I recently received a nice letter from the widow of Douglas Fairbanks JR inviting me to attend his New York memorial service.

Alas until somebody gives me an expense account I must decline to represent the history of Elstree Studios abroad.

She did also say that Doug often recalled his days running what is now the BBC Elstree Centre in the early 1950s with great pleasure. I have now sent his family a photograph of Doug unveiling the plaque naming a building after him at that studio in about 1985.

I still recall dining at Elstree Film Studios with him, Titanic survivor Eva Hart, Managing Director Andrew Mitchell and the Lord Lieutenant, Major General Sir George Burns.

Sir George had been the ADC to the last viceroy of India and regaled us with stories of the Raj.

Doug regaled us with stories of old Hollywood and Eva regaled us with stories of the Titanic sinking.

I just listened, drank the wine and brandy and thoroughly enjoyed the recollections.

Since then the restaurant has become offices and my dinner companions have all left the stage of life, but I still linger on.

In preparation for my ultimate final curtain, hopefully some time away, I have started to destroy various tapes of interviews which I made in the 1970s. They were only made with the understanding that they would never be heard or used other than by myself at the time to write the relevant article.

On a later occasion a tape was made by the unit publicist when I met with George Lucas and Steven Speilberg on the set of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, to discuss the Save our Studio campaign.

Harrison Ford and Sean Connery were also present rehearsing a scene and every so often Steven would break off our conversation and do a bit of directing. Sadly I was not allowed a copy of the tape in case I used it without permission.

Back in 1976 I met with Trevor Howard at his local pub, The Gate in Arkley, for a chat. I asked him about his hellraiser image.

'Hellraiser? What does it mean,' he asked.

'I think I got that label because I enjoy life and the national press seem to like to destroy you.'

When we met Trevor had been a star for over 30 years.

'I was never really typecast and I always preferred films as every day is different and you never get bored.

'I have never grown tired of making pictures,, but sometimes I resent getting up for an early call at five in the morning.'

I asked Trevor to comment on some of the people with whom he had worked.

'Errol Flynn was a real gent and I liked him. Mind you he was in his last year when we filmed together and taking things very slowly.

'My wife thought the world of him. The first time Helen met Errol was at his hotel room and he was in the bath. He shouted out, 'Please come in but excuse me if I don't stand up!'.

'Sophia Loren was super; no problem at all. The late director Carol Reed was special and I owe him everything for putting me on the map. I remember later Carol phoning me and asking me to play Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty.

'We had no script, but he had ideas of Bligh coming back in search of the mutineers, but Marlon Brando replaced him with another director and ended the film with his own death scene. I didn't get on with Brando.

'Cary Grant was nice to work with and I liked Victor Mature immensely. He loved running himself down and told me he was not allowed to join an upper class Los Angeles golf club because he was a member of the acting profession.

'Mature turned round on them and said: 'I am no actor and I have got reviews to prove it.'

I attended Trevor's funeral and we filed out past his coffin to the sounds of his favourite jazz music. Helen asked me to investigate a possible memorial service in London.

Upon reflection, she then decided not to go ahead, remembering what Trevor had once remarked after David Niven's service.

'Never have one for me. They are full of people wanting to be in the press or who didn't bother to keep in touch while you were alive.'

It would have been nice to have paid tribute to a fine actor, so years later I was pleased to organise a plaque unveiling by Helen honouring him at Elstree Studios.

During the toast I could almost hear him say: 'Pass the whiskey bottle and enjoy yourself, it is later than you think!'

by PAUL WELSH