Alfred Lunt; Terence Rattigan; Lynn Fontanne
1 portrait by Sport & General Press Agency Ltd
Alfred Lunt; Terence Rattigan; Lynn Fontanne
by Unknown photographer, for Sport & General Press Agency Ltd
bromide print, November 1944
5 1/2 in. x 7 5/8 in. (140 mm x 194 mm) image size
Transferred from Evening Standard Library, before 1983
Photographs Collection
NPG x134903
Sittersback to top
- Lynn Fontanne (1892-1983), Actress. Sitter in 15 portraits. Identify
- Alfred Lunt (1892-1977), Actor. Sitter in 4 portraits. Identify
- Sir Terence Rattigan (1911-1977), Playwright. Sitter in 31 portraits. Identify
Artistsback to top
- Sport & General Press Agency Ltd, Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 18 portraits.
- Unknown photographer, Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 6583 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Love in Idleness, which opened at the Lyric Theatre, London, on 20 December 1944, gave Rattigan his third West End hit in a row during the Second World War. A minor comedy, it provided a vehicle for American star Alfred Lunt and his British-born wife Lynn Fontanne after the Aldwych theatre, where they were appearing, was hit by a doodlebug in July 1944. Adjustments made to accommodate the couple, shown here backstage at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, discussing the play with its author, amounted to a virtual re-write by the time the play opened in London.
Placesback to top
- Place made and portrayed: United Kingdom: England, Merseyside (before the dress rehearsal of 'Love in Idleness', backstage, Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool)
Events of 1944back to top
Current affairs
London is hit by the V1 Flying Bomb. This weapon, developed by the German Luftwaffe and colloquially known as the 'Buzz Bomb', or 'Doodlebug', was the first guided missile and was used for attacks on targets in England and Belgium.Art and science
Laurence Olivier's epic film version of Henry V is released. Olivier directed and starred in the film, which was partly funded by the British government in recognition of its morale-boosting patriotic appeal. The cast included service men as Henry's army.International
France is liberated from German-occupation following the Battle for Normandy. Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of occupied-France led by Field Marshall Montgomery, was the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving almost three million soldiers crossing the channel from England to France. Troops landed on the 6th June (D-Day), and Paris was liberated in late August.Comments back to top
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