Along with stage and screen, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier often lent their voices to radio. Before television became a household item in the 1950s, radio was how many people got home entertainment. Famous stars of stage and screen would take part in broadcasts to show patriotism or celebration for their country, and many times performed shows of the films they had recently starred in (and sometimes those they did not appear in). Below are links to recordings of Viv and Larry performing in various radio shows.

Love Poems
A Woman's Last Word by Robert Browning and How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Performed in Hollywood for a special celebration for the King and Queen of England by Vivien Leigh and Basil Rathbone, 1939
(Thank you to Marcia for letting me link to her site)

Private Lives Part 1 | Part 2
Written by Noel Coward
Performed by Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh
(Thanks to Alissa for the upload)

Rebecca Part 1 | Part 2
Written by Daphne DuMaurier
Performed for LUX Radio Theatre in Hollywood by Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in 1950

My Favorite Wife
Based on the poem Enoch Arden by Alfred Lord Tenyson, directed for the screen by Garson Kanin, originally starring Cary Grant, Irene Dunne and Gail Patrick, 1940.
Performed by Laurence Olivier (as Nick with an American accent), Rosalind Russell (as Ellen), and Gail Patrick (as Bianca).
LUX Radio Show, December 9, 1940

Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Written by James Hilton, directed for the screen by Sam Wood, originally starring Robert Donat and Greer Garson, 1939.
Performed by Laurence Olivier and Edna Best
LUX Radio Show, November 20, 1939

A Christmas Carol
Written by Charles Dickens
Performed by Laurence Olivier (as the narrator and Scrooge) in London

The Big Show (hosted by Tallulah Bankhead)
Featuring a reading by Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh from Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra
Other performers on the program include George Sanders, Beatrice Lillie, and Fred Alan
The Larry and Vivien performance runs from 12:20-22:58
Performed in London, September 30, 1951

Beau Geste
Written by P.C. Wren, directed for the screen by William Wellman. Originally starring Gary Cooper, 1939.
Performed by Laurence Olivier, Jackie kelk and Orson Welles
Hosted by orson Welles for the Campbell Playhouse, March 17, 1939.

The Actor
Featuring Laurence Olivier (Hamlet’s advice to the players at 15:36-17:10), Tallulah Bankhead, the Barrymores, and others
Biography in Sound, March 6, 1955

Winston Churchill: His Finest Hour
Featuring Herbert Marshall, Laurence Olivier (reading of Dover Beach at 8:49-11:00), and others
Biography in Sound, November 28, 1954

Theatre Royal
Hosted by and sometimes starring Laurence Olivier and friends such as Robert Donat, Ralph Richardson and others in the early 1950s. There are several plays included in this compilation.

Journey Into Fear
Starring Laurence Olivier as David Graham.
Hour of Mystery program, June 9, 1946

Emergency Funds Appeal for the Canadian Red Cross
Hosted by Alan Mowbray with a special message from the Canadian Prime Minister and broadcast from Hollywood, this program enlisted a host of British stage and screen stars to benefit the Canadian Red Cross. At the time, the US had not yet entered the war.
Participants: Gloria Jean, Reginald Gardiner, Anne Nagel, Maxine Gray, Herbert Marshall, Mary Pickford, Betty Jane Rhodes, Dionne Quintuplets & Dr. Alan Daypole, Ronald Colman, Ann Jamison, Madeleine Carroll, Binnie Barnes, George Sanders, Gene Lockhart, June Lockhart, Cedric Hardwicke, Freddie Bartholomew, C. Aubrey Smith, Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh (Move the scroll bar to the very end to hear Laurence Olivier perform Henry V's "Once More Unto the Breech" and then to hear Vivien perform the closing lines from Noel Coward's "Cavalcade")
Broadcast September 20, 1940

» network

become a fan of the viv and larry contact twitter rss feed stumble it blog

» latest uploads

last uploads last uploads
last uploads last uploads
the photo booth: 23,000 images and counting.

» on the tube

tcm in august

» fan corner

current contest

there are no current contests

looking for

rare images of vivien leigh and laurence olivier for the gallery
vintage and modern magazine/newspaper articles
fan photos from vivien leigh and laurence olivier-related destinations in london, hollywood, or elsewhere

» site stats

designed/maintained by: kendra
launched: april 8, 2007
version: 4.0