The Couch Potato's Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Elizabeth Taylor

MGM publicity still, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Geoff Carter

Elizabeth Taylor may not have been born a movie star, but she came as close to it as anyone could. Audiences watched her grow from a precocious child into one of the most skilled and well-rounded movie actresses in the business. First appearing at the tender age of ten in There’s One Born Every Minute, Taylor subsequently captured the hearts of the screen-going public as Velvet Brown in National Velvet when she was only twelve. A few years later, she appeared as Amy in 1949’s Little Women. While Taylor did not have the typical child-star good looks (and was dropped from Universal because of it), her appearance was striking; her combination of elegance and grace marked her as a different sort of Hollywood presence.

After signing with MGM, she became one of the studio’s most popular and bankable actresses. Blessed with singular beauty, including eyes so blue they seemed violet, and an elegant sensibility, Taylor was a completely unique screen presence. Under the close supervision of MGM, which carefully choreographed her during her adolescence—showing her going out on dates and doing “normal” teenager stuff, she began appearing in more mature roles such as Kay Banks in Father of the Bride, the East Coast debutante Leslie Benedict in Giant, and the young heiress Angela Vickers in A Place in The Sun.

Railing at the close personal supervision of the studio, and wanting to take on more challenging roles, Taylor began to mature, adopting a sultry sexuality for some of her roles, as seen as Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Gloria Wandrous in Butterfield 8.

After her marriage to Richard Burton, she appeared with him in eleven films, all the time expanding her range as an actress. From the frowsy and boozy Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the acerbic Katharina in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, Taylor was always pushing the envelope, taking on roles that were neither glamorous nor flattering. Perhaps as a result of being so manipulated and pigeonholed as a young actress at MGM, she became absolutely fearless as an artist.

She was also the first of the celebrities to be stalked by the paparazzi. During her scandalous affair with Burton, and subsequent breakups and reunions with him she became the first Hollywood celebrity to experience the frenzied press coverage and non-stop attention of the media.

Her screen presence, whether she plays a virginal bride, a jaded call girl, or a bitterly disappointed wife, is breathtaking. Cleopatra, for all of the film’s other faults, shows Taylor at her best: regal, sensuous, and wickedly intelligent.

The Top Ten Films of Elizabeth Taylor

English: “Copyright 1944 Loew’s Incorporated”, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

National Velvet: The famous drama about a young girl, Velvet Brown (Taylor), who is determined to race her gelding, Pie, in the Grand National Steeplechase, was Elizabeth Taylor’s breakthrough role. Enlisting the help of Mi (Mickey Rooney), an ex-jockey who happened to wander onto her parents’ farm, Velvet is determined to train Pie and get the money necessary to enter her horse in the race. The night before, Velvet feels that the jockey they hired has no faith in Pie, so she fires him and decides to ride Pie herself. Despite Mi’s objections, Velvet guides Pie through the treacherous route to the exciting conclusion of the race. Notable for Elizabeth Taylor’s enthusiastic, but not cloying, portrayal of the horse-crazy Velvet.

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Crisp, Angela Lansbury, Mickey Rooney, Anne Revere, and Reginald Owen. Written by Helen Deutsch. Directed by Clarence Brown.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (work for hire), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Father of the Bride: In this family comedy, lawyer Stanley T. Banks (Tracy) learns at the dinner table that his young daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) is engaged to be married to young Buckley Dunston (Don Taylor). When his wife Ellie (Joan Bennett) immediately starts planning the affair, Stanley realizes he’s in for it. What started out as a small intimate affair soon balloons into a massive—and expensive—undertaking, a wedding with “all the trimmings”. When Stanley lays down the law and insists that they cannot afford more than 150 guests, he is soon overruled by the powers that be. He finally resorts to suggesting to his daughter that they elope, an idea shot down by his wife. But, as with all comedies (and most weddings), a happy ending ensues. Notable for Elizabeth Taylor’s vibrant performance as the beautiful and naïve Kay.

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, Russ Tamblyn, and Leo G. Carroll. Written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Reynold Brown , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: In this adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play about a dysfunctional Southern family, Taylor plays Maggie “the Cat”, whose alcoholic husband Brick (Paul Newman) is battling depression after the suicide of his best friend. As a result of his sickness, Britt has lost his libido and the possibility of producing an heir to the family fortune. When the family discovers that Big Daddy (Burl Ives) the patriarch of the family, is dying of cancer, Gooper (Jack Carson), Britt’s brother, begins angling for the family inheritance. Big Daddy, who is fond of Maggie and Britt, resists Gooper’s manipulations. During one night, Brick and Maggie virulently air their resentments and jealousies until Brick finally finds himself. Notable for Taylor’s sexually charged portrayal of a woman frustrated with her husband and her situation.

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Judith Anderson, and Madeleine Sherwood. Written by Richard Brooks and James Poe (adapted from the play by Tennessee Williams). Directed by Richard Brooks.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? : In this scathing family drama, George and Martha (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) play a middle-aged couple who host a late-night party with a younger couple. George is an associate professor of history, and Martha, the university president’s daughter, begin to engage in drunken verbal abuse in front of their guests, Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis), much to their shock and then embarrassment. As the evening wears on, and the drinking continues, and the younger couple finds themselves drawn into the verbal maelstrom—humiliations, accusations, and betrayals abound. Nick is seduced by Martha, and George announces that their “son” has been killed in a car accident. The truth, when it is finally revealed, is devastating to all concerned. Notable for Taylor’s determination to play the role of the frumpy Martha, for which she gained thirty pounds.

