The verbs attached to the titles and the “What?” forms all the titles take also provide readers with narrative interest, prodding us to ask the question, in the case of this poem: What did Vivien Leigh drop? – a question that the poem suggests answers to on various levels.
Again at this point we could bring in any knowledge we might have about the life of Vivien Leigh, for example the fact that the star suffered from bipolar disorder as well as tuberculosis, the latter illness claiming her life at the age of 53. A big “oh/ow” hangs over this poem a sort of pastoral scene in a boat that takes a sudden turn toward something darker. All those “o’s,” strung together in a pattern of consonance, rhyme and slant rhyme. Larry yells about a splinter in his palm. Everything is drifting along in a slumbering rhythm in the first stanza, wonderfully assisted by the sounds of the poem, complete with a lazy ditty, “Fiddle-dee-dee” – until everything changes in the second stanza, particularly with these lines: The poem continues, locating us in a seemingly idyllic scene. The meanings of the lines will be multiplied in this way, for readers with more knowledge of Hollywood film history. Knowing this, the opening line has more meaning it makes me think of Leigh mouthing the lines, but not actually getting to play the role, although apparently she did play Ophelia to Olivier’s Hamlet in a famous stage production. Vivien Leigh took it for granted they must be having an affair.” She required intensive coaching from Olivier himself.
She pointed out that he was virtually forty himself, but he hired the eighteen-year-old Jean Simmons for the part. A further google search turned up this snippet (I’ll include the whole quote since the tone is sort of offhand amusing-devastating, a tone that is also found in Alvarez’ book): “Olivier’s wife, Vivien Leigh, had assumed she would play Ophelia, but Olivier told her she was too old at thirty-three. Thinking about the first line, “Larry’s Hamlet I mouth Ophelia” – I thought I remembered that Leigh and Olivier starred in a film version of Hamlet, but when I googled to double check I found out they didn’t: the 1948 film featured Olivier as Hamlet and Jean Simmons as Ophelia. The first poem, “What Vivien Leigh Dropped,” features Leigh and “Larry” (Laurence Olivier) on a boating picnic. They are a mixture of biographical details of the star(let), along with what might be the autobiography of the poet, or made-up material.
HOLLYWOOD STARLET NAMES MOVIE
Merriam Webster defines a starlet as: “a young movie actress being coached and publicised for starring roles.” Other definitions include the idea of aspiration or ambition, for example (Macmillan): “a young woman actor who wants to become a star.” All these poems are involved in the act of becoming, as well as desire (the word “want” is one that comes up often). Recognising these famous names is one of the obvious pleasures of the book, and it led me to wonder firstly about the title, since all these women graduated well beyond the role of “starlet ” all became fully-fledged stars. Rose Hunter reviews Hollywood Starlet by Ivy AlvarezĮach poem in Ivy Alvarez’ chapbook Hollywood Starlet features a female star from years past, for example such screen icons as Rita Hayworth, Jean Harlow, Jayne Mansfield, and Greta Garbo.
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