The Richard Burton Diaries (252 page)

6
Blake Edwards (1922–2010), director, and (from 1969), husband of Julie Andrews, who had directed
Darling Lili
.

7
Yelapa, 20 miles south along the coast from Puerto Vallarta.

8
A
palapa
is a house or hut with a thatched roof made of palm leaves. It is typically open-sided.

9
Sherlock Holmes, fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).

10
Christopher Wilding and Christopher Taylor, Elizabeth's nephew.

11
Quayle won a Drama Desk Award (for ‘excellence in theatre’) for his role in the play
Sleuth
, written by Anthony Shaffer (1926–2001).

12
The title was actually
Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish
.

13
Collingwood's novel
The Defector
had been published in 1970. There is no record of the film ever being made.

14
Phil Ober (1902–82), actor.

15
A reference to the evangelical hymns of Ira D. Sankey (1840–1908) and Dwight L. Moody (1837–99).

16
The Shakespearean character Bardolph (
Henry IV
(
Part 1
), who suffers from red blotches and carbuncles on his face.

17
The last quotation from Dylan (Marlais) Thomas's (1914–53) ‘Poem in October’ is inaccurate: ‘It was my thirtieth / Year to heaven stood there then in the summer noon / Though the town below lay leaved with October blood.’

18
A reference to Corinthians 1: 13.

19
Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893–1978), whose
T. H. White
had appeared in 1967, quotes White's lecture ‘The Pleasures of Learning’ (1963): ‘My parents loathed each other and were separated, divorced, when I was about fourteen or so. This meant that my home and education collapsed about my ears; and ever since I have been arming myself against disaster. That is why I learn.’ Warner also explains that in the lecture White quotes from
The Sword in the Stone
the passage beginning, ‘"The best thing for being sad”, replied Merlyn, “is to learn something"’.

20
Maureen Stapleton (1925–2006), actor, who suffered from alcoholism.

21
'Paddy’ might refer to Sir Marmaduke Nevill Patrick Somerville Coghill (1896–1981), elder brother of Nevill and 6th Baronet Coghill.

22
DMZ: the De-Militarized Zone between the states of North and South Vietnam. The Hien Luong Bridge crossed the Ben Hai River which formed part of the boundary between the North and the South.

23
Army Archerd (1922–2009), Hollywood columnist for
Variety
.

24
Bob Hope (1903–2003), actor and comedian.

25
John David Morley (1948—), later to become a novelist.

26
Anthony Quinn (1915–2001), actor. Thomas Wolfe,
Of Time and the River
(1935).

27
Jacqueline Bisset (1944—), is English, although her mother was part-French. Bisset was educated at a French school in London and speaks French fluently.

28
The Boys in the Band
(1970), directed by William Friedkin (1935—), based on the play by Matt Crowley (1935—), which dealt with issues of male homosexuality.

29
Burton means Jo Roddy.

30
Z
, directed by Costa-Gavras (1933—), won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

31
James Jones (1921–77), author of the novel
From Here To Eternity
(1951), made into a successful film in 1953.

32
Phyllis Diller (1917—), actor. Vincent Price (1911–93), actor.

33
John Wayne (1907–79), actor, nominated for Best Actor for his performance in
True Grit
. Sometimes known as ‘The Duke’.

34
Jon Voight (1938—) and Dustin Hoffman (1937—), both nominated for Best Actor for their performances in
Midnight Cowboy
.

35
Peter O'Toole was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in
Goodbye Mr Chips
.

36
Goldie Hawn (1945—), nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in
Cactus Flower
.

37
Liza Minnelli (1946—), daughter of actor Judy Garland (1922–69) and Vincente Minnelli, nominated for Best Actress for her performance in
The Sterile Cuckoo
.

38
Adlai Stevenson (1900–65), twice the Democratic candidate for the US presidency. ‘Birchite’ refers to the right-wing John Birch Society.

