Liberation (86 page)

 

April 17.
152¾. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We ate at home. Don drew and painted Scott Velliquette.

 

April 18.
151¾. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We saw Chris Wood at his house, with Paul Sorel. We picked up James Fairfax and took him to a birthday party at Le Restaurant, given by Barry Krost for his friend Douglas Chapin. One of the presents was to be a portrait of Douglas by Don.

 

April 19.
Saw Dr. Allen. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. Alan Wallis ( just arrived from England to make a film about us) came by with Chris O['D]ell, his cameraman, and Jane Burkett (his production assistant). [Platypus Films.] We had supper with Alan Wallis at La Cabaña.

 

April 20.
We started filming, in my workroom—Alan Wallis, Chris O'Dell, Jane Burkett, Roger Reid (camera assistant) John Page (sound recordist) and Len Emery (electrician). They filmed Don drawing me. We saw Swami. We had supper with Don's parents and Ted Bachardy at the Tic-Toc. We went with Ted to see [Robert Patrick's play]
Kennedy's Children
. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
.

 

April 21.
We got our first unemployment checks. Mine was $104. We filmed at UCLA and 333 East Rustic Road (talked to Bud Hammer, who lives there). Natalie Leavitt cooked and we had the Platypus unit to supper. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
.

 

April 22.
Filmed at MGM. They filmed Don on the beach. We had supper with Chris Wood and Paul Sorel at the Bellevue. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
.

 

April 23.
We were filmed in the pose of the Hockney portrait. They filmed my books, photos, Don's posters, etc. Read part of
Christopher and His Kind
on camera. Don cooked and we had Virgil Thomson, Billy Al Bengston, and Penny Little to supper. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
.

 

April 24.
Filmed on the pier. Natalie Leavitt cleaned house. The Platypus unit finished filming in the afternoon. Said goodbye to them—they leave for England tomorrow. Natalie cooked and we had John Schlesinger, Michael Childers, Barry Krost, Douglas Chapin, Mo McDermott ( just arrived from England) and Nick Wilder to supper. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
.

 

April 25.
Don drew Carol Hines. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We saw David Hockney and Gregory Evans, just back from Australia. We saw
Ping Pong
[, the play] by Rick Talcove; John Williams, Nick Wilder's assistant, was in it. Then Nick took us to supper at Au Petit Joint with John Williams, Mo McDermott, Barry Krost, Douglas Chapin, Susan Scott.

 

April 26.
Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. To gym. Spoke on first day of Gay Week at USC. Don, Bill Scobie, Tony Sarver, Jim Gates and Warren Neal were there.

 

April 27.
Jogged on San Vicente. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. Don painted Rick Sandford. We went to Billy Al Bengston's show at the Corcoran Gallery, then to his supper at the Twin Dragons.

 

April 28.
We collected unemployment checks $104. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We saw Swami. I had supper at the monastery, read in temple with Chetanananda.

 

April 29.
Don painted Don Cribb. I worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. Jogged on San Vicente. We had supper at Casa Mia.

 

April 30.
Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. Mrs. Leavitt cooked. We had John and Christel Boorman, David Hockney, Nick Wilder, Gregory Evans and Mo McDermott to supper.

 

May 1.
Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We went with John O'Shea to see
Baby Blue Marine
( Jan Michael Vincent) and then all had supper at Bellevue.

 

May 2.
Professor Mary Gerhart
⁵²
drove me up to Santa Barbara and back. I read Vivekananda's “Buddha's Message [to the World]” (volume 8). Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We saw
Inserts
(Richard Dreyfuss)[. A]te at home.

 

May 3.
Carl Day came by with the lawyer Martin Katz. Worked on
Christopher and His Kind
. We took Bob Chetwyn and Howard Schuman to supper at the Bellevue.

 

May 4.
Finished writing
Christopher and His Kind
. We had supper with Chris Wood and Paul Sorel at L'Ermitage.

 

May 5.
Got
Christopher and His Kind
xeroxed. We saw Swami. We had supper with Jack Larson and Jim Bridges at their house.

 

May 6.
Mailed
Christopher and His Kind
to Candida Donadio. We saw Martin Katz. Natalie Leavitt cooked and we had Bobby and Doris Littman and Bob Chetwyn and Howard Schuman to supper.

