Elsie Randolph Collection

Correspondence, diaries and address book, personal and publicity photographs including album of 1932, typescript acting copy part of 'Marian Kane' at the Lyric Theatre and French's acting editions of 'Dear Charles' by Alan Melville and 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime ' both signed and annotated by Randolph; theatre programmes for productions in which she appeared; and small collection of greeting cards, mostly blank; personal papers belonging to Elsie Randolph's husband, Leopold Vernon Page.

Her personal correspondence includes letters from Jack Buchanan, 1923-1947, Alan Melville, 1970, Cole Lesley, 1961 and letters of condolence and cards and associated papers relating to the death of her husband, Leopold Vernon Page, 1959-1961.

Her diaries survive for the years 1923, 1960, 1971, 1974, 1975 and [1978].

Elsie Randolph (1904-1982), actress, worked with Jack Buchanan (1890-1957), actor and singer, in a number of successful West End musical comedies, including 'Sunny' (1926), 'Wake Up and Dream' (1929), 'Mr. Wittington' (1934) and 'It's Time to Dance' (1943); and appeared together in four films based on their shows: 'That's a Good Girl' (1933), 'Yes, Mr. Brown' (1933), 'This'll Make You Whistle' (1936) and 'Smash and Grab' (1937). She also appeared in other films and shows including Alfred Hitchcock's Rich and Strange (1932). Her last appearance was on television in series 'Edward and Mrs Simpson' (1980), in which she played Lady Colefax. In 1945 she married, stockbroker, Leopold Vernon Page and largely retired from show business but after his death in 1959 she returned to acting roles in theatre and television.

[Some websites have Elsie's birth year as 1901].

Source: http://www.collectorspost.com/cgi-bin/ShopLoader.cgi?Actors/elsie_randolph.html (accessed November 2007)

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Purchased from a bookseller in 1999

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

This collection was formerly part of the Herbert Schimmel Noel Coward and Ivor Novello collections

Other materials formerly part of the Herbert Schimmel Noel Coward and Ivor Novello collections were purchased at the same time including Noel Coward Theatre Programmes (MS491); Gladys Calthrop costume drawings (MS492); Noel Coward posters (MS497); Noel Coward and Ivor Novello Miscellaneous Cuttings (MS498); Patricia Hollender Collection (MS500)