The Richard Burton Diaries

by Richard Burton

  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.19We ‘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.]

  17 Monday

  I was supposed to do all kinds of things today – like buy dresses (and things and stuff) Things I would ordinarily have loved and indulged in – buying clothes and jewels. I still have over 5 thou’ to spend on my allowance and 45 thous of insurance money for jewelery – but we did something else – Something more beautiful than anything in the world. My God it was lovely! Then we had a late dinner at ‘Mediterannée’ and talked about all the things we are going to do on our honeymoon – It's almost 5 years long now.35 Better every day! [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  18 Tuesday First night of honeymoon (?) by leaving Paris driving ourselves in R.R.36 Followed, for a time by two press. E. has bangs.37 Can't make up mind whether like or not. E called Baron E. Rothschild to make intro to J. Heyman.38 Lunched (pizza) at Bas Bréau Barbizon.39 Lovely. Then went on to Avallon and are staying at ‘La Poste’.40 E. behaving as if it really were the first time for us both to be married to each other. Have to be careful. I might become idolatrous. Wish I knew her well enough to tell her how exciting life is with her about.

  19 Wednesday Visited chateau ‘Roche Pot’ seen from the road.41 Chilled to the bone.

  Left about 1.0 pm. Talked Glenville re Man to be King and Golden Eye.42 Curious Ray Stark.43 Napoleon stayed at ‘Poste’ from Elba before he met Ney.44 ‘Girl’ enjoys everything including ugliness. Very worth-while woman. Lunched at Cote d'Or at Saulieu.45 Splendid. She spoiled by everyone. Enjoy it, donkey, while it lasts says he enviously. Love her. What a Lune de miel.46 Staying here at hotel called ‘de France’ which makes Copper House look like Savoy.47 But with usual perversity E thinks it romantic. The sheets are clean. Manager inarticulate with excitement. Press came to restaurant de Bressanne.48 Two photographers. One's flash refused to work. (Memo write about reaction to fame or lack of it).

  20 Thursday

  Last night the room became beautiful! When we woke up it looked ugly but had already become a ‘lovely experience’. The manager was so touching that it made us both feel all kind of funny. The way he kept smiling and nodding over the heads of the two locals photographers it was like he'd given birth to us. Drove 40 kms to Nantua for lunch, sweet woman told the route to avoid long line of customs – it worked!49 Saw Geneva for first time – beautiful! Saw R.’s house, met André – felt very funny – as I knew I would – So did R. got over it soon – Thank God. Stopped at Chateau De C. and and the ‘Other Place’ – Home! Kids! Home!!50 [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  21 Friday Got up late midday! Went tramping with Michael, Christopher, Liza after having watched them at the Riding School.51 Liza and Mike splendid but Christoph started to show panic and with my usual hatred of watching others humiliated I left with Maria for a stroll to the river. E, feeling the same, came out shortly afterwards. Chris obviously upset at the end of the ride. Asked
me if I would ride for pleasure. I said no I'd rather read a good book. I think he agrees heartily but he mustn't be stopped. The shame of it. Dined at home. Fried chicken.

  22 Saturday Bad day. Woke in foul temper. Read Woolf in the sun then went for walk with boys and Liza to neighbouring village.52 Leg-weary. Went to Olden with E.53 Started picking on her – dined at home on turkey – then went on to a rip and tear quarrel with no holds barred. Slept alone! Fools!

  23 Sunday Woke up in wrong bed! Took E to Alte Post at Weissenburg for lunch.54 Drove back with top down. For a time. Played Liar Poker Dice with E in Olden with many variations.55 Maria fell backwards off dining chair. Waiting invitation for Wednesday to go CÔte d'Azur arranged P. Glenville.56 Splendid etc!

  24 Monday Still sleeping too much – must be altitude – woke at 10.30.57 Got word that house in St Tropez OK but wait for invitation which should arrive tomorrow.58 Had lunch at Olden where we were taught a dice game called ‘Yatsee’ – most interesting.59 Taught it at 1pm (approximately) and were still playing it 6.45pm (approximately). Children joined us at about 4.30. Dined at home on pork etc. Ate with enjoyment for the first time. Will probably leave for South of France on Wednesday if all goes well. Can't think what stages to do the journey in. Eli Roths. calling E.60 What for? What a funny fellow. And so to bed.