39
The Chandler family had published the
LA Times
since 1917. Otis Chandler (1927–2006) was in control in 1970.

40
Gig Young (1913–78) won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

41
A reference to the annual almanac of cricket,
Wisden
.

42
Jennifer Salt (1944—), who had acted alongside Jon Voight in
Midnight Cowboy
. Waldo Salt (1917–87), had won his Oscar for the same film.

43
Rupert Crosse (1927–73), nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in
The Reivers
. Elliott Gould (1938—), nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in
Bob and Ted and Carol and Alice
. Susannah York (1939–2011). Jane Fonda (1937—), nominated for Best Actress for her performance in
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Sylvia Miles (1926—), nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in
Midnight Cowboy
. The Black Panther Party was a Marxist organization which aimed to articulate the grievances of Black Americans, and which was at the height of its influence in the late 1960s.

44
Elizabeth Longford (1906–2002),
Wellington: The Years of the Sword
(1969).

45
Garcia Barragán (1895–1979), Secretary of National Defense in Mexico (1964–70). By ‘P.R.O.’ presumably Burton means a public relations official. The city of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, is about 160 miles east of Puerto Vallarta, and is over 5,000 feet above sea level.

46
Luis Echeverría (1922—), President of Mexico (1970–76).

47
Barragan's son's name was actually Carlos.

48
By 1970 there were four biographies of Fleming in print, all published in 1965 or 1966. Fabrica de Francia is a department store chain.

49
On the northern shore of the Bahia de Banderas, 2 miles from Puerto Vallarta.

50
Alan Moorehead (1910–83),
Eclipse
(1946; Burton was reading the 1967 abridged edition).

51
Joan Crawford (1905–77), who had appeared on
Here's Lucy
on 26 February 1968.

52
Jerry Paris (1925–86), director and actor.

53
Gary Morton (1924–99), comedian and television producer.

54
Ruth Berle (1921–89), wife of television comedian Milton Berle (1908–2002).

55
Rosalind Russell (1907–76), actor.

56
Gale Gordon (1906–95). Cliff Norton (1918–2003).

57
The Malibu Colony, Malibu, west of Santa Monica, California.

58
Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), artist, in part famous for his covers for the
Saturday Evening Post
, which offered reassuring portrayals of American society.

59
The poetry reading in 1964 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, which was Taylor's first stage appearance.

60
Ernest K. Gann (1901–91), whose novel
The Antagonists
would be published in 1971. It became a TV mini-series (starring Peter O'Toole and Anthony Quinn) under the title
Masada
in 1981. Masada refers to Jewish resistance to the Roman Empire focused on the fortification of Masada in
AD
72–73.

61
All honours in the British honours system. CBE: Commander of the British Empire. MBE: Member of the British Empire. OBE: Order of the British Empire. OM: Order of Merit. It is not clear what Burton means by ‘CM’: it might be CMG: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

62
The four Beatles had been awarded the MBE in 1965. In 1969 John Lennon returned his in protest at American involvement in the Vietnam War and at British involvement in the conflict in Biafra.

63
James Stewart (1908–97), actor. Henry Fonda (1905–82), actor.

64
A reference to Mary Shelley's novel
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus
, first published in 1818. In fact the original character is named Victor, although this did not remain consistent in all film versions of the story and its offshoots.

65
Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton (1926–69), socialite and businessman, Elizabeth Taylor's first husband.

66
Hilton's second wife, Patricia (the marriage ended 1965).

67
The Menninger Psychiatric Hospital, Houston, Texas.

68
Conrad Hilton (1887–1979), hotelier.

69
Howard Hughes (1905–76), businessman who had been a film producer and film director and was by this time a notorious recluse.

70
John D. Macdonald (1916–86),
One Monday We Killed Them All
(1961).

71
Harold Wilson (1916–95), British Labour Party politician, Prime Minister 1964–70, 1974–76.

72
Emlyn Williams had been appointed a CBE in 1962, but did not receive another honour. KBE: Knight Commander of the British Empire. Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Nationalist party, had won the parliamentary seat of Carmarthen in a by-election in 1966.

