Ill Met by Moonlight

Written by Peter Donaldson

I recently bought a framed poster for ‘Ill Met by Moonlight’, starring Dirk Bogarde and Marius Goring.

I was walking along the street in Walberswick in Suffolk and saw it for sale in an antiquey sort of shop, but by the time I thought I’d like it, the place was closed and wouldn’t be open again for a few days. I returned to Sussex without it, but then decided I ‘must’ have it. I called my cousin, Miriam, with whom I had stayed, and she nobly agreed to get it for me, in spite of recently breaking her hip, which made walking difficult.

Why did I ‘have’ to have the picture? Well, let me explain…

“Dirk Bogarde – that’s Dirk Bogarde over there,” I said to my twin brother George.

We were playing on the sand in Kyrenia Harbour – in 1953, I think – when we noticed something happening by the steps to the Harbour Club and had gone to investigate. We – our parents and elder sister – had moved to Cyprus a year earlier, having been ‘kicked out’ of Egypt along with the rest of the British, after the fall of King Farouk and were living in the picturesque little port town of Kyrenia. As we approached, we saw a group of people standing around a cine-camera mounted on a tripod. Dirk Bogarde was talking to a lady and playing with a little dog.

“Let’s ask him for his autograph”, George suggested. “But we don't have any paper”, I said. “Somebody will have some”, George replied, undaunted. So, bold eight year-olds that we were, we approached.

“Hello Mr. Bogarde – please may we have your autograph” one of us asked. He and the lady stopped talking and looked at the two urchins before them. They both smiled and Dirk said “Where’s your autograph book?”. “We haven’t brought one with us; we didn’t know you’d be here”, one of us replied.

“Don’t worry,” said the lady, “I’ll go and get some paper from the Club.” “That,” said Dirk, as the lady disappeared up the stone stairs “is Judy Finlay. She and her husband Roy own the Harbour Club. They’re dear friends of mine and Judy has just given me this Pekingese puppy. Isn’t it sweet?”. “Yes” we chorused, disbelieving our luck and stroking the snuffling little creature. Mrs Finlay returned with pen and paper and, having asked our names, Dirk Bogarde signed his name twice… and off we went, happy as sandboys. I don’t recall even asking what film he was making, but I’m told it was probably ‘They Who Dare.’ I hope to see a copy one of these days.

Years later I was working as Property Master at the Globe Theatre in Shaftsbury Avenue and in six months saw six plays come and go. One was called ‘The Poker Session’, starring, among others, Marius Goring.

When the play began its short run, the curtain rose on a garden seat, gently swinging to and fro. The audience were supposed to deduce that behind it lay a body, but after the first week it was decided that that approach was too subtle and that a body had to be seen being deposited.

Marius Goring didn’t appear until the second act and so volunteered to be that unidentified corpse. After a couple of nights, I thought that a great actor like Marius Goring shouldn’t have to suffer the indignity of spending an uncomfortable time lying out of sight, but on the stage, with no means of escape. I didn’t have anything to do until the interval, so I suggested I take his place. He readily accepted, the director agreed… and that’s how I made my West End debut!

So you see, when I saw the poster for ‘Ill Met by Moonlight’, both memories came back to me and I had to have the picture. Now, it’s just a matter of where to hang it!