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After my episode with wikipedia and Glenn Ford I very quickly emailed a very old and dear friend of mine; Jean Darling. Yes, if you’ve heard of her, that Jean Darling. Baby Jean of Our Gang, or if you grew up in Ireland in the 80’s, Auntie Poppy. She also played the original Carrie in Carousel on Broadway! I suspect that she was an inspiration for Shirley Temple’s mother, just check out that photo of Jean on her wikipedia page.
I’ve known Jean since I was about 6 or so and wasn’t even aware at the time that she was an actress, singer and writer; I knew her vaguely as Auntie Poppy, but more so as nice grandma-like Jean who wears funky Christmas Earrings (at Chrismas time), knits great sweaters, paints pictures of kitties (I have one) and calls me Angel Ears! I have one attached and one dettached lobe - very odd. I know better now
A year or so ago I got a boxset of 50 family movies,ones that had fallen into the public domain, and one of them was a 1934 Jane Eyre, released a year or so before the more well known version. This one starred Virginia Bruce as the adult Jane and Colin Clive of James Whales’ Frankenstein movies. The young Jane was played by Jean Darling.

When I was last in Ireland for something that didn’t envolve selling jewellery I made sure I was armed with my Archos and a copy of the movie, as I was going to be at a dinner party with her. We had a great time watching her beat up Jane’s beastly cousin to rousing cheers of ‘Go Jean! Go!’.

Until then she had never seen the movie! Over 70 years! She then told us about the production and how she’d had to have false ringlets as she’d had her hair cut! It was a lot of fun to watch and we all recognised our beloved Jean in the very forthright young Jane.
I did get a reply to my email, assuring me that she was still alive and kicking and attending various events around the world. It was great to hear from her again as she always had, and still has many more I am sure, interesting stories to tell.

So, from your friend, Angel Ears:

Go Jean! GO!