An Interview with Suzanna
Leigh
On Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th August 2001, the Elvis Presley Film Society
had a stall at the Memorabilia 2001 Fair at the SECC. At this same Fair,
Suzanna Leigh was appearing as a guest artist, signing her new book. We spoke
to her at length throughout both days, then after the Fair closed on Sunday
night, she allowed us to record an interview, which lasted almost 45 minutes.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her kindness and
especially for the time she allowed us to do an exclusive interview, which
we now bring to you. |
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Harry Carrigan, Suzanna Leigh
and Gerry McLafferty |
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Suzanna Leigh became the first British actress to co-star with Elvis when
she appeared in the film Paradise, Hawaiian Style. Throughout August and
September 1965 they filmed scenes for the movie in both Hawaii and Hollywood.
She was working with Elvis at the time he met with Peter Noone of Herman's
Hermits on the set in Hawaii on 18th August 1965, and also the legendary
meeting between Elvis and The Beatles in Hollywood on 27th August 1965. Though
not present at either meeting, she participated in discussions about both
meetings with Elvis along with others on the set. What Suzanna has to say
is very interesting.
Suzanna Leigh ~ A Summary of Her Career |
Suzanna Leigh was born in 1946 in Reading, England. She started work at the
age of only twelve, working with the legendary Peter Sellers in Tom Thumb.
This led to a part in Oscar Wilde with Robert Morley and Ralph Richardson.
Suzanna played her first starring role in Time To Kill in 1961. This was
followed by a part in The Saint with Roger Moore. In 1963 she starred in
her own TV series in France titled, Trois Étoiles (The Three Stars)
with the likes of Brigitte Bardot. In 1964 she signed a seven-year contract
with Hal Wallis at Paramount Pictures. This led to a role in the film Boeing,
Boeing with Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis, before moving on to co-starring
with Elvis in Paradise, Hawaiian Style in 1965.
In 1967 Suzanna starred in the play A Tale of Two Wives which was awarded
'Play of the Month'. She moved on to make several Hammer films before starring
in the first colour play The Plastic People which was awarded "Play of the
Year". In 1972 she starred with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore in The Persuaders
- Chain of Events, before moving on to Son of Dracula with Ringo Starr.
More recently, she has published the first part of her autobiography "Paradise
Suzanna Style", which has been nominated for "The Samuel Johnson Award".
She has been doing a world tour to promote her book and recently appeared
in Glasgow at the SECC, where we met up with her. Later in the year she will
be appearing at other venues throughout the UK before starting a tour in
America early next year.
FS = Film Society SL = Suzanna Leigh
FS
What I'd like to ask first is, with Paradise, Hawaiian Style did you have
to audition for the part or, because you had a seven-year contract with Hal
Wallis and Paramount, did you get the part automatically? As you had just
finished a film with Hal Wallis called Boeing, Boeing. So did you have to
audition for the part in Paradise, Hawaiian Style?
SL
No I didn't, it's true. What happened was, it was amazing. I remember when
I was actually told that I was going to do a Presley picture; like to me
a Presley picture is like a dream, you know! So it was over lunch and Hal
Wallis was discussing what I was supposed to do - a film with Robert Redford;
Barefoot In The Park, and this and that was supposed to happen.
FS
Barefoot In The Park. That was with Jane Fonda?
SL
Yeah, she did the part that I was supposed to do, but before that he says
"you'll do a Presley picture". I remember we were sitting having lunch, and
I thought, I don't believe what he's just said, he's just said I'm going
to do an Elvis picture, because I don't think of him as a Presley picture,
because it was always Elvis, Elvis ,you know. I said "oh my god" and my heart's
going Dong! Dong! Dong! It was like, can anyone hear my heart thumping? No
we can't, it's all right. "Oh right" I said, you know, trying to stay casual,
real cool and then of course I completely blew it, and then I went "Oh Hal,
you've no idea, you don't know". He said, "know what?", "Hal, I said, "I'm
a fan". He said "Suzanna, he's got some really strange people around him,
so you've got to be really careful now, you know". I said "Oh no, I just
thought I'd mention it". So he said "Well he's a really great guy. He's the
most professional actor I've ever worked with. I mean he really is very
special".
