Her performance in Butterfield 8 was worth a week of adolescent “self-abuse” and for that alone she deserves our praise, respect and heartfelt thanks.
2.
Joe Beese
Occasionally I wonder who is the most legendary entertainer still living. After Sinatra died, I reckoned that to be Elizabeth Taylor.
Our closest equivalent is Angelina Jolie, I suppose. [Noted beauty with volatile temperament and homewrecker turned do-gooder.] But will she cut as large a swath through history as Taylor? Will Julia Roberts? I don’t think so.
She was certainly hard to kill. I hope she’s bickering with Richard Burton in Heaven now.
Occasionally I wonder who is the most legendary entertainer still living.
In acting, I’d say Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are right up there, although neither of them have the off-screen-fireworks resume that Liz Taylor had.
11.
Dennis SGMM
@debbie:
Thanks for mentioning “The Taming of the Shrew.” Few movies are more fun than that one. Richard Burton (No slouch) and Elizabeth Taylor, both at the height of their powers, each attempting to steal the movie from the other, made this one great.
12.
Woodrowfan
I still blame her for killing the League of Nations treaty though…
Jane Fonda had a pretty good acting career (dozens of movies, 2 oscars, 30 nominations, 6 GGs, etc.), and a hellofa off-screen life. it’ll be a big deal when she goes.
16.
Comrade Mary
I was tidying up the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, and for no particular reason, I started thinking about her. I missed her heyday as an actress in the 50s and 60s, and as a kid, I knew her best for appearing as herself on The Lucy Show and for being one of the first celebrities tracked by the media mainly for being a celebrity. She got mocked, a little, and she took the mockery well.
But after her stretch in the 70s to mid 90s as a celebrity / author / perfume sales person / People cover model / Larry King guest / what have you, she eased more and more out of the spotlight in the following years. I can’t remember the last time I saw her on the cover of a magazine or tabloid at the supermarket, which now appear to be almost totally reserved for the Kardashians and a bunch of fungible reality show people who display all the mess and mistakes the rest of us make in our lives, only bigger, trashier and greedier, and with none of the talent and achievements displayed by even a second rung sitcom star, let alone someone who inhabited our eyes and minds both as actress and herself for decades.
Taylor was known for little more than her celebrity and her former youthful beauty for decades, but she did have a body of work behind her. In the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, I thought about how little I had seen her, how little I had seen even references to her as an icon, let alone an actress, and wondered if this was the year her long term health problems would finally dispatch her. It was.
She was lovely. She was talented. She was a smartass broad. She was in pain. She’s out of pain now.
R.I.P., Liz.
17.
shirt
Her role as Nurse in “Hamersmith is Out” was a fantasy come true.
Occasionally I wonder who is the most legendary entertainer still living. After Sinatra died, I reckoned that to be Elizabeth Taylor.
maybe it’s just personal affinity, but i think bob dylan and paul mccartney have them both beat by quite a bit.
19.
Comrade Mary
Oh man, I forgot about her AIDS activism. If you’re going to have looks, riches and fame, and a somewhat messy personal life that keeps people entranced, leveraging people’s focus on you to do something good is, well, something good.
A legend, an icon, a devoted friend to the gays and the last living Movie Star, she will be sorely missed because there will never again be another like her.
I guess that all the classic Hollywood legends are gone now, except Kirk Douglas who was not quite in the same league.
The next generation of actors starts with New Hollywood, especially Easy Rider (and the Spaghetti Western as a deconstruction of the classic Western, to include Clint Eastwood). And in the music department, everything changed with the Beatles.
I guess that all the classic Hollywood legends are gone now
From the Golden Years, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine are still around.
I know this sounds stupid, but Elizabeth Taylor will always be National Velvet to me. I was about 10 when I first saw it on TV and even then I could see what caught Mickey Rooney’s eye. Absolutely breathtaking, even then.
to be fair, lauren bacall is still living and none of these other people you talk about are mentioned in a song by the clash.
to the larger issue, when people who may have jerked it to a particular actress, flicked the bean to an actor, got their first piece, buzz or toke to your music et al, become old enough to run things, then you can assess legendary status..
as to who the next generation of legends is? who knows? i would think prince combines the musical catalog and the life’s weirdness to be a legend, especially if all the rumors of unreleased records and full production value videos that have never been released are true.
