Polanski made pass at my girlfriend, libel trial hears
Former investment adviser Edward Perlberg described a night at New York’s Elaine’s restaurant in August 1969 when 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.” He said Polanski came over to their table, pulling up a chair and inserting it between Ms Telle and Mr Lapham.
“Mr Polanski seemed most interested in Ms Telle, in fact talked to no-one else at the table and kind of monopolised her attentions,” he said.
In the cab going home Ms 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”.
He said she had 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”.
