Diary Entry: Went to tea at the Hind with Miss Phillips. We went to Deanna Durbin in “It’s a date”. Diary notes: “It’s a date” was an American musical starring Deanna Durbin, the Canadian born Hollywood star who was popular within the Dell family (not least because KPD’s sister, Veronica, was thought to look like …
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Diary Date: 18th October [1940]
Diary Entry: Went to “His Girl Friday.” Diary notes: “His Girl Friday” is an American comedy film directed by Howard Hawks starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. It is regarded as one of the archetypes of the “screwball comedy” genre. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Girl_Friday By “Copyrighted by Columbia Pictures Corp, New York, N. Y. 1939” – Scan …
Diary Date: 11th October [1940]
Diary Entry: Went to Northampton to see “Four Wives.” Diary notes: “Four Wives” is an American drama from 1939. It starred three of the famous ‘Lane’ sisters. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Wives By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51922134
Diary Date: 6th October [1940]
Diary Entry: “Bombs dropped midday”. Diary notes: Daylight bombing raids were somewhat rarer than night-time ones; in theory they should be more accurate, so why bombs were dropped near rural Wellingborough is a slight mystery. Possibly a German plane returning home was getting rid of bombs to lighten its load. A month or so later …
Diary Date: 4th October [1940]
Diary Entry: We went to “Music in my heart” Diary notes: ‘We’ probably refers to ‘Nanny’ (see notes for the diary entry on 27th September. “Music in my heart” was a 1940 American romantic musical starring Tony Martin and Rita Hayworth, and was the latter’s first musical for Columbia. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_in_My_Heart
Diary Date: 27th September [1940]
Diary Entry: N[Nanny] & I went to “Rio” Diary notes: ‘Nanny’ was a friend from pre-war days. “Rio” was an American crime drama made in 1939, starring Basil Rathbone. More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_(1939_film) By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40484984
Diary Date: 19th September [1940]
Diary Entry: ” Boys returned”. Diary notes: Terms seem to have started later at this time – most schools today and for some time, start for the Autumn Term well before mid-September!
Diary Date: 18th September [1940]
Diary Entry: N[Nanny] & I had tea Granville & saw Nelson Eddy & Jeanette Macdonald “Naughty Marietta”. Diary notes: ‘Nanny’ was a friend from pre-war days. “Naughty Marietta” was a pre-war (1935) film. Based on an operetta by Victor Herbert. For more information see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naughty_Marietta_(film) By Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). – Scan via Lotsearch.de., Public …
Diary Date: 15th September [1940]
Diary Entry: ” Returned Wellingboro[ugh]. Raid while in town & bomber down Victoria”. Diary notes: To travel back to Wellingborough in Northamptonshire from Orpington, KPD had to pass through London (she often refers to London as ‘town’ in her diaries). Hence the references to bombing and the plane downed near Victoria (station, probably)
Diary Date: 11th September [1940]
Diary Entry: A[Aunt]Consie went to Nursing Home. Went home & heavy raids. Diary notes: Even during a war (and a pretty crucial time during the war as the Blitz on London had started 4 days before), life goes on as the family clearly had to look after Aunt Consie. She seems to have been out …
Aunt Pamela's War 