Picturegoer – Dec 27th 1958
The Christmas they will Always Remeber
THE sound of continuous shelling, bombs falling, buildings collapsing it hardly sounds the most restful atmosphere, but it was in these surroundings that DIRK BOGARDE spent the Christmas he’ll never forget. It was on the battlefront in Belgium during 1944.
A few days before Christmas Day, in the middle of feeling sorry for himself for missing his family, Bogarde noticed the dozens of starving children who were roaming the countryside searching for food and homes.
He decided to do something about it. Together with fellow officers he collected vegetables from the surrounding fields, raided the stores for any kind of tinned foodstuff available.
“There might not have been turkey on the menu for Christmas dinner that year,” says Bogarde nostalgically, “but I bet it was the best dinner they ever had. We rounded up dozens of them from the blitzed streets. I’ll never ever forget those expectant faces as they sat down.”
Almost as touching is the story of the usually-so-cheerful DORA BRYAN. “It was about eight years ago,” explained Dora. “I was playing in ‘Traveller’s Joy’ in London and was going home to spend the holiday with my parents at Oldham.
“I took a bus to Euston and put my case on the rack beside the boarding platform. It contained my party dress and lots of presents.
“When we arrived at the station it had gone. It was a weekend and I couldn’t buy any more gifts or anything. I cried all the way to Oldham on the train and all Christmas Day, too!”
RICHARD BURTON specially remembers one Christmas in New York. “I was in this enorntous city entirely alone, had just finished a picture in Hollywood, had plenty of money.
“I was alone in New York while my wife was in London. But on the day, I couldn’t bring myself to go out and have an enormous dinner. I simply wasn’t in a merry mood, so I just stayed in my hotel room and had a couple of boiled eggs.”
EVA BARTOK never thinks of movies when the big day comes round. “My mind goes back to my childhood days in Hungary, especially when I was three,” says Eva.
“Then I had the kind of Christmas you see on the cards each year. It was so marvellous then. The tinsel was at its brightest. I really believed in Santa Claus. I think a child’s earliest memories about Christmas are the most important.
“This year my little Deana will be about fifteen months and just in case one day she remembers I’m going to try to make it a veay special day for her.”
When December comes round, TAB HUNTER thinks back to 1953.Although he had landed rôles in three movies, he was flat broke. “My rent was overdue also two payments on my second-hand car.
“I loathed telling my Mom the truth: that there was to be no tree, no turkey, not even any presents.
Then just before Christmas my friend, Dick Clayton, who is now my agent, dropped by to ask if I’d like to see a movie programme. At the interval they announced this was jackpot night. And I won the lucky number!
Vaguely I remember dashing down the aisle, accepting the cash prize and being led off the stage. The following morning I went shopping and bought everything I knew Mom loved.”
PAUL CLARK
