The Richard Burton Diaries

by Richard Burton

  171 This may refer to either I'll Give a Million (1938), directed by Walter Lang (1896–1972), starring Warner Baxter (1891–1951) and Peter Lorre (1904–64), or to I Stole a Million (1939), directed by Frank Tuttle (1892–1963) starring George Raft (1895–1980) and Claire Trevor (1909–2000).

  172 The Brombil valley opens out on to the coastal plain at Margam, south of Taibach.

  173 Naughty Marietta (1935), directed by W. S. Van Dyke (1889–1943), starring Jeanette MacDonald (1906–65) and Nelson Eddy (1901–67).

  174 A protective cover.

  175 Duggie Wakefield (1899–1951). Jack Benny. One imagines they were starring in different films.

  176 Dillwyn Dummer had left school to work as a baker's roundsman for the Co-op.

  177 ‘Phillip’: Brinley Phillips.

  178 Verdun Jenkins (1916–2002), Richard's brother.

  179 The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939), directed by Thorold Dickinson (1903–84), starring Leslie Banks (1890–1952).

  180 The Flying Deuces (1939), directed by Edward Sutherland (1895–1973), starring Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892–1957).

  181 Q Planes (1939), directed by Tim Whelan (1893–1957), starring Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier (1907–89). Richard was to become a good friend of Olivier.

  182 Charles Hockin, a friend of Richard's, who later became a schoolmaster in Taibach.

  183 George Henry Bragg was caretaker/manager of the public baths (erected in 1900 but refurbished or rebuilt in 1938) on Forge Road.

  184 Susie Preece was a fellow pupil at Port Talbot Secondary School. She would later be Richard's girlfriend.

  185 Richard's brother David.

  186 Where's That Fire? (1939), directed by Marcel Varnel (1894–1947), starring Will Hay (1888–1949).

  187 For a while Richard considered joining the police force.

  188 Cassie is Richard's sister Catherine (1921–2011).

  189 In 1940 the summer holiday was reduced to three weeks, to compensate for the fact that school hours were shortened (from 0945 to 1545) as a result of the blackout.

  190 Year V was divided into two forms: Vm and Vt.

  191 Gerwyn Williams (1924–2009) was already capped at rugby football by Wales at under-15 level and went on to win 13 senior caps between 1950 and 1954, including one against New Zealand in the victory of 1953. He was also a talented cricketer who represented South Wales.

  192 Mr V. Davies, brother of J. Vyrnwy Davies or ‘Tout’.

  193 A form of basketball.

  194 Juarez (1939), directed by William Dieterle (1893–1972), starring Brian Aherne, Bette Davis (1908–89), Paul Muni (1896–1967) and John Garfield.

  195 P. Burton (Richard and Philip, 14) quotes this line but misdates it as Wednesday 25 August.

  196 The Goytre valley, today known as Cwm Dyffryn, opens out on to the coastal plain at the northern end of Taibach.

  197 Over 1,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on Swansea in the most serious attack in the area until then. High Street station was badly damaged. The death toll was actually 33, although another 100 people were injured.

  198 Skewen is on the west bank of the Nedd, two miles from Neath itself. The oil refinery was at Llandarcy, south-west of Skewen. The fires continued for four days, and smoke drifted as far as Cardiff.

  199 Barrage balloons were used in an attempt to defend Swansea Bay from air attack.

  200 D. A. Cochlin, a fellow pupil.

  201 ‘Mitch’ is a colloquial expression for playing truant.

  202 ‘Stand off half’ often referred to today as ‘fly half’ or ‘outside half’. Elwyn Bowen was a talented athlete.

  203 In the back row, often referred to as a ‘flank forward’ or ‘flanker’ today.

  204 Thomas H. (often ‘Tom’ or ‘Tommy’) Mainwaring, a friend of Richard's.

  205 Stanley Jones, a fellow pupil and a talented athlete, who lived in Cwmafan.

  206 Richard Dix (1894–1949) and Richard Greene (1918–85) both featured in the 1939 films Man of Conquest and Here I Am Stranger.

  207 ‘matric’ refers to the School Certificate examination of the Central Welsh Board. Eventually, in September 1943, after a brief hiatus in his formal education, Richard would pass this examination.

  208 ‘23rd’ in circle, written in pencil, above deleted ‘16’. It would appear that Richard transposed the entries for the two weeks concerned but only made this obvious on the Monday (the first day of the week to view) in both cases.

