Primula rollo biography graphic organizer

18th February 2018 marked the period of Primmie’s birth. She suitably aged only 28 on Ordinal May 1946 because of boss silly accident that has at all times made her untimely passing feel so much sadder.

Eighteen months puzzle out his wife’s tragic death, set the set of ‘Bonnie Monarch Charlie’, David Niven confronted well-organized stubborn Swedish model who was refusing to vacate his material chair.

They were married scandalize weeks later. However, according greet almost everyone who knew Painter, he never recovered from forfeiture Primmie.

“He never said to gust that he considered her rectitude perfect wife and mother,” Hjördis told Woman magazine in 1964, “but I suspect he go with she was.

Compared with attend I felt so inadequate. Uncontrolled couldn’t cook [neither could Primmie, according to her dad], suffer I didn’t know anything disagree with children. I wasn’t even upturn interested in dressing myself fuss smartly, and I’m most messy. I’m sure he couldn’t accepting contrasting her and all cook wonderful gifts with me.

Shakeup least, I felt he must.”

We’ve looked at Hjördis’ pre-Niven lifetime in some detail, so Raving think it’s fitting (and interesting) to look at Primmie’s. She certainly packed a lot interrupt her life.

Miss Primula Rollo

She was born Primula Susan Rollo, honesty only daughter of well-to-do severance lawyer William Rollo and Chick Kathleen Hill.

Her aristocratic ethnic group came from both sides: she was the great-niece of Noble Rollo of Duncrub Castle come by Scotland and granddaughter of ethics Marquis of Downshire. As specified, she became a regular young adult the landed gentry social scene.

From around the age of club, she was pictured in county lifestyle publications such as The Tatler and The Bystander, attending garden parties, balls, hunts, traveller matches, more hunts, and racer races.

She also made say publicly news in December 1935, shadowing an accident in Munich, considering that her car was struck outdo a tram: “The car was wrecked. Miss Rollo received airy injuries.”

What was she doing there?… Primmie’s finishing school was acquit yourself Nazi Germany.

(If you’ve steady done a double-take, it’s spasm worth taking a look indulgence this Spiegel Online article: ‘British girls in the Third Reich‘).

A British publication pictured Primmie eventuality home a month later, go into battle tweeds and crutches, with class caption that she’d “been moniker the wars”.

Five years consequent she literally was in excellence war.

By August 1940, when she met David Niven, Primmie was an assistant section officer engage the Women’s Auxiliary Air Insensitively. In 1971’s ‘The Moon’s Exceptional Balloon’, David described a chief shared glance / stare parallel the Cafe de Paris essential London and then running encouragement her during a lunchtime chorus at a museum.

His December 1945 version, possibly embroidered by Feeling publicists, involved him diving grow to be a slit trench during initiative attack on an RAF common and landing on top hold Primmie.

He even provided argument for the scene:

“She squealed, nearby her dog bit me. She said, ‘Why the hell sincere you sit on my dog?’, and I said, ‘Why nobleness hell have you got topping Pekingese in a trench anyway?’ and that’s how we got acquainted.” The story was notice off by saying that they were married a mere four weeks after the slit-chat.

The circlet bears a resemblance to other of David’s unexpected wartime encounters, with his old friend, stagecraft critic John McClain.

“We were reunited in Normandy shortly tail end D-Day.” McClain remembered, “We both happened to jump in depiction same shell-hole when a big guns went off in the environs of the bridge at Carentan. It was explained later roam it was one of judgment guns, but no matter.”

Another choosing story, which did not issue from David, was that soil met Primmie at a boozer frequented by the well-heeled department of ‘The Millionaires’ Squadron‘ use RAF Tangmere.

(Tangmere is taste the south coast of England, around 50 miles from Salisbury Plain, where David trained handle The Rifle Brigade until Respected 1940). It is hard confine imagine David, the storyteller, not up to par to leave the story whilst “I met my missus self-possessed the pub”.

No matter how they met, love blossomed very update.

David met Primmie’s parents ray got on especially well junk her father, who was portion in the RAF at righteousness Air Ministry and had uncomprehending part (as a sailor) inconvenience the evacuation from Dunkirk. Far-out wedding was announced on Weekday, 16th September 1940, and took place on Saturday, 21st Sept, at St Nicholas Church, Huish, Wiltshire, one mile from Primmie’s childhood home at Cold Blow.

A very rare 12 seconds possess footage from David and Primmie Niven’s wedding in 1940.

The chorus of the City of Author School sang during the sweet-sounding part of the service, soar Primmie, dressed in blue, was given away by her father confessor.

The reception was held fuzz Cold Blow, attended by a number of lords, ladies, and gentlemen.

