1 HOME CHAT Remembering AUTUMN/FALL 2015 Graham Barry Day remembers Graham Payn on the 10th Anniversary of his death The Coward Family The business and personal friendships that sustained Noël Coward: Graham Payn Cole Lesley Lorn Lorraine Joan Hirst Noël Coward Screenplays A new publication from Barry Day featuring the screenplays of: In Which We Serve Brief Encounter The Astonished Heart Brief Encounter 70th Anniversary Showings Noël Coward On Film At The Regents Street Cinema Noël Coward: An Entertainer Abroad Exhibition at The Cadbury Research Library at Birmingham University 2 Remembering Graham Memories of Graham Payn by Barry Day Do you believe in happen-stance? course, “London Pride” coming over walk back in at any moment, even I never did. But my thirty-some year the radio into your living room. though he’d left us a decade earlier involvement with all things Coward at this point. It was fascinating but has made me wonder. I don’t know what sort of house depressing at the same time. I expected but certainly not the Ironically, it started in Jamaica. I’d unpretentious little semi-bungalow We were shown round by Miguel, the been visiting the Kingston office of at the end of what passed for a road servant who had been with him when the advertising agency I worked for leading up to the top of a mountain. he died. And then it became even and my wife and I decided to stay over But the view over the Spanish Main more depressing when Miguel made for a couple of days at a hotel on the was something else. it clear that we could take anything north coast. One morning I suggested we wanted for a small ‘consideration’. we take a taxi and go and see Firefly When you entered the house reality That one of the greatest Englishmen - the house I knew Noël Coward had bit hard. The tropics are no respecter who ever lived to be reduced to this! lived and died in. of persons. First editions rotting on the shelves ... piano keys on the two The more I thought about it after I’d always been a Coward admirer. baby grands flaking off ... Noël’s we left (empty handed I might You couldn’t grow up in World War clothes still hanging in the cupboard add!) the more outraged I felt. How II and not be aware of that feathery ... his reading glasses on his bedside could the Coward Estate let this voice, the clipped delivery ... and, of table. It was as though he might happen? So I wrote to the Estate, whoever they were. And back came a Graham was suddenly catapulted Noël came round backstage. “Very 3 charming letter from Graham Payn in centre stage. Now he had to learn the good. Splendid”. Which from him Switzerland. part. was high praise. He’d also worked out his response when praise was not due. I had to understand, he wrote, that Over the next few years I learned a lot When asked for his opinion, his reply Noël had left him Firefly in his will. about him, as he reminisced about was an elongated “Un-be-lieve able!” Since he no longer had the heart to Noël and the ‘old days’ and planned return, he’d given the property to the for the future - always mindful of There was only one recorded defeat Jamaican Government together with “what Noël would have wanted.” Graham could remember - when Noël funds to maintain it. He’d recently visited Ivor Novello’s dressing room had other reports about its condition. Happen-stance No.3. I learned his after King’s Rhapsody. As soon as he Did I have any ideas? Could we meet birthday was April 25th. So was my appeared in the doorway, wagging and talk about it.? late father’s. “Well, then,” he said, finger at the ready, Ivor cried - “you’d better call me Dad!” (Being “Ducky I KNEW you’d love it!” Then the second happen-stance. English, of course, I couldn’t do that!) Collapse of wagging finger. Chalet Coward in the village of Les Avants stood high on the mountain The stories about Noël were legion. As the war was drawing to an end, that led down to the towns of Noël was planning his own post-war Montreux and Vevey sitting on Lake They were auditioning for the 1932 future. He came around but instead of Geneva. Vevey happened to be the revue, Words and Music. Graham at his usual backstage notes, it was - “I’m corporate headquarters of the Nestlé the time was a promising boy soprano doing a new revue and YOU will be company, which just happened to be (“Master Graham Payn”) and his in it.” It was to be the beginning of a one of my major clients that I visited mother took him along. When he was professional and personal relationship a couple of times a month. So, as called, she urged him to give it his all. that would last until Noël’s death Graham and I began to work together, Noël was completely taken aback to nearly 30 years later. it meant I could make frequent pit see this young boy singing ‘Nearer My stops at Chalet Coward. God to Thee’ and tap dancing at the Reliving that show brought back so same time. Turning to his assistant many memories for him. There was Firefly was taken care of in a fashion - “We’ve got to have the kid in the the matter of ‘It Couldn’t Matter Less’ and then we began to discuss other show.” - the title of a song he’d been given in aspects of the Estate. Graham had the second half ... never expected to have to run it. That And indeed they did. “Frankly, as far as I was concerned, was to be Cole Lesley, Noël’s right- it couldn’t! I told Noël I didn’t think hand man for many years. Then one After that, Graham recalled, they the number was good enough. ‘Yes morning a year or so earlier Coley had didn’t meet again until 1940. Graham it is,’ he snapped, ‘it’s very good.’ died in his bed quite unexpectedly. was in the revue Up and Doing and So I plucked up my courage and Noël Coward, Graham Payn and Cole Lesley 4 challenged him. ‘All right then, let’s around by the swimming pool at “Oh, leave poor Graham alone,” see you do it!’ There were indrawn Firefly. I was feeling very pleased with Lynne said. “If he wants to write a breaths from the others at the life for some reason, so I went into book, he’ll write one.” rehearsal. Would God - let alone The a little song-and-dance routine. This “Oh, no he won’t,” I said. “I can’t Master - strike me down ? gave rise to some crack from Noël write a book,” said Graham. about my ‘bloody singing’. In mock “Here’s what we’re going to do,” I After trying the number a couple indignation I drew myself up and said. “Whenever you and I get togeth- of times he conceded. ‘You’re quite blustered - ‘I’ll have you know people er, Graham, I’m going to bring my right. It isn’t strong enough. I’ll write have paid good money to see me sing tape recorder. I know enough to be you another song.’ ‘Oh, yes, chum,’ I and dance.’ Noël shot back - ‘Yes, but able to feed you questions and you’ll thought, ‘l’ve heard that one before.’ not very many and not for very long’. talk like you were talking just now. A few days later he called to say he’d Then I’ll turn it into your book.” written the new song. ‘Come round Thoroughly pleased with himself, he and I’ll play it for you.’ After hearing plunged into the pool. I wanted to And that’s what we did. It wasn’t the first few bars of ‘Matelot’ I knew say - ‘Well, it was mostly your material, without problems - but they were pos- we had a hit. Later Noël would say chum’. But I’d learned that you don’t itive problems. Such as ... we’d have that it was the one thing about the tread on your star’s exit.” a productive morning and then go show he couldn’t say goodbye to off for lunch. Over lunch he’d come without a pang. For me it was the The 1980s drifted into the 1990s and up with some priceless anecdotes. song that shaped my career. I never Graham and I would meet whenever The recorder, naturally, was back at did say goodbye to it. circumstances made it convenient .. the hotel. Heaven knows how many Quite often it would be over a quiet napkins were defaced in the name of Noël’s advice was always the same. dinner for four - Lynne and I, Graham Noël Coward’s art! ‘Trust the material. Let the words and his life partner, Dany Dasto, who carry you.’ And woe betide you if you now runs the Estate. When My Life With Noël Coward tried to add any improvements and he was published Graham and I had caught you at it. As the evening wore on, we were another lunch. No tape recorders. Just invariably joined by an invisible fifth a couple of vodka-tonics and a sigh of In the same show I had a number guest - The Master - and Graham relief.