Incomplete letter

  • Reference
    • GB 133 DON/93
  • Dates of Creation
    • 14 Oct 1936
  • Physical Description
    • 3 sheets

Scope and Content

Letter from RD to his parents and brother John, in which he tries to alleviate their anxieties about his health. He reports on his bad asthmatic relapse [which meant the filming of Knight without armour had to be delayed]; RD accuses Korda and London Films of keeping back his salary and secretly planning to use Laurence Olivier or Douglas Fairbanks Jr in his role. He reports on the medical tests for the film: after being failed by a doctor appointed by the film company, RD called in Lord Horder (the King's doctor), who passed him as fit for work. He reports on his triumphant return to the set, and the public support he had during his illness.

Dated at: 8 Meadway. Holograph. The letter is lacking one or more continuation sheets.