 Remember a hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best tonight on our hallmark playhouse we present a dramatization of one of the memorable plays of our time Lawrence Houseman's Victoria Regina Lawrence Houseman's genius always notable for its delicacy and wit was never shown to better advantage than in this delightful play nor perhaps has any Queen of History been portrayed with more humane understanding you know it's hard to realize that though many of us were born during the reign of Queen Victoria she herself was born in the times of President Monroe and Daniel Webster before a single railroad was built in this country and when we had 21 states instead of 48 a great Queen and I think you must admit despite all its faults a great age to spend such a long lifetime no easy task for any actress we're privileged to have with us tonight Miss Joan Fontaine in the part of Queen Victoria and now a word about hallmark cards from Frank Oz before we begin the first act of Victoria Regina there are hallmark cards for every memorable occasion on your calendar for birthdays anniversaries holidays yes for every occasion that calls for remembrance for a friendly greeting a word of good cheer an expression of sympathy there is a hallmark card that says just what you want to say the way you want to say it and that identifying hallmark on the back well that says you cared enough to send the very best now hallmark playhouse presenting Victoria Regina starring Joan Fontaine power and politics open before her and the era that was to bear her name in those young days she enjoyed herself family meeting all things small and large with enthusiasm and excitement your Majesty the other day you said that with the courage which I thought remarkable in one so young Sunday we must marry and so I have here with me a list of possibilities for your consideration oh Lord Melbourne how interesting how many well at present I'm only five but I'm making inquiries about more the conditions ma'am for a suitable consort your Majesty's throne are necessarily special and particular he must of course be of royal blood on the other hand he must not be the direct or likely air of any foreign king or reigning Prince I understand he must be sufficiently young to be a suitable life partner to your Majesty he must be capable of adapting himself to English customs habits and prejudices he must have a certain amount of brain but not too much he must not expect to interfere in politics indeed no I should never allow it finally he must have health and the sound constitution all so complicated isn't it and how on earth do I go about choosing you ask each young man to your court in turn and see how he impresses you well and I should like to see some portraits of your choices Lord Melbourne I'm certainly not going to send for anyone if I don't like the looks of him now here here's a portrait that was sent to my mother the other day of my cousin Prince Albert he's very handsome he appears to be but an honest portrait is a very rare thing remember the future welfare of this country is now in this little hand indeed Lord Melbourne I shall pay great attention to everything you say and I shall continue to take your advice whenever I find it possible good day your Majesty handsome portraits Albert Oh Albert Albert will you marry me? in October of 1839 Prince Albert and his brother Prince Ernest of Saxe Cobra Gota were summoned to Windsor Castle Victoria was equally charming to them both even the most discerning were unable to tell which if either she favored it was almost the last day of their visit before she saw one of them alone won't you sit down Albert yes cousin why don't you sit nearer talking then would be so much easier you're very kind cousin ever since we came to both of us I mean I'm very fond of Ernest and yeah so am I you've always been together haven't you we've never been apart yet very nice that has been for both of you my life has been so different from yours I've never had anyone with me all the time of my own age Albert I have something to say to you yes what is it cousin in my position it is I who have to say it unfortunately ordinarily it is not what a woman would wish to say herself she would rather he said it is there anything you wish me to say that I can say to hear it you say you can love me is all I can help yet if you could say that you already do love me that would be almost like heaven I do love you cousin enough to marry me more than enough to marry you for people in opposition often marry without any love at all I couldn't do that nor could I Victoria then you will marry me Victoria my father would choose Ernest we would be going against his wishes Ernest how silly of him why how could I possibly choose Ernest after I'd seen you aren't you going to kiss if I may I love you I love you year 1840 for those who were fortunate enough to attend the ceremony it was an occasion to be remembered for the rest of their lives all of England celebrated for days you've been married over 24 hours 24 hours I hope you can say that with as much enthusiasm when we've been married 24 years I will where are you going Albert I'm going to shave what to what to shave what is that don't you know no may I watch you of course if it will interest you it will of course it will you see those are my shaving implements brushes razor now first I lather my face do you really this is very interesting do you think one does not have to shave at all well I never thought about it to now you see Albert I have never seen a man shave himself before no I suppose not how often do you have to do it once a week oh every day every day but that's absurd we can't grow as fast as all that oh yes it does strange it looks is it dangerous and not if you don't talk to me and not just while I am stroking myself stroking yourself you are funny you're stroking the wrong word really I don't know how but it's a part of the English language which from not having to know I've not been taught it is nice to hear you say that then you too do not know the English language quite like a native for that if we're not for the soup I would kiss you the soup this I mean oh not but darling so I don't mind the soap Albert your soap if you would like to very well then now I will now you've got