35.
stuckinred
@cleek: I know I’m not supposed to talk to you but are you talking about Keef Hartley??? Wow, Halfbreed!
I’m with both of you. My favorite film headlined by Taylor/Burton (though I loved Virginia Woolf, too). They were amazing in it, both of them, and having such an obvious blast with good ol’ Will.
Her work with AmFar shouldn’t be forgotten either.
39.
Tokyokie
Frankly, I’m surprised she made it as long as she did, given the amount of substance abuse she engaged in. I worked with a guy (who was an alcoholic himself) who was a former press aide to John Warner, and he said she could drink the entire staff under the table, and frequently did. A beautifully damaged soul, and I’m going to miss her, even if she had already slipped from view long before the end.
40.
PurpleGirl
My bad; Taylor wasn’t in Night of the Iguana. That was Ava Gardner opposite Richard Burton.
ETA: Yes, she had addiction problems but she also had severe regular health problems that had her hospitalized multiple times.
She had 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
@stuckinred: Right. After seeing the movie, I read the Graham Greene novel.
43.
nancydarling
Was there ever a more beautiful cleavage than Taylor’s in that white dress as Maggie the Cat? I saw that movie at age 14 with a girlfriend and her father who sat two rows behind us. The scene where Brick and Maggie are fighting, he goes into the bathroom, slams the door, leans up against it, then falls apart as he smells her perfume in the nightgown hanging there said so much about longing and desire. I was very uncomfortable watching that erotic scene with Mr. J. nearby. Today it seems so tame—nothing left to the imagination these days.
44.
mclaren
Why on earth did anyone ever pay attention to this uninteresting woman?
She was never good looking. Her acting talent ranged from shrill shrieks to sullen snarls. Her personal life proved as embarrassing as that of all Hollywoood celebrities.
@mclaren: why the hate? It’s not as if she was David Broder is it? She actually did some good in the world promoting and supporting good causes regardless of your opinion of her as an actress.
Not to mention that, like any actress who had a long career, she had plenty of excellent performances along with plenty of crappy ones (or crappy because the script sucked and no one could save it). Viciously trashing her entire career for no reason I can see (other than ignorance of it) and making shitty remarks about her battle with addiction is what some people call “fun.”
50.
YellowJournalism
Thanks for posting this, mistermix. I just saw it on the news and it brought tears to my eyes. Someone so iconic can’t help but make up a part of your personal and cultural history if you paid attention to their career and enjoyed their work. I felt the same way about Paul Newman, Madeline Kahn, and Katharine Hepburn.
I think there are not many actors from more recent generations who could be considered greats. Julia Roberts comes close to a Doris Day figure because of all her work in romantic comedies, but I would say maybe Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep could be considered greats long after they are gone. There’s probably more, but I can’t think of anyone else right now. (Clooney? Very Cary Grant-ish personality.)
@Alex S.: Amen to that and to everyone else who holds Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as one of the best pairings in cinematic history. And I say that she was the best Helen Burns of all the Jane Eyre adaptations I’ve seen. But then, I adore that version of Jane Eyre anyway.
I would be interested to know what films a person who describes her acting as shrieks and snarls has seen.
51.
JGabriel
Occasionally I wonder who is the most legendary entertainer still living.
A big ALSO, TOO – Last person left in Hollywood, who acted in silent movies.
When he goes a lot of history will be gone with him.
53.
Elizabelle
Always startling when someone larger than life is stilled.
RIP
54.
Omnes Omnibus
@mclaren: At least we can say about you that you really are an equal opportunity asshole. Good job.
55.
fraught
I’m 70 and cannot remember a time when there wasn’t a movie star named Elizabeth Taylor. Wasn’t her biggest fan but her loyalty to her gay friends in the fifties was nearly heroic.
