My Week With Marilyn

BETTY Vera Day

MAGGIE Gillian Owen

FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER David Horne

THEATRE DRESSER Gladys Henson

HOFFMAN Esmond Knight

LADIES-IN-WAITING Rosamund Greenwood Margot Lister

VALETS Dennis Edwards Andrea Melandrinos

Production Crew (#ulink_38cb74dd-ea9e-5530-85cc-5f41e433f02f)

PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR Laurence Olivier

EXECUTIVE IN CHARGE OF Hugh Perceval

PRODUCTION

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Milton Greene

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Anthony Bushell

FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR David Orton

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jack Cardiff

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Roger Furse

PRODUCTION MANAGER Teddy Joseph

ART DIRECTION Carmen Dillon

EDITOR Jack Harris

CONTINUITY Elaine Schreyck

CAMERA OPERATOR Denys Coop

SOUND RECORDISTS John Mitchell Gordon McCallum

LADIES’ COSTUMES Beatrice Dawson

MAKE-UP Toni Sforzini

HAIRDRESSING Gordon Bond

SET DRESSER Dario Simoni

SCREENPLAY Terence Rattigan

MUSIC COMPOSED BY Richard Addinsell

DANCES ARRANGED BY William Chappell

The Diaries (#ulink_b3caa226-1c2e-5d89-91b4-84a19901f9a3)

SUNDAY, 3 JUNE 1956

Now that University is behind me, I’m going to get a job – a real job on a real film. At 9 a.m. tomorrow I will be at Laurence Olivier’s film company to offer my services on his next production. The papers say it will star Marilyn Monroe, so it should be exciting.

Two weeks ago, Larry and Vivien came down to stay at Saltwood

(#litres_trial_promo) for the weekend. Mama told Vivien that I wanted to be a film director. I was mortified, but Vivien just gave a great purr and said ‘Larry will give Colin a job, won’t you Larry darling!’ I could see Larry groan under his breath. ‘Go and see Hugh Perceval at 146 Piccadilly,’ he said. ‘He might have something.’

So that is where I have an appointment in the morning. And every night I am going to write this diary. It could be fun to look back on, when I am old and famous!

MONDAY, 4 JUNE

This is going to be really hard. I know absolutely nothing about making films. I’m totally ignorant. Did I really think they were actually shooting a film in Piccadilly?

At 10 a.m. I turned up at the office of Laurence Olivier Productions, punctual and sober.

The offices themselves are very few. A large luxurious reception area with sofas, a secretary’s office at the far end, and Mr Perceval’s office leading off that. It is clearly the ground floor of what was once a private house. The secretary, friendly but detached – would I wait. Mr Perceval was on the phone. Soon I was ushered in, anxious now. There didn’t seem to be enough going on. Mr P is a tall, thin, gloomy man with black-rim spectacles. His sparse black hair is brushed back and he has a black moustache. He puffs a pipe continually.

‘Yes. What do you want?’ (No introductions whatever.)

‘I want a job on the Marilyn Monroe film.’

‘Oh, ho, you do? What as?’

‘Anything.’

I suppose he could see that I was a complete fool and he softened a little.

‘Well. We don’t start filming for eight weeks. You really should come back then. At the moment we have no more offices than you can see here, and no jobs. I only have my chauffeur and my secretary. I am afraid I misunderstood Laurence. I thought you were coming to interview me about the film.’

Blind panic set in. I must say something.

‘Can I wait here until there is a job?’

‘For eight weeks??’

‘In the waiting room – in case something comes up?’

‘Grmph.’ Very gloomy, and bored now. ‘It’s a free country, I suppose. But I’m telling you, it’s going to be eight weeks. And then I can’t promise anything.’