The Richard Burton Diaries

by Richard Burton

  The food in the two restaurants we went to was good at first and then, through over-familiarity perhaps or boredom or something, became atrocious. We ate mostly at home afterwards. [...]

  A. Guinness walked around looking very white and pink and read a little note-book which contained his lines for the film. He looks remarkable as a negress.12 Quite deceived me at first.

  P. Ustinov gave a turn at the huge charity benefit for lepers and TB.13 He is a very good sort but his invention is running out. He is doing the same turns now as he was 10–15 years ago. They are brilliant to the uninitiated. He is very serious when alone with one but must clown with an audience of two. In some vague way, because he seems disturbed, I feel sorry for him. Jack of all trades.

  Friday 31st We have been at this house – it's a famous one called ‘La Fiorentina’ – for 21/2 weeks, and for the last 12 days have shot at night, which after the initial adjustment I don't mind.14 It means a certain amount of sunshine during the day and a game or two of tennis. It has however been quite cold at night and the night before last in the mountains above St Michel it was bitter. We had a soup in St Michel which is well known locally as Potage au Pistou.15 I think. Very good.

  Last Monday night we had drinks at the Palace at Monaco and then went on to the Hotel de Paris to a banquet in aid of the British American Hospital, at which we were the guests of honour.16 I enjoyed but don't remember too much about it. He was tubby and smiled kindly and seemed nice. She was pretty and young looking and very short-sighted. Her eyes indeed are terribly weak and at the end of the evening were shot bright with blood.17

  Last night I worked with James Earl Jones – a retake – and then with A. Guinness.18 We finished by 02.45 – very early for us. A hot bath when I arrived home, a read in bed and asleep by 5.30.

  We were roughly 3 weeks in Paris before coming here. We stayed at the Plaza Athenée.19 So far it's the best hotel we've stayed at in Paris with a splendid restaurant. Things that stick out:

  We were both nominated for Oscars for VW – the film itself getting 13 nominations.20

  We had dinner with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor who came back afterwards to our apartment in the Plaza.21 We all got on famously.

  We went to London for the opening night of Shrew. A huge success almost totally spoiled by Frank Flanagan's sudden death on the morning of the opening night, which incidentally was E's birthday.22 He died quickly thank God of a heart attack.

  A couple of weeks later Sally Wilson died in NY of leukaemia or a sinister relation.23

  Bob (Wilson) and Agnes (Flanagan) are both with us here in the house at Saint Jean Cap Ferrat recovering from the terrible shock. Bob is strong and suffers in relative silence. Agnes, poor dab, drinks and drinks and drinks.

  With the Duke of Windsor in Paris. We went back to our apartment after dinner and the Duke and I sang the Welsh National Anthem in atrocious harmony. I referred disloyally to the Queen as ‘her dumpy majesty’ and neither the Duke or Duchess seemed to mind.

  APRIL

  Saturday 1st Went into Nice in the afternoon yesterday to buy books. There wasn't much selection but we bought a lot of thrillers. Afterwards we had cocktails at the Negresco where we ran into Bob Hall (stuntman) and John Lee. Mike (our M.) came with us. I wrote to his headmaster yesterday to try and get him reinstated at Le Rosey from which he has been expelled. Poor boy. Otherwise I'll try and get both boys into Millfield.24

  [...] Wrote to Kate and enclosed $10. She hopes Syb's baby is a boy. He will be called Colin if a boy, Amy if a girl.25 [...]

  Telegraphed Franco Z. that he can show Shrew at Cannes if he wishes but warned him that he may get royally shrewed! They're a nasty lot around here. [...]

  [There are no further entries in the diary until late May. During this period work continued on The Comedians in the south of France. On 10 April Richard, nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, was beaten to the award by Paul Scofield for his portrayal of Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons. Neither Burton nor Taylor attended the awards in California, Taylor collecting her award at a ceremony held at Grosvenor House in London. By late May they were cruising on a chartered yacht in the western Mediterranean.]

