Violet Jessop

Kyrila Scully

Kyrila Scully

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Apr 15, 2001
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Frank, I stand corrected. You're absolutely right - I had forgotten about her very brief marriage, but I was not aware - nor was John Maxtone-Graham (her biographer) that her husband's name was Ned...how did you find that out when John Maxtone-Graham couldn't even get the information out of her?

Kyrila
 
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Frank McElroy

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Dec 31, 2003
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Bob,

Nice to hear from you, must meet and have a chat, I’m always at the Tollgate Surgery after 6pm. Just got back from Liverpool, last night, go once a year to clean and tidy up Hugh’s grave or Liverpool Council put a notice on it, they are very strict on graves not being kept tidy.

With Regards to Violet's marriage, this is what Margaret, her niece, told me, when I visited her in Ely, which would fit in with what Phil said, Ned was in the merchant navy, but I never knew he lived in Southampton. (Thanks for the info)

What Margaret told me I trust, after all she was entrusted with Violet's personal diaries.
 
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Mauro Zungri

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Nov 2, 2004
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It was not the boat I number 16 in which Violet profit to escape of the Titanic? and which before doing I rescue it to it drinks of which we do not have the identity. When looking for them in the list of this EXCELLENT Web it does not appear his name in boat 16.
A warm greeting to all!
 
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Mindy Deckard

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Aug 29, 2005
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I recently finished reading the autobiography of Violet Jessop, the stewardess from the Olympic and the Titanic as well as the nurse from the Britannic. All I can say is that her life was truly incredible. She came from almost dying as a child in Argentina to taking care of the richest people in the world on the ships of dreams.

Which brings me to this thought. Why has there never been a movie based on her life? To me this would be Hollywood (big or small screen) gold! Her complicated life, her thoughts on the rich, her actions during both sinkings and her rise from the ashes of both.

I think, if done right, it would be a box office success.

Yet, no movie and, what's worse, no mention in James Cameron's Titanic either. I believe that Cameron missed an incredible story.

What are your feelings on this? Should there be a movie on Violet Jessop's life? Or am I just painting an incredible picture of an unspectacular woman?

Your thoughts?
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

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Dec 2, 2000
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>>Why has there never been a movie based on her life?<<

Unless you can get Hallmark interested, my bet is that Violet Jessop was thought of as a blip on the radar screen and not good material for a story. I doubt if a lot of the Hollywood execs have even heard of her and those who have probably don't care. Miss Jessop did indeed have an interesting life in my opinion, but probably no more so then most others who made the sea their way of life one way or another.
 
Dave Gittins

Dave Gittins

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Apr 11, 2001
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Violet Jessop was very little known until quite recently. She was briefly mentioned in John Maxtone-Graham's The Only Way to Cross in 1972. Her full story was not told until 1997, when John Maxtone-Graham published his edition of her memoirs. Whether a profitable movie could be made about her is an open question. There are certainly elements of adventure and romance, but would they be sufficient?
 
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caroline herzfeld

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Sep 5, 2005
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mindy: Go for it! Mrs. J.J. Brown was a blip on the radar screen until the Broadway show bearing her name. Hollywood has made other box office successes out of people who were blips on the screen in their time or place. I think it sounds like a really good idea.
 
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Adam Usher

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Oct 26, 2004
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I also think that it would be a good idea. Not only because of her involvement in such tragedies, etc, but i think that her whole life, rescuing a child, and then receiving telephone calls years later, from somebody claiming to be the child she saved. All of this would make a good film. I also think that there would be plenty of room for dramatical accounts of her time at sea.
 
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caroline herzfeld

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Sep 5, 2005
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and who should play Violet Jessup? I think Patricia Arquette would make an excellent Violet. Can't think of any others offhand--haven't had my breakfast yet. Other nominees?
 
Dave Gittins

Dave Gittins

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This flick could be bigger than Cameron ever dreamed of! All three of the Olympic class are required and two have to be sunk. Add all the other ships involved and there's a fair sort of fleet.

Then add locations from South America to Australia, plus a great deal of ocean. We Aussies might have trouble finding some snow-capped mountains at Katoomba, but problems are made to be overcome!
 
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Mindy Deckard

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Aug 29, 2005
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A side note to the baby story. Violet, in her autobiography, said that years later she received a call from a person claiming to be that child. The person never identified him/herself and slammed down the phone as Violet began asking questions. Violet never knew if it was legit or if it was just a cruel hoax that someone attempted. Violet, though, later said that she never really had mentioned the story to many people...which made the story even more strange. Furthermore, her autobiography was published after her death so it could not have come from that source.

Try reading her autobiography...it is excellent and she is really witty throughout.
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

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Just speculating but I don't think Jim Cameron was interested in going off on any more tangents then he could possibly avoid. He may have wanted to do something with Miss Jessop, but the whole film, like Frankenstein's monster, had taken on a life of it's own. It came damned close to being canceled by the studios that were underwriting it because of cost overruns in the production. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, you can only do so much.

As it was, quite a bit of the historical footage that was filmed ended up on the cutting room floor in deferance to Jack and Rose.
 
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Mindy Deckard

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Aug 29, 2005
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Yeah...but what I was thinking was even a two second split like he did with Countess of Rothes...she was only on for a split second.

But it did get more people interested in her.
 
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