These women forged ahead in the 1950s, a decade now known for its conservative values; today's high achievers owe much to their success
Betty "Box Office" Box was one of the most successful producers of the 1950s Photo: GETTY
Muriel and Betty Box
Every year at Oscar time, the cry goes up: where are all the women? But in the 1950s, they were all over the place: screenwriting, producing, even directing. The wildly glamorous Muriel and Betty Box were sisters-in-law; Muriel was married to Betty’s brother, Sidney, and it was to him that they initially owed their careers (he gave both their first break).
In the 1950s Betty was Britain’s most successful movie producer – her nickname in the business was Betty Box Office – thanks in large part to her decision to turn Doctor in the House, a comic novel about student doctors, into a film starring Dirk Bogarde.
Muriel Box filming The Truth About Women
Muriel was a director – in spite of the best efforts of some studio bosses, who simply refused to believe a woman was capable of such a job. Among her best pictures is Simon and Laura (1955), a weirdly prescient comedy (it’s as though she saw reality television coming) in which Kay Kendall and Peter Finch play married actors whose smug portrayal of a happy couple in a soap opera is in stark contrast to the reality at home.
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