MovieChat Forums > Cleopatra (1963) Discussion > I have the first draft of John Wyatt's b...

I have the first draft of John Wyatt's book


My mother was Elizabeth Taylor's stand-in and my dad was the sound recordist. They met on set, married in Rome, and my sister and I were born after they returned to Hollywood.

My sister died 10 years ago, my mother dies 3 years ago and my dad died this Christmas Eve. I have been going though all their old papers in the back of the closet. And what do I find? An original Mankiewicz script and the 1st draft of a 12 chapter book by John Wyatt. It's a really good book. It's fun reading about the stories my parents kept telling me all about. He used my mother and father as fact checkers, since they were both on the set for most of the movie. My dad provide over a 100 on-set photos to John Wyatt which I assume ended up in the final version of the book.

Along with the first draft of the book are some person emails. My dad and the writer corresponded from 1997 to 2001. I have the feeling the book was still a few year from completion.

I would love to read the final version of this book, but I cannot find it anyway. Has anyone every heard of a well research book about the movie "Cleopatra" by John Wyatt published around 2004ish? I worry it was never published. I found one English writer of that name that died in 2006. Maybe it was lost. Maybe I have the only copy. But more likely, it was published under a different name and that is why I can't find it. Does anyone know of this book?

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I didn't find any book with Google. John Wyatt is a common name.
It might be the British photographer who worked 1964-1989: https://moviechat.org/nm0943558

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Thank you. It's so hard to tell. Will the real John Wyatt please stand up. :-)

Here is the start of the oldest correspondence I have. "Mr. Mack" is my dad, not me. And this is not an April Fools joke even though it was sent on April 1, 1997.

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JOHN WYATT
BATH, N. E. SOMERSET
ENGLAND
Tuesday 1 April, 1997.
Dear Mr. Mack,
Thank you for calling me. I have worked in the TV / film industry for some years in London, first as an assistant editor in film and later as PA to a Casting Director. Currently I am working with an independent Producer and Director writing (and of course re-writing) a feature film script. During the last few years though I have been researching Cleopatra in London's British Film Institute Library. Perhaps you can help? I would be very grateful for your unique insight into the film (could you also please confirm that I may quote you?).

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