  MAY

  Sunday 21st, on Board Oddyseia Portofino26 We arrived this morning from Corsica where we have been for about a week – 2 days at Ajaccio, two at L'lle Rousse and two at Calvi.27 [...] We are going to buy this M.Y. It will cost $220,000 and we shall spend 40 or 50,000 dollars on it. It is old – 60 years – is 130 feet long, three engines, 260–80 tons. She will do 14 knots. There are 7 bedrooms two of them with large double beds and will sleep 14 passengers. There are 8 crew, though that includes a cook, maid, waiter. The boat itself needs only 4 – at the most 5 – crew to run it efficiently. I estimate it will cost $25–30000 a year to run it. Not too bad when one considers our last house (rented) cost $10,000 a month plus approx $1000 a week for food and staff etc! If we can use it as much as possible instead of hotels we could actually save money.

  Monday 22nd Stayed on board all day yesterday and sunned ourselves. Result – pink all over. Watched the port's traffic which was endless with scores of waterbuses loaded with scores of Sunday tourists from adjacent Genoa, Santa Margherita, Rapallo etc.28 Thank the lord they didn't know we were here.

  This morning however we went shopping and I bought this pen with which I write, a Jockey cap, a couple of pencils and paper while E bought out Pucci's.29 There were a lot of tourists mostly German and American – the latter being almost exclusively Jewish. They greet one with ‘Hi Elizabeth. California.’ There are only 20 million people in California. We fled for sanctuary to a splendid restaurant called ‘Pitosforo’ where we had Vodka Tom Collins, cocktail onions, cheese from Sardinia called Formaggio al Sardo, two kinds of salami and, when I asked for them, fave (spring broad beans sort of).30 Afterwards, though we'd promised to lunch on board we had steak à la maison and crepes suzette. All delicious. After lunch we went home to the boat and slept and so on.

  Must send telegrams tomorrow regarding future plans. Everybody is waiting for decisions. Must make some I suppose or should we? I wish I never had to work again but know I will and suppose we must. I must work out one day how much we have in cash property etc. Must be quite a lot. Perhaps we could stop now if we stopped spending so much.

  We think this restaurant ‘Pitosforo’ – we dined there again tonight to be among the best we know. And the ambience is splendid, the lovely little harbour at your feet.

  Wednesday 24th, Portofino Harbour The seas were high and the skies grey and the boat rocked and shivered since we are tied up slightly outside and more subject to the wind and weather. So we locked all doors and settled to read and, in my case, do crossword puzzles. I read E's script The Old Man and me and thought it good and a money maker especially with C. Grant but it may by now be unavailable.31 [...] Have read variously since coming on board. The Whole Truth a novel about foreign correspondents for a thinly disguised NY Times.32 Caen – about the battle of Caen and D-Day (I think I would have gone mad in that hell).33 Some detective stories, new original script by Tennessee Boom! which E will do as a film.34 Script of Shoes of the Fisherman – worst of Hollywood vulgarity and taste, though written by Morris West, an Australian in Rome.35

  [...] E anxious that I write about her so here goes: She is a nice fat girl who loves mosquitos and hates pustular carbuncular Welshmen, loathes boats and loves planes, has tiny blackcurrant eyes and minute breasts and has no sense of humour. She is prudish, priggish and painfully self-conscious. [...]

  Friday Night, 26th, Santa Margherita Harbour H. French arrived on Wednesday at about 7pm. [...] Showed us strange cable in which C. Grant said he would costar with E only if I directed! He must be frightened of her or something. Perhaps he's a little strange in the head.

  Hugh came back on Thursday for lunch with news of telephone calls etc. Will hear something shortly I suppose. Told us that James Mason left his agency after
17 years (?) because they [...] were getting all the plum parts for me. Well, well.

  Suspect that Rex and Rach Harrison are back because I saw a flag on their flag pole.36 I was right as I've received a note from them this afternoon.

  Weather pretty rough so shifted to above harbour as it's safer than Portofino. [...]

  Stayed on board all day and read and sunbathed. Sky hot and blue but sea a curious milky green from the storm I suppose.

  Much threat of war between Israel and U.A.R.37 Bugger it. Was put in a fury by crowds of staring idiots on Thursday in the square. [...] Fury vented on E of course.

  JUNE

  Thursday 1st, En Route St. Marg – Portofino We were in St Margherita yesterday for watering and fuelling and just as well as it gave us a chance to get away from Rex and Rachel. We had spent Sunday up at their house and, as usual it was very liquid. Rex seems to hold his booze better than he used to but Rachel is still maniacal. We saw them again on Monday evening at La Gritta bar in the Port.38 Fortunately before Rachel became totally demented they left (not without difficulty for Rex) for home and dinner at about 9.30. By this time Tennessee Williams and his friend Bill had arrived and Joe Losey and J. Heyman and H. French.39 Tennessee, who now prefers to be called Tom, seemed sloshed and spoke in a loud voice, powerful penetrating and incoherent and somewhat embarrassing. E told him to lower his voice a few times. We were in the Pitosforo at the time, and we attract enough attention as it is. Have now decided to do Boom! with E. [...]

