The Richard Burton Diaries (255 page)

37
Cuernavaca, Mexican city.

38
By ‘Blacke’ Burton probably means William Blake (1757–1827), poet, mystical writer, artist.

39
By ‘the Brass’ Burton presumably means ‘the top brass’ – the highest-ranking officials.

40
Bevin boys were men conscripted to work in the coal industry, as opposed to being enlisted into the armed forces, during the Second World War.

41
The Official Secrets Act is a piece of legislation aimed at ensuring the restriction of sensitive information usually related to national security.

42
For more, in the same vein, see Anthony Shaffer,
So What Did You Expect?
(2001), pp. 14–17.

43
Christopher Miles (1939—). Sarah Miles (1941—). This could be intended to be either humourless or humorous.

44
Claude Gill Books, Oxford Street. The ‘nameless’ one being the baby.

45
The city of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, today the capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina. By Brioni Burton means the Brijuni islands in the northern Adriatic, location of Tito's summer residences. Brioni is the Italian spelling.

46
Burton probably means Pula, now in Croatia, a port on the mainland (with airport), close to the Brijuni islands.

47
Tito's (third) wife, Jovanka Broz (1924—).

48
Van Cleef & Arpels: French jewellery and watchmaking company.

49
Stipe Deli
(1925—).

50
At the Tehran conference of November 1943, Churchill had suggested further Anglo-American operations in the eastern Mediterranean. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) had raised the possibility of landing in Yugoslavia in order to lend support to Tito's partisans. Stalin resisted such proposals, which came to nothing.

51
‘Perfidious Albion’: a pejorative term for England (originally rendered in French – la perfide Albion), implying a lack of trustworthiness.

52
Spencer Tracy starred in
Bad Day at Black Rock
(1955), directed by John Sturges.

53
A reference to the speech of 9 February 1941 by Winston Churchill, which ended ‘Give us the tools, and we will finish the job’.

54
Sukarno (1901–70), President of Indonesia (1945–67).

55
Draza Mihailovi
(1893–1946), leader of the Serbian
hetnik movement, which opposed Tito's Partisans during the Second World War.

56
Michael Caine (1933—), who had starred in
Zulu
, and who was playing opposite Elizabeth Taylor in
X, Y and Zee
.

57
Suzy Kendall (1944—), actor. Her marriage to the comedian Dudley Moore (1935–2002) ended in divorce in 1972.

58
Paul Gallico (1897–1976), novelist and sports writer.

59
Possibly Ludmilla Nova (1949—), actor.

60
Prince of Players
was released in 1955.

61
Moss Hart (1904–61), playwright, screenwriter and theatre director.

62
Richard and Elizabeth had apparently enjoyed a central role in a knife-throwing act at a Mexican circus, Richard having written about this in his article, ‘My Day’, for
Vogue
, 1 September 1971.

63
Porto Santo Stefano, on the western coast of Italy, due east of Corsica, some 100km from Rome.

64
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–93), director of
Cleopatra
.

65
Anzio, Italian port city, 56 km south of Rome.

66
The island of Ischia, near Naples.

67
Belgrade, then capital of Yugoslavia, now capital of Serbia.

68
Messina, Sicily.

69
Heyman was 38.

70
Isaac Deutscher's (1907–67) trilogy on Trotsky was first published in separate volumes in 1954, 1959 and 1963.

71
L'Albergo della Regina Isabella, Piazza Santa Restituta, Ischia.

72
A. J. P. Taylor (1906–90) (ed.),
Lloyd George: A Diary by Frances Stevenson
(1971).

73
Mensheviks: the moderate wing of the Russian Social Democrat Party, opposed to the Bolsheviks.

74
Frances Stevenson (1858–1972), secretary to and second wife of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George (1863–1945).

75
House of Fabergé, the Russian jewellery designers.

76
Isaac Deutscher,
Stalin
(1949).

77
It is not clear here what Burton is referring to. Mihailovi
had been shot in 1946.

78
An unsuccessful Communist-backed coup, led by Hashem al-Atta, had been staged in the Sudan from 19 to 22 July 1971. Hashem al-Atta was executed following the coup's failure.

79
F. W. Deakin,
The Embattled Mountain
(1971), p. 115: ‘This meeting was the only occasion since our arrival when Tito displayed, in my presence, an explosion of temper.’

80
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (1899–1953), head of the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) in the USSR.

81
John Howard: Australian photographer based in Rome.

82
Stepanjek may be Branimir Š
epanovi
, the screenwriter. ‘Vuko’ is later adjusted by Burton to ‘Vulkov’.

83
Mañana
: a tomorrow which may never arrive.

84
Hardy Krüger (1928—). Krüger's wife at this time was the Italian painter Francesca Marazzi. Krüger and Burton would co-star in
The Wild Geese
, but Krüger did not appear in the final cut of
The Battle of Sutjeska
. Neda Arneric (1953—).

85
Death in Venice
(1971), directed by Luchino Visconti (1906–76).

86
Audrey Hepburn (1929–93).

87
Constantin Stanislavski (1863–1938), actor and director, usually credited with inspiring the ‘method’ approach to acting. Stephen Haggard (1911–43), actor, poet and writer.

88
A reference to the Walt Disney film,
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
(1961).

89
Burton means Zabljak, now in Montenegro, which is at an altitude of 1,456 metres.

90
The director of
Villain
was Michael Tuchner (1934—).

91
Cavtat, port south of Dubrovnik. Carlo Ponti (1912–2007), producer, and his wife Sophia Loren. Ponti was to produce
The Voyage
, co-starring Burton and Loren.

92
Kupari, between Dubrovnik and Cavtat.

93
The dog was playing the part of Tito's dog ‘Lux’.

94
The Bay of Kotor, often referred to as the Fjord of Kotor, 40 km south along the coast from Dubrovnik.

95
The Verige strait is the narrowest section of the bay, separating the inner bay from the outer bay. A standard translation is ‘trammel’.

96
Shaw is usually credited with labelling Dubrovnik ‘paradise on earth’.

97
Mary Stewart (1916—),
The Gabriel Hounds
(1967). Ira Levin (1929–2007),
Rosemary's Baby
(1967).

98
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904), playwright and short-story writer.

99
The memorial is at Tjentiste, now in Bosnia-Hercegovina.

100
Johnny Green (1908–89), songwriter, composer, conductor, who was Music Director at MGM from 1949 to 1959.

101
Probably Karl E. Voldeng (1905–89) and his wife Mary Frances Voldeng.

102
Jack L. Warner (1892–1978), executive producer at Warner Bros.

103
Alun Lewis (1915–44), poet.

104
Everyone says that the President sometimes stays here.
Jamais
: never.

105
Royal Air Force.

106
Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), diarist, politician and public servant.

107
£1.

108
This may refer to some problems that Baker's company Oakhurst was encountering.

109
The Internationale: the socialist anthem.

110
The city of Niš, now in Serbia, the location of the Yugoslav National Theatre.

111
Cardiff Arms Park: the home of the Welsh rugby team.

112
Tab Hunter (1931—), actor, perhaps renowned more for his looks than his talent.

113
Burton is referring here to one of his childhood homes in Caradoc Street, Taibach.