LittleFriend1934 

The movie whose title is that of Isherwood's novella has a different plot from 'Little Friend'. But 'Friedrich Bergmann' in the book closely resembles director Berthold Viertel, who was in exile working for Gaumont British. Through his wife, Sasha Viertel, Isherwood got in with the Hollywood aristocracy when he and Auden went to the States in 1939. Sasha was Garbo's scriptwriter and confidante, and Isherwood was soon hired by MGM to write 'Rage in Heaven'.

On the strength of her three starring parts in 1933-37, I reckon Nova was the great lost talent of British Sound cinema's early years- its equivalent of Deanna Durbin. And if she had been induced to try Hollywood, she would have left Fontaine, Garson, Kerr and Taylor in the dust.