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DDP - David Drummond Pantomime Collection

Ref No	DDP/RF
Collection	David Drummond Pantomime Collection
Title	Richard Findlater
Name of creator	Bain, Kenneth Bruce Findlater (1921-1985), otherwise known under the pen-name Richard Findlater
Date	20th century
Extent	4 boxes
Description	Research notes by Richard Findlater used to remedy errors within the Grimaldi Memoirs as edited by Charles Dickens and the publication of his own history Grimaldi. King of Clowns, which was originally published in 1955. A copy of this publication with updated notes for a new edition with corrections is included, as well as research notes for a book about the history of pantomime and British theatre. Related correspondence regarding Findlater's research into pantomime and contemporary British theatre, press cuttings used for research, and records relating to Cambridge University Press and Findlater's corrected book about Joseph Grimaldi also forms part of this collection.
Notes	Terms and ideas used are present in these records and reflect contemporary attitudes used during the period. This is represented in the interest of historical accuracy, as altering them would risk falsifying the historical record. It would also be problematic to source non-offensive modern equivalents with a similar meaning. These items do not reflect the views or opinions of the University of Kent, Special Collections & Archives or our staff. We apologise for any offence that our inclusion of these terms may cause.
Admin history	Born in 1921 as Kenneth Bruce Findlater Bain, he worked under the pen-name Richard Findlater and was a British theatre critic and biographer. He was also the arts editor at The Observer, becoming assistant editor in 1963. He wrote 18 books, several of which were biographies of Michael Redgrave, Peggy Ashcroft, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Lillian Baylis and the 19th-century clown Joseph Grimaldi. Biographies of Joseph Grimaldi include Grimaldi: King of Clowns, published in 1955, and Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, published in 1968. He also wrote The Holy Trade, an account of contemporary British Theatre, and Banned, a history of stage censorship. From 1948 to 1962, he was married to the journalist and showbusiness interviewer Romany Bain, with whom he had four children. One of their sons became an Anglican priest-clown known as Roly Bain or "Holy Roly".
Arrangement	Series are arranged alphabetically by types and themes of Richard Findlater's research materials.
Related Person	Bain, Kenneth Bruce Findlater (1921-1985), otherwise known under the pen-name Richard Findlater
Access conditions	This material is available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU (specialcollections@kent.ac.uk).
Copyright	Material within the archive may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Special Collections & Archives staff will assist where possible in helping trace copyright holders, but it is ultimately the responsibility of users to obtain the permission of the copyright holder for reproduction of copyright material for uses other than research or private study.
Level	Subfonds

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