Tuesday, January 1, 2008

North Texan profile: Marvin Krieger - man of many parts

Rick Brown

[Ed. note: while attending the Tuskegee Airmen film premiere and reunion event at Dallas' Frontiers of Flight Museum, I struck up a conversation with a chap named Rick Brown as we were both standing in line at the punch bowl. Turns out Rick (whose official though seldom-used moniker is Eric) is a former RAF (that's Royal Air Force to us Yanks) pilot who trained in the states during WWII and ended up relocating here (to Dallas, actually) after the global conflict. Something to do with a woman, as I recall.

In any case, when Rick mentioned in passing that he had a friend and fellow airman who'd received a missive from the Queen (as in, Her Majesty The), I encouraged him to forward the details. Which is what we have here. - JM]

Marvin was a Hollywood studio animator during the thirties, then an ace photographer working with Tom Kelly who produced the photographs of movie stars which publicized forthcoming attractions in movie house foyers during the cinema's heyday, and which are now collectors' items.

Rick Brown

Marvin Krieger: aviator, animator, ace photographer

Advertising man; pilot. He was one of Love Field's Frontiers of Flight Museum's early Board members.

During World War II Marvin first instructed the women ferry pilots of the WASPs at Sweetwater and then Royal Air Force pilot cadets like me at Terrell. He found the experience of being in close contact with British mores, manners and speech patterns formative and instructive, and his earlier-formed Anglophilia and reverence for the British Monarchy were consolidated. It is in that last role that Marvin and I principally touch base and I have long thought that the valuable help he rendered to Britain during the war years deserved some recognition from the United Kingdom. So I wrote to Her Majesty the Queen about him and I received a friendly and gracious reply expressing her appreciation of what he did for Britain. I gave a copy to Marvin which sent him totally into orbit. I believe that knowing of Queen Elizabeth's regard for him will delight and sustain my dear friend for the rest of his days.

Rick Brown

Rick Brown: domesticated yet still dashing Brit (note the ascot)

- Rick Brown, December 2007

[Yet another ed. note: O.K., so the missive didn't actually originate from Her Majesty in person, but - hey - anyone else out there with a letter from a lady in waiting, composed on Buckingham Palace stationery? (I thought not...)]

Related stories

• Vintage WWII bombers set their (Norden) sights on Dallas (March 6, 2008)

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