I've recently read about this very occasion in the 'Hellraisers' book (O'Toole, Reed and Harris).

O'Toole, of course, learnt to handle camels for David Lean's Lawrence Of Arabia

(By the way, is it just me that always sings that title to the tune of Bowie's 'Secret Life Of Arabia"?)

That's how you do it. Classy.

It took 14 years for this to appear on the internet, but it was worth the wait - thanks, Nicodemus!

Couldn't see that entrance getting past the Health & Safety wallahs these days.

the camel didn't dump on the studio floor a la Blue Peter.

A. Total. Legend.

The wonderful thing about the O'Toole, Harris and Reed generation of actors was that they'd be the first to acknowledge that they'd drawn perhaps the very best lot in life. Not only did they earn trouserfuls - or, even better, kaftanfuls and togafuls - of cash for doing impressively little, unlike bankers and captains of industry they were loved for it and invited onto chat shows to revel in it. They knew that they were the luckiest sods alive, and were eternally grateful for that.

I don't know if it's because that generation experienced hardships that Messrs Crowe, Bale, Phoenix, Thornton et al. never had to, but the difference between the "drunk actors" of then and now is so striking it makes your cheeks sting.

On TV.
Smoking a cigarette.
In a cigarette holder.
On a camel.