soap all over your nose let me see the knife oh how sharp it is that do you ever cut yourself no not anymore Albert suppose you would die before we were married could I have married anyone else of course just you had to marry someone you could not disappoint your people shall I be able to make you happy you think you are happy so happy I can't I can't tell you Albert and the things that this will go on and on for years and years it's like heaven no Vicky not just like this that is not possible that is not human nature but I shall never love you less than I do now of it there's perhaps not but you will be less excited about it less romantic perhaps I shall have become less strange to you you've come to see me shave today for the first time that pleases that excites you but you're not calm I think to see me shave every day for the next 20 years that is only reasonable but I don't want to be reasonable with you Albert to me you're everything life happiness peace and comfort and when I am with you I shall want to forget everything except our love but still you will not want to see me shave every day I love you just a little bit because you and I are both today so young and so happy oh look how the sun is shining do not stand so near to the window why not the people might see you but why shouldn't they it would please them oh Albert darling we've got to appear in public again almost at once it's no use being shy and I should be when when I'm so proud of having got you now see here I want my breakfast Vicky please go and get yourself ready quick I'm going to ring now for my dresser to come order me to go Albert order me go woman she says to you go yes my husband yes Albert I hope I can make you happy are you happy Albert happier than I can ever tell you how wonderful life can be and a starring Joan Fontaine they say that to acknowledge a debt is a sign of greatness and surely there can be no doubt about the greatness of Thomas Edison this electrical genius acknowledge his death in these words my mother was the making of me she was so true so sure of me and I felt that I had someone to live for someone I must not disappoint surely any mother must treasure words like these for the heartfelt feeling they convey and it is such feeling deep sincere loving that is carried by words on every hallmark card mother's day Sunday May 14th is just a bit more than a week away so don't forget stop in this weekend at the friendly store where you buy your hallmark cards you'll find a wide variety of mother's day greetings all appropriate and appealing for this very special day it's often difficult to express what's in your heart and mind but you'll find a hallmark card to help you say what you want to say just the way you want to say it they transform your very thoughts in the words that say you care and that one and only hallmark on the back also says you care it says you cared enough to send the very best now here is James Hilton with the second act of Victoria rejoiner starring Joan Fontaine like the other young people in their kingdom they had their moments of happiness and they had their quarrels Albert where have you been why did you not come home last night I did not come home last night Victoria because of the vein that you sent for me I told you before you went that I wished you to be back by half past 10 at the latest yes and at half past 10 I received from you this note Albert it is quite time you are back pleased to come at once but you did not come I did not come because I was not then ready to come Albert when you go anywhere without me as you had to do on this occasion I do not expect you to be late no but when I do go without you you must leave it for me to decide myself when I shall return but this time I had already told you my wishes and I had decided for you and I sent again yes that the 11 o'clock I received this Albert I order you to return at once we are and still you did not I did not so you disobeyed your queen yes my dear I disobeyed my queen send me to the tower for it cut off my head I do not regard this as a subject for amusement and dressed Albert no then it is lucky that I do for it neither of us thought it amusing we might have quite a serious quarrel about it Albert I will not be treated like this please to remember that though I am your wife I am also your queen sit down my dear sit down now better stock it over reasonably and comfortably just you and me if I can with the queen left out when you married me you made a promise that was strange for a queen to make but you made it to love honor and obey and because it was so strange so unlikely I have never once told you to obey me except for fun when you wished it and now my dear as I have not expected you to obey me in anything so there are some things in which you must not expect me to obey you and you do things for me in public officially then I do expect you to obey me and I do things for you in public my dear I obey you by doing them but you must trust me to do them in my own way and not interfere with while I am doing them as you did last night that is why I did not come to you I'm sorry Albert I owe you an apology you're quite correct I had no right to order you as I did now that you have not kissed me good morning I'm sorry to interrupt but the chief inspector of police urgently begs that her majesty shall not drive out today or is it time already of course we shall drive the man is going to try and shoot me again today then he might as well do it and get it over with the inspector of the police feel that you should not take the risk your majesty that bullet only missed your majesty by inches the last time seven for the carriage and yes your majesty come Albert he mustn't be late today I am proud of you you make a very good green my dear with you to help me well I wonder if it's going to rain I think not just now it looks quite promising dancing Albert in the great fall and they were in fancy dress you say did you say they were in fancy dress they were in fancy dress two of them were dressed up to look like you and me thank you Charles I hope Charles is not the coachman the next time something like this happens he's getting too old for this kind of excitement the next time yes Albert there may be a next time why not oh my dear my dear and you can