Category: the oliviers

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Book Recommendations

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People frequently leave comments on the Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier Facebook page asking what the best Vivien Leigh biographies are.  Which books books should they read to learn more about the actress?  What do I think of a certain book?

The Oliviers’ fame spanned different mediums: film, theatre, television, photography, and there are many books besides standard biographies that contain interesting information and amazing pictures.  I thought it would be useful to make a post about the Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier books that I personally think are tops.  I’ve separated the list into categories and provided links to where you can purchase your own copy.  If you would like to see a list of all of the books that were used in the making of vivandlarry.com, check out the resources page.

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Welcome to Theatreland!

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Having a day off from screenings and seminars, I decided to meander over to the West End and take photos of some of the places associated with Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. 95% of the theatres they performed in are in walking distance from one another. Piccadilly and Soho are great areas in which to explore your photography skills because there are simply so many interesting things to see. Modern architecture meets centuries-old buildings; Chinatown backs up into Leicester Square; posh St James intermingles with the art district.  It’s a mish-mash of fabulosity, and I love exploring these sorts of places.

For those of you who are coming to the Weekend with the Oliviers event in May, these are some of the places I’m planning to take you to on our walking tour.  Enjoy the view of London’s theatreland!

Ambassadors Theatre, West Street. Vivien Leigh became an overnight sensation when she performed here in The Mask of Virtue in 1935

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Friends of the Oliviers: Deborah Kerr

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Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier counted many famous people among their circle of friends: artists, politicians, actors, etc.  One of those people was British actress Deborah Kerr, whom you may know from such films as Black Narcissus, The Innocents, From Here to Eternity, and The King and I, among many others.  I’d always wanted to know if there were photos out there of Deborah and Vivien Leigh hanging out together, but they seemed impossible to find…until now, that is!

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