Lawrence Beesley Delves into the Entertainment Industry
Once again married, with three sons and returned to his education career, Beesley wrote one of the first survivors to write an account of the night, The Loss of the SS Titanic (1912). In the 1950s, he contributed to one of the definitive books on Titanic, Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember. The book wasn’t his only connection to the entertainment industry, though. He attended the filming of A Night to Remember (1958) as an invited guest.
Beesley snuck onto the set to be on the ship as it sank. An actor spotted the survivor. The director had to remove Beesley, lest he violate union regulations and had production stopped. Beesley attended the premier, giving an interview to the newsreel, praising the realism of the film. Beesley lived to age 89, passing away in 1967. Beesley’s son Alec married Dodie Smith, writer of One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