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis. Screenplay by Ernes Lehman (adapted from the play by Edward Albee). Directed by Mike Nichols.

The Taming of the Shrew: In this adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy, Petruchio (Richard Burton) is persuaded to woo and marry Kate (Elizabeth Taylor) the shrewish and acerbic sister of the beautiful Bianca (Natasha Pyne), who, according to her father’s decree, cannot marry until Kate marries. The “courtship” pits Petruchio’s iron determination and razor-sharp wits against Kate’s stubbornness and violent temper. Once again, Taylor—at the time considered one of the most beautiful women in the world—portrays Kate fearlessly, with all the raw emotionality and power the role calls for. She and Burton are hilarious during his pursuit, particularly in the sequence where he is chasing her across the roof of her father’s house. Notable for the raucous and juicy modernization of the Shakespeare classic, particularly at the end, when the question of who is really wearing the pants is answered.

Starring: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Cyril Cusack, Alfred Lynch, Alan Webb, Natasha Pyne, and Michael York. Written by Paul Dehn, Suso Cecch d’Amico, and Franco Zeffirelli. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

English: Designer unknown. “Copyright 1959 by Paramount Pictures Corporation.”, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A Place in the Sun: Based on Theodore Dreiser’s novel An American Tragedy, the film follows George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), a poor young man who takes advantage of a rich uncle’s offer to start work at his factory. Although determined to work his way up, George becomes entangle with co-worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters). After his uncle invites him to their home, he meets society girl Angela Vickers (Taylor), with whom he falls in love. When Alice tells him she is pregnant, George realizes that in order to cement his place in high society and win the beautiful Angela, he has to dispose of Alice. Notable for Elizabeth Taylor’s impeccably tuned performance as a cluelessly privileged member of the elite.

Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, and Raymond Burr. Written by Michael Wilson and Harry Brown. Directed by George Stevens.

Suddenly, Last Summer: Adapted from the Tennessee Williams play, Catherine Holly (Taylor) is a young woman who has been hospitalized for emotional trauma after witnessing the violent death of her cousin, Sebastian. Violet Venable (Katherine Hepburn), Sebastian’s mother, is so desperate to keep the circumstances of Sebastian’s death quiet that she hires a brilliant young surgeon, John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift) to examine her and offers a substantial bribe to have her lobotomized. Having his doubts about Catherine’s condition, the doctor administers a drug that will allow her to recall what actually happened to her cousin. As she recalls the harrowing events of Sebastian’s demise, the dark secrets surrounding his private life come to light. Notable for Taylor’s performance as a bitter and traumatized woman.

Starring: Katherine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge, and Gary Raymond. Screenplay by Gore Vidal. Directed by Joseph Mankiewicz.

Bill Gold , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Giant: In this sprawling Western family saga, “Bick” Benedict (Rock Hudson) travels to Maryland on a horse-buying trip, meets and is infatuated by Leslie Lynnton (Taylor), whom he woos, marries and takes back to his Texas ranch. Having a hard time adjusting to ranch life—mostly because of Bick’s sister Luz (Mercedes McCambridge), who refuses to relinquish the household responsibilities, Leslie feels alienated in her new home. In her loneliness, she befriends Jett Rink (James Dean) a ranch hand who shows her around the spread. After Luz’s sudden death, Jett inherits a tract of land where he eventually strikes oil. As the years pass, Leslie and Bick’s children grow and tell their parents that they do not intend to run the family ranch. Bick’s son, Jordy (Dennis Hopper) marries a Mexican woman, Luz II, causing racial tensions to erupt. Jett, now a mogul, starts a drunken brawl after insulting Jordy’s wife. While lamenting the loss of the family legacy, Bick is comforted by Leslie, who tells him their grandchildren are legacy enough.

Starring: Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Mercedes McCambridge, Dennis Hopper, Chill Wills, Carroll Baker, and Dennis Hopper. Written by Fred Guilol and Ivan Moffat. Directed by George Stevens.

Butterfield 8: In another ground-breaking role, Taylor plays Gloria Wandrous, a promiscuous woman who tiptoes the thin line between eroticism and prostitution. When Weston Liggett (Laurence Harvey) becomes enamored of Gloria, he follows her as she flits from bar to bar, flirting with a variety of men until Liggett confronts her. Upset at first, Gloria then agrees to spend some significant time with him to “test” the depths of their relationship. Despite falling in love with each other, Liggett is compelled to return to his wife, Emily (Dina Merrill) and Gloria, determined to change her life, prepares to move away, but circumstances intervene. Notable for Taylor’s Oscar-winning performance as the free-spirited and unambiguously sexual Gloria.

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Laurence Harvey, Eddie Fisher, Dina Merrill, Betty Field, and Jeffrey Lynn. Written by Charles Schnee and John Michael Hayes. Directed by Daniel Mann.

The Comedians: A political drama set in Haiti during the Duvalier regime, the film follows the exploits of Martha Jones (Alec Guinness), a British adventurer, Ambassador Pineda (Peter Ustinov) and his wife Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), and a hotel owner Brown (Richard Burton) with whom she has been carrying on an affair. Upon his arrival on the island, Jones succeeds in convincing the government that he can supply arms to the government. Detesting the Duvalier regime for ruling with an iron fist, Brown is drawn into the insurrectionists’ cause by an old friend. Dodging representatives who wish to imprison him—or worse—Jones enlists Brown’s help and tries to flee the country, with tragic results. Notable for Taylor’s performance as a dissatisfied middle-aged woman looking for love.

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Alec Guinness, Peter Ustinov, Paul Ford, Lillian Gish, and James Earl Jones.