The Richard Burton Diaries (28 page)

18 Wednesday
I had 55 in Eng Lit and 44 in Grammar. I did well in Maths. 2nd in Geom with 78 5th in Arith 65 and about 10th in alg. with 49 making a maths average of 64. My average is now a very good one.

19 Thursday
Had my Welsh marks – 54 – which were more than expected. I found that I had most of my marks were for grammar [
sic
] in which I had 57% but in Literature I only had 29 out of 60.

23 Monday
Went up Cwmafan. Edie was thrown out yesterday morn for raising the Elbow.
²⁵⁵
I had 2/- off Tom. Took Edie's clothes up Pont with Graham. Edie was very sullen.

24 Tuesday
Had 1/- off Hilda through the post. Davey was home – gave me 1/4. Dick Bach gave me 2/6. Went to Cach with Dill Dummer. Looking forward to Christmas Dinner.

25 Wednesday
Went to chapel this morning. After chapel went for a walk down Margam and visited. Had dinner – went up Goytre for a walk. Went to Regent in night. Felt ill Christmas night. [...]

26 Thursday
Went up the side in morning. Brin Phillips told me he'll meet me at 5.15 to go to Pics. Played football this afternoon with Dill and Phillips. Went to Regent but didn't meet Phillips.

27 Friday
Went up Goytre to fetch Elfed's pay. Verdun gave me 1/-. Went down Uncle Ben's to play Monopoly. Dillwyn came too. We blackened Auntie Win's face. [...]

28 Saturday
Went down Edith's for a party. Dill was bad. He was sick. Morwen Edwina were also sick.
²⁵⁶
Milly Gronow had a fit.
²⁵⁷
They gave me a bladder also Rowntree's sweets.

29 Sunday
Went to Chapel all day. We had £5 collection in Sunday School. We had £15 collection in the evening.

30 Monday
Did some shopping. Went up YM in the afternoon. Don Parr had ripped the cloth on the table.
²⁵⁸
Went to Regent in the evening to see
Devil on Wheels
.
²⁵⁹

JANUARY

Friday 1st, New York
In New York. I arrived on 29 December.

Saturday 2nd
Rehearsal.
Fifth Column
.
¹
We have begun without Max Schell.
²
He will arrive in two or three days. George Rose and Betsy Von Furstenberg are also with us.
³
The director Frankenheimer is a typical American – a Jew, a genius type. He swears all the time, he curses and he's always afraid.
⁴

Wednesday 20th
I have seen the tape. I hate myself and my face in particular. I have spoken with Sybil in Geneva.
⁵

Thursday 21st
Tape
Fifth Column
. I made mischief between Max Schell and Sally Ann Howes.
⁶
I told him that she adores Max and that after an argument she had told me this. It's true. Max has done nothing.

Friday 22nd
Tape
Fifth Column
. L. Harvey, Hugh Griffith, Dekin, Hugh French have drunk with me in my room at the Navarro.
⁷

Saturday 23rd
I saw B. Bogart in her play – only the last act.
⁸
She goes well but the play is awful.

Sunday 24th
I went to PHB's place to eat, drink and watch Su Str on television.
⁹
She was very good, but otherwise, as with Betty Bacall, the play stank.

Monday 25th, New York
I leave for France. TWA. When we arrived at the airport the police told us that a maniac had telephoned to say that he had put a bomb on our plane. We had a nervous and restless trip.

Tuesday 26th, Paris
We could not land at Paris Orly – fog – and we continued to Geneva. Sybil left Geneva yesterday so that we would meet in Paris. I returned to Paris in the afternoon. [...] K.J.W. and Syb are well.
¹⁰

Wednesday 27th
I hope to see P. Brook today.
¹¹
I went to see Brook at 6 o'clock at 14 Avenue Hoche, Production Vienna, 3rd floor. I saw him and also Miss Jeanne Moreau.
¹²
I didn't like her much. Pretty enough but ... I will not do the film.
¹³

Thursday 28th
We arrived at Geneva where Kate and Berenice were waiting for us.
¹⁴
Kate loves The Station. In the evening we will stay at home with Berenice who is going to sleep in the new little house.
¹⁵
Not true. We have visited and eaten at Paul's.
¹⁶

Friday 29th
The washing machine doesn't work. The heater is always smoking. Paul arrived and fixed everything. What a man. In the evening we stay at home with René and Berenice.
¹⁷
René has returned from Zurich.

