Did you see James Mason in town today? A case study in transatlantic and local identities in British stardom

American films have often been seen as agents of Americanisation. James Mason’s long career as an actor seems to support such a trajectory, from inhabitant of a locality to transatlantic star. Likewise audiences have been considered as following a similar journey, as they transported themselves to America via seats in the cinema and their living rooms. This article examines Mason’s relationship with his home town of Huddersfield in order to explore the development of his sense of place, as he first distanced himself from the town and then, as he got older, adopted a Yorkshire identity. In response, audiences in Huddersfield used Mason’s stardom to express their civic identities.

Keywords: James Mason; Huddersfield; Hollywood; films; identity; locality; audiences