  25 Tuesday

  Received invitation to South of France. Packed for California and S. of Fr. And the boat – Pooped! Went to ‘Olden’ played ‘Yahtesee’ (?) for hours just the two of us then Paul and his girl – it was great fun.61 The kids are even better than any of us – Cheeky bags!

  What a funny night = starting a honeymoon! It's so soppy! We don't really know where we're going! (Keep fingers crossed about House – that it really happened!!) [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  26 Wednesday ‘You write,’ She said, ‘because you must tell how lovely this day has been and how it's so honeymooney.’ What,’ I said, ‘What if I write that I am bitterly angry because so sharply lovely a day could come to me only in my 39th year?’ Anyway, we're in a place called Talloires in the High Savoy in an old monastery called L'Abbeye, and we arrived at 9.00, and we loved the room, and we had the two beds put together, and we saw Liston knocked out by Clay in slow motion, and [...] we walked along the lapping shore, and we came back to our cell and we loved being here and we talked about a stood-up lonely boy and so to bed.62

  27 Thursday Went to lunch at ‘Père Bise.63 Very good but all the menus are so similar. Had poularde de bresse.64 A family at next table gave E a bunch of ‘Lily of the Valley.’ Love in the afternoon. Then dozed and read K. Allott's anthology of modern poetry.65 What a little pussycat he is in his comments. Wrote PCs to the children in Gstaad.66 Read some more. Had drinks and dinner and so to bed and reading. I am drinking too steadily – lunch time and dinner time. Will stop when we get to La Reine Jeanne for a few days.67 Am still a bundle of nerves. Wish I didn't have to work so soon.

  28 Friday ‘What's your name?’

  ‘Elizabeth Taylor’

  ‘Prove it.’

  ‘My father's name was Taylor.’

  ‘Prove it.’

  ‘I love him that's all’

  ‘Prove it.’

  ‘Where were you born?’

  ‘Hampstead, England’

  ‘Prove it’

  ‘I have a birth thing’

  ‘Show it.’

  ‘I don't have it with me’

  ‘Find it.’

  ‘I am alone and defenceless’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I argue.’

  ‘Whom with?’

  ‘You’

  ‘Why’

  ‘Because we love each other.’

  ‘Prove it!’

  Just because that's all! [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  29 Saturday

  Woke up feeling very contrite – both of us – what a stupid waste of energy and time! Quietly and gently we became us again – had lunch at Les Baux, Baumaniére, almost ran out of Gas – had a hell of a time finding our way here.68 I tried to be R's navigator – but the map and the roads are so poorly marked that we both became screaming ‘things’. Anyway, we are finally Home. Already the strings of nerves are loosening. It's a really lovely place and the dearest people are taking care of us. ‘Honeymoon’ is back with us. God, I love him so! Make me a better wife (Please) [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  30 Sunday This establishment we stay at is like a hotel but is not. Its owner Cmdr. Weiller lets us use it and his servants and his food and wine for nothing.69 Yet there are signs as in a hotel. ‘Put out lights.’ ‘Please use this bag for sanitary towels. Do not flush down toilet.’ We must find out more. Downstairs in the Salon Burt has found scrapbooks of guests in past years.70 The Chaplins. D. Fairbanks Jr. Merle Oberon, Margot Fonteyn etc.71 We shopped in Lavandou today and drove around a bit.72 Cold pork for dinner and ‘William’ to finish.73 I played piano, read Sundays. Burt beat me at Yahtsee. Teach her! Weather unfriendly. Hope to bathe soon. Burt looking very pretty today.

  31 Monday Rose late. Can't understand this continual late sleeping. [...] Day is gone before one looks around. Took first dip in sea. Cold. Went for walk with Burt to local which is a bar on the sand a mile and a bit from the house. Burt walked there and back. What next? Paced the return. Fish and omelette ‘porquerolle’ for dessert.74 Read Orwell's Clergyman's Daughter.75 Uneven.

  JUNE

  1 Tuesday Got up 9.50 went to Lavandou. Bought cigs, books, sandals (lots of tar on beach) b. costume.76 Woke Burt up at 12.00. Meantime workmen were mending gate so couldn't get in. Had coffee in local. Nice people. Swam? sun bathed, lunched, bed read, ate, slept. Whew! Burt a bit sarky today.