FS
In that short period, it was 10-12 weeks you worked with Elvis on Paradise,
Hawaiian Style. Is that the way you feel about Elvis? Was he really like
that? We've all heard stories he had a wry sense of humour. Were you ever
the target of any of those pranks, by any chance?
SL
Well, we had a few problems on the picture, the main one was neither of us
could stop talking and telling stories. Actually, I pulled a trick on Elvis.
It could have been tricky and backfired because he was normally the one who
gave it out. It suddenly dawned on me. I wonder if he can take it too. I
was just into the joke at the time, so what I did was, um, you know how Elvis
was always so generous with everyone.
FS
Well we have read this many times.
SL
No, no it's very true, it's very true. So I got the makeup people to make
me up as an old woman. Really, really old - the hands, the hair, you know.
So how I must have managed to talk, I even got caught, someone said to me
the guard was coming. I'd been in like a three-hour makeup. The guard was
coming and he said "excuse me, excuse me, where is your pass for coming on
to the set?" I said "it's me, you silly man, it's me". He said "oh Ms Leigh"
I said "I'm going to pull a trick on Elvis". He said "oh wow, good luck"
I thought that was a bit sort of shady, telling me good luck. I thought -
oh dear. So I'm going 'Elvis, Elvis, can I see Elvis?' So everybody's sort
of standing back. I'm going through this and Elvis was on the set. Well obviously
he was on the set. He said "oh come through, come through, make room". He
made such a big thing of it, and I thought, oh I hope I'm not overdoing this.
So then he starts singing to me. I thought oh, how long can I carry this
off for? Then I went over and said "actually it's me, and he went "oh wow".
You know, I fooled him. He took it really well. It went down really well,
but it was a tiny moment.
FS
I'm sure. Do you have some photographs from that or did no one take a
picture?
SL
Nobody took a thing.
FS
Was it arranged that way?
SL
Well of course it wasn't arranged that way. It was a spontaneous thing but
it, yeah, could have backfired I've been told by other people.
SL
The first scene that we had together on film, where we meet and he say's
"oh I remember you". It was something about 'you gave me mouth to mouth
resuscitation', something like that. I couldn't get this word out, resuscitation.
I couldn't get it out. So he starts laughing. Well once you start giggling
of course it's fatal. What they should do is cut and come back tomorrow.
You shouldn't carry on. He's saying his words and I'm going 'rescusss....
resusss...', you know what I mean? If you actually see the movie he's shaking,
laughing, because they printed it. Why did they bother to print it? It was
insane!
FS
You where the first British co-star to work with Elvis, and while making
Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Elvis was interviewed by Peter Noone. Did you meet
with Peter Noone being he was also British?
SL
That was an appalling situation that.
FS
I'll agree that it was an appalling interview. It was the most nondescript
and uninformative interview I've heard.
SL
It was a dreadful thing, because what actually happened was, I was in the
hotel because we were all in the same hotel. I was in this hotel, and I was
going to warn Elvis. It's in my book. I discuss this in my book. I was going
to warn him that this guy really was a bit cocky. He thought he was great.
So I thought I'd better warn him, but of course we were sitting around discussing
whether he should meet The Beatles or not and they were even more cockier!
So I was very protective by then. I was under the Elvis magic; that you became
completely besotted by him very quickly. I mean, he had that amazing thing.
So I was always watching out for anything that would have been dangerous
for him. I was going to warn him about this guy Noone who was a big clever
dick. I listened to it on the radio. It was live, like everything was in
those days and there's this guy talking gobble-de-gook. There's no question
about it, and I was horrified. Of course Elvis being Elvis, because he was
so clever, because he actually, he wasn't thrown by it; as usual he was never
thrown by things. What he did was just carry on as if nothing had happened,
but obviously the guy's talking rubbish. So of course after the interview
I went rushing off to see Elvis, so when I saw him, I said "I just heard
it, what was all that about?" So he... "right, that's it" he went absolutely
ape-shit. "You know I'm not going to meet The Beatles because there's going
to be four of them like this!" I said "well what did he say afterwards?"
