The Postcard
A postally unused postcard published by K Ltd. bearing a studio image of a cleric.
Someone (presumably the man himself) has written on the card:
"Hubert J. Matthews.
March 31st. 1921".
March the 31st. 1921 was in fact a Thursday.
Hubert J. Matthews
Hubert was educated at Winchester and St. John's College Oxford. He had originally been intended to pursue a legal career, and in fact was initially articled to Ellis Peirs & Co., solicitors, in 1911.
He abandoned the law, however, for the Ministry, and graduated from Cuddesdon Theological College in 1913.
Hubert's first post was as curate of St. Martin‐in‐the‐Fields, which he held from 1914 until 1921.
This service was interrupted by war duty, when he was posted as chaplain of H.M.S. Malaya in 1917–19.
From 1921 to 1925 he was the vicar of All Hallows Church, East India Docks, and from 1925 to 1930 he served as curate‐in‐charge of Christ Church. Kensington.
Hubert served also as vicar of St. Jude's, South Kensington; rector of St. Marylebone, and as rural dean of St. Marylebone. He was named prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral, where he served from 1948 to 1950.
Hubert was named archdeacon of Hampstead in 1950 and served until 1962, when he was named archdeacon emeritus.
In 1920 he married Miss Kathleen Frances Cawthorne, who survived him, as Dr. Kathleen Matthews. They had three children: Mrs. Pamela Danova of Spain; Mrs. Joseph L. Mankiewicz of Bedford, N. Y., wife of the film producer, and John, of Salisbury, Rhodesia.
The Death of Hubert J. Matthews
The Venerable Hubert John Matthews, archdeacon emeritus of Hampstead, London, died in his sleep Tuesday the 27th. April 1971 in Mijas, Malaga, Spain. He was 82 years old.
Peggy Rea
So what else happened on the 31st. March 1921?
Well, the day marked the birth in Los Angeles of Peggy Jane Rea. Peggy was an American actress known for her many roles in television, often playing matronly characters.
Peggy Rea's Life and Career
Before she became an actress, Rea left UCLA in order to attend business school. She landed a job as a production secretary at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1940's.
Later, she was an assistant to writer-musician Kay Thompson until Thompson dropped her in April 1948.
Some of the points of discord apparently included Rea's insistence on staying at the Algonquin Hotel (rather than Essex House, where Thompson was staying), and disappearing, on at least one occasion, on the eve of their New York opening, to see Born Yesterday on Broadway without telling Thompson.
Although Thompson had severed ties with Rea, the younger woman kept in touch with other members of Thompson's family, including Thompson's mother, brother and younger sister, with whom she enjoyed cordial relations.
Rea quickly landed on her feet with a supporting role in the National Road Company's production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (as Eunice Hubbell, 1948–1949), starring Anthony Quinn.
Peggy appeared in many television shows, including I Love Lucy, The Wild Wild West, Hazel, Bonanza, Have Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Sergeant Bilko, Ironside, Burke's Law, Marcus Welby, M.D., All in the Family, Maude, Hunter, The Odd Couple, Gidget, Busting Loose, MacGyver, and The Golden Girls.
Peggy also appeared in feature films, including Norman Lear's Cold Turkey and In Country.
Rea is probably best known for her role as Lulu Coltrane Hogg in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). Throughout the series' 7 year run Rea appeared in 19 episodes as the wife of Hazzard County Commissioner Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg (played by Sorrell Booke).
After portraying a landlady in an earlier episode of The Waltons, Rea permanently joined the cast in 1979 in the role of Rose Burton, a cousin of Olivia Walton, a surrogate parental figure replacing Ellen Corby (Grandma), Michael Learned (Olivia), and the following year, Ralph Waite (John).
Rea remained with the series until the spring of 1981 when her character of Rose was proposed to by her beau Stanley Perkins (played by William Schallert) shortly before the show's cancellation.
Rea's character of Rose appeared in the Walton's Thanksgiving Reunion in 1993.
Rea later appeared as a regular on the first season of Step By Step from 1991 to 1992 and Grace Under Fire during the 1990's.
Recurring Roles
Peggy's recurring roles included:
-- Clubwoman and Nurse on I Love Lucy
-- The Red Skelton Show 1966–1971
-- Peggy on Have Gun Will Travel (8 episodes)
-- Mrs. Roniger and other roles on Gunsmoke 1962–1971
-- Cousin Bertha on All in the Family
-- Martha Burkhorn on All in the Family
-- Rose Burton on The Waltons
-- Lulu Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard 1979–1985
-- Ivy Baker on Step by Step 1991–1992
-- Jean Kelly on Grace Under Fire 1993–1998 (51 episodes)
The Death of Peggy Rea
Rea died in Toluca Lake, California, aged 89, from complications of heart failure on the 5th. February 2011.
