Jessie Matthews (1907-1981) was one of Britain’s biggest movie stars of the 1930s. Starting out in theater, she took over for an ill Gertrude Lawrence as the star of Charlot’s Review of 1924 and received great reviews. Her transition to musical films, which showcased her singing and dancing skills, reached a peak in the mid-1930s, with such films as Evergreen, First a Girl, and It’s Love Again. Hollywood repeatedly tried to cast her because of her following in America, but Gaumont-British Picture Corporation declared her a national treasure and refused to release her from her contract. Her popularity waned during World War II, when a turbulent personal life forced an absence of several years from the screen. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1970.