- Place – England, Marigot Bay & Saint Lucia
- Time – 1966
- Artist – Anthony Newley
- Friends – Peter Sellers, Warren Beatty, a very special dinner guest
I would meet up with Tony regularly, he never failed to amaze me the way his introverted existence would spurn questions such as
“Kenny, who is Morrissey?”
“Well, he’s a singer, songwriter and a very successful one at that, why do ask?”
Tony replied,
“I have been asked to present him with an Ivan Novello award, I think he’s dedicated a song to me or he’s a fan or something like that.”
Tony did go on to present the award to Morrissey although I’m sure he still had no idea who he was.
He once said to me
“The movie business was the only business you could see your whole life back again with ageing accuracy.”
I told him
“Only if you are successful from an early age.”
Over the years I knew him I did ask him on several occasions “Why don’t you write a book?”
He always gave the same answer
“I can’t remember anything.”
I never found that a problem once I started him reminiscing.
Dr Dolittle
He once told me a story concerning the making of the classic 1967 movie Dr Dolittle
Rex Harrison was originally the second choice to play the lead role.
When he was finally cast as Dolittle the movie problems began, the first thing he did was fire the director.
He then set about changing Leslie Bricusse’s screenplay so everyone else in the film had monosyllabic lines, allowing Rex to gain the best lines in the movie.
Whilst these changes were taking place Rex chose to sit out his contract, continuingly making unreasonable demands such as having Sammy Davis Jr. who was to play the role of Bumpo, replaced by Sidney Poitier who was not known as a musical artist.
The part of Bumpo was eventually cut out altogether.
The producers lost their patience and hired Christopher Plummer to replace Harrison, but when Rex agreed to behave Plummer was paid his entire fee to leave the production.
Rex’s talent for upsetting everyone involved was avenged by the animals appearing in the movie, they would bite him at every available opportunity, much to the amusment of the cast and crew.
Harrison and Tony never saw eye-to-eye during the making of the film, Rex would often try and belittle Tony
and say things like,
“Where is the little Jewish boy from the East End?”
Obviously this did not go down well by Tony.
During the making of the movie Rex was dating a German lady who despised his drinking, so he decided to partake in a period of abstinence, this is one of the reasons everybody thought he was so edgy throughout the making of the movie.
There was an occasion towards the end of the filming when everyone was attending a small soiree. Rex was looking very uncomfortable holding his glass of orange juice.
Tony seeing this asked one of the waitresses to furnish Rex with a clean glass plus a full bottle of Bourbon.
Harrison not being able to resist the temptation proceeded to drink the whole bottle.
Tony knew full well that when Rex got back home drunk that night his mistress, in Tony’s words, “Would kick the shit out of him.”
A little payback from the Jewish boy from the East End.
Newley and Rex Harrison on set
Warren Beatty, Peter Sellers and the dinner guest
Tony shared a great story about Warren Beatty visiting London, Peter Sellers, a good friend of Tony’s, said he would arrange for a female dinner companion for Warren.
On the night in question Peter picked the phone up and called Warren to say,
“I have a ten for you tonight my dear fellow.”
Beatty was pleasantly surprised when Peter picked him up at his hotel to find Princess Margaret was waiting in the chauffeur driven car.
After dinner Sellers parted company with the couple.
Princess Margaret invited Beatty back to her home where, in a large stately room, there was a piano and a beautiful blazing fire in the hearth.
Princess Margaret insisted Beatty stood by the side of a piano whilst she played a short recital for him.
This recitation finished with a deceptive cadence, with the Princess’s hands leaving the piano and landing on Warren’s private parts.
The Princess then asked Beatty if he enjoyed her performance?
Beatty answered her question with an evening resulting with a combination of crescendos.
The next day Warren phoned Sellers and said,
“Thank you for a wonderful dinner and by the way that was no ten, that was an eleven.”
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