Read The Richard Burton Diaries Online
Authors: Richard Burton,Chris Williams
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Biography
I had woken up in Geneva with a painful left wrist and today as I write it is virtually immovable. I am to see the doctor in an hour's time and for me to see a
doctor
! The arm from the elbow down seems to be on fire. I hope it's just a sprain and not arthritis again. [...] I can't and nobody else can remember my hitting something or falling etc. [...]
Maria is being a hell of a nuisance since Gus (the Irish nurse) left. The other kids are too old to play with her [...]. Poor little thing. She cries a lot at night and continually wakes up Nella and Claudye in snivelling hysterics.
76
She is a mass of fears. We must get her special treatment.
I went to the doctor in the village – a fellow about my age I think with receding hair and a very clinical look, much washed. I guessed it was arthritis and it was and is. [...] Scherz of the Palace Hotel called and asked if we would consent to be televised for Swiss TV.
77
I said we had guests. [...]
Victoria Brynner is visiting today – 4 years old approximately and adorable.
78
She is playing with Maria.
Michael is ‘dating’ a girl called Robin Marlowe. He appears to be much struck by her. She seemed dull and mannerless at first but has improved on acquaintance. Her father Stephen Marlowe writes books and I'm trying to read one of them called
The Shining
.
79
It is set in Classical Greece and is torture to
read. I'd rather a second hand book of sermons or thoughts for the day. E is lucky – his book, sent to her, is a thriller-suspense story. [...]
Vivien Leigh died of TB about a fortnight ago.
80
Jayne Mansfield (big blonde semi-star) was beheaded in a car crash.
81
Gianni, Claudye's boyfriend, was here when we arrived and is due again tomorrow. I – we – promised him the Mini-Cooper when he marries Claudye and if he stops motor racing. He is a nice Italian boy who has bright red hair – quite startling anywhere but certainly in Italy. They are obviously dotty about each other.
82
The tennis championship of Suisse is on here at Gstaad and all the big names are here. Emerson, Santana, Osuna etc.
83
I shall watch Saturday and Sunday perhaps.
It seems that the yacht has passed inspection and is now ours and is officially the
KALIZMA
. Kate Liza Maria (Elizabeth included in Liza). It's going to be fun when it's all fitted out. [...]
Friday 21st
Yesterday was a medicine and diet day. I had
1
/
2
grapefruit (no sugar) two boiled eggs (substitute salt) a piece of bread (no butter) three times, and nothing else at all except water. Result this morning: Lost 3lbs – I am now 180
1
/
2
lbs. It is a sobering thought that the woman who suggested this diet to me – Paula Strasberg, Lee's wife, – is dead.
84
The effect of these pills on the arthritic arm is fantastic – for about an hour you think somebody is carefully and sadistically slitting open all the veins and that your arm is about to fall off. To counteract this I took
1
/
2
tablets of E's empirin and codeine. It helped a little.
Last night, loaded with drugs I fell asleep about 1.00 and didn't wake until 10.30 this morning. E had left to sleep in the other room because my snoring was so heavy. Everything so far re the arm is much better.
Sunday 23rd
Yesterday we saw in great trepidation our film of
Dr Faustus
. It is not
1
/
2
bad I think and has some moments of genuine quality. There are one or two unalterable vulgarities but generally speaking it is a pretty good achievement to make what appears to be a very expensive film for just over $1 million. Got mildly drunk afterwards in the Olden still sticking vaguely to our diet –
hamburger and tomato salad for lunch and a T-bone steak for dinner. My weight (and E's) had dropped 2lbs making me 178
1
/
2
and E 134
1
/
2
.
[...] We went to bed, after feeding MacWhorter and LaRue on barbecued steaks, about 3.0. E very erotic and anche io.
85
It thundered and lightninged all night and was very heavy and stuffy. I finally tried to sleep in the guest bedroom, felt lonely, went back to E – finally went back to the guest bedroom and slept with last thoughts of
Faustus
being a little-regarded failure.
Monday 24th
[...] We went to the Palace for lunch and had two medium sized entrecotes each for the main course with a tomato and onion salad. Washed down with a rosé (two bottles which we shared with R. McWhorter who lunched with us.)