Also, the giant B & W closeups in “A Place in the Sun” were unforgettable.
At least we can say about you that you really are an equal opportunity asshole. Good job.
I read the post before I saw who had written it, and I knew, I just knew, it was mclaren trying to shit on another thread.
Nothing new to see here, move along, move along.
59.
Cat Lady
Suddenly Last Summer – the scene where she runs away from the shrink and accidentally stumbles into the lock down ward of the asylum has been etched in my mind since I first saw that as a young teen. That scene unfolds as such a tour de force of horror and of chiaroscuro as that whole movie is. She was a force of nature that won’t be seen again. RIP beautiful lady.
60.
Brachiator
Never saw National Velvet. But from clips she was clearly a beautiful young woman with a great screen presence. And not too long ago, I saw in quick succession Father of the Bride and The Last Time I Saw Paris, and thought “damn, she grew up to be a sizzling adult” and wondered how fans at the time adjusted, especially since it is not always the case that a notable child star has equal charisma as an adult.
In reading her obit, it’s noted that she fell off a horse during Velvet, which may have begun her long battle with health issues. But she was also clearly brave, one of the first stars whose grief (death of husband Mike Todd) and personal battles was highlighted before the public.
And she burns up the screen in films like Giant with Rock Hudson and James Dean and even enlivens that giant turkey (which also bankrupted the studio) Cleopatra.
Taylor wasn’t just a star. She, like very few other actors, is also representative of the history of the film industry.
Thanks Liz. You were indeed a hell of a broad.
George: I’m very impressed.
Martha: You’re damn right.
__
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
She was a knockout. For a long time. Later years, not as kind to her as they were to, say, Lena Horne. And she may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there weren’t too many who could match her (for looks) when she was in her prime. Grace Kelly (in a different sort of way), Ava Gardner, Ruth Buzzi, I’m sure I’m forgetting others.
63.
You Don't Say
@fraught: “A Place in the Sun” is a great movie and, yes, it brings immediately to mind close-ups of her gorgeous face.
@SFAW: In fairness to Taylor, she injured her back in National Velvet which led to her life long struggle with prescription drugs. That plus the legendary boozing took its toll. Amazing that she was able to pull herself together and look so good for as long as she did. I would add Sophia Loren to the list of aging beauties.
68.
Violet
She was a great actress, a great beauty and someone who lived her life fully and with great love. RIP, Liz. Condolences to her family and friends. A huge loss.
69.
PurpleGirl
Found at another blog, this tribute to her made by Paul Newman for Turner Classic Movies.
But there weren’t too many who could match her (for looks) when she was in her prime. Grace Kelly (in a different sort of way), Ava Gardner, Ruth Buzzi, I’m sure I’m forgetting others.
Sophia Loren.
Some of the shots of a wet Loren in Boy on a Dolphin put the hubb in “Hubba Hubba!”
And a great actress and distinctive individual, also too.
Agree re: Sophia Loren, embarrassed that I forgot her.
73.
sparky
i’m not old enough to know her firsthand from movies, but apparently she leaves a good-sized body of work, not to mention being one of the transitory figures between celebrity for a reason (acting) and celebrity because…there’s 30,000,000 Americans who need a celebrity fix.
otherwise, i got nuthin.
imo mclaren is just doing a little trolling in an otherwise “no bad thing said” thread.
no one so far mentioned Liza Minelli, another transition figure.
74.
Tokyokie
Perhaps mclaren is complaining about Elizabeth Taylor’s performance in the dreadful clunker Night Watch. I remember sitting through that crap and thinking that Taylor was especially bad in it, although the plot of the badly written thing necessitated scenery-chewing by the lead actress. Years later, I read that the only reason she did the picture was because her longtime friend and co-star, Laurence Harvey was dying of stomach cancer and desperately needed the money. How many of stars of today would willingly do work ill-suited for them to help out a friend in desperate need? It’s the sort of act of kindness that made me cherish Liz.
“You can’t afford good liquor George! Not on an *associate professor’s* salary!”
76.