73
There were 36 parliamentary constituencies in Wales in 1970.

74
Edward Heath (1916–2005), British Conservative Party politician, Prime Minister 1970–74.

75
Aloysius is the name of Sebastian Flyte's teddy bear in Evelyn Waugh's
Brideshead Revisited
(1945).

76
Cliff Morgan (1930—), Welsh rugby player and broadcaster, was, with Geoffrey Nicholson, editing
Touchdown and other Moves in the Game
, to celebrate the centenary of the Rugby Football Union.

77
Tonmawr: a mining community in the Pelenna valley a mile due north of Pontrhydyfen.

78
Hugh ‘Binkie’ Beaumont (1908–73), theatre impresario and managing director of the H. M. Tennent theatrical agency, who had given Burton his first professional contract in 1948. John Perry (1906–95), playwright and theatre director, who adapted the Elizabeth Bowen play
Castle Anna
, in which Burton had starred in 1948.

79
Reader's Digest
: a monthly magazine.

80
Jim Murray (1919–98), sports journalist writing for the
LA Times
. Hank Aaron (1934—), baseball player.

81
Willy Brandt (1913–92), Chancellor of West Germany (1969–74).

82
Tommy Aaron (1937—), golfer, won the Atlanta Classic tournament.

83
Rawhide
was a television series that ran from 1959 to 1965, and which starred Clint Eastwood as the character Rowdy Yates.

84
Boris Karloff (1887–1969), actor. Bela Lugosi (1882–1956), actor. This might have been
The Body Snatcher
(1945), directed by Robert Wise.

85
Creature Features
(1970–71).

86
President Nixon had announced his decision to invade Cambodia in April 1970. This led to furious protests, including student demonstrations at Kent State University, Ohio. There the National Guard had opened fire on demonstrators on 4 May, killing four people.

87
Harry Guardino (1925–95), actor, who appeared in
Hell is for Heroes
(1962), directed by Don Siegel (1912–91).

88
The city of Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, about 110 miles east of Los Angeles.

89
Sydney Guilaroff (1907–97), chief hairstylist at MGM studios, who had worked with Burton and Taylor on various films including
The Night of the Iguana, The Sandpiper
, and
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
, and before that with Taylor on
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
and
Butterfield 8
.

90
Probably a reference to Elizabeth Taylor and Jim Benton.

91
The Dow Jones average had hit bottom on 26 May, having lost 30% of its value since the beginning of 1969. On 27 May it closed 32 points up.

92
It rose above 700 points on 29 May, and did dip below this in June, and again in July, but did not return to the low figure reached on 26 May, and from early July rose steadily.

93
Sir Henry Newbolt (1862–1938), poet. Burton is making a reference to a line from Newbolt's ‘Drake's Drum’ (1897): ‘Capten, art tha sleepin’ there below?’

94
Aldous Huxley's
The Devils of Loudon
(1952) had been written as a play (
The Devils
) by John Whiting (1917–63) and performed at Stratford in 1961. Anthony Shaffer (1926–2001), playwight, author of
Sleuth
(1970). Identical twin brother of Peter Shaffer (1926—), playwright, author of
Equus
(1973) which Burton would play on stage and on film.

95
Louis Solomon (1911–81), screenwriter and producer.

96
Burton is here referring to the 1963 CBS television documentary
Elizabeth Taylor in London
. Sidney Joseph Perelman (1904–79), author and screenwriter.

97
The Indianapolis 500 motor race, over a distance of 500 miles, held at Speedway, Indiana.

98
Jim Clark (1936–68), Formula One racing driver and winner of two World Championships, competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times and won it in 1965.

99
Henry Hathaway (1898–1985), director, who was to work with Burton on
Raid on Rommel
.

100
A backhanded reference to John Drinkwater (1882–1937), playwright and poet.

101
Neiman-Marcus, a luxury retail department store.

102
The journalist was Jo Roddy, whose article ‘How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways’, appeared in
Look
's issue of 16 June 1970. Jonah Ruddy was Hollywood correspondent for the
New Musical Express
.