Emélie Polini: Difference between revisions
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Emélie married Harold Wilfred "Hal" Ellis in a quiet ceremony in Melbourne on 16 July 1918.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138713525 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=[[Melbourne Punch |Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1914 - 1918)]] |location=Melbourne, Vic. |date=18 July 1918 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=19 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> They bought a farm at Meadow Flats, 22 miles from [[Bathurst, New South Wales]],<!--not Hartley Vale--><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article89364803 |title=She Wants Her Child |newspaper=[[Chronicle |Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=5 April 1924 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |page=53 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} This account is the most extensive and appears most trustworthy of the various newspaper accounts</ref> using her savings of £1100 as deposit. Emélie retired from the stage in 1920 and on 8 October 1921 gave birth to a daughter, Patricia Marie Ellis. Her husband was unable to provide for his family and service the loan, and in March 1922 the mortgagee resumed the property,<ref name=adb/> and Emélie returned to the stage, living in rented premises in [[Rose Bay, New South Wales|Rose Bay]] and leaving Patricia with Harold and his mother, arranging to pay for a nurse.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20685656 |title=Emilie [sic] Polini |newspaper=[[Courier-Mail|The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933)]] |location=Qld. |date=29 March 1924 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |page=22 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She asked him for a divorce, but he refused to enter into such proceedings. Emélie planned a trip to London to visit her sister Marie Nares and wished to take Patricia, but her ex-husband and his mother refused permission; she sought legal custody in an ''[[in camera]]'' hearing in the Equity Court<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106748041 |title=Emelie Polini's Baby |newspaper=[[Daily Herald |Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=29 March 1924 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> which was denied by Mr. Justice Harvey.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129833911 |title=Custody of Child |newspaper=[[News |News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=10 April 1924 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=7 Edition: Home Edition |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
Emélie married Harold Wilfred "Hal" Ellis in a quiet ceremony in Melbourne on 16 July 1918.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138713525 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=[[Melbourne Punch |Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1914 - 1918)]] |location=Melbourne, Vic. |date=18 July 1918 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=19 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> They bought a farm at Meadow Flats, 22 miles from [[Bathurst, New South Wales]],<!--not Hartley Vale--><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article89364803 |title=She Wants Her Child |newspaper=[[Chronicle |Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=5 April 1924 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |page=53 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} This account is the most extensive and appears most trustworthy of the various newspaper accounts</ref> using her savings of £1100 as deposit. Emélie retired from the stage in 1920 and on 8 October 1921 gave birth to a daughter, Patricia Marie Ellis. Her husband was unable to provide for his family and service the loan, and in March 1922 the mortgagee resumed the property,<ref name=adb/> and Emélie returned to the stage, living in rented premises in [[Rose Bay, New South Wales|Rose Bay]] and leaving Patricia with Harold and his mother, arranging to pay for a nurse.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20685656 |title=Emilie [sic] Polini |newspaper=[[Courier-Mail|The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933)]] |location=Qld. |date=29 March 1924 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |page=22 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She asked him for a divorce, but he refused to enter into such proceedings. Emélie planned a trip to London to visit her sister Marie Nares and wished to take Patricia, but her ex-husband and his mother refused permission; she sought legal custody in an ''[[in camera]]'' hearing in the Equity Court<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106748041 |title=Emelie Polini's Baby |newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Adelaide)|Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=29 March 1924 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> which was denied by Mr. Justice Harvey.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129833911 |title=Custody of Child |newspaper=[[News |News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=10 April 1924 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=7 Edition: Home Edition |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
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Emélie Polini died either in Boston<ref name=adb/> or New York<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16394236 |title=Emelie Polini Death in New York |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=3 August 1927 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=16 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} Heather Radi, in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' asserts that she died of cancer in Boston.</ref> leaving an estate, valued at over £8300,<ref name=adb>Heather Radi, 'Polini, Emélie Adeline (1881–1927)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/polini-emelie-adeline-8071/text14085, published in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 9 March 2014.</ref> to her daughter, conditional on her being in the custody of her sister Mrs. Marie Nares.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article102483389 |title=Emilie [sic] Polini's Will |newspaper=[[Burrowa_News_and_Marengo,_Binalong,_Murrumburrah_and_Cootamundra_Reporter|The Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951)]] |location=NSW |date=2 December 1927 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> This condition was contested by Ellis, and found unlawful by Mr. Justice Long Innes of the Equity Court.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21443859 |title=Emelie Polini's Will |newspaper=[[Courier-Mail|The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933)]] |location=Qld. |date=31 August 1929 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Owen Nares concurred, believing the child was better off with his father and grandmother.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85139315 |title=Emelie Polini's Will |newspaper=[[Daily_News_(Perth,_Western_Australia)|The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950)]] |location=Perth, WA |date=9 October 1929 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=5 Edition: Home Final Edition |publisher=National Library of Australia}}.</ref> |
Emélie Polini died either in Boston<ref name=adb/> or New York<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16394236 |title=Emelie Polini Death in New York |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=3 August 1927 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=16 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} Heather Radi, in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' asserts that she died of cancer in Boston.</ref> leaving an estate, valued at over £8300,<ref name=adb>Heather Radi, 'Polini, Emélie Adeline (1881–1927)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/polini-emelie-adeline-8071/text14085, published in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 9 March 2014.</ref> to her daughter, conditional on her being in the custody of her sister Mrs. Marie Nares.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article102483389 |title=Emilie [sic] Polini's Will |newspaper=[[Burrowa_News_and_Marengo,_Binalong,_Murrumburrah_and_Cootamundra_Reporter|The Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951)]] |location=NSW |date=2 December 1927 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> This condition was contested by Ellis, and found unlawful by Mr. Justice Long Innes of the Equity Court.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21443859 |title=Emelie Polini's Will |newspaper=[[Courier-Mail|The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933)]] |location=Qld. |date=31 August 1929 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Owen Nares concurred, believing the child was better off with his father and grandmother.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85139315 |title=Emelie Polini's Will |newspaper=[[Daily_News_(Perth,_Western_Australia)|The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950)]] |location=Perth, WA |date=9 October 1929 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=5 Edition: Home Final Edition |publisher=National Library of Australia}}.</ref> |
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Revision as of 07:06, 20 March 2014
Emélie Adeline Polini, generally written as Emelie, (24 March 1881 – 31 July 1927) was an English stage actress with a considerable career in Australia.