He said "he told me it was a Lancastrian language, right? Lancastrian language?".
I said "oh right, well done, well that was made up!". He said "made up?"
I said "totally". "Well that's what he really said. He started to speak in
Lancastrian. Why didn't he speak in English? What's Lancastrian?" I said,
"Lancastrian's double Dutch". So that was it. Elvis was absolutely convinced
he had to be really careful in case The Beatles would pull the same number
on him.
FS
That wasn't at the same time.
SL
Oh it was at the same time. I said "oh no, don't worry. John is such a fan
of yours. I really can't believe". He said, "no I'm not meeting them because
I really don't need that. I've got some really lovely English fans. I'm not
putting myself in that situation". So for ages he wasn't going to do it.
In my book I go into more detail, because it was very important - Elvis meeting
The Beatles. We sat around for hours talking about it. It's amazing to me.
In my book, it's only a few chapters about Elvis. I knew him for a few months.
I remember walking with Elvis one day down to... you know we've got on really
well in like the two days we've known each other. It's like we've known each
other for ages. With Elvis we were like that for months, so it was like really,
really close. So one day I was walking with him from A-B on the set and we
see this guy, an English reporter, so he wants to speak to us for a few moments.
It's a guy called Chris Hutchins. Well Chris stops, "Oh Elvis, Suzanna, Hi.
Elvis can I have a photograph with you? Elvis says "No, but you can have
a photograph of Suzanna, me and you, but not you and me on your own".
FS
That was published in NME. Elvis had a black shirt on, I think it was. I
remember that.
SL
He couldn't have a photograph with Elvis on his own, so I said to Elvis
afterwards why was this? This conversation was all of two and a half minutes,
and most of it was talking about how wonderful I was, from Elvis, which was
brilliant. So we are not talking a long conversation here. This guy has written
three books - The Real Elvis By The Man Who Knew Him on a two and a half
minute conversation mostly talking about Suzanna Leigh! I don't think so!
The second book, Elvis Meets The Beatles. I mean, please!
FS
It was an hour or so. How do you have a whole book on that?
SL
Well how does he know? I knew enough, because we were sitting around talking
to Elvis. He didn't know anything. What rubbish these people talk. There
was only one photograph and it was with me and Elvis and him. So Elvis and
I were sitting talking about meeting The Beatles. He said that "he was being
pushed into it by people" because obviously a lot of people wanted him to
meet The Beatles. So he said, "Well what do you think?" I said, "I know a
girlfriend of mine is going out with Paul". Jane Asher was going out with
Paul and I said, "he seems quite nice". I said "John Lennon is a total fan
of yours. We're talking serious fan". (Later, John Lennon became infamous
as the guy who goes about saying he's bigger than Jesus - S. Leigh touched
on this). Most of the time Elvis and I would sit about discussing religion,
which nobody believed we did. We'd go into that trailer for hours and hours
and hours and people would go, you know! Yeah right, religion! Oh, that's
a new one. So he said "no way". Anyway there's no way. Ringo, he's such a
pussycat, Ringo. Anyway, he'll be just so pleased to be there. Send Ringo
out into the garden for awhile and he'll be happy. I made a film with Ringo
years later and he asked me about all that, you know. Anyway, I don't know
George, but I know a girl who is going out with George. Patti Boyd.
FS
She married Eric Clapton later on.
SL
Yeah, that's right. She married Eric Clapton. I said "I know her but I don't
really know him. I think I met him once at a night-club". We were talking
about what to do, so I said "Do you have, you must have rooms like with gold
discs, silver discs?" I said "They're a bit cocky, so let's try and make
them a bit small", you know. He said "What do you mean? In Memphis I've got
a room with gold discs, silver discs, bronze". I said "Have you got any out
here because by the time they walk through there, by the time they get to
you they'll be on their knees".
FS
Yeah, that's a nice idea.
