Jean Collen's Blog

First and second marriages of Webster Booth. Winifred Dorothy Keey – First wife of Webster Booth, was born in Handsworth in 1901. She was the daughter of Edgar and Alice Keey. Edgar Keey was the headmaster of Aston Commercial School which Webster attended after he left Lincoln when his voice broke at the age of […]

Webster Booth made his West End debut as the Duke of Buckingham in Rudolph Friml’s The Three Musketeers at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1930 when he was 28 years of age. The leading role of D’Artagnan was taken by Dennis King, an actor and singer Webster admired for his great energy. Other distinguished […]

Anne’s last panto – 1985. A year after Webster Booth’s death in 1984, Anne was invited to appear as ‘The Good Fairy’ in the above pantomime in Bromley at the end of 1985. There was an announcement in the papers about it. She had been on holiday to South Africa earlier that year but had […]

A member of the Booth-Ziegler Facebook Group suggested that it would be interesting to see various places associated with Webster Booth and Anne Ziegler. Here are places they stayed during their lifetimes, and photographs of the buildings. Webster Booth’s parents, Edwin Booth and Sarah Webster were married in 1889. Sarah came from Chilvers Coton, Nuneaton […]

21 June 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of my beloved friend, the late Webster Booth. Sadly missed and always remembered.

There was so much going on for me in the remarkable year of 1963 that I had almost forgotten the record Anne and Webster made in August of that year. Not only did they sing on the record, but my piano teacher, Sylvia Sullivan conducted the Nazareth House Children’s Choir, where she taught music. Anne […]

Webster Booth and Anne Ziegler emigrated to South Africa in July 1956. While they were looking for a suitable home in Johannesburg they lived at Dawson’s Hotel for three months.  The above photograph shows the hotel at the corner of Von Brandis and President Street as it was in 1972. It was considered one of […]

 Shanklin 1934  Here is a copy of a letter sent from “Madeleine” who was on holiday on the Isle of Wight during the summer of 1934. She sent the letter and photograph below to her friends Lily and Phil, who must have been fans of Webster Booth.   Dear Lily and Phil,  Thought you would like […]

Webster’s note to a fan – 10 September 1936 27 December 1938 Webster from BBC Bristol. 28 February 1940 Anne to Mr Newman from Lauderdale Mansions.  Anne to fan 13 November 1942 from Crowhurst, Torrington Park, Friern Barnet Anne with fan, Gladys Reed outside the stage door of the Palladium. 13 November 1942 Note to […]

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