 

May 7.
Jim Bridges showed us bits of his new picture
9.30.55
at Universal. We talked to Carl Day and Walter Winslow
⁵³
(contractor) about starting building. We had Jim Gates and Warren Neal to supper at El Adobe. Natalie Leavitt cleaned house.

 

May 8.
We drove to Laguna Beach to see Jack Fontan and Ray Unger, stopping on the way for Don to visit Beverly Baerresen. Billy Cooper was staying with Jack and Ray. We had supper with them at Tortilla Flats and drove back late.

 

May 9.
Don cleared out the studio with Peter Schlesinger. We saw Paul Sorel, went to the opening of David Hockney's show at Nick Wilder's. Then we had supper at Patrone's with Peter. Then went with him to Maurice Tuchman's
⁵⁴
house where there was a party for David.

 

May 10.
Heard that Larry Holt died his morning. Don drew Douglas Chapin. Don out with his parents. I ate at home.

 

May 11.
Walter Winslow came to prepare work on studio and carport. Candida Donadio called to say manuscript of
Christopher and His Kind
had arrived. Ms. Jeanne Dobrin came to talk about Hilldale property. We went to party given by Truman Capote and John O'Shea at their new house.

 

May 12.
Collected second unemployment check $208 (two weeks). Walter Winslow started work on studio. Don and I saw Swami. I had supper at monastery and read in temple with Chetanananda. Don saw Chris Wood and Paul Sorel.

 

May 13.
Perry Young and David Kopay
⁵⁵
came to see us. We had supper with John and Christel Boorman.

 

May 14.
Candida Donadio called to say she had read
Christopher and His Kind
. We saw Lee Brevard. Went to gym. We saw Chris Wood and Paul Sorel. We went to party given by Frank Mc[Ca]rthy and Rupert Allen
⁵⁶
for Marguerite Lamkin.

 

May 15.
We had lunch with Marguerite Lamkin at Beverly Hills Hotel. We saw Swami. We ate at home.

 

May 16.
We saw
The Missouri Breaks
( Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando) at the Academy. Don drew. We ate at home.

 

May 17.
153¾. Don drew Warren Neal. I showed Jim [Gates] details of the house, which he and Warren will move into when we go. We had supper with Barry Krost, Doug Chapin, John Osborne, Jill Bennett,
⁵⁷
Peter Finch and [Eletha] Finch
⁵⁸
at Le Restaurant.

 

May 18.
Did birthday shopping. We saw Chris Wood and Paul Sorel. We went to gym. Went to party given by Barry Krost and Douglas Chapin for John Osborne and Jill Bennett. Later we had supper with David Hockney at Mr. Chow's—Henry Geldzahler, Peter Schlesinger, Nick Wilder, Dwight[.]

 

May 19.
To Dr. Kafka. Did various chores in preparation for journey. Don out with his parents. I ate at home.

 

May 20.
To Dr. Kafka. Had supper with Jo Lathwood at Casa Mia.

 

May 21.
We had supper with Ted Bachardy at Casa Mia. He drove us to the airport. We left at 10:30 p.m. by TWA for New York. Jim Gates and Warren Neal are to stay in the house while we are away.

 

May 22.
We landed in New York (Kennedy) at 6:30 a.m. We stayed at the Chelsea, room 611. Slept several hours. We saw Jack Larson, ate at El Quijote. We saw
The Lady from the Sea
(Vanessa Redgrave, Kipp Osborne, Allison Argo). Then to birthday party for the nurse of Vanessa's son.

 

May 23.
We had breakfast with Jack Larson at Virgil Thomson's apartment. I was interviewed by Carolyn Heilbrun. We saw
Pacific Overtures.
We moved from 611 to Jack Larson's room 814; he had left for Los Angeles. We had drinks with Bill Caskey at Bobby Ossorio's
⁵⁹
house. We had supper with Mike Van Horn and Brian Campbell.

 

May 24.
We had lunch with Candida Donadio at Fontana di Trevi. We had supper with Roger and Dorothea Straus
⁶⁰
—Candida, Michael di Capua, Robert Giroux,
⁶¹
Susan Sontag,
⁶²
Barbara Epstein.

 

May 25.
Had lunch with Ed Mendelson, Joe LeSueur and Don at El Quijote, then Ed read through the parts of my book which refer to Auden. We had drinks with Paul Sorel at the Plaza. We had supper with Ron Holland, Joe LeSueur, J.J. Mitchell, Paul Schmidt,
⁶³
Brad and Jan at the Four Seasons.