Saturday 30th
I visited the bank this morning with K. I bought her a little red car. We ate in the airport restaurant waiting for Bernard and Claire.
¹⁸
They arrived at ten past one. At home – we stayed (with a visit to Nyon to buy ski wear) for the rest of the day.
¹⁹

Notes

J'espere fait le ski dans dix on deux jours.
²⁰
It is an exotic, romantic and snobby sport. We will try.

FEBRUARY

Monday 1st
We left for Villars.
²¹
The journey took 1
¹
/
₂
hours. Everything is fine.

Tuesday 2nd
The first skiing lesson with Herr Von Stump. I tried my first slope on my own. Disaster.

Wednesday 3rd
I have not been skiing because I fell yesterday.

Thursday 4th
No skiing.

Friday 5th
I start skiing again at Bretaye.
²²

Saturday 6th
Skiing all day.

We have beaten the Scots 8–0.
²³
I saw it on TV at Villars. Bebb one try.
²⁴
Penalty from N. Morgan – back-row forward from Newport.
²⁵

Thursday 11th
I did a Christie for the first time.
²⁶

Friday 12th
We returned to Céligny. It snowed in the morning and we had some difficulty with the cloud getting down to Aigle.
²⁷

We ate at Paul's with René, Berenice, Rene and Osian Ellis, Bern and Claire.
²⁸
Osian played the harp, when we got back home.

Saturday 13th
Rene and Osian Ellis arrived yesterday evening. In the afternoon Osian played the harp for Radio Geneva. The English have beaten the Irish 8–5.
²⁹
I won 18000 French francs from Divonne.
³⁰

Sunday 14th
Bernard and Claire left at 2.55.

In the evening, Osian and I played in Chateau Bossy for the Church school.
³¹
We ate at Café du Soleil.
³²

Monday 15th
Prince Michael Vashinski arrives; he has not arrived. He's in London. He telephoned and we discussed the film
Son of Man
. We'll see. I left the car at Fleury's.
³³
Rene and Osian have left.

Tuesday 16th
We visited Penny Moyes at Vervier and we ate well at Café Mirdy.
³⁴

In the morning I went to Geneva for the car.

Snow remains but not on the major roads.

Wednesday 17th
Michael Benthall from the Old Vic arrives.
³⁵
[...]

We ate at Coppet and spent the afternoon drinking there.
³⁶
M. Benthall told me that I should play
Peer Gynt
and Macbeth. We'll see.

Thursday 18th
Michael has left for Milan. We had a drink with the Koesslers at their place.
³⁷
Nice and pretty.

Saturday 20th
We ate at the Restaurant La Pergola on the Bargue with Rene and Berenice.
³⁸
Very pretty.

In the morning we bought lots of books at Naville's.
³⁹
And a machine for cutting film.

Sunday 21st
Nothing to do. Books all day. Hornblower – novels, detective stories etc.
⁴⁰
The weather is fine every day at the moment. I met P. Ustinov at Geneva. He is leaving for Hollywood.
⁴¹

Monday 22nd
I wrote letters in the morning and in the afternoon we went to Nyon where I bought a present for Wendy the nurse – a camera with a flash attachment.

Tuesday 23rd
This evening we ate at Berenice's and had a very interesting conversation with Dobrynski, the dentist, and his wife.

Wednesday 24th
We ate in a little restaurant at Versoix with Penny Moyes and her friend Jim.
⁴²
He struck me as intelligent.

I spoke with Richardson about John Osborne's play which begins next Monday.
⁴³

Monday 29th
Yeats.
⁴⁴
Dinner.

MARCH

Tuesday 8th
John Ormond.
⁴⁵

Saturday 12th
Dublin. Wales beat the Irish 10–9.
⁴⁶
We have returned from Great Britain.

