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Joe Orton Morocco 1967 |
Murder at the Angel
It’s 40 years since Joe Orton was killed by his lover but, as Peter Gruner discovers, fans still come from all over the world to get a flavour of his life on the edge
IT'S 40 years since playwright Joe Orton was brutally murdered in his Islington flat by his jealous live-in lover Kenneth Halliwell.
But interest in the two and their extraordinary dark, comic but ultimately tragic life has not diminished.
Visitors come from all over the world to see the plaque outside the tiny flat that they shared in Noel Road, at the Angel.
Actor and historian Peter Powell does a weekly Orton/Halliwell walking tour. He knew them from the days when they held court with their admirers at their local pub, Island Queen, in the early 1960s.
And really dedicated enthusiasts can visit the Finsbury Library in St John Street, which contains 50 of the infamous vandalised library book covers.
Orton and Halliwell stole books from Central Library in Holloway and later the smaller Essex Road library, and would subtly modify the cover art or the blurbs before returning them to the library.
A volume of poetry by John Betjeman, for example, was returned to the library with a new dust-jacket featuring a photograph of a nearly naked, heavily tattooed middle-aged man. The couple also took many coloured prints to decorate their flat.
Librarian Martin Banham keeps the covers in protective wrappers in a large box and produces them for exhibitions.
He said: “Some of the damaged covers have a slightly homo-erotic air about them, with photos of young men cavorting in swimming trunks.
“The collected plays of Emlyn Williams contain the phrases ‘up the front’, ‘knickers must fall’, ‘up the back’ and ‘he was born grey’.
“To a gardening book of photographs of roses they stuck pictures of gorillas and called it ‘gorillas in the roses’. They even stuck a budgie on a book of a play, The World of Paul Slickey, by John Osborne.”
The pair often targeted books they considered to be pulp fiction, primarily because they liked to see themselves as erudite and highbrow.
Mr Banham added: “Both were aspiring writers. Leicester-born working class Joe was trying to educate himself with the classics and was very much inspired by Halliwell, who was Oxbridge educated.”
At the time of the library book abuse, staff suspected Orton and Halliwell were up to something and would pretend to be customers in an effort to observe them when they turned up.
The library finally established proof after a type-written letter was discovered to have the same typeface as that used on many of the vandalised book covers.
When police turned up and searched Orton and Halliwell’s flat they discovered the walls and ceilings were plastered with photographs and art plates removed from books belonging to the library.
Orton and Halliwell were both sentenced to six months prison, which was considered harsh even in those days. They were released in September 1962.
Peter Powell believes that they were punished more for being outwardly homosexual than for the damage to the books.
“Homosexuality was still illegal in those days,” said Peter. “I believe the judge was quite homophobic and made great play of the fact that they were two men living together. They should never have gone to prison for such a relatively minor crime.”
But prison was a turning point in their lives. They had already collaborated on a number of unsuccessful books, including The Last Days of Sodom.
Orton decided to write a radio play and was discovered to have a wonderful ear for dialogue and a talent for writing for the stage.
Later his Entertaining Mr Sloane premiered at the New Arts theatre on May 6, 1964, receiving praise from, among others, influential playwright Terence Rattigan.
Meanwhile, however, Halliwell’s own writing remained unrecognised and he sank deeper into depression and jealousy.
Peter Powell knew them in the early days and remembers the happy times before Orton found fame, when they would entertain friends at the Island Queen.
He said: “They were great characters, always funny and very rude about people. They reminded me of a gay Morecambe and Wise. They were great fun. If you want to know how they sounded you only have to read Loot or Entertaining Mr Sloane.”
Peter thinks Orton was a bit of a Jack the lad – good looking and with personality flowing out of him.
“Ken, on the other hand, was older, bald and more backward in social situations,” he said.
“He would have supported them both in the early days. He was originally the one with the money from an old inheritance.
“Suddenly Joe was very hot and his plays were being shown in the West End. He was going to places, clubs and events that before the pair could only read or dream about. Joe’s fans included people like Sir Laurence Olivier.”
On August 9, 1967 Joe came home after a night playing the celebrated playwright. He apparently fell asleep and was beaten over the head with a blunt instrument nine times by Kenneth. A few hours later, after taking a large overdose of drugs, Ken was also dead.
n Further information about Angel Walks from Peter Powell
Tel: 020 7226 83333.
Mobile: 07796 673846.
n Finsbury History Library, 245 St John Street, EC1.
Tel: 020 7527 7988
n John Lahr’s definitive biography of Orton, Prick Up Your Ears, is published by Penguin
Joe Orton, Morocco, 1967 Photo: University of Leicester Special Collections © The Orton Estate
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