SL
You know, pull them down, pull them down a bit because they really think
they're so great. He said "I don't have that many here but it's a good idea
though". So unfortunately he didn't do that. But the next morning when he
came in, he said "That's it, I'm never going to see them again, that's it,
no way".
FS
You said earlier that people had warned you about the people around Elvis.
Did you notice Elvis's bodyguards? They've got a reputation now for being
hangers-on and spongers who smothered him.
SL
No, no. The point is, it was only Hal Wallis who told me that of course,
because he was.... actually Hal Wallis was actually in awe of Elvis, because
to actually make a picture with Elvis as far as Hal Wallis was concerned,
was like a dream because it was guaranteed money. There was no other person
but Elvis was guaranteed to make millions. I remember the day that Hal, because
Elvis had said to me that the only way that you and I can meet again officially,
because there's too many spotlights. He said every time I walk out the door,
you know what it's like. So he said, "we'll have to make another picture
together". So I said, I was only twenty and you can say some really stupid
things when you're twenty sometimes. I said "I don't know about that. You
see the thing is, everybody should do one Elvis picture, but two, I don't
think that'll be good for my career". Elvis looked at me and said, "what
are you doing right now?" I said, "I'm going over to the covered set. He
said, "no, no, come with me". You could see him thinking to himself. What
is she talking about? So he takes me over to the stills gallery. There were
a few photographers there, as Elvis was doing one of those photographic
sessions.
FS
A promotional shoot?
SL
Well it wasn't just for the film. It was for whole loads of stuff, a lot.
He didn't like to do it too often so he did masses of changes, and he was
there, like, for ages. So anybody who had made arrangements to photograph
him for various things, they could do it then. That was the main thing. So
he said come and sit down. He sat me on a little chair. He often used to
do this, next to the camera. So a lot of these photographs that I see of
that era today and things like that, and he's looking at me, it's so strange,
there he is in a photograph. So I'm sitting behind the camera and he's like
laughing and smiling at me and things like that, telling jokes and things
like that to make getting through the time easier. Then he said, "come here".
So I went over, and then he kisses me. You know that kiss is the real kiss
because it's in my book. So he kisses me and the cameras are going insane
- flash, flash, flash, flash. So he says to me 'that's not going to do your
career any harm baby', and of course it was true. The next day that photograph
was everywhere, and my daily rate went way up. Suddenly I was picking up
like $10,000 a day, daily rate.
FS
On that, can I ask, as a follow on to that? So you where scheduled at one
point to do the next film, Easy Come, Easy Go?
SL
Yes that's right. That was specially written for me and what happened
was.....
FS
What was the real problem?
SL
Well the real problem was the Colonel. That was the real problem. Officially,
it was the Screen Actors Guild that had turned me down. The thing that happened
was that I shouldn't have left America. I should've stayed there. Then I
would have really confirmed that I was going to definitely live there, because
I'm playing Americans all the time you see. America was having a problem.
England had just turned down Gordon of Khartoum to be made in England, with
Charlton Heston, and Charlton Heston was the president of the Screen Actors
Guild at that particular moment in time. So this was really bad and he went
insane. He phoned up America. He said, "the next limey that wants an application,
throw it out" because he had to move his film, Gordon of Khartoum. It had
to be finished off in Ireland, so he was not a pleased person. A
Anyway, what happened was apparently that, one day, in that one day there
was Barefoot In The Park, an application for Barefoot In The Park for me
and about three other movies and a personal application from Elvis for me
to do Easy Come, Easy Go. Hal Wallis, because Hal Wallis doubled my money,
you know he said to me when Elvis came and knocked at my door and came in,
he said "I always get nervous when Elvis came in, in case he's going to say
something bad". He said "Hal this is your dream day" and Hal says, "Elvis
you don't know what my dreams are". So he said "I do, your dream is that
I'm going to walk in here and say, Hal, I'm going to make another picture
for you and it's with your contractor". He said "yes, how do you know that?".
