Read The Richard Burton Diaries Online
Authors: Richard Burton,Chris Williams
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Biography
Thursday 28th
We arrived at Geneva where Kate and Berenice were waiting for us.
14
Kate loves The Station. In the evening we will stay at home with Berenice who is going to sleep in the new little house.
15
Not true. We have visited and eaten at Paul's.
16
Friday 29th
The washing machine doesn't work. The heater is always smoking. Paul arrived and fixed everything. What a man. In the evening we stay at home with René and Berenice.
17
René has returned from Zurich.
Saturday 30th
I visited the bank this morning with K. I bought her a little red car. We ate in the airport restaurant waiting for Bernard and Claire.
18
They arrived at ten past one. At home – we stayed (with a visit to Nyon to buy ski wear) for the rest of the day.
19
Notes
J'espere fait le ski dans dix on deux jours.
20
It is an exotic, romantic and snobby sport. We will try.
FEBRUARY
Monday 1st
We left for Villars.
21
The journey took 1
1
/
2
hours. Everything is fine.
Tuesday 2nd
The first skiing lesson with Herr Von Stump. I tried my first slope on my own. Disaster.
Wednesday 3rd
I have not been skiing because I fell yesterday.
Thursday 4th
No skiing.
Friday 5th
I start skiing again at Bretaye.
22
Saturday 6th
Skiing all day.
We have beaten the Scots 8–0.
23
I saw it on TV at Villars. Bebb one try.
24
Penalty from N. Morgan – back-row forward from Newport.
25
Thursday 11th
I did a Christie for the first time.
26
Friday 12th
We returned to Céligny. It snowed in the morning and we had some difficulty with the cloud getting down to Aigle.
27
We ate at Paul's with René, Berenice, Rene and Osian Ellis, Bern and Claire.
28
Osian played the harp, when we got back home.
Saturday 13th
Rene and Osian Ellis arrived yesterday evening. In the afternoon Osian played the harp for Radio Geneva. The English have beaten the Irish 8–5.
29
I won 18000 French francs from Divonne.
30
Sunday 14th
Bernard and Claire left at 2.55.
In the evening, Osian and I played in Chateau Bossy for the Church school.
31
We ate at Café du Soleil.
32
Monday 15th
Prince Michael Vashinski arrives; he has not arrived. He's in London. He telephoned and we discussed the film
Son of Man
. We'll see. I left the car at Fleury's.
33
Rene and Osian have left.
Tuesday 16th
We visited Penny Moyes at Vervier and we ate well at Café Mirdy.
34
In the morning I went to Geneva for the car.
Snow remains but not on the major roads.
Wednesday 17th
Michael Benthall from the Old Vic arrives.
35
[...]
We ate at Coppet and spent the afternoon drinking there.
36
M. Benthall told me that I should play
Peer Gynt
and Macbeth. We'll see.
Thursday 18th
Michael has left for Milan. We had a drink with the Koesslers at their place.
37
Nice and pretty.
Saturday 20th
We ate at the Restaurant La Pergola on the Bargue with Rene and Berenice.
38
Very pretty.
In the morning we bought lots of books at Naville's.
39
And a machine for cutting film.
Sunday 21st
Nothing to do. Books all day. Hornblower – novels, detective stories etc.
40
The weather is fine every day at the moment. I met P. Ustinov at Geneva. He is leaving for Hollywood.
41
Monday 22nd
I wrote letters in the morning and in the afternoon we went to Nyon where I bought a present for Wendy the nurse – a camera with a flash attachment.
Tuesday 23rd
This evening we ate at Berenice's and had a very interesting conversation with Dobrynski, the dentist, and his wife.
Wednesday 24th
We ate in a little restaurant at Versoix with Penny Moyes and her friend Jim.
42
He struck me as intelligent.
I spoke with Richardson about John Osborne's play which begins next Monday.
43
Monday 29th
Yeats.
44
Dinner.
MARCH
Tuesday 8th
John Ormond.
45
Saturday 12th
Dublin. Wales beat the Irish 10–9.
46
We have returned from Great Britain.
Sunday 13th
Nick Ray arrived from Hollywood.
47
‘Lucius’ star of
King of Kings
perhaps.
48
Monday 14th
I went to Divonne. I won 40,000 francs.
Tuesday 15th
Emlyn and Molly.
49
Nick Ray left.
Wednesday 16th
Emlyn and Molly.
Sunday 20th
Christening K. and J.
50
D. Wms arrives.
51
Wednesday 23rd
I have begun to study Russian.
APRIL
Saturday 2nd
D. Wms and Liz Hardy have left.
52
I am going to London but I don't know the exact date, to do a new play by John Osborne. It's an interesting play.
Sunday 3rd
We ate at the Café du Soleil with Kate, Ivor and Gwen.
53
Saturday 9th
To London at 11 o'clock.
Sunday 10th
I have arrived in London.
Monday 25th
We did
A Matter of Scandal and Concern
.
Wednesday 27th
I left London at 2 o'clock by train.
Thursday 28th
I arrived at Lausanne at 7 o'clock.
54
Saturday 30th
Dinner at Paul's.
MAY
Tuesday 3rd
Paul Joy arrive [...]
55
Wednesday 4th
[...]
Phil 3.45.
56
[...]
Saturday 7th
Paul has left.
Tuesday 10th
3.0. Pierre Folliet.
57
Wednesday 11th
P.H.B. has arrived.
Thursday 12th
Guy Green arrives.
58
Monday 16th
TV Rehearsals start – oh boy, I miss Syb already!!
59
Tuesday 17th
Harvey to Paris.
60
JUNE
Thursday 9th
Bernard.
61
Monday 13th
Paul opens Oxford.