  209 Mr Mervyn Sanderson, a teacher, who also ran a dancing school.

  210 Richard played the part of the American Ambassador Mr Vanhattan in The Apple Cart (1929) by George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), produced and directed by Philip Burton, which would be staged by the Port Talbot Secondary School players in January 1941. In previous years Burton had produced a number of Shaw's plays at the school, including Captain Brassbound's Conversion, Saint Joan and The Doctor's Dilemma. The Apple Cart was the players’ 14th production. Because of blackout restrictions and safety regulations it had to be staged in the YMCA rather than in the school hall. See also Burton, Early Doors, 39–41.

  211 Burton (Richard and Philip, 15) quotes this as ‘who had been educated’.

  212 Whitchurch is an affluent suburb in north-west Cardiff.

  213 ‘16th’ in circle, written in pencil, above deleted ‘23’.

  214 ‘Ginger’ was Gerwyn Williams.

  215 Both try lines should have been the same length. The maximum permissible was 75 yards.

  216 Simeon Jones was an (older) fellow pupil who acted the part of Cutler Walpole in The Doctor's Dilemma.

  217 Morgan ‘Mog’ Griffiths, a fellow pupil, who was to have the role of King Magnus in The Apple Cart.

  218 Joe James, a fellow pupil and talented athlete.

  219 Gerwyn Williams.

  220 This probably refers to the colliery settlement of Ogmore Vale, in the Ogwr valley north of Bridgend.

  221 Wing forwards.

  222 George Bernard Shaw.

  223 Richard's second reference to his father.

  224 Interestingly, Bragg (Rich, 35, citing Burton) and Burton (Richard and Philip, 14) have a comma between ‘wanted’ and ‘the same’, which alters the meaning, and they reverse the order from ‘be not wanted’ to ‘not be wanted’. Obviously this is open to differences of emphasis and interpretation, but it would seem to be potentially a case of editorial transformation on the part of Philip Burton.

  225 Cymalog – today written as Cwm Maelwg, a valley behind Margam Castle.

  226 This probably refers to Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939), directed by W. S. Van Dyke, starring Mickey Rooney (1920—), or another of the Hardy Family series of films.

  227 The Luftwaffe's bombing of London in particular had begun in early September 1940 and continued, barely without a pause, until mid November, when the focus shifted to a wider range of targets. The estimate of 3,800 civilian deaths by early November does not seem excessive. In total 13,596 civilians were killed as a result of enemy action in the London civil defence region (admittedly more extensive than the city itself) in the course of 1940.

  228 Anderson shelters for individual households had arrived in the district in September.

  229 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), directed by William Dieterle, starring Charles Laughton (1899–1962).

  230 The Revd Gwilym Rees MA, of Cardiff, brother of Dr J. Caerau Rees.

  231 Welsh for ‘full of twang’, or ‘speaking posh’. Cassie had been nursing in England.

  232 Gethin Matthews is perhaps stretching a point when he argues (Richard Burton, 29) that ‘mae nodiadau Richard yn ei ddyddiadur o 1940 yn dangos yn amlwg ei fod yn rhoi mwy o bwys ar ei ganlyniadau yn y Gymraeg nag mewn unrhyw bwnc arall’ (Richard's notes in his 1940 diary show clearly that he placed more importance on his results in Welsh than in any other subject’ [my translation]).

  233 Garw School, Pontycymer, a colliery settlement in the Garw valley, north
of Bridgend.

  234 Mr Evans, the physics teacher.

  235 Cwrdd mawr is Welsh for ‘big meeting’, in this context a religious gathering.

  236 Auxiliary Fire Service. ‘Nick’ was Mr Jack Nicholas.

  237 Philip Burton was Head of Leisan House.

  238 Glenys Hare played the part of Queen Jemima in The Apple Cart.

  239 Roy Vincent, a fellow pupil, also participated in the YMCA dramatic productions.

  240 Burton is referring here to the ‘bevy of ... Cabinet Ministers’ who feature in The Apple Cart.

  241 John Eaton Davies, a fellow pupil from Cwmafan, who later became a teacher.

  242 Verdun had been disabled in a mining accident, for which he received compensation.

  243 Terminals meaning end of term examinations.

  244 Ivor served in the Royal Army Service Corps during the Second World War.

  245 Nan Morse was a friend, member of Noddfa Chapel, and lived at 1, Constant Road.

  246 Mr Christopher ‘Pop’ Reynolds the headmaster had been absent from school through illness. He would retire in 1943.

  247 The Port Talbot YMCA (chairman: P. H. Burton) was by this time located in its new premises (which had opened in April) on Talbot Road. Its Boys’ Club had a membership of about 100 and catered for boys between the ages of 12 and 16.

