final words of Armand: 'Marguerite! Marguerite! Dead, dead! Oh God, what will become of me?' Loosely inserted is a Typed Letter Signed to Macqueen-Pope from Laurence Evans of M.C.A. (London) Ltd, 24 May 1950, apologising for not being 'able to make any progress with Miss Hartnoll's play', and returning it. TWO: Typescript of an earlier draft of Item One, with same title. 131pp., 4to. On unbound leaves, attached in one corner with string. Undated. Hobbits given as address. More wordy and less punchy than the finished text. THREE: Correspondence with Macqueen-Pope, comprising: 23 Typed Letters Signed, 4 Autograph Letters Signed, 6 Typed Cards Signed, 4 Autograph Cards Signed, a telegram and a signed receipt (for £100 in 'advance royalties paid by Jack Hylton in respect of the production of "The Lady of the Camellias"). Dating from between 26 September 1947 and 28 October 1948. The letters all addressed to 'Dear Popie' and all signed 'Phyllis'. Throughout the correspondence Hartnoll writes at length and with impatience regarding the business arrangements and Macqueen-Pope's efforts to obtain a contract from Hylton. A letter of 26 July 1958 is accompanied by a page regarding 'Camille in U.S.A.', and another, with autograph additions, on 'France and England - Camille'. The correspondence also includes theatrical news, discussion of some points of theatre history relevant to her editing of 'The Oxford Companion to the Theatre' (published in 1951), and personal news (including a number of references to her partner Winifred Kimberley). In a memorandum accompanying the first letter, 26 September 1947, Hartnoll gives a useful resumé of the state of affairs up to that point: 'On Aug. 29, 1946 I had supper with Freda Jackson and her husband and she mentioned casually that she would like to play Marguerite Gautier, but couldn't find a good English translation. So I offered to do one. She agreed. I then went home and read the play, decided that an English translation would be hopeless and that the only thing to do was to go back to the original novel and make a new free adaptation of it, keeping just the outline of the story and Dumas's highspots. [...] I began the final version o[n] May 5 and finished it on the 15th (two typings). Sent it to Freda, who wrote on May 19th to [s]ay "wonderful!". [...] On June 25 she wrote hastily to ask me to send a copy of the script to her husband who is doing the sets (Henry Bird). In this she said for the first time that the play might go on in October. On Sept. 1 I had a letter to say "Jack Hylton likes D. aux C. very much. [last two words underlined] We are in process of casting and it will be produced D.V. in October some time. Jack will be writing to you about options etc." On Sept. 21 I phoned her in town, and she said there might be some delay, that Tony Hawtrey [actor Anthony Hawtrey (1909-1954)] would probably produce, because she was used to him, [...] and that the cast wasn't settled. Also that though it would not be at the Winter Garden, I wasn't to worry, it would be easy to find a theatre, and that "we" by which I presumed she meant Hylton and herself, were going to visit several plays to see people whom they had in mind for the cast. And that she would let me know. So there we are.' Regarding casting she writes at one point: 'I see that they have lost their chance of having Paul Schofield for Armand, as he has signed on for Stratford again'. By the end of the correspondence Hartnoll has lost patience with her leading actress. She opens a letter of 6 October 1948: 'I have just had a long and somewhat incoherent letter from Freda Jackson, which I am not bothering to send on, as you are no doubt used to these exhibitions of temperament - or just plain temper! She accuses you of making trouble with Hylton and Hawtrey, but omits to say about what, or in what way, [...] Anyhow, Freda threatened me with discarding my version in favour of Ginsbury's, which didn't frighten me in the least, as I just don't care, at this stage, what they do.' The penultimate letter, 17 October 1948, ends in bitter style regarding an unauthorised revision of Hartnoll's text: 'No wonder Freda Jackson didn't want me to see this! She has not been content with cutting and titivating a bit, which I was prepared for, and could condone, but she has literally re-written every line - silly things, like substituting "scarcely" for "barely" and "I cannot tell" for "I don't know" and "The snow has ceased to fall" for "It has stopped snowing". The consequence is that the whole thing reads like a fourth-rate melodrama, written by some poor half-educated hack, and I pity the poor devils who have got to learn the stuff. In fact, she has destroyed the only thing of value in my adaptation - style, and rhythm and a certain feeling for words. It's just pretentious and stilted and full of the most God-awful clichés, which I did my utmost to avoid.' FOUR: Two Typed Letters Signed to Macqueen-Pope from Jack Hylton. 