Polini was born in Steyning, Sussex, a daughter of theatrical manager Giovanni Marie Polini and his wife Harriet Frances, née Billings. Her acting career began in London, followed by work in companies touring in England and America. While on Broadway playing in Yes or No?, she was offered a contract with Australian firm J. C. Williamson by their agent E. J. Tait.[1] In Australia she played Edward Clarke's De Luxe Annie from April 1918 in Sydney and from July in Melbourne, where she married Lieutenant Ellis of the Royal Field Artillery, whom she had met on board the ship (he had been wounded in action and was on furlough).[2] Her company next played Walter Hackett's The Invisible Foe then The Eyes of Youth. In 1919 she triumphantly toured Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle and New Zealand with revivals of De Luxe Annie and The Eyes of Youth. She returned to Sydney in 1920 with Monckton Hoffe's The Little Damozel and Kindling, then again toured with revivals before retiring in September 1920 to start a family.
She returned in 1922, starring in Edward Knoblock's My Lady's Dress with Frank Harvey, Henry Arthur Jones's The Lie, which toured to Adelaide and with revivals of her earlier successes in Perth and Hobart, followed in 1923 with a Sydney season of revivals and The Flaw, which she co-wrote with Doris Egerton Jones,[3] and the farce French Leave, followed by another season of revivals in the other States. She left in April 1924 for London to visit her sister Marie Polini and her husband Owen Nares, both actors.[4] She again appeared on stage in England and America, where she died, never having returned to Australia.
Personal life
Emélie married Harold Wilfred "Hal" Ellis in a quiet ceremony in Melbourne on 16 July 1918.[5] They bought a farm at Meadow Flats, 22 miles from Bathurst, New South Wales,[6] using her savings of £1100 as deposit. Emélie retired from the stage in 1920 and on 8 October 1921 gave birth to a daughter, Patricia Marie Ellis. Her husband was unable to provide for his family and service the loan, and in March 1922 the mortgagee resumed the property,[7] and Emélie returned to the stage, living in rented premises in Rose Bay and leaving Patricia with Harold and his mother, arranging to pay for a nurse.[8] She asked him for a divorce, but he refused to enter into such proceedings. Emélie planned a trip to London to visit her sister Marie Nares and wished to take Patricia, but her ex-husband and his mother refused permission; she sought legal custody in an in camera hearing in the Equity Court[9] which was denied by Mr. Justice Harvey.[10]
Emélie Polini died either in Boston[7] or New York[11] leaving an estate, valued at over £8300,[7] to her daughter, conditional on her being in the custody of her sister Mrs. Marie Nares.[12] This condition was contested by Ellis, and found unlawful by Mr. Justice Long Innes of the Equity Court.[13] Owen Nares concurred, believing the child was better off with his father and grandmother.[14]
The story of Emélie Polini and her daughter was the inspiration for the play, Whose Child? by Millicent Preston-Stanley, (also known as Mrs. Crawford Vaughan).[15]
Footnote
Harold Wilfred Ellis remarried on 28 July 1938 to Evelyn Lestrange of Chatswood, New South Wales.
References
- ^ "Mr. E. J. Tait's Arrival". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 6 March 1918. p. 12. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "General News". Western Star and Roma Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld. : 1875 - 1948). Toowoomba, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 24 July 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Around the Shows". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 31 January 1923. p. 15. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Theatrical Gossip". Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 - 1930). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 8 April 1923. p. 19. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Family Notices". Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1914 - 1918). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 18 July 1918. p. 19. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "She Wants Her Child". Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 5 April 1924. p. 53. Retrieved 10 March 2014. This account is the most extensive and appears most trustworthy of the various newspaper accounts
- ^ a b c Heather Radi, 'Polini, Emélie Adeline (1881–1927)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/polini-emelie-adeline-8071/text14085, published in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Emilie [sic] Polini". The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 29 March 1924. p. 22. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Emelie Polini's Baby". Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 29 March 1924. p. 2. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Custody of Child". News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 10 April 1924. p. 7 Edition: Home Edition. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Emelie Polini Death in New York". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 3 August 1927. p. 16. Retrieved 9 March 2014. Heather Radi, in Australian Dictionary of Biography asserts that she died of cancer in Boston.
- ^ "Emilie [sic] Polini's Will". The Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). NSW: National Library of Australia. 2 December 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Emelie Polini's Will". The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 31 August 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Emelie Polini's Will". The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 9 October 1929. p. 5 Edition: Home Final Edition. Retrieved 9 March 2014..
- ^ "Music and the Theatre". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 19 November 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 10 March 2014.