PurpleGirl
@Tokyokie: How many of stars of today would willingly do work ill-suited for them to help out a friend in desperate need?
When Angela Lansbury was making Murder She Wrote, she had bit parts and cameos written for a number of her friends who were older and in financial stress. Since their medical insurance from SAG depended on making a minimum amount of money from current acting, it was important for these people to get even bit parts. I’ve always respected her for that.
Her performance in Butterfield 8 … deserves our praise, respect and heartfelt thanks.
I was amazed when I saw this movie….the 50s!
But not necessarily in a self-abuse sort of way. ;=)
78.
debbie
I thought Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most beautiful movie starts when she was in her prime. Maybe I missed a couple of early ones, but I thought her first lousy movie was Cleopatra, which wasn’t entirely her fault.
They really don’t make movies like that anymore. I can’t remember if it was Summer and Smoke or Suddenly Last Summer, but that scene where Katherine Hepburn descends majestically in that open elevator was magic. Talking about hamming!!
And she and Burton also filmed Night of the Iguana.
Well, she wasn’t in the film. Maybe you are thinking of Ava Gardner? Deborah Kerr was in it also but nobody could confuse Kerr and Taylor. But Burton was excellent.
Nobody has mentioned “The Sandpiper”. Burton and Taylor together. And it inspired a very funny Mad magazine parody”.
Oh, sorry for not reading to the end and seeing your correction. I hate that when it happens.
81.
Tokyokie
@PurpleGirl: And Angela is another Laurence Harvey colleague, she just wasn’t in a position to help him in 1973.
82.
Kilkee
About 20 years ago I happened to wander into the Filene’s store in Boston the day that Elizabeth Taylor was there to promote some new perfume she was hawking. I guess I was about 35, she about 60. Most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. Those violet eyes, in person, are like nothing else, especially since you knew they were effin’ real.
Then there was all the great stuff she did about AIDs and gay folks, when she didn’t have to, and it was needed, and it mattered. God bless her, I hope she’s chillin’ with Richard and the gang.
83.
john b
re: all the people talking about most “legendary entertainers”
does entertainer = actress, now?
because musicians are entertainers. as are dancers and comedians (and many others). if you think she was one of the most legendary actresses out there, I’ll give you that. And I’ll even give you that she was a legendary entertainer. But when people are talking about remaining legendary entertainers and then give a list like this:
I gotta call shenanigans. First it’s all women. Second it’s all actresses (I think). And half the people on there aren’t exactly legendary.
Those violet eyes,
huh?
84.
Kilkee
@john b: Maybe you misunderstand. I wasn’t suggesting they made her a legendary actress, or legendary anything. I was saying they were incredibly striking. If you’d seen them you’d probably agree.
SteveinSC
Her performance in Butterfield 8 was worth a week of adolescent “self-abuse” and for that alone she deserves our praise, respect and heartfelt thanks.
Joe Beese
Occasionally I wonder who is the most legendary entertainer still living. After Sinatra died, I reckoned that to be Elizabeth Taylor.
Our closest equivalent is Angelina Jolie, I suppose. [Noted beauty with volatile temperament and homewrecker turned do-gooder.] But will she cut as large a swath through history as Taylor? Will Julia Roberts? I don’t think so.
She was certainly hard to kill. I hope she’s bickering with Richard Burton in Heaven now.
Comrade DougJ
The end of an era.
WereBear
She was an extraordinary combination of clueless child and tough broad.
Been in movies since she could walk. Might have had something to do with it.
Must a been a bunch of exes waiting at the Pearly Gates for her to show up… Mike Todd, in particular.
debbie
@ Joe Beese:
Please. There’s no comparison. Taylor could actually act.
Her most memorable moment onscreen: That close-up of her eyes in “The Taming of the Shrew.” Especially on a big screen!
Dennis SGMM
Elizabeth, miss you, miss you, miss you.
It’s an Old Guy thing for sure but my feeling is that most of today’s “stars” are just entertainers.
Alex S.
In my opinion, Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor were the most beautiful screen couple to ever grace the screen, RIP.
cleek
there will be a lot of words written about Jack Nicholson when he goes. DeNiro, Pacino, Madonna, too.
