Gloria Studd Busuttil (Tea lady to the stars) remembers her time mixing intimately with some of Hollywood’s greats:
“Oh yes, I knew them all... Duke (John Wayne), Spence (Spencer Tracy), Kate (Katherine Hepburn), Dave (David Niven), Bette (Bette Davis)... or should I say – ” she added with a mischievous giggle – “They all knew me.”
Gloria has worked on countless movies made in Malta, over a career spanning nearly half a century: “Ask anyone in Tinsel Town about me... they all knew – sorry – know Gloria.” She adds: “In fact, whenever a film came to the Mediterranean Film Studios, the director used to ask for me... by name. He’d say: ‘Whoever else you give me, I must have Gloria.’ Oh yes, happy days.”
Languidly fondling a creased paper cup that she said was a souvenir from the late ‘Bratt’ Davies, she explained: “Look, you can just see here on the side of the cup... dear Bratt autographed it especially for me.” And yes indeed, the words ‘Ronson disposable tableware’ is indeed just visible... er...
Starting to get into her stride, Gloria explained just what it was that made her so special and so indispensible to visiting film crews: “I suppose you could say I was the tea supremo. Of course, my pre-eminent position within the crew meant I never actually brewed the tea... of no, they paid minions to do that. I merely handed cups of it to the stars. For which they were deeply grateful and I was so appreciated and... dare I say – loved... not, you understand, in the er... vulgar sense er... ”
I just think that in me they found a kindred spirit, a soulmate, someone they could trust
Gloria confided that, at the height of her fame, she was on first name terms with literally one of the greatest movie stars in the firmament: “Oh yes, you are referring to my dear late, great (She wipes away a lone tear)... excuse me. My late, great friend Rock Hudson, who – on one very private occasion, showed me photos of himself, his lovely wife and his two beautiful children.”
I’m afraid at this point I interjected with the observation that Rock Hudson was very definitely gay, so would have been unlikely to have had a wife... let alone children. Gloria – although at first a little confused, hit back strongly:
“Gay? Who says so? Oh no... Rock – or Rocky as he invited me – a special friend, so he said – to call him. No, Rocky wasn’t gay... in fact he told me some very touching stories of how he and Doris Day – another dear friend of mine, of course – had a romance on the set of his wonderful film... Pillow Stalk. Gay Rock Hudson? What utter rubbish!”
Gloria also had some fascinating things to say about the filming, back in 1979 of Popeye: “The director ‘Robin’ Altman... or Bobby as I was allowed to call him, became a special friend of mine. And who could ever forget another of my most wonderful film-star friends, that wonderful funny man, dear, darling, dead ‘Robert’ Williams. Oh yes, we became firm friends on the Popeye set, and until the day he died we still used to send one another Christmas cards every year. Well, when I say we... I should clarify this means I always sent ‘Robert’ a card and... I know he meant to send me one back... but, well, you know what busy lives these mega stars live. He just never got round to it... somehow. But I know he meant to... and that’s the same thing, isn’t it. Yes, we were very close.”
Extraordinary. But why, I wondered, did all these famous film stars choose to befriend Gloria in particular. She smiled enigmatically and replied: “Oh I don’t know; I just think that in me they found a kindred spirit, a soulmate, someone they could trust and... well, just hang out with. Oh yes, in my time I’ve met and known them all... from way back in the 1960s: dear Joan ‘Colostrum’ and her husband Anthony ‘Nearly’... through all the stars of Pump... right up to Oscar-winning epic Gladdy Baiter and its charming star Trussel Blow.”
And so we leave Gloria to her memories and her nostalgia. And here I can truly say I have met one of the truly great name-droppers of all time.