 

May 26.
We saw Mike Van Horn and Brian Campbell. Went with them to art galleries in Soho. We had supper at La Grenouille with Terry [K]ramer, her daughter, Ton[i], and Harry Rigby. Lunch with Anita Loos at Russian Tea Room. Started a cold and cough.

 

May 27.
We had lunch with Michael di Capua at Pete and Jerry's, after being shown around the Farrar Straus offices. We had supper with Mike Van Horn and Brian Campbell at the Empire Diner where J.J. Mitchell works.

 

May 28.
We had lunch at Bob Regester's apartment on Sutton Place with his friend Vaughan.
⁶⁴
Stephen Spender came by and I gave him
Christopher and His Kind
to read. We went to a party given by Stephen Spender at the Coffee House Club—Vera Stravinsky, Bob Craft, etc.

 

May 29.
Don had lunch with Harry Rigby. I lunched at the Algonquin Hotel with Stephen Spender and Keith Milow. Then to see
Knock Knock
with Don, produced by Harry Rigby, directed by José Quintero. Drinks with Harry afterwards. Don and I took the revised manuscript of my interview with Carolyn Heilbrun to her apartment and had supper with Vera Stravinsky—Bob Craft, Ed Allen and Barbara Epstein were there.

 

May 30.
We went with Anita Loos and Paulette Goddard to see
The Man Who Fell to Earth
. Then we all had lunch at La Crêpe. We saw Virgil Thomson at the Roosevelt Hospital. We went out to the airport. Our BOAC plane was to be two hours late, so we switched to Pan Am, which was also very late. We took off at 11 p.m.

 

May 31.
We arrived in London about 10:15 a.m. We went to stay in Neil Hartley's house—31 Maida Avenue. Neil left soon after we arrived to drive back to the
Joseph Andrews
location. We slept for a while, then had supper with Bob Chetwyn and Howard Schuman at Eaton's.

 

June 1.
Cough bad. Lunch at home. We had supper with Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and John Simmonds at Wheeler's on Old Compton Street.

 

June 2.
Cough bad. Lunch with David Hockney at Sheekey's— Peter Schlesinger and Nikos Stangos. To British Museum. To David's studio at Pembroke Studios, to Peter's studio and to see the new studio which is being built for David. We had drinks with John Lehmann and Tommy Urqu[h]art[-]Laird. We saw
La Grande Eugène
⁶⁵
with Peter and Eric Boman.

 

June 3.
Cable from Anandaprana to say that Swami is very ill. We had lunch with Peter Grose of Curtis Brown at Our Mutual Friend. Phoned Jim Gates in Santa Monica about Swami. We saw
Otherwise Engaged
by Simon Gray. To party given by John Lehmann—Rosamund Lehmann, John Morris,
⁶⁶
Eric White.
⁶⁷
We had supper with Bob Chetwyn and Howard Schuman, with Andrew Brown.

 

June 4.
We had lunch at Canaletto. We saw Pasolini's
Canterbury Tales
. We went to Patrick Procktor's exhibition. We had drinks with Robert Medley and his friend Gregory [Brown]. We had supper with Neil Hartley at Eaton's.

 

June 5.
Got a letter from Michael Barrie to say Chris Wood died on May 31. We saw
The Bed Before Yesterday
by Ben Travers. We talked to Joan Plowright backstage. We had supper at Spot Three with Neil Hartley, George Thomas and his friend Linda.

 

June 6.
Brunch with Peter Schlesinger, Eric Boman and George Lawson. We went to see Amiya Sandwich and her sister Joy. We saw Pasolini's
Arabian Nights
. We saw Paul Dehn, Jimmy Bernard, Ken and José. We had supper at home and watched Jill Bennett in “Hello Lola” on T.V.

 

June 7.
Warm. We saw
Aces High
(Peter Firth and Malcolm McDowell). We saw Richard Buckle and David Dougill. We saw
The Other Side of the Swamp
(Royce Ryton) at the King's Head Theatre, Islington. We had supper with John Schlesinger. Michael Childers, Barney W[an], Drew Okun,
⁶⁸
at The Grange. Saw Lauren Bacall and Cecil Beaton at the restaurant.