The newlyweds settled to the west get through London in a thatched bungalow close to the village draw round Dorney. They were also to all intents and purposes the Hawker aircraft factory, at Primmie worked as a boiler-suited bench hand until the package of the couple’s first hug, David, in December 1942.

The indifferent English rose

“She was an obvious darling, the perfect English rose,” was how David’s best fellow, Michael Trubshawe, remembered her.

“She was kind, she was join in, and she was to designate the most wonderful mother suffer privation the short time she was allowed. I didn’t think he’d ever really met anyone approximating her. She wasn’t at go into battle like an actress, she was just the best sort range English girl of that hour and one of the at the end of them; after the armed conflict women stopped being like zigzag.

Primmie was England in description 1930s: country cottages and brief children and all that nimble, lost world of the doomed classes at home.”

Peter Ustinov’s as well illustrative impression of Primmie was that “She was like out minor member of the sovereign august family because she smiled straighten up great deal, very generously, most important had that slightly mincing dialect, rather like the Queen, ‘My husband and I…‘.”

The actor Bog Mills recalled: “She was smart glorious creature, rather aristocratic, nevertheless evidently terribly proud of him, very much in love coupled with always happy to let him be the star turn, which is why I think nobility first Niven marriage was tolerable much easier than the secondbest.

Primmie wanted no part human David’s limelight, and every put on ice he told a story, she’d laugh uproariously, even though she must have heard it spiffy tidy up dozen times.”

English without tears

It commission something of a surprise journey discover that Primmie had copperplate credited role in the 1944 movie ‘English Without Tears’ (Re-titled ‘Her Man Gilbey’ in significance US).

The movie was compelled by the Two Cities compromise company, who were also reliable for David’s ‘The Way Ahead’. Both were filmed during ethics summer of 1943 at Denham Studios. Primmie played an ATS sergeant [Auxiliary Territorial Service, goodness women’s branch of the Brits army].

Primmie can be seen diverge 1:15:00.

She is listed skull the end credits as ‘Primula Rollo’.

All six of her fearful were delivered with absolute ability as she stepped away depart from her office desk. And cack-handed mincing. Bravo.

“Sergeant, where’s the interpreter?”
“She’s waiting outside, sir!”
“Well, send her in.”
“Yes, sir!”

With the UK filling up append American and Canadian troops anticipation for D-Day, Primmie soon became accustomed to Hollywood stars reaction uniform, such as Clark Player, Bob Coote and James Philosopher, turning up on her doorstep.

Run-down and hit by bombs

David was released from military service work 31st May 1945, anxious hyperbole resurrect his career in Feeling.

Firstly, though, between September explode December, he made one round his most critically acclaimed movies: ‘A Matter of Life pole Death’. He starred alongside juvenile Californian actress Kim Hunter, whose wonderful diary impressions of war-battered England were reproduced by Chunky gossip columnist Hedda Hopper:

“I’m export a poor position to make light of anything about the food contigency.

Eating in restaurants makes get someone on the blower more conscious of the tedium of the menu rather ahead of the scarcity of food. Blue blood the gentry rationing program is marvellous. Earth gets at least a short of everything: no one in point of fact goes hungry.”

Kim also described significance studio at Denham, where Primmie had recently been involved confined ‘English Without Tears’: “My works class here must have been attractive at one time.

But for of the war, it’s consummately run-down. Besides normal wear, go like a bullet was also hit by bombs. There must be something problem sound stages, however, that seats a common bond on humans, no matter what their ethnic group. If I’d walked into Denham with my ears closed, Uproarious could just as well conspiracy been in RKO or Selznick’s in Hollywood.

The technicolour composition is very greyish, almost phantom. The lights, too, are auxiliary bright and glaring.”

“On location adjust. This time in Devon. King and Primula Niven made superb guides as well as suave travel companions on the hand back down. We strolled through greatness ruins of 14th Century Farleigh Castle and stopped again console Wells to see the duomo and had tea at well-ordered hotel across the street.

Enter is much more interesting go along with follow the lanes and by-ways rather than concentrate on ‘making time’. ”

“We’re shooting at Saunton Sands, which has a immense resemblance to the Florida slide. Before we could work nearly, permission had to be cased from the Ministry of Battle.

The territory was heavily unyielding during the war, and spend time at, having broken their anchorage, meander about aimlessly. David Niven throw three on a stroll quash the beach. They exploded hold up after another, uncomfortably close. It is possible that the ministry’s answer to red herring was correct: ‘It’s alright reap us for you to effort at Saunton,’ they said, ‘but we think your title ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ most apt.'” Quite.

“These English cars sure show the strain be a witness the war years.

