The Postcard
A postcard that was published by F. Frith & Co. Ltd. of Reigate.
The card was posted in Farnham, Surrey on Monday the 18th. February 1907 to:
Miss Barnett,
'The Laurels',
Brighton Road,
Worthing.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Pleased to get your
letter.
Shall be writing soon.
Best love to all,
Yours,
Will".
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st. Baron Tennyson FRS (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was a British poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign, and remains one of the most popular British poets.
In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge University for one of his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He published his first solo collection of poems, Poems Chiefly Lyrical in 1830.
"Claribel" and "Mariana", which remain two of Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were included in this volume. Although decried by some critics as overly sentimental, his verse soon proved popular and brought Tennyson to the attention of well-known writers of the day, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Tennyson's early poetry, with its medievalism and powerful visual imagery, was a major influence on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Tennyson also excelled at penning short lyrics, such as "Break, Break, Break", "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears", and "Crossing the Bar".
Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as "Ulysses", although "In Memoriam A.H.H." was written to commemorate his friend Arthur Hallam, a fellow poet and student at Trinity College, Cambridge, after he died of a stroke at the age of 22.
Tennyson also wrote some notable blank verse including Idylls of the King, "Ulysses", and "Tithonus". During his career, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.
Two thoughts from Lord Tennyson:
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all'.
'Knowledge comes, but wisdom
lingers'.
Aldworth House
Aldworth House, in Tennyson's Lane, Haslemere was designed by Sir James Knowles for Lord Tennyson and built in 1869.
It was occupied by Tennyson until his death, chiefly in the summer months when he wished to escape from the Isle of Wight visitors whom he found had become trouble-
some.
Tennyson died in the house on the 6th. October 1892. It is in semi-Gothic style, with two storeys and an attic.
The house is Grade I listed because of its historical associations.
Billy De Wolfe
So what else happened on the day that Will posted the card?
Well, the 18th. February 1907 marked the birth In Quincy, Mass. of Billy De Wolfe.
Born William Andrew Jones, he became known as Billy De Wolfe. Billy was an American character actor who was active in films from the mid-1940's until his death in 1974.
Billy De Wolfe - The Early Years
Billy was the son of a Welsh bookbinder who encouraged him to become a Baptist minister. Instead, Billy developed an interest in the theatre, and found work as an usher before becoming a dancer with the Jimmy O'Connor Band.
It was at this point that he changed his last name to De Wolfe, which was the last name of the manager of the Massachusetts theatre where he worked.
Billy went on to tour Europe with a dance team, appearing in a London revue called "Revels in Rhythm". He served in the United States Navy during WWII until he was discharged for medical reasons in 1944.
De Wolfe signed with Paramount Pictures in 1943 and became a comedian. His pencil-moustached and often pompous character contrasted humorously with the films' romantic leads.
His best-known role of his Paramount tenure is probably the ham actor-turned-silent movie villain in the 1947 fictionalized Pearl White biography The Perils of Pauline.
De Wolfe became known for his portrayal of fussy, petty men ("Never touch!," he would say imperiously whenever someone accosted him physically). The New York Times review of his 1948 film Isn't It Romantic? strongly criticized the way the other actors' material limited their performances, contrasting their performances with his:
"But Mr. De Wolfe is nothing daunted.
He rips up the place with great delight.
The material is at his mercy. Likewise
the scenery. And he chews it to bits."
He was a good friend of Doris Day until his death, from the time of their meeting during the filming of Tea for Two (1950), also appearing with Day in Lullaby of Broadway the following year.
After his Paramount contract lapsed, De Wolfe returned to the stage. He appeared in the revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac in 1953 and 1954, and starred in the last edition of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1957.
Billy appeared regularly in guest roles on television, including the first two episodes of NBC's The Imogene Coca Show. He portrayed Mr. Jarvis on CBS's The Doris Day Show, and co-starred with Larry Storch in a short-lived TV sitcom, The Queen and I.
He often appeared on talk shows and in TV commercials, doing his "Mrs. Murgatroyd" drag routine. Wearing a hat and a shawl (but still sporting his moustache), De Wolfe (as old maid Phoebe Murgatroyd) would claim to be an expert on romance and answered questions from the lovelorn.
De Wolfe's closeted homosexuality has been discussed by John Gielgud, author David Kaufman, and The Advocate.
Generations of TV viewers know Billy De Wolfe only by his voice: his is the voice of the inept magician Professor Hinkle in the 1969 Christmas special Frosty the Snowman. De Wolfe gave the role his usual fussy diction:
"Mess-y, mess-y, mess-y!
Sill-y, sill-y, sill-y!
Bus-y, bus-y, bus-y!"
In 1967–68 (one season, 26 episodes), he co-starred with Joby Baker and Ronnie Schell in the TV sitcom Good Morning World as Roland Hutton, the fussy manager at a radio station.
In 1972, De Wolfe was scheduled to return to Broadway portraying Madame Lucy in the musical revival of Irene starring Debbie Reynolds. However, during the early stages of rehearsals, De Wolfe learned that he was ill with cancer, and was replaced by George S. Irving.
The Death of Billy De Wolfe
Later that year, he recorded a vocal track for the New York cast album of Free to Be... You and Me, starring Marlo Thomas, reprising the role in the animated ABC Television special filmed a year later. The TV show aired on March 11, 1974, six days after his death.
Billy died just after his 67th birthday, from lung cancer, on the 5th. March 1974, at UCLA Medical Center where he had been hospitalized since February 26.
He was laid to rest in Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy.
