SHE saw royalty, Hollywood stars, world leaders, millionaires, sports stars, politicians and television personalities.

The list of those who travelled on Queen Mary was like a comprehensive guide to the celebrities of her age.

Many famous faces who opted for the glamorous life viewed her as the only way to travel across the Atlantic. And that meant that Southampton was the focus for the arrivals and departures of the biggest names in showbusiness.

There were so many that most national newspapers had at least one journalist based full-time in the city through the 1950s and 60s.

Comedy duo Abbott and Costello, who starred in 36 films, two television series and numerous radio shows were passengers on QM when they changed their baseball jokes into football gags for British audiences.

Debonair actor David Niven was a firm favourite on QM where he would regale other passengers with stories of his life in Hollywood

“Cunard looked after its celebrities impeccably,” says Elspeth Wills in the book Stars Aboard, which chronicles the many well known names who were passengers during the golden age of Atlantic travel.

“Cary Grant proposed to one of his five wives on Queen Mary, while film producer Samuel Goldwyn stalked the liner’s decks with his camera at the ready in case he spotted a photogenic new face.

“Marlene Dietrich followed her friend Noel Coward’s advice ‘Always be seen, dear...always be seen’, by timing her entrance to the dining room for maximum effect. She was never seen at breakfast and only rarely at lunch.

“Notoriously publicity shy Greta Garbo travelled incognito and disembarked disguised as a stewardess while Bing Crosby sought refuge in the darkroom where he chatted to the photographers as they developed that day’s film.”

In the 1950s the Shah of Iran was synonymous with wealth and luxurious living and caused a stir among the passengers.

“When he travelled on Queen Mary with his second wife, the Empress Soraya, the extent and exquisite quality of her wardrobe caused a sensation.

“Changing her clothes several times a day, she never wore the same outfit twice and her entry to the room was the event of the day,” said the book.

Among the actors who sailed on board were Audrey Hepburn, Buster Keaton, Elizabeth Taylor, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Judy Garland, David Farrar, Gracie Fields and Mickey Rooney.

Comedians who walked the boards of QM included Bob Hope, Sid Field and Laurel and Hardy.

Movers and shakers Fred Astaire and the Three Ross Sisters were among those who ventured onto QM, as were politicians John F Kennedy, Winston Churchill and General Dwight Eisenhower.

Queen Mary also saw her share of royalty, including George VI, the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II.

More on Queen Mary in tomorrow’s Daily Echo to mark the 50th anniversary of the liner leaving Southampton for the last time.