Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain0:00

This download is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. The presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:08

Richard, you were born in Hollywood, weren't you? Yes, I was.

Presenter0:11

Either of your parents connected with the film industry?

Richard Chamberlain0:13

No.

Presenter0:15

As a youngster, what did you want to be?

Richard Chamberlain0:15

Absolutely.

Richard Chamberlain0:17

Well, it seemed to me I always wanted to be an actor.

Richard Chamberlain0:20

I've I've always been fascinated by the theatre. What did you study at college?

Richard Chamberlain0:24

painting, oddly enough, uh as a kind of second choice, because I I I thought

Richard Chamberlain0:30

Acting was probably too much of a gamble. In Los Angeles, of course, you hadn't had much opportunity to see live theatre, had you?

Richard Chamberlain0:36

No, very little. I hear the situation is changing now. Good.

Richard Chamberlain0:41

Did you do a lot of student drama at at college? Yes, I did. I spent most of my time in the theatre there, um to the um dismay of my other teachers.

Richard Chamberlain0:50

What happened when you left?

Richard Chamberlain0:52

I was almost immediately drafted into the army, and spent two years.

Richard Chamberlain0:56

Um, serving in the army. Yes. You were sent to Korea.

Presenter0:58

Uh

Richard Chamberlain0:59

In Korea, yes. Luckily after the war.

Presenter1:02

Was it a rough assignment, nevertheless?

Richard Chamberlain1:05

Well, it was because we were isolated in a tiny Korean village the whole time for sixteen months and uh

Richard Chamberlain1:11

There was almost nothing to do. It was very, very boring. Mhm. So what happened when you came back to the State?

Richard Chamberlain1:18

I started trying to prepare myself to be an actor. I took dancing lessons and acting lessons, singing lessons.

Presenter1:23

Mm-hmm.

Presenter1:25

Being California based, your sights were set on television and films mainly.

Richard Chamberlain1:28

Yes, television's really the easiest place for an actor to start. You do find work easy to come.

Presenter1:33

Uh

Richard Chamberlain1:33

Uh No, I didn't. Uh I found it impossible for about two years.

Richard Chamberlain1:38

And then I I found a a very good agent who began to get me work in television as a freelance actor. What sort of parts? All kinds of parts. Um I did some westerns, both as good guy and bad guy.

Presenter1:48

Both is

Richard Chamberlain1:50

Um I was an assassin one time in a modern play and uh spoiled Rich Kid once and

Presenter1:58

You did a pilot as hero for a Television Western series.

Richard Chamberlain2:01

Yes, it was called The Paradise Kid. We all thought it was super when we did it, but I saw it a few years ago and it was hysterical. I mean, I couldn't ride or anything. It was very funny. And then you did another pilot for a series that came off in a big way.

Richard Chamberlain2:15

Yes, they killed air pilot in uh February of 1961.

Presenter2:20

Now, Doctor Kildare, this had originally been a series of feature films in the late thirties and forties, hadn't it?

Richard Chamberlain2:27

Eighteen of them there.

Presenter2:27

Week.

Richard Chamberlain2:27

Very successful.

Presenter2:29

Uh what was the origination? Was it original film material, or was it based on a book or a magazine story?

Presenter2:36

Now I gather for television they'd cast Raymond Massey as the older Doctor, and they were casting around for the young intern.

Richard Chamberlain2:41

Cost

Presenter2:43

Had they tested many young actors?

Richard Chamberlain2:45

Well, I had about thirty.

Presenter2:48

Yeah. Fact.

Richard Chamberlain2:48

Uh Uh

Presenter2:48

Of course it was important that it was some one who would get on well with mister Massey.

Richard Chamberlain2:54

Yes, we we had worked together in my second job. Uh it was a um Alfred Hitchcock present television show.

Presenter3:00

Yeah.

Richard Chamberlain3:00

I played his son, and we got on very well.

Presenter3:04

Mm.

Richard Chamberlain3:04

Yeah.

Presenter3:04

Uh

Richard Chamberlain3:04

Yeah.

Presenter3:04

You were Doctor Kill there for five years, I think.

Richard Chamberlain3:07

Five years. How many stories was there? About a hundred

Presenter3:09

Really? Yes. Uh an hour long each. Hmm, an hour each. And seen, I gather, in thirty-one countries. I think so, yes.

Presenter3:19

Well, this made you what is known in in the film business as a hot property. You had an enormous weekly audience. Apart from the financial side,

Richard Chamberlain3:28

Did this make a lot of difference to your life? Well, yes, it changes one's life completely because one suddenly becomes public property.

Richard Chamberlain3:35

Um, literally for a um a television sort of hero.

Presenter3:39

Europe Yes, this meant you couldn't go into a shop or a bar or whatever without being recognized or at worst mobbed.

Richard Chamberlain3:45

Yes, that's right. Uh

Presenter3:46

Um uh I was seemed to be known everywhere.

Presenter3:49

Now on Kildare, a hundred and seventy hour-long stories, this must have been a growing production line.

Presenter3:55

Yeah.

Richard Chamberlain3:56

Yes, it was. We we had about uh a ten hour a day, five day a day a week

Richard Chamberlain4:01

job for for one season about uh

Richard Chamberlain4:04

Well, we had maybe eight weeks off between seasons. Mm-hmm. And during these layoff times you could make a feature film.

