Diaries 1969-1979_ The Python Years - Michael Palin [209]
Max Wall arrives tonight. We all eat together. Harry H expresses his admiration for Laurence Olivier – Max his for Enoch Powell.
Wednesday, September 8th, Old King’s Arms Hotel, Pembroke
Work until twelve – chasing turnips round the keep – then I’m finished for a while as they start to shoot the joust.
Later in the afternoon a long, rambling chat with Max. I warm to him and the strange Joan Lee, daughter of Stan Lee of Marvel Comics fame, who drapes herself around him. Max listens courteously, talks effortlessly humorously and intelligently – but he wanders occasionally into obscene asides, or stops and marvels at a word he’s said, or suddenly laughs. He’s such an original – conversations with him are like setting out on a voyage without a map. I think he sat all afternoon in the bar with his Guinness and Joan.
Thursday, September 9th, Pembroke
Breakfast with Dave Prowse. His enormous shoulders look as though he has full armour on under his shirt. He’s back to London after this to go back to his lucrative body-building salons at the Dorchester, etc. A nice, amiable, soft, but deep-spoken giant. A man who used to be almost a cripple – he grew so fast – but overcame it spectacularly to become one of the leading body-builders/muscle-toners, etc. He took two stone off Edward Heath and says he gets a lot of politicians at his gym. Dave is to be the figurehead of an £800,000 campaign to teach kids the Green Cross Code [and later became Darth Vader in Star Wars].
Write p.c.s in the room. Terry Hughes phones with a lovely, heart-lifting piece of news. Iain Cuthbertson wants to play the Scottish doctor in ‘Murder at Moorstones’. This is marvellous. It was a complete stab in the dark – all I wanted was an Iain C type, and never expected that an actor with a TV series of his own [Sutherland’s Law, 1973-76] would be at all interested in this small and rather silly role. But he’s read the script, loves it, and is very pleased that the piece is to be staffed by actors rather than just comics.
No chance of Simon Callow for RSM in ‘Andes’ – he wanted to, but is totally committed to Joint Stock Theatre Co. But Terry, now in his second week as Head of Variety at the Beeb, is confident of Isabel Dean as the mother in ‘Moorstones’ (I don’t know her, but everyone says she’s great), Frank Middlemass as the father, and Bob Hoskins for the RSM in ‘Andes’.
After lunch up to the castle. The fierce cold wind is lessening, but everyone looks huddled and besieged. The tents won’t stay up. The horses are more frightened than ever. The peat that’s been spread around the lists is blowing in people’s eyes. The good extras of Pembroke, on their pathetic £5 a day, are working hard and remarkably cheerfully. But I hear that their lunch was actually cut down today, presumably to save money, which is scandalous and, as Elaine1 pointed out, unpleasantly ironic in a film which had more than a bit to say about the oppression of the peasants!
There is much discontent amongst the crew – meetings in small groups are constantly being held – and it centres over daily food allowances, which most of the crew feel at £3.50 are mean and unrealistic. Sandy, who looks hunted as anybody approaches, but at least is always available, has made a £4 offer. This has been refused.
I don’t know where they go from here, but as long as people know that Sandy is getting 15% of the film, and as long as the rushes continue to be as encouraging as they are, the producers are in a losing position. If the film looked bad, and Sandy was manifestly broke, it could be different – but the hard-worked crew are not in a mood to be charitable.
Friday, September 10th, Pembroke
Waiting again. Breakfast with Max at half past nine. Read The Guardian, which has only been printed in London once this week. Realise how poor a substitute is the dry, in content, style and format, old Times. Can’t bring myself to buy the Telegraph instead – with its right-wing scare stories – especially as it’s a lot better in amount of news, presentation and general interest than