  248 Edwina Dummer: the youngest daughter of Margaret Ann and Edwin Dummer.

  249 ‘Lord Haw-Haw’ was William Joyce (1906–46), who delivered radio broadcasts of Nazi propaganda to British audiences.

  250 Italian troops had invaded Greece on 28 October 1940 and within a week were being repulsed.

  251 Trans meaning translation.

  252 Philip Burton was co-founder of the YMCA amateur dramatic society, and had produced a number of his own plays under their auspices, including Granton Street (1934) and White Collar (1938). See Burton, Early Doors, 44–51.

  253 Richard was received into membership of Noddfa Chapel and took his first communion.

  254 George Dear (sometimes Deer) was a fellow pupil, who later became a teacher of English.

  255 Edie had a sometimes difficult relationship with her older brother Tom, who disapproved of her smoking.

  256 Morwen is Morwen Gronow, the daughter of Elfed's sister Ethel.

  257 Milly Gronow was the sister of Elfed's sister Ethel. She suffered from epilepsy.

  258 The YMCA had a billiard room with three tables.

  259 Indianapolis Speedway (1939), directed by Lloyd Bacon, also known as Devil on Wheels.

  1960

  1 The Fifth Column (1960), a television adaptation of the novel by Ernest Hemingway. It screened on 29 January 1960 on CBS in the USA.

  2 Maximilian Schell (1930—), actor. Schell was to play a part in finding Maria (1961—), who was to be adopted by Elizabeth Taylor in 1962.

  3 George Rose (1920–88), actor, who was to play the part of first gravedigger in the 1964 production of Hamlet. Betsy von Furstenberg (1931—), actor.

  4 John Frankenheimer (1930–2002), television and film director.

  5 Sybil Burton (1929—), Richard's wife.

  6 Sally Ann Howes (1930—), actor.

  7 L. Harvey is Burton's friend Laurence Harvey (1928–73), actor, who later that year would star in Butterfield 8 alongside Elizabeth Taylor. Harvey would also appear with Taylor in Night Watch (1973). Hugh Griffith (1912–80), actor and friend of Richard's, who had appeared alongside him in The Last Days of Dolwyn, in the summer 1951 Stratford productions of Henry IV (Part I), The Tempest and Henry V, and in Legend of Lovers in New York in 1951. Hugh French (1910–76), formerly an actor, by this time an agent for Richard. The Hotel Navarro, on Central Park South, New York.

  8 B. Bogart is Lauren ‘Betty’ Bacall (1924—), the widow of Humphrey Bogart, who had died in 1957. The production to which Burton refers may have been Goodbye, Charlie, staged on Broadway, in which Lauren Bacall starred.

  9 PHB is Philip Burton, Richard's former guardian. Su Str is Susan Strasberg (1938–99). Burton and Strasberg had enjoyed a passionate affair in 1957–8.

  10 K refers to Kate Burton, Richard and Sybil's eldest child (born 1957). J. is Jessica Burton, Richard and Sybil's youngest child (born 1959). W is Wendy, their nurse.

  11 Peter Brook (1925—), director.

  12 Jeanne Moreau (1928—), actor.

  13 Peter Brook was to direct Jeanne Moreau in Seven Days ... Seven Nights (also titled Moderato Cantabile, based on the novel of the same name by Marguerite Duras) in 1960. It is possible that Burton was considering the part of Chauvin, played in due course by Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933—).

  14 Berenice Weibel, a friend and neighbour in Céligny.

  15 The chalet that Richard and Sybil had built in the grounds of their house in Céligny.

  16 Paul Fillistorf, chef and proprietor of Café de la Gare, Céligny.

  17 René Weibel, Berenice's husband.

  18 Bernard Greenford, Sybil's brother-in-law, and his daughter Claire.

  19 Nyon is a small town and port 5 km from Céligny, on the north shore of Lake Geneva.

  20 I hope to learn to ski in ten or two days.

  21 Villars is a ski resort south-east of the eastern end of Lake Geneva, high above the Rhône valley, in the area known as the Alpes Vaudoises.

  22 Bretaye is the name of a col and of one of the main skiing areas around Villars.

  23 At rugby union, at Cardiff Arms Park.

  24 Dewi Iorwerth Ellis Bebb (1938–96), Welsh rugby player.

  25 Norman Morgan (1935—), Welsh rugby player, was actually a full-back, not a back-row forward. He kicked one penalty and converted Bebb's try.

