We went to Brussels first for one month, July 1939, and in August to Berlin. It was a far different Berlin than the one we had known in past years. It had a chilling effect to see streets barricaded off and the word “Jude” on some shop windows.
We lived in an apartment and we became acquainted with an elderly lady who lived close by. Her name was Madame Correlli and she had been [Enrico] Caruso’s voice teacher. She was a Jewess. She told Pop how much she longed to see his show. Pop had met [Nazi Party propagandist Joseph] Goebbels when he came to the show. He told Pop to call him if he could be of any service. Pop promptly told him he wanted this lady to come to the theatre. But she was not permitted to go. Could he [Goebbels] arrange it? He arranged for a car to pick her up, take her to the theatre and return her to her home!
September 1st [1939, when Germany invaded Poland] everyone in our company was notified by their respective consulates to leave Berlin as war was imminent.
We had an international company but mostly British subjects who would have been interned. Getting out quickly was imperative. Everyone scrambled to pack. We couldn’t take our German marks so we tried to spend it all on things like cameras.
Then getting to the train station became a problem. Some of the girls had made friends with some German soldiers, who offered transportation. We got on the last train available to passengers leaving Berlin.We passed other trains loaded with soldiers, on their way to Poland. Our train was jam-packed, people standing in the aisles and sitting on their luggage.
We left behind a man who had been with us ever since our first tour of Europe, a German Jew, Paul Kartinga.
We made it to Bergen, Norway, and because of our haste in leaving Germany did not have all of our passports in order. As soon as the officials knew it was Dante and his company, we were allowed to go on. However there was a problem clearing our little Pekinese dog. He had to stay there until orders came to clear him, so we stayed at a nearby hotel. Then continued on to Stockholm, Sweden, where Pop decided to disband the company. The show had been away from America for twelve and a half years. It was time to go home.
Most of our people being British subjects left for England, but Miki wanted to stay with us.
For the past several months there was a young Englishman traveling with us named Stuart Raw. He wanted very much to become Dante’s successor. With that possibility in mind, he chose to return with us to America. Pop was not very encouraging. The only thing in his [Raw’s] favor was his striking appearance. Very tall and dark with dark piercing eyes. But he would have needed a great deal of stage experience.
It was very hard saying goodbye to all of our young men and women. One young man in particular. I wanted to return to England with them. I felt more at home there than in my own country. Being under twenty-one, I had no choice. Mom said after we settled in California, I could return to England.
It was six weeks before we were able to sail on the Kunsholm to the United States. A lot of our show stuff had been sidetracked to Belgium and remained there until the war ended. Eventually, still intact, it arrived at the ranch in Northridge [California].
The voyage on board ship was not the usual pleasant experience I always enjoyed. Everyone was very tense and anxious worrying about the German submarines as we walked the decks or stood by the railings, always scanning the water looking for something in the North Sea.
Then it happened. A submarine surfaced. We were stopped and boarded by the Germans, then held up for two hours while they searched the ship. A woman who shared the cabin Mom, Miki and I had was terrified. She began tearing up papers and destroying them. But the Germans left without taking anyone.