  On Tuesday everybody came on board. Rachel became stupendously drunk and was or became totally uncontrollable. The strangers T. Williams, Losey, Bill, French, Heyman, left in disgust. She insulted Rex sexually morally physically and in every way. She lay on the floor in the bar and barked like a dog. At one time she started to masturbate her basset hound – a lovely sloppy old dog called Omar. E lectured her, I did, Rex did. All to no avail. She bitterly harangued the memories of Carole Landis and Kay Kendall, hurled imprecations at Lilli Palmer.40 Christ.

  Yesterday, Wednesday, we left early in the a.m. for S. Marg to fuel and load up. [...] Losey came to lunch. He's intelligent but a trifle grim. I hope he has a sense of humour. I found it hard work talking to him for 2 hours. Still one doesn't necessarily have to talk all that much to directors.

  Tennessee and Bill came too. Again the former seemed to be tipsy. He is certainly not very prepossessing physically. Heyman told us he tried to kill himself a few weeks ago but was saved by Bill. There were no details. I asked Tenn if diarhyl (?) pills depressed him.

  ‘I have no way of knowing,’ he said.

  ‘Because,’ I said, ‘you're depressed all the time.’

  ‘Right,’ he said.

  [...]

  Friday 2nd, Portofino Yesterday afternoon taking a little sun on the after deck (finally driven away by long-focus lens paparazzi who were shooting from the road above) I thought – about 2 o'clock – that I saw Rex Rachel and two other people go by in their boat. E wonders if they think we are snubbing them because of Rachel's behaviour on Tuesday. Perhaps. Must call them today sometime.

  [...] The two dogs have been making love now since last Sunday at least 3 times a day. Who would have thought that dogs in heat went on so long. They remain locked after each coition for about 10–12–15 minutes. They are very serious about it and O Fie's penis is beginning to look the worse for wear.

  Saturday 3rd Went on shore yesterday, as promised, to ring R and R. H[arrison]'s keeper told me they were in the harbour so I went to ‘La Gritta’ and there they were sure enough. They were already somewhat the worse for wear – it was about 2.00 pm. I went with them to a little rest[aurant] and drank some red wine while they ate. [...] We talked a lot about death and miraculous recoveries – stemming from Chichester and his cancer and his recovery and his round-the-world voyage.41 It was pleasant enough.

  It was the anniversary of the liberation of Italy by the Allies I gather, and Portofino was crawling with holiday makers.42

  I took R and R in my new boat and we went for 1/2 hour spin down the coast. There was so much traffic that we were, until we got clear, soaked with water. I brought the boat back in as one, said Rex, to the manner born.

  This coast is unquestionably more interesting than the Côte d'Azur, much more wild and forted. Rex was very anxious to prevent Rach drinking and we managed to keep her off it for an hour but once on board she was on to the Scotch like a homing pigeon. [...]

  Sunday 4th [...] I went on shore to search for Rex Rach and their friend – an Anglo-Portuguese called Arthur Barbosa (E insists on calling him Edward) who is to help E with redecorating the yacht.43 It is difficult to believe that Barbosa is completely Portuguese by blood – his father was the Portuguese consul in Liverpool which is where I understand Rex met him some centuries ago – because he looks talks walks like a caricature of a middle-class, middle-aged public schoolboy. Which he is. He went to St Edward's school near Oxford at the same time as L. Olivier and Douglas (Legless Pilot) Bader.44 R and R told me that he told them that he'd had a passion all his life to dress up in his wives’ nightdresses (He's 4 times married) and be tied to the bed posts. He has however, he languidly assured them, finally cured himself of this mild sexual aberration.

  Rach became pretty drunk again on Punt e Mes and Gin and started to strip off at one point.45 The people on the roadway above started to cheer thinking it was E no doubt. I stopped her.

  I can't see – we can't see how Rex can put up with her behaviour if she is continually like this. It has reached a point though, as they both told me, where Rex, after her behaviour last Tuesday (?) wrote her a letter. She's basically a good girl but she should not drink. I was surprised to find she's 40 years old. I thought she was about 37. Rex is fantastically tolerant of her drunken idiocies. She wouldn't last 48 hours with me and he's had it for 7 years.