7 and 20 May 1948. Both on his letterhead from His Majesty's Theatre Offices, Haymarket, London. The first sending 'two copies of the Agreement' in respect of Hartnoll's adaptation, the second acknowledging receipt of the signed contract. With two Typed Letters Signed, on the same letterhead, to Macqueen-Pope from Hylton's assistant T. H. Bostock, the second (30 October 1948) asserting that he 'had no knowledge whatsoever that Miss Jackson had made any alterations to the script, and if such alterations have been made, I naturally assumed that they were done in close co-operation with the authoress'. Also a typed copy of a letter from Bostock to Anthony Hawtrey ('Dear Tony'), 8 October 1948, granting him permission 'to produce the above Play with Freda Jackson to play the lead, at Brighton for one week and the Embassy Theatre, Swiss Cottage, for up [to] four weeks, for a Royalty of 5% (Five per cent) of the gross receipts'. Accompanied carbon copies of thirteen letters from Macqueen-Pope: five to Hylton (three of them to 'My dear Jack') and eight to Bostock. Also a copy of a letter to Hylton from Hartnoll. FIVE: Typed Letter Signed to Macqueen-Pope from Freda Jackson. 20 October 1948. 67 Aberdare Gardens, Hampstead, NW6. She discusses 'an "Embassy" production' that was 'suggested by Mr. Hawtrey', claiming to know nothing of 'the business arrangement between Mr. Hawtrey and Mr. Hylton'. She denies having altered Hartnoll's text without her consent, adding: 'She wrote this adaptation at my instigation and we have worked in close collaboration on it from the beginning. Where it has been impossible to use Miss Hartnoll's own text Dumas' own words from the novel have been substituted. Miss Hartnoll's first adaptation upon which Mr. Hylton took anShe denies having altered Hartnoll's text without her consent, adding: 'She wrote this adaptation at my instigation and we have worked in close collaboration on it from the beginning. Where it has been impossible to use Miss Hartnoll's own text Dumas' own words from the novel have been substituted. Miss Hartnoll's first adaptation upon which Mr. Hylton took an option was found to be so long as to have run 4½ hours without interval.' Also present are: a telegram to Hartnoll from Jackson., and two carbon copies: the first of a letters to Jackson by Macqueen-Pope, and the second a typed transcript of a letter from Jackson to Hartnoll. SIX: Carbon copies of 26 typed letters from Macqueen-Pope to Hartnoll ('My dear Phyllis'). Dating from between 27 September 1947 and 21 March 1950. Written in a soothing and reassuring style. An interesting letter of 15 October 1948, regarding the planned performance at the Embassy Theatre in Brighton, starts: 'You will now being to realise what a crazy world you have got yourself into. There is no reason to doubt Bostock's statement that Jackson and Hawtrey went ahead without asking him. You have by this time sufficient experience of her methods and statements to know what she would do. [...] When it comes to matters of cash Bostock will be active enough. He would lend the scenery willingly - although it will probably be lease-lend when it comes to brass tacks - as by so doing he can get the play on and then, if it succeeds, his claws into it.' SEVEN: Proofs of three photographs of Hartnoll. On 20 July 1948 she writes to Macqueen-Pope regarding them: 'About a photo - I enclose proofs of two taken in New York. There is another, but in spectacles, which is being used for the O. C. Th. in which I look horribly blue-stocking, so I don't think we will use it.' The photograph of Hartnoll in spectacles is one of the three present. EIGHT: Three copies of a typed 'Memorandum of Agreement' regarding the play, between Hartnoll and an unnamed party (space left blank).