This week I am remembering a star of yesteryear who may not register with younger readers but she was a big star in Hollywood's golden age. Her name is Vivien Leigh, and she died 50 years ago in 1967 at the early age of 53.

For some reason, items from her estate have just been auctioned, which included furniture and personal items. I was stunned when the sale made £2,243,000. Everything seemed to sell well above estimate. For instance, her copy of the book Gone With The Wind, signed by the author and presented to Vivien at the film's 1939 premiere, was expected to reach £7,000 but went for £50,000. I am used to seeing items from, say, Star Wars fetching a fortune but I thought the market had passed for those kind of items.

Vivien Leigh began her film career at Elstree Studios in the early 1930s and married Laurence Olivier, making them the hot couple of that era, like Taylor and Burton in later years.

The producer of Gone With The Wind tested many unknown and well-known actresses for the role of Scarlet as it was a sought-after part. Legend has it that Vivien's agent , who was the brother of the producer, took her to watch the burning of Atlanta scenes on the studio backlot and the producer was so impressed by her looks he cast her. I suspect there was more to it but it made her a superstar, although she was apparently only paid $25,000.

It was perhaps a curse to start at the top in what may be the most famous film of all time. Over the decades it has probably been viewed more than any other film, certainly of that era. Afterwards, with one or two exceptions , her film career never really hit the heights and in 1961 she came back to Elstree to make her penultimate movie, entitled The Roman Spring Of Mrs Stone. It co-starred a newcomer named Warren Beatty. I wonder what ever happened to him?

Sadly Vivien suffered all her adult life from what was then called manic depression, which helped derail her marriage to Olivier and damaged her reputation for being employable. She then developed tuberculosis in later life and died at her home in London.

In the 1990s I was host and arranger of a number of plaque unveilings at Elstree Studios to celebrate stars of yesteryear. I naturally included Vivien and who better to unveil the plaque than her co-star from Gone With The Wind, the lovely Olivia de Havilland. I was lucky as I had a meagre budget but Olivia, who lives in Paris, was coming over to receive an honorary degree from the University of Hertfordshire and staying for the weekend with a relative.

She kindly agreed to do the unveiling and I remember picking her up - what a gracious lady, full of old school Hollywood charm. I think Olivia was about 80 then and thankfully is still with us now aged over 100.

She recalled flattering comments about the film and Vivien. On the drive back to her residence I asked whether she had kept in contact with Clark Gable after the filming. She replied: "The cast had a meal with the producer a few months after the film's release but I never met Clark again. At the time we were at different studios and in the 1950s I moved to Paris so our paths never crossed again."

I treasure those moments I spent with that lovely lady. Although it was filmed, sadly that footage is unavailable. The same applies to the other plaque unveilings that honoured the likes of John Mills, Richard Todd, Christopher Lee, Barbara Windsor, Cliff Richard and others, all of whom gratefully attended. The lesson is to make sure you take control of copyright issues so future generations can enjoy these one-off occasions as the days of a handshake are long gone.

Until next week, you take care of yourself and we can have another stroll down Memory Lane in the autumn sun.