Elvis said "because, that's what I'm coming in to tell you". Hal phoned me
up and said 'Suzanna, I'll tell you what, you'll double your money. My dream
has come true. Elvis has just walked in and, hey, he's given me another contract
for another picture with you. I don't care, we'll do exactly what Elvis wants.
He wants special writing. It doesn't matter. I just said yes to everything'.
So what happened was as soon as we had this real problem with Easy Come,
Easy Go then Hal Wallis went insane. I mean he couldn't believe it because
he'd pulled every plug out. He'd cut the budgets in half. I'll do whatever
it takes. Elvis went spare. I unfortunately was in England because my mother
- not a nice woman - was so obsessed with me, said that if I stayed in Hollywood
at that particular time she was going to have my dogs put down. So I knew
my mother and she didn't make jokes. She did not make idle threats, so I
flew back for that. I didn't dare tell Hal Wallis it was because of the dogs,
because he would have said, 'Let her. You can replace the dogs'.
Anyway, it never really dawned on me that being the most powerful man in
Hollywood that Elvis was, that he couldn't fix that and then what happened
next was the Colonel. It was touch and go and to really tip it over, what
the Colonel did was, apparently, because a friend of Elvis told me; Elvis
sent someone over to tell me what was happening. What had happened was that
the Colonel thought this could be going either way. So he was the only other
person. There was nobody else. It wasn't public knowledge that I was having
a problem. There was no way; he was the only other person that knew. Hal
knew it was the Colonel. The Colonel employed about thirty actors and actresses
to stand outside the Screen Actors Guild with big placards saying "Me Not
Leigh", "Me Not Leigh". It was incredible, and that's what fixed it, because
that was it. The only person who could have done that or have been evil enough
to do it, because he didn't want to know about our friendship at all, was
the Colonel. No one else knew about it. There was no one except Elvis, Hal
Wallis and the Colonel. Those were three people. Oh, and my agent. I don't
think my agent's going to employ thirty out of work actors and actresses
with "Me Not Leigh" on big placards, and of course they said that's it, you
know.
FS
I know we're running short of time. So could I ask you to bring it up to
date? What are you doing now?
SL
Well, because I've taken so long to write my book, I'm going around America
soon. I've been to some places in England, I decided to publish it myself,
my book.
FS
Could I just clarify something. This book is only part one. Is there a part
two?
SL
Yes. Volume two will take me a further few years, but don't hold your breath
for volume 2. No, you see it's really details of movies, you see, details
of Elvis and things like that. It's all details that fans really like and
many photographs. I wanted to write it myself and not through a publisher.
I went to publishers. They're very straight. They don't mess around. They
said "We'll give you a big advance" they'd say "everyone knows that you and
Elvis were great friends, so come on let's have the real stuff". Well I said
"I never actually did it with him!" You mean, "no"? I said I didn't. They
said "well who's to know that?"
FS
Let's concoct some lies here. Is that basically what they were telling you?
SL
That's not even unbasically. That's completely right. So I said "are you
insane, Elvis would not be happy with me, with telling lies, are you mad?"
They said "oh come on, that would make such a difference to the sales". They
then said "you really can't say that about Tom Jones, you really can't" I
said "Why? He was really dreadful". I introduced him to Elvis. Look what
a Judas he turned out. No way I'm not cutting that out of my book. They said
"No you've got to because, look, we publish his book or we've got a friend
who published his book" Whichever publisher I went to. Then the Michael Caine
stuff, that's got to go. We've published his book, or a friend's published
his book. So I said, "just a moment are you telling me I've to water my book
down, fabricate stuff, make stuff up to fit in with your book shelves?" So
I said "whose name's that?" So they said "Suzanna Leigh". I said "When it's
got your name on it darling, you can tell me what to do. So I'll go and do
my own book". They said "Oh don't be silly, nobody does their own book".
So I said, "I will". So I tried out a few stories at Graceland and I loved
some of the American people's reactions. When I did the Tom Jones story and
the dream and the whole thing afterwards, the crying. Afterwards some of
them came up and said, well that's the last time he's coming to my town.
I mean that man's dead. He's just dead.