Richard Chamberlain4:10

Yes, we squeezed in two sort of

Presenter4:13

Half-baked movies after

Richard Chamberlain4:14

Yeah.

Presenter4:15

So after five years it must have been with or perhaps a sigh of relief that

Richard Chamberlain4:20

That you tossed your stethoscape aside. It was, in fact, because I was very anxious to get on to other things.

Presenter4:27

So, after five years you discarded Doctor Kildare. What next?

Richard Chamberlain4:32

I went to New York and did some what we call summer stock, uh two plays.

Presenter4:35

Uh

Richard Chamberlain4:37

And then uh uh Philadelphia's story in private lives.

Richard Chamberlain4:42

Um and then I went back to California and then I was offered uh breakfast at Tiffany's. The musical. Very big musical. Yes.

Presenter4:46

Oh the musical

Richard Chamberlain4:49

Um

Richard Chamberlain4:50

And I was thrilled to death about it really, and went to New York and we worked very hard on it and played it out of town for a couple of months and then

Richard Chamberlain4:57

Proceeded to go back into New York and and flop miserably, disastrously with it. Bad luck. But this really wasn't a waste of time, was it? No, not at all. Um not at all. Uh it it was a great experience in its way. Uh and I was renting Cyril Richard's apartment at the time. Uh he was working in Connecticut and he wrote me a note after the great smash uh crash rather.

Richard Chamberlain5:21

And uh said, you know, it's a good thing that it happened now because failure is very much a part of our business and it's about time you find out.

Richard Chamberlain5:29

And then you did uh a film that was rather a success. Yes, Petulia.

Richard Chamberlain5:35

I thought it was an excellent film. Richard Lester directed it.

Presenter5:38

Then you decided to come and live here in Britain for a spell. Why was that?

Richard Chamberlain5:41

Why was

Richard Chamberlain5:43

Well, I had a a an intuition that this was the place

Richard Chamberlain5:47

where I could get the best training.

Richard Chamberlain5:49

and where um I could have the opportunity of playing the greatest variety of of roles, and it turned out to be true.

Presenter5:55

And it turned out.

Presenter5:56

Uh You did some films here and some television, and uh then the biggest test in an actor's career.

Richard Chamberlain6:04

Yes, I

Richard Chamberlain6:06

He played Hamlet at Birmingham.

Presenter6:07

With a Birmingham Rap. And in fact, you were the first American actor to play Hamlet here for what, forty or fifty years? Yes, since John Barrimore.

Presenter6:15

How did you feel about it when you were given the proposition?

Richard Chamberlain6:18

Well, I was um I found it a terrifying idea, and in fact tuned it down.

Richard Chamberlain6:23

About ninety nine percent, I left myself that one percent of choice.

Richard Chamberlain6:27

and then began to study the play and fell in love with it and uh thought, well I probably would never get another opportunity.

Richard Chamberlain6:35

So I said yes. Besides, I felt rather safe being in Birmingham.

Richard Chamberlain6:39

I didn't think the, um London papers would come up and review it.

Presenter6:42

Well, I don't think any of them missed it.

Richard Chamberlain6:44

Uh

Presenter6:45

And you've got some excellent notices. There was talk of the production coming to London, wasn't there?

Richard Chamberlain6:49

Yes, there was. We would have liked to have brought it in very much, but um

Richard Chamberlain6:53

I had another commitment in America.

Presenter6:55

But you are going to make a film of that production. A TV film.

Richard Chamberlain6:57

Yes, yes, we're going to tape it for television here and uh for America.

Richard Chamberlain7:02

This spring

Presenter7:04

Now what else have you been doing? Uh

Richard Chamberlain7:06

You wait.

Presenter7:06

Yeah.

Richard Chamberlain7:06

And the

Presenter7:06

When you'll f

Richard Chamberlain7:07

Yeah.

Presenter7:07

Film product

Richard Chamberlain7:07

Yeah. And uh in a picture called uh The Mad Woman of Shio from the play.

Richard Chamberlain7:14

which was sh was shown here recently and uh I have a little company and we're trying to put together a uh a film

Richard Chamberlain7:21

For um next year.

Presenter7:23

Mm-hmm. And one thing you've left out is this Tchaikovsky film you've just made.

Richard Chamberlain7:27

Yes, yes, um um Ken Russell directed it.

Richard Chamberlain7:32

And uh

Richard Chamberlain7:33

It's going to be a fantastic film, much different from any other film biography I think ever made.

Presenter7:39

Well now you've got hold of the reins. You can more or less control your career, build your career the way you want. Which way do you want it to go? You've got this production company, you're setting up a film. Yes. Do you want to produce and direct?

Richard Chamberlain7:49

Here's

Richard Chamberlain7:52

I think what I really want to do is with the company and with

Richard Chamberlain7:57

through other means to um

Richard Chamberlain8:00

Work in the theatre and films mainly as an actor.

Richard Chamberlain8:03

I mean the acting is really my great love.

Richard Chamberlain8:05

I'd

Richard Chamberlain8:06

The directing is fascinating. I'm I'm not sure I know enough about it.

Richard Chamberlain8:10

to do it. But that remains to be seen, I think.

Presenter8:13

and to work on both sides of the Atlantic.

Richard Chamberlain8:14

Yes, yes.

Richard Chamberlain8:16

Yes, I love working here, and yet I I I miss America.