London Calling!–The Olivier Archive
So, the main reason for my upcoming trip to foggy London Town is to look through the Olivier Archive at the British Library. I have this project I’m determined to make happen in the relatively near future, you see. I would talk about it but I’m afraid if I do, it won’t ever happen. Let’s just say it involves The Oliviers and a whole lotta photos. I have my documents ready to get a reader pass! Reading about the Archive has gotten me so pumped up, I can’t even express the excitement about getting to see all of this…STUFF he kept. But what I’m most interested in looking at are the apparent stacks of photo albums and letters–particularly those pertaining to his life with Vivien Leigh. I’ve been searching through the manuscript catalog at the BL website to make sure I have the precise call numbers for things. I’m not sure how it works, but one of my grad student friends said it can taken them up to 4 hours to locate and present you with the material you want to view, so I have to budget my time wisely. There is so much in the Archive, I’m making a list of the things I want to look at. So far here’s what I’ve picked out. Each of them has a different reference number in the Archive:
a) Press cuttings relating to Olivier and Vivien Leigh’s life in Hollywood around the time of the outbreak of war; their return to Europe, including coverage of the cockpit fire on their flight from Lisbon to Bristol in January 1941.
b) Diaries; 1941-1950.
c) Letters from Olivier to the Press, with resulting correspondence, with Olivier’s responses to letters and articles.
Correspondence relating to fan letters in general, including statistics of numbers received, and distribution of moneys received with fan letters; 1946-1983. Statistics from 1955 to 1961 include figures for letters to Vivien Leigh.
Texts of letters or parts of letters used to answer the most common enquiries posed to Olivier.
d) Letters from Vivien Leigh to Laurence Olivier.
e) Correspondence relating to Vivien Leigh, and including Olivier’s correspondence with other people about her. There are also letters of, and relating to, Suzanne Holman (later Mrs Farringdon), Vivien Leigh’s daughter by her first marriage to Leigh Holman.f) Press cuttings relating to Vivien Leigh; 1939-1980.g) Portrait photographs of Vivien Leigh.
h) Framed photograph of Vivien Leigh with her pet cat.
i) Small framed photograph of Vivien Leigh, seen on a beach in the distance.
j) Photographs of Vivien Leigh.
k) Album of photographs of Vivien Leigh in Gone with the wind, on and off set; 1939.
l) Album of photographs of Vivien Leigh in the television production of The skin of our teeth; 1957.
m) Albums of cuttings relating to the professional and the social life of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh
n) Vivien Leigh films and social life cuttings, and Olivier films: Laurence Olivier Productions; 1949-1952. Hamlet, 1948-1951, and Carrie, 1951-1952, and in the theatre, the visit of the J.- L. Barrault company, 1951; The consul, 1951; and the Orson Welles Othello.
o) Album of social and publicity photographs, mostly of Vivien Leigh, but with some of Olivier; circa 1950-1953.
p) Album of Olivier and Vivien Leigh in Caesar and Cleopatra; 1951.
q) Album of Olivier on war service and at various social events. Includes rehearsal and performance photographs of the celebrated ‘Terrible triplets’ sketch performed with Vivien Leigh and Danny Kaye at the Sid Field Midnight Matinee in 1951; 1943-1951.
r) Album of Olivier and Vivien Leigh in The sleeping prince; and of Vivien Leigh in South Sea bubble; 1953-1956.
s) Album of Olivier and Vivien Leigh in the Stratford productions of Titus Andronicus and Macbeth.
t) Album of Olivier and Vivien Leigh on the European tour of Titus Andronicus; mostly social and publicity photographs; 1957.
It warms my heart to know he kept press clippings of Vivien up until the 80s ♥ . This is going to be such a fabulous resource, and I’m hoping they let me photocopy things like they do at the MHL in Beverly Hills. After all, that’s what libraries are for–RESEARCH! 
All in all though, it looks to be a lot of material, so I’m thinking it’ll take a few days of being holed up in the reading room. I think it’ll be worth it, though. At least, I hope so.
Kendra
Go go go Kendra. Whatever you find there, I’m sure your travel will be worth of it. I’m a bit surprised of the delay you mention : 4 hours ? I would be very surprised, that anything could not be located and brought within the next five minutes… I would be rather interested by the photos and the letters. Less by the clippings. Second hand. Thanks for letting us share a little the pleasure of your investigation.
I think the 4 hour thing depends on what material you’re looking at and where it’s housed. Some stuff is located off-site (the stuff my grad student friend was researching which was maps, I think), but I contacted the BL and they said the Olivier Archive is entirely at the library but it could take up to 70 minutes to retrieve the stuff. I’m guessing it’s kept in a vault in the basement somewhere. Yah, I’m most interested in the photos, for sure! I’ll keep you guys in the loop here!
The British Library has a copy of every book published (or at least is allowed to – they probably reject a lot) so they’re a bit busy.
To be able to find anything in five minutes would be very difficult!
It says on the site you can order things in advance…
I’m going to try, my friend recommended going before it closes and ordering things, then coming back when it opens the next day so you have all day with it. I bet it’s so huge and amazing, I love libraries so much!
it looks like the photocopying thing might be a bit much, though, we’ll see!
I’m so excited for you! The things you listed sound incredible. I think I’d be most interested in the diaries and letters!
Thank you! I’m thinking it is incredible and I can’t wait to see it! I’m most interested in the photos, I think
Nice blog, btw!
WOW Kendra…I am sooo excited for you!!
We will be in London end March early April and I hope to do the major sites. If you have luck in getting to Notley please let me know.
I am trying to guess where you will go with all the stuff you colate. I do have an idea but will keep it to myself so as not to ruin your surprise.
I wish you every success and hope you realise how much all of us Viv/Larry fans are in awe of you. For people like me who have not enough time to devote to them as we would like, it is a God send to have you…you will enable us to live our dreams through you. Thank you and all the best.
Thanks, Shiroma!
I hope you get to see everything you want to see on your London trip–there’s so much to see and do there, not to mention all the Larry and Viv sites!
If anything ever does happen with this idea of mine, I’ll let you know, but I don’t want to get my hopes up so I’m not saying anything here for now.
Thanks so much, that’s such a wonderfully nice thing to say and it definitely made my day
I’m glad you find the vivandlarry.com useful and fun!