Olivia de Havilland was a part of my childhood because my father brought up my siblings and I with one of his favourite films: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). I still love that movie and watch it frequently. De Havilland was the definitive Maid Marian in my mind's eye. As I became interested in classic film I soon sought out Captain Blood (1935) -- in fact, I persuaded my parents to buy a copy of the VHS tape for the whole family to enjoy! Captain Blood is another favourite of mine. My mother also introduced me to The Snake Pit (1948), where de Havilland played a woman with psychological troubles who endures a nightmarish stay in a mental ward; that's where I learned she could really act.
As I grew older and became more and more interested in film history, I gained a real respect for de Havilland's movie The Dark Mirror (1946) in which she played two twins, one of which was a killer. I don't think the movie itself is all that great -- just fine. But the story behind the movie fascinates me; de Havilland was tired of the unchallenging roles which Warner Bros kept giving her, so she broke away to star in The Dark Mirror for Universal. She picked Lew Ayres as her leading man because a few years earlier his career had been ruined after he declared himself a pacifist and conscientious objector to World War II. Although he ultimately served in the medical corps and performed acts of heroism, Ayres was despised for refusing to fight; studios were convinced no one would watch a movie with him again. De Havilland insisted on making Ayres her leading man and by doing so proved that the public had forgotten about their earlier hate campaign; his career was saved!
As a fan of old-time radio, there are a few performances of hers worth highlighting: Lux Radio Theater rendered a fantastic adaptation of Captain Blood in 1937 with Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland reprising their roles (I heard this adaptation before I saw the film); you can hear it on the Internet Archive. The Dark Mirror received a very abbreviated adaptation on Screen Directors Playhouse, which you can hear on the Internet Archive.
Finally, de Havilland appeared on one episode of my favourite series, Suspense: "Voyage Through Darkness" from September 7, 1944. De Havilland prortrayed a woman travelling by boat across the Atlantic when she discovers a notorious killer is among the passengers. It's not first-rate Suspense, but it's still a pretty good story. This episode is also on the Internet Archive.
Rest in peace, Ms. de Havilland.
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