Witness tells of Polanski's pass at wife
A retired financier told the High Court today how Roman Polanski made a pass at his beautiful blonde girlfriend just weeks after the murder of the film director's actress wife.
Former investment adviser Edward Perlberg described a night at New York's Elaine's restaurant in August 1969 when Mr Polanski allegedly made advances to Beatte Telle.
Mr Perlberg, 66, said that the Norwegian-born ex-model "was tall, slim, good to look at, blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair and sort of athletic. She liked the outdoors life".
The couple were at Elaine's with Mr Perlberg's friend, Lewis Lapham, within a couple of weeks of the slaughter of eight-months pregnant Sharon Tate and four friends by Charles Manson's "Family".
He told Mr Justice Eady and a London libel jury how there was "a kind of a strange quiet".
"I looked back and I saw Roman Polanski. I knew it was Roman Polanski because his picture had been in the newspapers due to the unfortunate happenings in the few weeks before that. Also I was a kind of film buff."
He said Mr Polanski came over to their table pulling up a chair and inserting it between Miss Telle and Mr Lapham.
"Dinner was served and conversations were had. Mr Polanski seemed most interested in Miss Telle, in fact talked to no-one else at the table and kind of monopolised her attentions.
"And, as I was viewing this, I began to see that she was somewhat flustered. I didn't hear what their conversations were about.
"After I think we had had something to eat - we may or may not have have finished our meal - she arose and she looked at me and said `Edward, we're leaving'."
He said this was unusual. They got up and left the restaurant leaving Mr Lapham and others at the table. Mr Polanski went to another part of the restaurant.
In the cab going home Miss Telle was, he said, "very agitated".
Mr Perlberg said he asked her what was wrong.
He told the jury that she referred to "that fellow, Mr Polanski" and used words to the effect that "he touched me with his hand and he said that I should come to Hollywood and he would give me a screen test and make another Sharon Tate of me".
Perlberg continued: "I thought this was generally creepy and it bothered me. I said `You know that's strange, but perhaps he could be excused because he just suffered such a terrible shock', but that didn't seem to lessen her anxiety.
"We wound up agreeing that he had behaved improperly and I think words that he was a twerp or to that effect were used."
Mr Lapham, 70, who has been editor of Harper's Magazine for 25 years, was the source of the anecdote at the centre of Polanski's action against Conde Nast over a July 2002 Vanity Fair article.
Written by AE Hochner, it said that in the aftermath of Miss Tate's death, Polanski made sexual advances to a "Swedish beauty" in Elaine's, "inundating her with his Polish charm".
It recounted Mr Lapham, as saying: "Fascinated by his performance, I watched as he slid his hand inside her thigh and began a long honeyed spiel which ended with the promise `And I will make another Sharon Tate out of you'."
Mr Polanski's QC, John Kelsey-Fry, said the article meant that after the death of his wife and unborn child, Polanski went "on the pull" and exploited her name as a "tool of seduction".
Mr Polanski, backed up by actress Mia Farrow, says the incident never happened.
He gave his evidence on videolink from Paris because of possible extradition from the UK following his flight from the US after his 1977 guilty plea to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Earlier today, Mr Lapham, told the court that Mr Polanski began to "romance" Miss Telle.
"At one point he had his hand on her leg and said to her `I can put you in movies. I can make you the next Sharon Tate'.
"He meant it as a compliment. He was attempting to impress her, wanting to express his admiration for her looks.
"I was impressed by the remark, not only because it was tasteless and vulgar but because it was a cliche.
"I didn't speak to Mr Polanski. I had no conversation with him - he wasn't interested in me."
The magazine, which says its article was substantially true, now accepts that the incident did not happen when Polanski was on his way back to Hollywood for Miss Tate's funeral but says it occurred about two weeks later.
It claims that, even if its defence fails, Polanski should not receive any damages as his reputation had already been affected by his 1977 conviction and libertine past.
The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow when the jury will hear closing speeches and the judge's summing-up before retiring to consider its verdict - probably on Friday morning.
