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Saturday 22 November 2008

High life

Fifties glamour

Burr also fabricated military service during the second world war, including a non-existent Purple Heart. Reporters didn’t dare ask any questions about Burr’s agony, which was just as well. Natalie Wood, as troubled a child star as it was possible to be, went after Burr, convinced their tragic lives had many things in common, including great sexual appetites. She was deeply disappointed but never let on — the sweet person that she was.

See what I mean by the good old days? They were good all right if one was white, heterosexual, a non-drinker, and preferably Christian. The great William Holden hid his alcoholism by always being on time on the set and never flubbing his lines. He was a good athlete which helps when staying up all night downing the stuff. Gary Cooper was a non-stop sexual athlete, knocking off one beauty after the next, but, as a Catholic convert and scared to death of his wife Rocky, he remained a loving father to his daughter Maria until his death age 60. Maria Janis, married to the pianist Byron Janis, told me recently how her dad smoked a minimum of four packets of unfiltered cigarettes a day for 40 years. I don’t know much about my favourite actor of them all, Burt Lancaster, but there were always rumours that he was a Raymond Burr, although married with children.

Which really must be hell on earth. How would you feel if you were a film star in the closet and every time you got horny you knew your career was on the line? Or if you were a boozer like me or a whore monger like so many of us are? Still, I prefer the Fifties because there was more privacy, more respect for institutions and the women were more feminine than nowadays. But I was never in the movies and always did whatever pleased me as I had a very indulgent father and my tastes were those of the mainstream at the time. Now everything is considered bad and we have rags like the News of the World that are out to ruin lives through lies. I was thinking of putting up Max Mosley for Pugs but I shall await the results of his libel case. But anyone who spends five hours with five hookers has to be a great man, and, as Pugs Club allows only great men as members, Max qualifies.

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