Sunday 13th
Nick Ray arrived from Hollywood.
⁴⁷
‘Lucius’ star of
King of Kings
perhaps.
⁴⁸

Monday 14th
I went to Divonne. I won 40,000 francs.

Tuesday 15th
Emlyn and Molly.
⁴⁹

Nick Ray left.

Wednesday 16th
Emlyn and Molly.

Sunday 20th
Christening K. and J.
⁵⁰

D. Wms arrives.
⁵¹

Wednesday 23rd
I have begun to study Russian.

APRIL

Saturday 2nd
D. Wms and Liz Hardy have left.
⁵²

I am going to London but I don't know the exact date, to do a new play by John Osborne. It's an interesting play.

Sunday 3rd
We ate at the Café du Soleil with Kate, Ivor and Gwen.
⁵³

Saturday 9th
To London at 11 o'clock.

Sunday 10th
I have arrived in London.

Monday 25th
We did
A Matter of Scandal and Concern
.

Wednesday 27th
I left London at 2 o'clock by train.

Thursday 28th
I arrived at Lausanne at 7 o'clock.
⁵⁴

Saturday 30th
Dinner at Paul's.

MAY

Tuesday 3rd
Paul Joy arrive [...]
⁵⁵

Wednesday 4th
[...]

Phil 3.45.
⁵⁶

[...]

Saturday 7th
Paul has left.

Tuesday 10th
3.0. Pierre Folliet.
⁵⁷

Wednesday 11th
P.H.B. has arrived.

Thursday 12th
Guy Green arrives.
⁵⁸

Monday 16th
TV Rehearsals start – oh boy, I miss Syb already!!
⁵⁹

Tuesday 17th
Harvey to Paris.
⁶⁰

JUNE

Thursday 9th
Bernard.
⁶¹

Monday 13th
Paul opens Oxford.
⁶²

Monday 20th
Mark
starts

Monday 27th
Gareth Moira arrives.
⁶³

JULY

Wednesday 6th
Elfed and Cis arrive.

Thursday 7th
Gareth Moira left.

JANUARY

Friday 1st, New York
In New York. I arrived on 29 December.

Saturday 2nd
Rehearsal.
Fifth Column
.
¹
We have begun without Max Schell.
²
He will arrive in two or three days. George Rose and Betsy Von Furstenberg are also with us.
³
The director Frankenheimer is a typical American – a Jew, a genius type. He swears all the time, he curses and he's always afraid.
⁴

Wednesday 20th
I have seen the tape. I hate myself and my face in particular. I have spoken with Sybil in Geneva.
⁵

Thursday 21st
Tape
Fifth Column
. I made mischief between Max Schell and Sally Ann Howes.
⁶
I told him that she adores Max and that after an argument she had told me this. It's true. Max has done nothing.

Friday 22nd
Tape
Fifth Column
. L. Harvey, Hugh Griffith, Dekin, Hugh French have drunk with me in my room at the Navarro.
⁷

Saturday 23rd
I saw B. Bogart in her play – only the last act.
⁸
She goes well but the play is awful.

Sunday 24th
I went to PHB's place to eat, drink and watch Su Str on television.
⁹
She was very good, but otherwise, as with Betty Bacall, the play stank.

Monday 25th, New York
I leave for France. TWA. When we arrived at the airport the police told us that a maniac had telephoned to say that he had put a bomb on our plane. We had a nervous and restless trip.

Tuesday 26th, Paris
We could not land at Paris Orly – fog – and we continued to Geneva. Sybil left Geneva yesterday so that we would meet in Paris. I returned to Paris in the afternoon. [...] K.J.W. and Syb are well.
¹⁰

Wednesday 27th
I hope to see P. Brook today.
¹¹
I went to see Brook at 6 o'clock at 14 Avenue Hoche, Production Vienna, 3rd floor. I saw him and also Miss Jeanne Moreau.
¹²
I didn't like her much. Pretty enough but ... I will not do the film.
¹³