Genealogy Chat

I am trying to find info about Josephine Leslie (sp) or Josephine Leslie Bell, supposed actress - all I know is that she married an American during WW2 and went to live in the States. Try as I might, I cannot get the right combination to narrow down my search on Google - any tips please? (oh, and it might be another wild goose chase!) OC

Olde Crone Unless she was a well-known actress, there probably won't be much, if anything, on the internet. Any idea what kind of actress - vaudeville, tragedy, film? Might the name you have be a stage name?

Hi..couldn't be this could it? Biography for R.A. Dick Birth name Josephine Aimee Campbell Leslie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trivia R. A. Dick was the pseudonym of Josephine Leslie, who wrote the 1945 novel The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Cynthia

I sometimes use the advanced search and for 'with all of the words' would put 'josephine bell actress' and any other terms you can think of, then use 'with at least one of the words' for 'WWII Leslie marry' etc. and just keep changing the words around. I've also added their place of birth, year they were born, decade they were born, when they arrived in North America, siblings names, etc. (Apparently I don't have much to do late at night.) :) Sometimes I don't get anything, and other times it takes hours and hours and hours, but I do get results! Best of luck.

Hil Do you know anything about where she lived when she met 'The American'. I googled 'GI Brides' and came up with quite a lot of info about the different bases the Americans were at.?? Good luck

Nell Her real name was Josephine Bell, but my informant tells me that she was a stage actress, who went under the name of either Josephine Lesley(sp) or Josephine Leslie Bell. She was the daughter of Dr Bell deceased and Mrs Ada Bell. Mrs Ada Bell was the second wife of my GGUncle, Joseph Holden. I cannot put anything but a vague age to her - Joseph Holden was divorced from his first wife around 1935 and presumably married Mrs Ada Bell sometime after that and before WW2, so Josephine born before 1935. Sorry, this is a bit hopeless - I just want to know how to get all four words, i.e. Josephine+Leslie+Bell+Actress to work together on google - I have tried putting all four words inside inverted commas, but that doesnt work. OC

I agree with Lisa - the advanced search thing using 'with all of the words' - actress, ...etc 'with none of the words' - whatever you keep getting hits for My grandfather started a garage which is still running - when I searched for him I had to say - none of the words 'garage, car, cars, service, Ltd' etc etc Unfortunately the web didn't have anything on him anyway.... ho hum.... sarah :-)

Lisa - Dur! Didnt think of advanced search! *slinks off, head down* I saw Josephine Leslie the writer - dont think that was her but hey! you never know (well, not in my family you dont, remember Admiral Walker who turned out to be an Air Chief Marshall, lol) OC

OC Have you tried the imdb website? (International Movie Database) It's a site that lists by film /actor/director searchable by names. There isn't a Josephine Leslie listed but a Josephine Lisle,film and tv actress in the mid 50's. Didn't check under the surname Bell,but it's worth a shot. I have found it a useful site just to put names to faces in the past. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lisa J obviously beat me to it with the post above and the name she put down Glen

:) OC, the biggest hint I can give - write down the combinations you try! Can't tell you how many times I've searched the same word combinations. :)

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was the name of a 1945 novel, a 1947 film based on the novel, and a 1968 to 70 television series based on the film. The novel was written by Josephine Leslie under the pseudonym of R. A. Dick. In 1945, Twentieth Century Fox bought the film rights to the novel, which had only been published in the United Kingdom at that time. The film was released in May, 1947. In 1968, Fox Television revived the story as a sitcom, adding a twist of humor; Hope Lange portrayed Mrs Muir, who gained a son, and Edward Mulhare was Captain Gregg. The series lasted two seasons: appearing for its first year on NBC, and on ABC for its second. Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney), a young widow, moves into a seaside cottage with her maid, Martha (Edna Best), and her daughter, Anna. To her surprise, the house is haunted by the ghost of the former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison), who makes himself known only to her. When Lucy's source of income dries up, he inspires her to write his memoirs in the form of racy fiction. The book becomes a best-seller, and Lucy can now afford to stay in the house. Meanwhile, she becomes attracted to handsome Miles Fairley (George Sanders), a writer of children's stories. When Lucy becomes engaged, Captain Gregg, not wishing to become an obstacle to her happiness, ends their friendship and leaves. But sadly Lucy has more to learn about her fiancé, and more to learn about living with loneliness. The only other thing I could find were her dates 1898-1979 and that she was an actress and British. There is also a Josephine Bell who was a crime novelist but she was a doctor.

Thankyou everybody, for your helpful suggestions, which I will now try out. I would have thought that, had she been a WRITER, that someone in the family would have remembered this - but then my relatives all seem to have forgotten more than they ever knew. The family lived in Leeds as far as I know. Its possible she was just a local actress - her Aunt by marriage, Pamela Holden, was a famous stage whistler LOL and I wonder if it might be loosely connected - were Music Halls still going just before the War? I think I need to also pin down a few definite dates too, such as the Holden?Bell marriage and Josephine's birth!! Off to do that now, instead of trying to take short cuts. Thanks again. OC