Betty Bronson’s son, Ludwig Lauerhass, Jr., suggested I read Bruce K. Hanson’s Peter Pan on Stage and Screen because he included an excellent chapter devoted to Betty’s role as the first Peter Pan on film. One thing I’ve noticed is that members of the Peter Pan community tend to be very generous with sharing their expertise. Bruce took that generosity to the next level and invited me to his lovely home in Petersburg, VA for an interview, as well as to see his amazing collection of Peter Pan memorabilia. I arranged a stop in Petersburg on my way to my second summer session at Hollins in Roanoke.

     Upon arriving, Bruce gave me photocopies of the information he had from the Bronson archives at UCLA. He also emailed me copies of images he owns from the film for use in the book. Bruce’s collection is as vast as his knowledge. He has spent many years hunting down letters, photographs, posters, statues, music, books, etc. As I was just beginning my journey into Peter Pan, I found myself a little overwhelmed; however, Bruce’s patience, expertise, and guidance quickly put me at ease. The following images represent just a few of his treasure trove.

     One of my favorite bits of trivia Bruce shared is that Stewart Stern’s screenplay for Rebel Without a Cause is a retelling of Peter Pan. Bruce had the privilege of interviewing Stern who graciously wrote the foreword for his book. You can see Stern discussing his lifelong connection to the character of Peter Pan on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/rwBP237fWBU?si=ChQ3U0OYp65dApOK

     In addition to being an expert on Peter Pan, Bruce is also an expert on collecting vinyl albums. He wrote a book about his journey.

My time with Bruce Hanson was a master class in not only how to do research, but in how to organize that information. Being an artist, his home is like a museum, and he has built-ins for his various collections that are functional and pleasing to the eye. This memory is one I’ll always treasure.