62
Monday 20th
Mark
starts
Monday 27th
Gareth Moira arrives.
63
JULY
Wednesday 6th
Elfed and Cis arrive.
Thursday 7th
Gareth Moira left.
JANUARY
1 Friday
Recovered from crapulousness.
Read
Britannica
with E.
1
She's a good little girl. Picked up Sara last night in Palace Hotel swung her around and charmingly shouted ‘I hate Old Women.‘
2
Putting J. Sullivan under some sort of contract.
3
He and his future Daliah Lavi leave tomorrow.
4
2 Saturday
Sara and Francis leaving tomorrow for London.
5
Out to Park hotel for make-up dinner.
6
Successful. Sara still harping on Francis’ heart condition in whispers looks and sometimes so directly and in the third person so that E said once: ‘You talk as if Daddy were not here.’
3 Sunday
Lunched with Sara and Francis. Dined with Natalie Wood and Young Niven.
7
She emaciated and looks riddled with TB.
8
Pekinese eyes. Sad case. Went to Chesery – horrible noisy place.
9
4 Monday
Went to Berne to Consulate to register, also to Police at Saanen to obtain permit de séjour.
10
E unable to come. Cracked her head against open cupboard door in middle of night. Mother and Father of all black eyes. Nobody will believe I didn't hit her – such is my reputation – so we pretend she fell on slopes. [...] E and I in box-office thing of year me 10 E 11th. Ha-ha. She did not of course make a film! Not strictly fair.
11
5 Tuesday
E. unable (Doctors’ orders) to travel so caught 3.34 from Lausanne. [...] The train was comically irritating. A small boy, a smaller boy and a huge dog that took up two-thirds of the floor space, also two men and [...] voluble lady [...]. Arrived Paris 9.45. Met by Gaston and was taken to the Meurice not Lancaster as expected.
12
Wrote note authorizing Rene Weibel to take Syb's ‘affaires’ from Céligny. André had requested it!
13
She wants home movies too. Seems a little masochistic. Paris snowless and a nice change.
6 Wednesday
Left Paris 12.34 on
Golden Arrow
. Splendid train surely one of the best in the world.
14
Arrived London [...]. Met by Heyman and Rolls Royce.
15
Called E. who will come tomorrow by air. Had drinks in smart pub near Dorchester with Heyman.
16
Later joined by Sullivan and Daliah. Went home and so to read and so to bed à la Pepys.
17
(Had haircut in Alexandre's before leaving Paris).
18
7 Thursday
Went to Berman's at 10 and walked to Wardour Street afterwards with M. Ritt.
19
We ‘kicked the script around a bit’ for about an hour. Talked to Oskar Werner on the phone.
20
Sounds young and enthusiastic. Had lunch at Isow's with Ritt and Claire Bloom.
21
She was nervous but was alright. For this relief much thanks. Met my good girl at London airport. Her face looks extremely bruised poor old dab. Nerves made me rather snappy partner and we went earliesh to bed after bangers and mash.
22
13 Wednesday
Battersea Park at 8.15 to rehearse with Michael Hordern.
23
Very very cold and particularly so as I am totally immobile during the scene and Marty shot take after freezing take. Springer arrived with Hugh French.
24
Also journalist called Palmer from AP.
25
He didn't seem like a journalist at all. Perhaps he isn't. Hoped to have E for lunch but didn't. Ended work lunch time (in Six Bells, King's Road) went home met E in lobby with her dad and P. Sellers.
26
Cis and Elfed arrived (cut Ivor dead at Paddington!) and had dinner.
27
I had mine in bed. Cold very bad.
[There are no further entries in the diary from mid-January to early May. On 16 January 1965 Richard and Elizabeth travelled to Cardiff to see Wales defeat England at rugby union by 14 points to 3. Filming of
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
continued in Dublin, Bavaria and in the Netherlands as well as in London. During this period Richard was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance in
Becket
, but the Oscar was won by Rex Harrison for his performance in
My Fair Lady
. Burton also made a single – ‘A Married Man’ – taken from the musical
Baker Street
, and recorded some war poems by the British poet Wilfred Owen (1893–1918). While in Dublin Burton and Taylor were visited by Franco Zeffirelli (1923–) and a friendship developed between them that would result in Zeffirelli directing
The Taming of the Shrew
the following year.]
MAY
5 Wednesday
Operation for E.
28
Went in to see her after finishing work. Worked at Mansion House Tube and opposite Telegraph buildings in Fleet Street.
29
Visited Mirror Building [...]
30
Nervous all day long worrying about her. Went there slightly sloshed and they allowed her home as long as she
didn't move about too much. Watched TV in bed. Rode on bus round and round Kensington Tube Station.
31
[...]
6 Thursday
Last day
Spy
.
Husband was sweet to me. And I know how much he hates ‘ill people’ and avoids
any
and
all
signs of pain in someone he likes and loves. But he has been wonderful with me. Spoiled me like mad!! I adore it!! Maybe – (they told me) after another operation I could give him a baby. I want that more than anything in the whole world.
Please
let him
know
nothing will happen to me.
Please
make him say ‘Yes’. (Please God). [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]
8 Saturday
Party Spy.
11 Tuesday
Dinner at Mirabelle.
32
16 Sunday
Lunch with Peter Glenville and Bill – saw a wild and crazy house next door.
33
‘Poofsville’ should be the name of it. Peter sweet and excited about R. in G. I.
34
Then I had to go alone to see Sandpiper! It is not quite as bad as I thought. R. looks better than I have ever seen him (he's so bloody beautiful – and sexy) and he takes words, so mundane, and turns them into something deeply moving and real – No one else in the world could have done what he does. He made me cry. I'm not even ashamed of what I did – but only when I acted with him. He makes us all look better than we are. [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]