  He should frigging talk! [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  2 Wednesday Rose 10 o'clock but weather dull. Went downstairs and began Grenier's M.S. ‘Yes and back again’.77 Very flatly written, ridden with clichés and so far difficult to get through. But it has been accepted so there. I wouldn't have accepted it either as commercial or artistic possibility but there's no knowing. We then visited Bormez which is enchanting and were photographed.78 Then we sought ‘pizza’ and found it in a rather drab little place on the main road. With it we drank Pernod and later vin blanc. We called at our local on way home. Deserted. Apparently the estate is 70 hectares and the price after the war was 2 sous sq. metre! Had good row with Burt and accused her, among other things, of lousy taste. She accused me among other things of snobbery. I said the only thing we had in common was Yahtsee. I forgot some other things.

  3 Thursday [...] For the first time today the phone rang! Twice! Gaston being officious. R. Hanley calling at our request from Greece.79 He goes to London tomorrow. We did nothing all day. I read papers from cover to cover. Endlessly. Weather good but windy and therefore impossible to do anything except crosswords and eat endless cherries (delicious) and irritate Burt. I drank nothing and pilled nothing. But still I'm lethargic. Where went my energy? Read delightful ‘tec novel by ?. Very good anyway.

  4 Friday Sat and sunbathed most of the day but wind still a little cold for swimming. Went into Lavandou to replenish book supply. We stopped at local on way home and drank beer (me) pernod (Burt). Learned to our horror that Dick Merriman's adopted baby girl died. We don't know the cause. This means he will work with Burt on the boat instead of here. We had sole for supper. [...] Poor Merriman. There's nowt one can do. More adoption is the answer I suppose.

  5 Saturday

  Lingering Day! R. went to town after washing the car (with the top down, which caused all kinds of wolf calls) to buy me a present – a bikini – It turned out to be small for my boobs – so he went back (stores were closed). I was washing my hair so could not go with him Then he went back after lunch to get it. I think he enjoyed the rides in the Rolls with the top down. I must say they do look dishy together! We got all dressed up for dinner, went to Le Lavendou and had our first dinner out – marvelous! [sic] Strange people around the village most of them are young but weird lo
oking R. got more whistles than I did. Stopped at Pizza Place for desert [sic]. R. lost beautifully at Yahtzee! Oi givalt!80 [Elizabeth Taylor's hand.]

  6 Sunday Stayed at home and ate lunch – salad and roquefort dressing. Stayed in the sun almost all the time. We are both getting quite brown but prefer the mornings on the balcony to the beach in the noon. It's so boring sunbathing on sand. We drank little and ate a lot for dinner. [...]

  7 Monday Whitsun Monday and pouring tropically with rain. We went to lunch [...] place called Les Roches Fleuries.81 Very nicely situated. Food OK. Talked nonsense pleasantly with some people at the next table and so to the bar. A little shopping for Kleenex and so home.82 Dinner at home and sleep.

  8 Tuesday Woke fitfully at 10. Sat on balcony until lunch reading newspapers. Learned to our relief that the ‘Gemini Twins’ were back from the Cosmos safely.83 For some reason we both felt oddly nervous about them. It is odd, too, that I almost always think – no condescension intended – of Americans as being gifted and brave but almost always child-like. White, the man who walked for 20 minutes in space, when asked how it was replied ‘It was really something.’ How deep was Columbus’ mind? Wasn't Churchill a boy with a gift for man's words? What was Alexander?84 Who Caesar? Not Rex Harrison.85 Idiot. Strange love affair this afternoon. Tolerable agony. Agonizing Love. Lovely pain.

  9 Wednesday Lunch at home and then we packed a week-end bag and left for Roches Fleuries, a Hotel at place called Aiguebelle four kms on from Lavandou. We obtained a room overlooking the sea. Nice enough. [...] Went to dinner at Lavandou and both had moules maranieres.86 Had a quarrel again. Nasty habit we have. Home and to Yahtsee and bed in sullen silence. It's always (nearly) alright in the morning.

  10 Thursday Called R. Hanley this morn to have him send some money from Antibes where he is staying at the Hotel du Cap.87 Told us that Sybil is getting married on Sunday next to a member of a ‘Pop’ group called ‘The Wild Ones!’ We don't know his name yet but we do know that he's only 24. This makes him 11 years younger than Syb I think.88 I hope to God he's a tidy bloke and will be good for Kate as well as Syb.89 Maybe I'll see K a bit more often now. How I love that child. Tubby old thing as she thinks she is. What sort of a telegram should we send? Witty, serious. (Lots of puns available on ‘Wild Ones’.)