  Monday 5th Kate arrives on the 12th and I am very excited. I haven't seen her for ten months. We shall keep her with us alone for the first five days or so and then take her to Switz to join the girls. I'm missing those little buggers too. It's 9.00 am and I'm sitting on deck waiting for my morning cup of tea while E has her second sleep – what she calls her nightmare sleep. It's a beautiful morning cool and blue. The harbour water barely ruffled by the off-shore breeze. Birds all over the place. Two or three people in dinghys. Buses pass with their klaxons going, on the road above the port. In the harbour, very crowded with craft of all kinds, there is a very august looking sailing yacht with a lot of washing on the line.

  Yesterday we stayed on board all day. I read a couple of books one of them called The Missile Crisis.46 It recounts in journalistic documentary form the 1962 confrontation of Kennedy and Khrushchev over the arming of Cuba.47 The USA handled it very cleverly and bravely it seems to me but Khrushchev comes out of it too with some dignity despite the usual political lying etc. What a monstrous childish arena the political arena is.

  [...] We heard, two days ago, that we have again been awarded the Donatello David for T of S.48 Both of us. That makes two each. [...]

  Reading back through this notebook I see that I wasn't writing when we heard that E had won the Oscar and I hadn't! Bloody cheek. But P. Scofield won so that's alright. I sent him a cable and he me. [...]

  Tuesday 6th [...] I stayed in La Gritta with Raj and drank Negronis for a couple of hours while I called R and R. Raj (the owner of the bar) talked a great deal. He said that Rex had altered fantastically – for the better – since he'd become a big film star after Cleopatra. He said that he'd told Rex that Rachel must work if she were not to become an alcoholic. He told me how he (Raj) was an alcoholic and how, voluntarily, he put himself into a clinic in Genoa to cure it. He has been waggonised since January 17. He told me how like the Italians the Welsh were and how his wife had said how Italian I looked!

  Later on R and R and Edward Arthur arrived and I talked desultorily with them and finally went back to the boat. E was angry.

  Later on, about dusk, R and R and
EA approached hailed and were invited on board. They stayed a couple of hours. This time Rach was sober and Rex was drunk (nicely). [...]

  Raj said war had broken out between Israel and Egypt and other Arab idiots. Shall wait for confirmation. Italians tend to hysteria and it may only be a border incident.

  [There would appear to be a missing page or pages at this point. The next entry is ...]

  Monday 12th [...] Kate arrives tomorrow and the Israeli war is over. The Israelis completely destroyed the forces against them in 3 days with what seems a mopping-up action of two days.

  Now for the peace. It's going to be a bugger to settle. That clever idiot Nasser resigned and then ‘at the behest of his people’ returned to office 16 hours later.49

  [...]

  Tuesday 13th, Monte Carlo Kate arrived from NY with Aaron [...]. K was, as usual, enchanting and very pretty and excited and she immediately re-established warm ‘lovins’ with E.

  Wednesday 14th [...] Kate jumping all over the place and slept with us the night. I finally went to sleep downstairs in K's room. Aaron and Bob came on board and took up Residence.50 We leave for Portofino tomorrow weather permitting.

  Wednesday 21st, Portofino We have been in Portofino a week roughly and leave tomorrow for Monte Carlo. E and K have been shopping like lunatics. E has bought umpty-nine watches, sweaters, ‘puccis.’ K has bought hats and watches (two I think) and has been giggling steadily from dawn till dusk. Giggling with her has been Elizabeth. What a pair? They each think the other is the funniest comedian in the world. [...]

  Kate was sculpted by one Rocchi and so was I.51 Kate's sculpture is splendid – mine is too leonine I think but we shall see when he's finished it.

  Thursday 22nd, Monte Carlo We sailed from Portofino at approx 11.20 [...] within a short time it was realized (by E and me at least) that it was going to be a sluggish roll and pitch and glug and that our passengers might have some queasiness. Aaron did. Kate did. Bob also did but refused to admit it. Kate threw up twice but was a very good girl and didn't moan and conyn and carry-on as most people do. I was very proud of her. We kept her in our bed and first E then I joined her there and we all fell fast asleep. On both occasions that K vomited she did it onto a towel so there was no mess on the bed.