Some times it’s hard to be nice and impossible to be polite!
My family have always been excellent in entertainment, building stages for Mandela at Wembley. Kylie and Clapton while providing live entertainment for many generations.
Having read an article regarding Dennis Hamilton in the USA I believe he acted as any Man would in defending his wife. Sometimes it is difficult to be nice when in this instance a particularly press man, acted so bad by pushing Diana Dors into a swimming pool on her debut in the US!
Family was so important when honour was at stake! Sometimes better to act on instinct when grossly wronged and that’s how it was back then!
So the Diana go home and take your husband with you seems such a one sided sham and goes to show the power of the press even back in those days.
I wrote about this incident and the profound effect it had on Diana’s career, in my recently published book, “Connecting Dors”, written with the collaboration of Diana’s son, Jason Dors-Lake. Niema Ash
Thank you for your comment. I will if I get half a chance try my best to catch up and read your book though I anticipate some bias and exclusions in the writing. Please extend our sincere condolences to Jason for the loss of his mother.
In confidence though and now for the first time made public, I am obliged to say that almost everything written about Dennis known in the public eye has not always been factual. Diana loved him at one time, his looks/ charm, his beautiful command of the English language including his plumb and polite accent!
A film some years back portrayed Dennis as an absolute cad, an Arthur Daley cockney speaking lout of very sly proportion, this is completely untrue.
The press promoted whole pages to Diana’s film that was in part taken from her book. There was indeed a tiny retraction of less than 30 words stating that Dennis Hamilton was portrayed as such for coloration and greater film ratings. The film and book made an absolute abomination of him, a deformation of his character including all that he stood for and had done for Diana.
It has been very hard to take onboard the insult and stay silent as a generation plus of my family have always kept Diana’s secrets undisclosed. It will stay that way as was the promise that we continue to adhere.
Bob Monkhouse stated he could have had Diana at any time though we know Diana Loathed the man as a “stammering creep”!
It is well documented that back in the day celebrities mixed with crime as they ran the venues people attended. Therefore by association the Kray twins whom Dennis was given “the Gun”.
In the USA the Mafia also run these types of venue and legitimised themselves in business. While out there Diana was overwhelmed by the glitz, wealth and pay deals. It is true that both Dennis and Diana had under estimated the financial deals by a couple of decimal points! Jerry knew and took advantage of this while wanting Diana by his own admission on “the couch”!
Though very un P.C. these days, it was common knowledge back in those circles to “nail” so to speak, those who behaved completely out of order as did the press man who pushed Diana into the swing pool and with whom the instigated situation pen ultimately unleashed Dennis’s wrath. This unfortunately caused Diana’s loss of conquering the USA and the opportunity to make a great deal of wealth out there. It also saw the demise of their passionate though volatile relationship.
Dennis died reportedly of a heart attack though it was in fact Syphilis because he was very much a ladies’ man while Diana was also not so puritanical either!
My Grandfather gave them the Rabbit Pub in Luton to run. I can reveal no more because of what has been passed down.
As for Diana Dors millions, she would receive cash payments before crossing the threshold of any venue. Therefore as far as the outside world are concerned, she spent it! Perhaps her solicitors of the time are worthy of some investigative review!
There was a lot more to Dennis Hamilton and Diana Dors in that era that will die here as our Dors will continue to stay firmly closed to the outside world.
Alan Lake was very much the love of Diana’s life in the years that followed.
It’s a shame that much truth of the early Dors will not be revealed as it would make a great book or film of those times.
Dennis was my late fathers 1st cousin, their mothers being twin sisters. I vaguely remember my father attending Dennis’s funeral.
Cheers Les Edwards (Wrexham)
Dennis Hamilton was involved with a robot which my Gt Grandfather Captain W H Richards invented. Do you or your wider family have any knowledge of this? We have some photos of Diana with the robot in some publicity shots. We are in the process of compiling an archive and stories about the robot. What we would love to know is how Dennis and Diana first became involved with the robot. Any help would be gratefully received. Thank you