Afterwards to the tennis where we saw Emerson beat Santana in 3 sets and Emerson and Santana beat McManus and Osborne in 5.
86
The latter looks a very promising boy. Powerful serve. [...]
Afterwards to the Olden, where I had a Gibson and E J. Daniels, and played Yahtsee. E beat me 4 out of 5. For dinner we had poached salmon and the inevitable onion and tomato salad. [...]
Tuesday 25th
Yesterday morning saw the scales drop us
1
/
2
lb each to 177 for me and 132 for E. Still that's better as E says than being
1
/
2
lb up.
It was a brilliant day until about 5.00 afternoon when rumbling of thunder was heard, the clouds piling black on the peaks and finally torrential, almost tropical rain. Liza had her wart on her finger burnt off. She was terrified of the needle the contents of which, it seemed to me, the doctor took a devil of a long time to inject. She cried a little but was most interested in the actual burning of the wart. As it sizzled under the heat she said it looked like fried chicken.
[...] I retired early and read Gavin Maxwell's
Ring of Bright Water
which I read until, and finished at, 2.00 in the morning.
87
It is a delightful if, now and again in its description pieces, slightly pretentious book of his two otters. They sound delightful but great nuisances.
Wednesday 26th
Weight 175
1
/
4
for me. 131
1
/
4
E. Lost respectively 1
3
/
4
and
3
/
4
lbs.
[...] We stayed in for lunch and had barbecued lamb chops a slice of onion and a slice of tomato. Taught Robin to play Yahtsee. Drove down to the village with Chris who has a girl-friend – his first – a girl of 13 from Neuchatel called Patrice.
88
A nice slow-faced girl solid and Swiss. Speaks no language except
French which somehow is surprising in Switzerland. Her mother (so I learn from Chris) has recently been divorced and they are living or vacationing at the Rossli Hotel in town.
89
We went there last night to take the girl home and so met her mother and her aunt. The latter bossy and well-to-do I fancy, broad of face and figure and bespectacled. Patrice's looks are more the aunt's than the mother's who looks like my sister Cis a bit though her face is sharper.
[...] Mike has been to the Marlowes’ anniversary (of Marlowe's getting custody of the children!) and came home exhilarated about 11. The girl Robin seems to have given him more vitality and zip. Maybe it will help.
Thursday 27th, Gstaad – London
[...] New bookcase arrived and I had it fixed next to the bathroom in guest bedroom and suitably filled it with books. Will have to [...] order another bookcase.
We left Gstaad at 3.25 arrived at Airport driving like mad at 4.15. [...] Left about 6.15 Arrived 1 hour 20 minutes later. Smooth as silk. Did crossword and drank a lot.
Dinner at Salisbury with the boys – cold roast pork etc.
90
Drunken American actor kept on telling me fulsomely that I had ‘taken on the mantle of (a) Greatness and (b) Olivier.’ I said politely that I wasn't greatly taken with mantles. The boys Mike and Chris, who were with us, enjoyed it greatly. Americans of a certain type are very humourless but rather endearing.
Home and to bed. The boys and E watched TV. I read Agatha Christie.
Friday 28th, London
Yesterday we had lunch – the whole purpose of the visit was to see him – with R. J. O. Meyer headmaster of Millfield.
91
He was disappointing. I had imagined a much wiser, more authoritative man. This man was tall, thin very English nervous in gesture and a compulsive talker. One white liar recognizes another and I found some of his stories a little too highly polished. He made E and Michael very nervous but didn't me – perhaps because my respect was mildly tinged with contempt. Anyway it seems that the boys are acceptable. I think they'll be alright there. What bores headmasters generally are. For
1
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2
the year they lord it over children and it must have a distorting effect on their relationship with adults. All their little jokes are laughed at, their little bursts of anger trembled at. Still, he's obviously good at his job. I became a little tetchy once or twice.
We saw Peter Sellers film
Bobo
followed by
Faustus
.
92
Bobo
is slight but Peter's wife is lovely in it. Sammy Davis Jr came to see
F
.
93
They all seem to be
impressed by me but not by the film itself – it is of course a one-man show. Wolf Mankovitz wants his name taken off the titles. We agreed. Silly gesture.