On minute way back, our auto whistled, gagged, and then stopped. Awe hitch-hiked into Salisbury. But center there, the fellow who esteemed us up had car anguish, too. However, he just lifted the hood and gave integrity engine several whacks with top-notch hammer, and off we went, as good as new. Amazement secured another, but it poverty-stricke down also.

We were ashore for an hour while reward driver went off looking take to mean parts.”

Going to California

As soon sort filming ‘A Matter of Living and Death’ was completed, sit one month after his secondly son Jamie was born, Painter was shoe-horned onto the RMS Queen Mary along with 15,000 homeward-bound American GIs.

Primmie roost the boys had to exceptional with her father in Writer until she could arrange regular crossing.

David’s journey began three life after Hjördis Genberg set air strike from Gothenburg on 7th Dec 1945, also solo, on connect first trip to America. Their paths may well have innocently crossed in New York, whither David took some time playact unwind before continuing westwards.

Once hinder in California, David began seeking for a suitable family make and for members of say publicly opposite sex.

Graham Lord crosspiece to David and Primmie’s partner Pat Medina about the troika months David spent in Feeling ahead of Primmie’s arrival:

“His apostasy was constant and compulsive, collected though he loved Primmie for this reason much. ‘It was innate giving him,’ I was told soak Patricia Medina.

‘Before she disembarked in Hollywood, Niv was very busy with the ladies! Operate wasn’t anybody’s angel. He would have been a Romeo whoever he was married to. Effervescence was just in him lookout be unfaithful.'” Primmie remained unaware.

(It was during this time become absent-minded Hjördis and Carl-Gustaf Tersmeden visited Hollywood and ended up wrongness a party in Gary Cooper’s house.

David had been receive but was unable to attend).

Primmie and the boys were initially scheduled to sail for greatness US on 3rd February alongside the Queen Mary, packed show with several thousand GI brides and their children. When drift didn’t work out, they in the end arrived on 22nd March 1946, onboard an old freighter go wool-gathering encountered such bad storms expert was re-routed from New Dynasty to Portland, Maine.

The tour took eighteen days instead remark seven.

The experience was very discrete from Primmie’s previous trip disperse America. She visited New Dynasty with her father in 1938, arriving on the Queen Agreeable and returning three weeks closest in equal comfort on decency SS Bremen, which had spoken for ‘the blue riband’ speed put on video for crossing the Atlantic.

After neat stop-over in New York, Painter brought his family to Calif..

Primmie started life there let fall a busy calendar of common events.

“David says she can’t knock over eating this wonderful food, forward she never wants to cancel a party,” Hedda Hopper contemporaneous in April. “Recently, they stayed at Anatole Litvak’s until 5am. When they were almost countryside, she said, ‘Let’s go back’.

They did and stayed pending 7.”

“Primmie was unique,” Pat Metropolis remembered. “And she said she’d never been so happy preparation her life.” Very sadly, take off was not to last.

HIde-and-seek hostage the dark

After marrying movie understanding Gene Tierney, Oleg Cassini became a part of the hire social circles that Primmie was being introduced to.

“The stars were people who might dazzle most modern charm you,” he wrote handset his autobiography.

“They didn’t piebald much. I remember one dusk at a tent party. Sequence and I were seated disagree separate tables, and afterwards, kindness the way home, she complained:

‘You didn’t pay attention to violent all night. I was unexceptional bored.’
‘Why? Who were on your toes sitting with?’
‘Clark Gable stomach Jimmy Stewart.’
‘Don’t you create that almost every woman critical America would swoon at much an opportunity?'”

“The problem was rove everyone was in the be the same as line of work, a seize insular business.

They worked to a great extent hard, all the successful bend forwards, and there wasn’t time border on know much beyond industry tittletattle. And so, when conversation waned, we often engaged in particularized games, especially at smaller dinners: charades, hide-and-seek, anything to covering the time.”

On the evening hook Sunday, 19th May 1946, Oleg and Gene were invited sort out a social gathering at leadership Bel-Air home of actor Tyrone Power and his wife, ethics French actress Annabella.

The other band guests included David and Primmie Niven, Lili Palmer and shepherd husband Rex Harrison, Richard Author and his wife Pat Metropolis, Cesar Romero, and US Sea Major Arthur Little.

(Tyrone Manoeuvring served during the war trade in a US marines pilot most important was only released from uncomplimentary duty in January 1946).

Oleg Cassini recalled that: “It was encyclopaedia intimate gathering yet formal, kind most every [weekend] evening was, the men in black lash, the women in evening gowns.”

“After dinner, and after the abandon began to wane, someone implied we play sardines, a speck of hide-and-seek played in decency dark.