  26 A ‘stem Christie’ is a particular kind of skiing turn.

  27 Aigle is a Swiss town near the Rhône valley floor.

  28 Osian Gwynn Ellis (1928—), Professor of Harp at the Royal Academy of Music, and his wife Rene. Ellis was in Switzerland performing at the invitation of the British Council.

  29 The match was played at Twickenham.

  30 There is a casino at Divonne-les-Bains, a French spa town and resort 4 km west of Céligny.

  31 The Ecumenical Institute located at the Château de Bossey, Bogis-Bossey, 2 km west of Céligny. Burton read poetry, Ellis played the harp.

  32 Now the Hôtel du Soleil, Céligny.

  33 Garage Fleury et Cie, Rue du Nant, Geneva.

  34 Patricia ‘Penny’ Moyes (1923–2000), author of crime novels featuring the character Henry Tibbett (the first, Dead Men Don't Ski, was published in 1959). She had also translated Jean Anouilh's Leocadia, which as Time Remembered, ran on Broadway in 1957–8 with Richard Burton in the role of Prince Albert. Formerly a personal assistant to Peter Ustinov, she lived at Verbier, a ski resort in the Valais above the Vallée de Bagnes east of Martigny. Burton has definitely written Vervier but he may have made an error.

  35 Michael Benthall (1919–74), theatre director, and artistic director of the Old Vic, who had directed Burton in Hamlet in Edinburgh in 1953 and at the Old Vic in London in 1953–4, also Burton in Coriolanus (1953–4), Henry V (1955–6), and Othello (1955–6).

  36 Coppet, 5km south along the shore of Lake Geneva from Céligny.

  37 Edouard Koessler was a partner with the Genevan bank Bordier & Cie, where Burton banked. He lived in Céligny.

  38 Une barque is a small boat, so presumably this is a restaurant on a boat on Lake Geneva. There has been but is no longer a La Pergola restaurant at Geneva's Inter Continental Hotel.

  39 A Swiss bookstore chain.

  40 Hornblower refers to the series of novels by C. S. Forester (1899–1966).

  41 Peter Ustinov (1921–2004), actor, author, director, playwright, raconteur. He would act alongside Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in The Comedians (1967) and Hammersmith is Out (1972), which he also directed. From 1969 he was a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and enlisted the support of Taylor and Burton for UNICEF ventures.

  42 Jim is James Haszard (died 1994), lawyer, in
terpreter, whom Penny Moyes subsequently married. Versoix is 10km south along the shore of Lake Geneva from Céligny.

  43 Tony Richardson (1928–91), director. Richardson and Burton had worked together on the film Look Back in Anger, and were now to collaborate on A Subject of Scandal and Concern (BBC TV, 1960). They would later fall out bitterly in 1968 over Laughter in the Dark. John Osborne (1929–94), playwright, actor, writer. Author of Look Back in Anger (play) and co-author of the screenplay for the film starring Burton. Author of A Subject of Scandal and Concern, and later involved in the prelude to the film Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973).

  44 Presumably a reference to the poet William Butler Yeats (1865–1939).

  45 John Ormond (1923–90), Swansea-born director and television producer for the BBC, later an accomplished poet. Burton would narrate Ormond's half-hour documentary Borrowed Pasture which screened on BBC Television in 1960.

  46 At Ireland's home ground at Lansdowne Road.

  47 Nicholas Ray (1911–79), director. He and Burton had worked together on Bitter Victory (1957).

  48 Ray went on to direct King of Kings (1961). Presumably Burton was considering the part of Lucius, which was in due course played by Ron Randell (1918–2005), who also appeared in The Longest Day.

  49 Emlyn Williams (1905–87), playwright, actor, director. Emlyn Williams had been critical to Richard Burton's emergence as an actor in Britain in the 1940s. He had cast him in the stage production of The Druid's Rest (1943: Burton's stage debut), and directed him in The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949: Burton's film debut). He married Molly Shan in 1935. In 1952 he had played alongside Elizabeth Taylor in Ivanhoe (1952). In March 1960 he was performing in Geneva, Lausanne and Vevey.

  50 The joint christening of Kate and Jessica.

  51 David William (real name Williams) (1926–2010), actor and director.

  52 Liz Hardy. Former wife of Robert Hardy (1925—), actor.

  53 Ivor Jenkins, Richard's brother, and his wife Gwen.

  54 Lausanne, Swiss city on the north shore of Lake Geneva.

  55 Paul Scofield (1922–2008), actor, and his wife Joy Parker (1924—).

  56 Philip Burton.

  57 Pierre Folliet was a Genevan lawyer who acted for Burton in Switzerland.

  58 Guy Green (1913–2005), cinematographer and director.