Here is a 1941 magazine article that marked the well-received performance of Diana Barrymore in her New York stage debut (pictured above on the right):
"The play was a stilted three-acter labeled 'The Romantic Mr. Dickens', and Diana did not appear until nearly the end of the second act. Her first words, 'But - I must see him', lured applause loud and prolonged. When the final curtain fell, those first-nighters realized that another Barrymore had gone to town with a vengence. The critics marshaled such adjectives as 'vibrant,' 'vivid,' 'beautiful', and 'confident' to describe the 'best Barrymore debut in years.'"
"Diana was grateful, even jubilant, but her only comment was, " I knew they'd like me. I gave it everything."
"'The Romantic Mr. Dickens' died of pernicious anemia six nights later, but in Broadway parlance, Diana was in. The latest member of the amazing Barrymore clan - the Crown Princess of the theater's Royal Family - sat back to receive the homage due her. She didn't have to wait long. There were bids from two stage producers and invitations from Hollywood to play opposite Spencer Tracy in 'Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde' (once a starring vehicle for Daddy John) and share billing with Cary Grant in another picture."
She would drink herself to death 19 years later...