FS
So you were convincing then. You were very convincing!
SL
I now say, 'Are there any Tom Jones fans here? And they go 'yes! I say "well
you can leave now darling". 'Oh no! I want to hear this!
FS
What about some of the girls. Do you keep in touch with some of the girls
from Paradise, Hawaiian Style - such as Marianna Hill?
SL
Funny enough, well as you know, Marianna Hill.... she doesn't, she's the
one with the wig. Elvis had her wear a wig.
FS
What's she doing?
SL
I don't know.
FS
She moved on to High Plains Drifter and The Godfather Part 2. Some quite
important films, but in lesser roles; but she moved on. Have you seen her
since, or Julie Parrish and some of the others?
SL
No, but funny enough I saw the girl from Spinout. I saw her a few months
ago when I was doing a cult movie show in New Jersey. I saw her. Next year
I'm going to be.....
FS
It's going to be very large next year.
SL
Isn't it exciting? Everybody's got to go over! I'm doing big shows in Memphis
on Elvis's birthday, then we've got this huge thing in Hawaii. That's going
to be so exciting. That's going to be in March. It's going to be so exciting,
so everybody's got to come over.
FS
Are you back to Memphis in August?
SL
I'm not sure about that, but I'm seeing Todd next week, and he's going to
tell me about that. I like Todd.
FS
Well, he is an organiser. I'll say that for him.
SL
He's got such a good offer. It's like you know only £800 and something
to do Memphis, Vegas and Hawaii. I mean you can't beat that. You can't even
get the flights for that, it's so amazing. There were a couple of guys today
and they're Hammer fans and their mother or father was an Elvis fan. So they
were brought up on him. I've heard some amazing stories today. There was
a guy who was a dealer here and he said he remembered everybody always remembers
what you were doing the day Elvis died. Everybody's got a story. So he said
"I remember it, I was 14 and my grandmother was very sick, so I came downstairs
and my mother was sobbing her eyes out. 'Oh my God, my grandmother's died'.
So I turned to my stepfather and said, 'Has Nan died"? He said, "No, Elvis
has died". The guy said, like, for four days and four nights she sobbed her
eyes out. He said, "It wasn't even like that when my Nan did die". The effect
was so huge.
FS
That's one of the big issues. He never actually realised how big he was outside
of America.
SL
I was forever telling him. He loved stories about England, and how huge he
was.
FS
Did he realise it though? He was sheltered too much.
SL
I don't think so, but nobody..... it wasn't possible. You've got to understand,
for instance. One day, for instance, Elvis and I are in the car and were
driving somewhere. I can't remember where we were driving. Oh yes, he was
going to give some money to.... he was always giving things away; the widows
of the Pearl Harbour thing. So he , 'Come with me'. So I went with him. So
we got caught in a situation. People saw Elvis in the car, they would just
smash into his car, you see, because they were just hoping to swap addresses,
but of course they didn't because Elvis wasn't driving. The boys had to drive.
I think it was Joe who had to drive. Nobody was allowed to move their heads.
Whatever happened, you couldn't move your head. In the locker next to the
hand luggage compartment there would be various sizes of money in envelopes
to deal with the person. Elvis said it was impossible to go out anywhere.
He said, "I can't even go out in Hollywood" He said, "if I go into a restaurant,
all the actors come over and introduce themselves. I can't go anywhere, so
it's better that I don't go out. It's better that way, despite the way I
feel".
FS
It's very restrictive?
SL
It was, but he couldn't go out.
FS
It's quite odd that, he's not regarded as one of the great movie actors,
but other actors who are regarded as great movie actors can walk around the
streets. Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford, and people like that can walk around
all right. It's strange.
SL
But he was really good though. They can in Hollywood, but he couldn't in
Hollywood. (We were now reaching the conclusion of the interview) I'm sorry
but I have to go. I have a plane to catch.
FS
We would like to thank you for your kindness for the time you have allowed
us for this interview. We really do appreciate it. Have an enjoyable
flight.
This ended a very relaxed, informal and interesting conversation with
Suzanna Leigh. |
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