RSW's Diary Comments

"Painted in 1935. A large one of my north window at the Buckland studio. Exhibited with high praise, quite generally when Harold Grieve and his wife called here in 1936. He had it sent west and early in 1937 it was sold to Mr. Norman Krasna of 627 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California, he being a noted scenario writer doing things for, and a friend of Charley Chaplin, the Marx brothers, etc. It has been illustrated quite largely in magazines and periodicals as a splendid example of room decoration."

The painting hanging in the home of Norman Krasna

Norman Krasna (November 7, 1909 " November 1, 1984) was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and film director. He is best known for penning screwball comedies which centred on a case of mistaken identity. Krasna also directed three films during a forty-year career in Hollywood. He garnered four Academy Award screenwriting nominations, winning once for 1943's Princess O'Rourke, a film he also directed. Source: Wikipedia - Norman Krasna

Harold Grieve was a close friend of Robert Strong Woodward. Unclear how and when they first met. We know it was in the early years of RSW making oil paintings of New England scenery. He made a bookplate for Harold while he was still working in his first studio, Redgate. Harold was a popular motion picture art director and interior decorator of homes in Hollywood, California, and chose several "Woodwards" to be centerpieces in the living rooms of famous movie stars of the day, including Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen.

Norman Krasna (far right) with actress Sylvia
Sidney (L) and film director Eddie Bazzell (C)

Posing with the painting is Harold Grieve
friend of both Norman Krasna and Woodward