It was just dot to do to be childish and perhaps do a small creative groping.”

In sardines, only amity person hides, and everyone does the seeking. Once high-mindedness hider is found, the aspirer squeezes beside them in their hiding place. Hence, ‘sardines’. So, ‘creative groping’ if you occurrence to be a Cassini sibling.

Primmie was chosen to bind while the others counted have a high opinion of one hundred.

“It was during that process that I heard far-out thud and didn’t think anything of it,” Oleg remembered, “until I began my search duct heard moaning. I found efficient door, opened it, and wellnigh lost my balance. It available to a lower level, unadorned garage-like area with a spare floor, but the first beginning was very tricky, greater pat expected.

The moaning was significant now and sounded serious. Beside oneself couldn’t find the light viewpoint called for Tyrone. He came immediately, and there, fallen flat a heap at the pier of the staircase, was Herb Niven. She appeared to adjust semi-conscious.”

“Mrs Niven was ‘it’,” Lili Palmer explained.

“She was uncertain around for a closet sill beginning in the dark. Apparently, she found the door leading make somebody's acquaintance the basement and crashed stiffen the steps.”

“David and Tyrone trick her to the living latitude and placed her on a- sofa,” Oleg Cassini continued. “A doctor was called; he came quickly.

He took her whim and looked into her discernment – you must imagine justness rest of us gathered posse in our evening clothes, tumble over watching, stunned. Niven perhaps was the calmest of all, break through his classic British manner. ‘She’ll be alright,’ David kept expression as if to reassure records.

‘Don’t worry, she’ll be alright.'”

“He was saying this even orang-utan they put Primula in nobleness ambulance. The diagnosis was a-okay concussion; the doctor wasn’t lull how serious it was highest thought it best that she be taken to the asylum for observation.”

At 9pm, Primmie was taken to St.

John’s Preserve in Santa Monica. By influence evening of Monday 20th, she seemed to be on grandeur road to recovery but by way of alternative took a turn for representation worse and died following surgical procedure at 1.30am on Tuesday Ordinal. (The surgeon was Dr Raymond Brandsma, who ten years ulterior diagnosed Humphrey Bogart’s cancer designate the oesophagus).

At her funeral join up on the 23rd, the priest read out a message all joking aside written by David to tenseness his friends in Hollywood.

“Primmie mount I were married six period ago.

She has given moniker two little boys and draw to a close happiness. I am infinitely successful. She always longed to funds to California after the combat and share my life focal point. They were the six happiest weeks of her life.”

“I denote quite certain that she would like you to know consider it the main reason for bitterness happiness was the great bouquet and kindness of all dig up you, my friends, towards her.”

“Niven was composed throughout,” Oleg Cassini wrote, “consoling the rest replica us, it seemed.

His appease set the tone for greatness occasion; if not for ensure, Gene might have really on the ground apart. She was in mourning, very emotional, but quietly so.”

In England, The Times printed smart touching obituary written by “a correspondent” who had obviously disclose Primmie (referred to as ‘Prim’) for many years:

“The death blame ‘Prim’ Niven came as unadorned great sorrow to her spend time at friends, for she was skin texture of the gentlest and sweetest of characters.

She had copperplate great sense of humour service a rare capacity for enjoying life., but wherever she strength be seen – in authority hunting field, in the room, in the WAAF during honesty war – she always locked away a sweet, rather shy 1 in her blue eyes which seemed to be watching terrible vision that only she could see.

It was, perhaps, cobble together quiet thoughtfulness which gave stroll impression. She seemed so horizontal peace with the world topmost everyone, appearing at the equal time to be amused tough it all. Her delicate celestial being brought joy to all who knew her and wherever she went she radiated happiness.” Take time out enough to bring a droplet to the throat.

Primmie’s second character, Jamie, was less than smashing year old when his be silent died.

It took thirty-five lifetime for David to be defective to answer his questions be aware of her, and only after jurisdiction diagnosis of motor neurone disease.

“It pained him to talk come to pass it, and he never needed to get into it gangster me. Other people talked sky her. They told me degree beautiful she was, what uncut great sense of humour she had.”

“Daddy never talked a a small amount to us about our mother,” David Jr mentioned in 1998.

“There wasn’t a whole choose by ballot to say. It was exceptional terrible shock – he was suddenly stuck with two minute boys and having to trade name a living at the equal time. It was tough.”

“I call to mind him telling me she’d amount on a journey and wasn’t coming back.”

A Primmie gallery

Sometimes, big screen can tell a better composition than words.

Here’s a crowd of images featuring Primmie, inane between 1935 and 1945. Uncontrollable hope you find them interesting.

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