The Postcard
A Pictorial Post Card that was posted in Margate using a ½d. stamp on Wednesday the 2nd. August 1905. It was sent to:
Miss E. Waters,
35, Haig Road,
Plaistow,
London E.
The pencilled message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Dear Edie,
We are enjoying
ourselves. We have
got lovely weather.
I shall be sorry to
come home to you.
From Lizzie."
A New PM For Sweden
So what else happened on the day that Lizzie posted the card?
Well, on the 2nd. August 1905, businessman and right-wing politician Christian Lundeberg became Prime Minister of Sweden.
Stonehenge
Also on that day, the Ancient Order of Druids initiated neo-Druidic rituals at Stonehenge in England.
Ruth Nelson
The 2nd. August also marked the birth, in Saginaw, Michigan, of Ruth Nelson.
Ruth Gloria Nelson was an American stage and film actress best known as a charter member of the influential The Group Theatre and for her understated, realistic portrayals of working-class women.
-- Career Beginnings and The Group Theatre
-- Early Training: Ruth studied at the American Laboratory Theatre in NYC under Richard Boleslawski during the early 1920's and made her New York stage debut in 1928.
-- The Group Theatre (1931–1941): Ruth was a charter member of this famous theatrical collective, gaining critical acclaim for her role as the chief striker's wife in Clifford Odets' play Waiting for Lefty (1935). Her restrained, naturalistic delivery came to typify her signature style of loyal, blue-collar wives.
-- Hollywood and the Blacklist
-- Film Transition: After the collective dissolved, Nelson moved to Hollywood in the 1940's, appearing in supporting roles for major studios. Notable credits include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Humoresque (1946), and The Sea of Grass (1947).
-- The McCarthy Era Blacklist: Ruth's career slowed significantly when her second husband, director John Cromwell, was falsely accused before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951 and blacklisted.
Nelson turned down high-profile stage opportunities (such as a role in Death of a Salesman) in order to remain in Los Angeles and support him, keeping her away from major film screens for nearly three decades.
-- Later Work and Final Film
-- Return to Screen: Director Robert Altman brought Nelson back to feature films in the late 1970's, casting her in 3 Women (1977) and A Wedding (1978) alongside her husband.
-- Awakenings (1990): Nelson delivered a widely praised final performance as the mother of Robert De Niro’s character in Penny Marshall’s acclaimed drama, earning strong critical notice for her wrenching, quiet dignity before her death from brain cancer on the 12th. September 1992.
Myrna Loy
Also born on that day, in Helena, Montana, was Myrna Adele Williams. She became Myrna Loy, the American film, television and stage actress known for portraying Nora Charles in the series of The Thin Man films.
Myrna died in 1993.