say that now as if you did not mind if it should happen again is that really true yes Albert it is true for with you I felt so safe didn't you feel safe no but I was afraid I was afraid that if he missed one of us it might be me that he missed oh Albert had I thought for a moment that it might have been you I could not have come out today but it never occurred to me what a very good thing it was then my dear that you did not think oh no no no do not talk of another time I could not bear it another time my dear I cannot tell you how much I both love and admire you I'm the Victoria and Albert live together was a long and happy one for them both nine children came to bless the union before that day in November of 1861 when Albert stumbled into Buckingham Palace tired and ill after a long journey Victoria was waiting for him tense and anxious oh Albert you're so cold my dear it's your hands are like ice why did you go out in such weather when I begged you not to I had to my dear take me to bed take me to bed has been good I want the truth someone else we could send for some specialist we've overlooked perhaps some new medicine I'm afraid not human I'll go in sit beside I can well you're looking better my darling your face is more color you know I've been thinking all day of the morning you came in to watch me shave but a long time ago that seems does it seem a long time to you to me it seems scarcely a moment or too fast but perhaps beginnings do seem closer as you near the ending of it in this fight with all your strength do you hear me you must fight hard Albert fight that haven't you learned after all these years of being clean but it does no good to fight patterns one must conform to them and the less fast about it the better I'm tired so tired leave my tears in your eyes do not reap for the past the past has been beautiful as it not I love you I love you then be strong Victoria do not let love make you even for a moment you have shown England how her queen could face danger now you must show them how the Queen of infinite can face sorrow always I've had you beside me for help don't need help threshold of the greatest years of your rule yes after she had become a Queen England celebrated victorious diamond you carriage and saw on all sides through her tears the proud smiles of her people as she went back to Buckingham Palace with the cheers of England ringing in her ears she smiled I remember commenting on it to him so near together today they and I all my people do you know as we were coming back you were in front but so perhaps you didn't see it was just by Hyde Park corner there was a great crowd there and a lot of rough men broke right through the lines of the police and troops guarding the way and they ran alongside the carriage shouting and cheering me and I heard them say go it okay you've done it well you've done it well of course very unsuitable words so gratifying only you could have been here done it well they said 60 years is little enough to give it one can hear those words at the end of them I thank God for those words and for this moment I thank God you've done it well girl you've done it well and your mother amended it so magically when you fell from the tree and she picked you up so tenderly or the side of her lifting a golden pie from the oven with a little pie crust and cinnamon patties made just for you or later still when your heart broke over your first love remember how she put it back together again with the wisdom only mothers know whatever your memories of your mother whether she's near or far away you do want to remember her this mother's day what shall you say to her anything or everything that's in your heart and you'll find it said perfectly in a hallmark card you might choose a beautiful card rich with bright car nations and words of appreciation and affection or a card a bloom with shy violets and words of deepest love whatever your taste whatever is in your heart you're sure to find a hallmark card that's just right and there are cards to mother and father to let dad share the day cards for grandmother and mother to be cards for every mother on Mother's Day Mother's Day is a week from Sunday May 14 so before then visit the friendly store where you buy your hallmark cards for your mother's day remembrances be sure to look for the hallmark that carries an added meaning it says you cared enough to send the very best here again as James Hilton don't contain that was a royal performer thank you Mr. Hilton it was a wonderful role because Victoria was really a queen in every way yes but strong willed as she was and so charmingly she yet respected Albert's natural ability to perceive what was in the hearts of the people I think those who make hallmark cards have that perception too Mr. Hilton for the words on hallmark cards seem to come from the heart and now Mr. Hilton what have you selected for next week next Thursday evening hallmark playhouse will present the story of a famous mother of literature the mother of Louisa May Orcott as told in a book by Sanford Solier called ma me the mother of little women and for our star we are proud to present Teresa Wright so I hope you'll be listening our hallmark playhouses every Thursday our director producer is Bill Gay our music was composed and conducted by Lynn Murray our script tonight was adapted by Gene Holloway and the part of Prince Albert was played by Ted Osborn until next Thursday then this is James Hilton saying good night there are so lonely in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service remember hallmark cards when you carry enough to send the very best John Pontain's forthcoming release for Paramount is the George Stevens production Mr. and Miss Anonymous this is Frank Goss saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when James Hilton returns to present Sanford Saliers ma me the mother of little women starring Teresa Wright and the week following Lloyd Nolan in Dan Wickelton's The Wayfarers and be sure to listen in on June 1st when hallmark playhouse presents the dynamic story of Kansas City broadcast directly from Kansas City hear the highlights of 100 fabulous years in a full hour of exciting drama on the hallmark playhouse this is CBS the Columbia Broadcasting System this is KMBC Kansas City Missouri