Saturday, 6 May, 1995

We went to Uzes to lunch with Patrick Woodcock at his attractive house in the middle of town. I had only ever met him once before, but we have, and have had, a lot of mutual friends: Peter Bull, and the three Brown(e)s - Pamela, Irene and Coral - and Peggy Ashcroftand Leueen MacGrath. All sadly gone. He has been doctor and friend to dozens of actors and our chat was gossipy and full of reminiscences. After lunch we a stroll through the markets; it is very much a town I would like to return to and get to know.

Tuesday, 27 February, 1996

Victoria Price telephoned. She is writing a biography of her father, Vincent, and wanted to quiz me about him and Coral Browne, whom he married. I have never met Miss Price but judging from our talk I bet she makes a good job of the book. Vinney and I had dozens of meals together, either here or in LA or New York but, although I was charmed by him and liked him enormously, I never felt I knew him intimately. Coral was a close friend. We corresponded regularly, at length and with affection.  Shortly before she died she sent back all (well, not quite all as it turns out) the letters I had written her.  It was a surprise that she had kept any.  "I'm sending them back," she wrote, "for you to do what you want with.  What we don't want is for Alan Bennett to get hold of them and knock them up into a play."  (she was very fond of Alan.) I burned them instantly and Victoria Price has promised to do the same with those which are still around.

Coral's Australian cadence, which often surfaced, always added a witty harshness to her comments on people and life. She sometimes sounded destructive but in fact she was wonderfully kind and generous in every way; it was just that she couldn't resist raising a laugh with her use of words - which were, for the most part, unprintable.  There are almost too many stories about her but one I particularly cherish because I witnessed it. Tony Guthrie directed a production of Tamburlaine in New York starring her and Tony Quayle. Guthrie invited me to the first dress rehearsal. Coral came on stage before the performance to query some minor point. As always, she looked magnificent and was gloriously dressed in some barbaric style, but perhaps there was a tidge too much hair in her wig.  Tony G called out from the stalls, "Coral, are you happy with that wig?"  She stared out front and then said, "If you really fucking want to know, I feel as if I'm looking out of a yak's asshole."

Sunday, 21 April, 1996

Only got round to opening yesterday's mail this morning. In it was an invitation for me (name incorrectly spelt, as usual) and my "partner" from "The Selina Scott Show" to join the QE 2 in May, sailing to New York from Southhampton...  Vincent and Coral Price would have leapt at the opportunity and enjoyed every minute; I think their greatest pleasure in life was to be at sea on a luxurious freebie.