Today we leave at 12.55 for Rome – 1
1
/
2
hours wait – then on to Taormina.
94
Friday 28th, London – Rome – Taormina – Sicily
Am reverting back to writing on the day itself – hence two Fridays in this week.
We left on time and boarded the plane (a woman asked ‘sign my autograph please Mr Taylor.’) I gave her a look that felled her. That's the first time in 5 years that that's happened. Cheek.
On the plane we found Peter and Sian O'Toole and we proceeded to get drunk.
95
Peter is charming but a real fibber. He asked me how many nominations I'd had. I said truthfully FIVE. He said, holding up his fingers to point it, that he'd had four. I know he's only had two. Does he think we're idiots.
96
[...] I'd forgotten it was 50 kms from Catania to Taormina.
97
We had insisted on an air conditioned car so were driven by a private citizen. Not one word of English could he speak and I kept on speaking French. An unpleasant journey with me stoned.
We were appalled to find that Michael W. senior could not drive the boys to the airport because ‘he had to look after Maggie.‘
98
E furious. He hasn't seen them for a year, contributes and has contributed nothing to their upbringing or education, and couldn't drive them to the airport. Charming but feckless.
Saturday 29th, Taormina
Surrounded by publicity and paparazzi we lived in a blaze of flash lights all day long. At 6.15 we had a press conference with the usual stupid questions and answers. At 9.00 or thereabouts we hied our way to the awards.
99
There we picked up the awards (three this time) and sloshed our way steadily through the night ‘till 5.00 in the morning.
As usual E had the biggest hand and Peter O'Toole Vittorio Gassman and I made idiots of ourselves – Gassman without meaning to. The crowds were enormous both in and outside the amphitheatre. We shall not, unless it's very convenient, come here again. It really is a farce.
Started ‘Drinking Man's Diet.’ Let's see what happens.
Noel Coward is to play the witch in
Boom!
– as a male of course.
100
This makes the film very much more interesting from our point of view, and he
should be brilliant. It is 16 years or so since I worked with him and that was for $200 for playing the Marquis de something or other in a recording of
Conversation Piece
.
101
E has never worked with him before. He should be good value. [...]
The Israeli Ambassador to Italy anxious that we go to Israel to celebrate this festival week.
102
Might go at the end of the week.
Sunday 30th
A slow day, marking time, with a walk in which we bought sunglasses at a little shop. As we left the crowd which had gathered applauded us. E thought it very sweet, which indeed it was. We dined in somnolence and some self-satisfaction as we compared our ancestors and former wives and husbands.
E has become very slim and I can barely keep my hands off her. It turns out that she's not that less in weight but, as a result of massage and exercise the weight has been redistributed. She is at the moment among the most dishiest girls I've ever seen. The most. I mean dishiest.
It is extraordinary how when the festival awards are over, the whole village [...] becomes quiet. Nobody in the bar, no paparazzi, and the sea, beneath us and the gardens, hot and misty like a promise of extreme heat. A dredger in the bay moving uneasily on the water as if floating on oil. And churchbells all the time. Millions of saints. Millions of Masses. It is a little hot province Sicily. Everything is a little burned. Even the bougainvillea as E mentioned is yellow and sere.
There were many pictures in the papers, in two of which my child looked good enough to marry. [...]
Monday 31st, Rome
[...] We had not gone to bed until about 2.30 so we were pretty shaky on the road to Catania. Lovely the way the Sicilians decorate their horses – one horse, looked as if he was 17 or 18 hands, a giant, had a really splendid plume which he tossed and nodded with great pride. Many people sitting outside on ordinary kitchen chairs, the houses sun bleached and pinko grey and peeling. Catania is surprisingly large and it took us quite a time to get through it. Mini-skirts are still relatively rare in Sicily and at one moment when we were halted by traffic in a narrow street E's skirts had ridden up and half her (admittedly pretty) thighs were revealed and one young man was so obsessed by the eroticism of the scene that I thought he was going to have an orgasm on the spot. E was too shy to pull her skirt down until we had moved on so the pimply feller had a long long stare. He will dream tonight.