Mary,
Rene Harris spelled her name "Renee" with double "e" only in her later years (although the press often got it wrong anyway). Personal documents bear out that she preferred the single "e" or Americanized spelling of her name until the 1940s.
As to Rene's company name after her husband's death, she did operate under the aegis of "The Estate of Henry B. Harris" until she had found her "voice," so to speak, which didn't take long. She also had interest in other production companies.
It's true that she was left to sort out the affairs of her husband who was declared insolvent and she also had to fight his estate for creative control of the business.
Rene Harris' career was indeed an extraordinary one. She was among the first female theatrical producers in America but may not have been the first. She has a contender for the distinction in Elisabeth Marbury. Rene was, however, the most successful of her time.
Her talent as a producer was evident more in her ability to spot and develop individual talent than in her vision in play selection. Apart from Barbara Stanwyk, she discovered Mae West, Dame Judith Anderson and, perhaps her greatest "find," the Pulitzer Prize winning Moss Hart.
As to her impressions of Barbara Stanwyk as a movie star, they were very dim. This is probably colored by the fact that a resentment arose between the two following Stanwyk's move from Broadway to Hollywood. According to Rene, Barbara "forgot" all about her and never credited her initial fame to the plays she appeared in while under Rene's management. Rene, by the way, did not care for the 1953 film "Titanic," the premier for which she attended in New York.
As to her relationship with
Walter Lord, according to friends (and several existing letters), Rene actually never fully read "A Night to Remember" until the last years of her life. She also was not well enough (owing to a leg injury) to attend a special preview in New York of the MacQuitty film based on Lord's book. She did admit to watching a little of the movie on it's network TV premier in 1969. She said it upset her too much owing to its realism and she turned off the set.
Rene is the subject of an article I'm writing for the ADB and ET. I thought I knew a lot on my own but quickly realized how much more there was to learn about this extraordinary woman when researchers like George and Don shared their troves. I have to thank Phil G and Inger, too, for helping me with this project.
Randy
