Carole in England
In August of 1947 Carole traveled to London, England to make two movies for Eagle-Lion Studios - Brass Monkey and Noose. She had only made one film since her contract at Fox ended and she was excited about getting back to work. At the time she was unhappily married to her fourth husband Horace Schmidlapp and having an affair with actor Rex Harrison. Horace decided to stay in New York City but Rex followed Carole to London. Their affair continued and got more serious even though Rex's wife, Lilli Palmer, came with him. Carole filmed Brass Monkey and Noose at Twickenhan Studios and stayed at the Savoy Hotel with her poodle Gina. She lived in England for nearly six months and fell in love with the country.
Carole said "I loved England and working there was really stimulating." When she wasn't working she attended many parties and premieres. She also spent time with her close friend Lt. Troy who had been injured during World War 2. Carole was so busy that during her first two months there she lost eleven pounds. During a break from filming in October she took a short trip to Paris, France. She visited the Eiffel Tower and had dinner with the Duchess of Windsor. On November 25, 1947 Carole participated in a charity performance of The Bishop's Wife for King George and Queen Elizabeth. After the show she attended a star-studded celebration with Bob Hope, Loretta Young, Patricia Roc, Rex Harrison, and Lilli Palmer. She was not photographed with Rex but she did pose for some awkward pictures with Lilli. In December Carole met dancer Ram Gopal at the Prince's Theater in London.
Lilli Palmer, Patricia Roc, and Carole
British audiences loved Carole and she was featured on the cover of several British film magazines including Film Illustrated Monthly and Picturegoer. Her husband Horace came to visit her after Christmas but they only spent a few days together. She finished filming Noose in February of 1948 and
returned to California. Lana Turner had been renting her Pacific Palisades home while she was away. Carole filed for divorce in March and the press began to gossip about her close relationship with Rex. Eagle-Lion offered Carole the starring role The Amazing Mr. X and she planned to return to England in August to start filming. Sadly Carole would take her own life just a few weeks before she was supposed to leave.
With Vivien Leigh
