On May 17th 1958 the actor Ronald Colman died. Born in Richmond Surrey in 1891 he worked as a clerk whilst acting in amateur dramatics. In World War 1 he joined the London Scottish Regiment and fought on the Western Front. After a theatrical career in England he emigrated to the States. He was very successful in silent movies but it was when talkies came along with his distinctive voice, cool looks and acting ability that he became a huge star.

A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times,

it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom,

it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief,

it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of Light,

it was the season of Darkness,

it was the spring of hope,

it was the winter of despair,

we had everything before us,

we had nothing before us,

we were all going direct to Heaven,

we were all going direct the other way—in short,

the period was so far like the present period,

that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received,

for good or for evil,

in the superlative degree of comparison only.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done;

it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities