Creator of "Mrs. Miniver"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 10, Issue 243, 18 February 1944, Page 20

Creator of "Mrs. Miniver"

Talks to N.Z. ¥ M RS. MINIVER" was the most popular film of 1943 in New Zealand, and statistics also reveal that it is ‘now listed third among the biggest box-office successes in international screen history. Some interest therefore attaches to the woman who created the character of Mrs. Miniver. She is Jan Struther, and the film was based on a column which she contributed to "The Times.’ Since 1939 she has been living in the United States, and recently took part in the radio series "America Talks to New Zealand." Here is a condensation of what she said on that occasion, and on the opposite page is a photograph of Jan Struther and some personal details about her: * bd * EING able to speak to you to-day, by means of shortwave radio, makes the many thousands of miles between America and Australia and New Zealand seem a very short distance indeed. But the closeness that I feel toward you is far from being only a matter of the mechanics of modern science. One of the good things that has come out of this long and terrible war is that millions of people, all over the world, have discovered for the first time how really near they are to each other, It’s not surprising, after all, that freedomloving people, wherever they may be, should be fighting ,Fascism and defending themselve& against oppressors. What perhaps is surprising is that we are all living for the same things! I have found out, in the last four years if I never knew it before, that the Mr. and Mrs. Smiths of this world (and that includes most of us) want pretty much the same kind of homes, have the same small and innocent ambitions for themselves and their families, and laugh at the same kind of jokes. This discovery, which destroys any feeling of strangeness between the people of vatious nations, is being made by millions of men and women whose quiet, peaceful lives have been shattered by this war, and who, like myself, now find themselves far away from the country in which they were born and grew up. For most of us home will always be best-but we are finding out that life somewhere else can be good, too. If, after the war is over, we can all remember that, I think it will have more to do with promoting a lasting peace and a real understanding among nations than any number of treaties and charters. Making the Same Discoveries It is great fun for me to see the boys from Australia and New Zealand who have come to this country making the same discoveries about America that I (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) have. I know that on first biting into a hot dog my expression changed: from doubtful to pleased-just as theirs do. I am sure that they are as grateful as I am for the enormous’ hospitality that is shown to them here. They are among the favourite guests at the. many canteens for servicemen. They have been invited into American homes from coast to coast-and that is where they find out most especially that the distance between countries is only a matter of miles. ; This adaptability is something else the war has taught us. It is not only those of us who have moved about during the last four years who have learned it. Even the men and women who have stayed right where they were when the war started have found that the habits and activities of a lifetime have been changed or destroyed. We have discovered that we can do without many things which we used to think were necessities. I think women in particular have discovered amazing things about themselves in this period. Many of. them have given up pretty clothes for utilitarian uniforms and overalls. Many of them have turned themselves into soldiers, sailors, farmers or mechanicsand made little fuss about it. In fact, I think most of them have been both pleased and surprised at finding how capable they really could be if they tried. Even the millions of us who had jobs before the war now realise that there were many hours in each day which we were wasting. These hours are now being used for Red Cross work, helping in canteens, in bond drives and in many other war activities. Women are learning how to make the most of

their time-and they are accomplishing wonders with it. The women of all the united nations have proved that they can take their place on the battlefield and in the fac-tory-and yet, miraculously, throughout these four terrible years, homes have been maintained and schools have been kept going. Airplanes have been flown, ships and bombs have been built, ttucks have been. driven, children have been washed and dressed, meals have been cooked and eaten, friendship and hospitality have not been allowed to lapse. If we can do all this in times of war, surely we can accomplish as much in times of peace. If we can defend our countries and homes and ways of life, surely we can work as hard to better them when they are no. longer in danger. : For all of us, wherever we may be, our greatest aim right now is victory. After that, I think that most of us long, as I do, to be re-united with our families as quickly as possible. But, in our happiness and contentment at accomplishing these things, we must not forget the lessons we have learned from war. Not just the big lessons of how to establish international relations and maintain a lasting peace, but the little lessons: things like finding out how much alike an English boy can be to an American or an Australian or a New. Zealander; how good the food.in some far-off country has tasted; how kind and simple the people of a strange nation can be. And we mustn’t forget, and this is especially true for women, how many new things we have learned to do; how much we can accomplish in a day, and how, now that. we have proved that we can take all kinds of jobs and responsibilities, we're going to be expected to go tight on doing it

* OYCE ANSTRUTHER was her maiden name, and Mrs, MaxtoneGraham contracted it into the pen-name, Jan Struther, under which she has become famous, in order to avoid being confused with her mother, who is also a successful writer. Her husband, a captain in the British Army, was captured in Libya. The author of "Mrs, Miniver" went to America in 1939, and has travelled across the United States several times. She has many hobbies. One of them is carpentry; amateur botany is another. The Maxtone-Grahams have three children. Janet and Robert went to America with their mother. James remained at school in England; he is now 20 and engaged in the war effort. Since the world-wide success of the "Mrs. Miniver"’ sketches, Jan has made many public appearances. In the eyes of many, she is the embodiment of "Mrs. Miniver." She is now writing another book-about America.