Dork
Wasn’t she married like 931 times?
Ash Can
That she was.
@Joe Beese:
In acting, I’d say Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are right up there, although neither of them have the off-screen-fireworks resume that Liz Taylor had.
Dennis SGMM
@debbie:
Thanks for mentioning “The Taming of the Shrew.” Few movies are more fun than that one. Richard Burton (No slouch) and Elizabeth Taylor, both at the height of their powers, each attempting to steal the movie from the other, made this one great.
Woodrowfan
I still blame her for killing the League of Nations treaty though…
Rosalita
@Joe Beese:
I wouldn’t put Jolie in that category personally. I’d say Redford, Pacino, Nicholson. Meryl Streep is teh awesome too.
debbie
@ Dennis SGMM:
Yes. The whole “club” of them: Peter O’Toole, Albert Finney, Richard Harris, and so many more. Actors and hams rolled into one.
cleek
Jane Fonda had a pretty good acting career (dozens of movies, 2 oscars, 30 nominations, 6 GGs, etc.), and a hellofa off-screen life. it’ll be a big deal when she goes.
Comrade Mary
I was tidying up the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, and for no particular reason, I started thinking about her. I missed her heyday as an actress in the 50s and 60s, and as a kid, I knew her best for appearing as herself on The Lucy Show and for being one of the first celebrities tracked by the media mainly for being a celebrity. She got mocked, a little, and she took the mockery well.
But after her stretch in the 70s to mid 90s as a celebrity / author / perfume sales person / People cover model / Larry King guest / what have you, she eased more and more out of the spotlight in the following years. I can’t remember the last time I saw her on the cover of a magazine or tabloid at the supermarket, which now appear to be almost totally reserved for the Kardashians and a bunch of fungible reality show people who display all the mess and mistakes the rest of us make in our lives, only bigger, trashier and greedier, and with none of the talent and achievements displayed by even a second rung sitcom star, let alone someone who inhabited our eyes and minds both as actress and herself for decades.
Taylor was known for little more than her celebrity and her former youthful beauty for decades, but she did have a body of work behind her. In the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, I thought about how little I had seen her, how little I had seen even references to her as an icon, let alone an actress, and wondered if this was the year her long term health problems would finally dispatch her. It was.
She was lovely. She was talented. She was a smartass broad. She was in pain. She’s out of pain now.
R.I.P., Liz.
shirt
Her role as Nurse in “Hamersmith is Out” was a fantasy come true.
john b
@Rosalita:
maybe it’s just personal affinity, but i think bob dylan and paul mccartney have them both beat by quite a bit.
Comrade Mary
Oh man, I forgot about her AIDS activism. If you’re going to have looks, riches and fame, and a somewhat messy personal life that keeps people entranced, leveraging people’s focus on you to do something good is, well, something good.
Mary G
T Lo said
Alex S.
@Joe Beese:
I guess that all the classic Hollywood legends are gone now, except Kirk Douglas who was not quite in the same league.
The next generation of actors starts with New Hollywood, especially Easy Rider (and the Spaghetti Western as a deconstruction of the classic Western, to include Clint Eastwood). And in the music department, everything changed with the Beatles.
stuckinred
The Comedians is badass.
Marc McKenzie
She was a fantastic actress and lived one hell of a life.
She will be sorely missed…RIP.
piratedan
kinda always felt that the converse of that description for men applied to her, she was a “dame’s dame”.
Dennis SGMM
@debbie:
Heh! Bring on the hams. Bring on someone willing to take chances.
Villago Delenda Est
Violet eyes to die for.
Another great is gone.
cleek
@Alex S.:
Mickey Rooney is (amazingly) still alive.
Rosalita
@john b:
well if you want to move into the music category, I’m biased to Springsteen being forever The Boss
Viva BrisVegas
@Alex S.:
From the Golden Years, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine are still around.
I know this sounds stupid, but Elizabeth Taylor will always be National Velvet to me. I was about 10 when I first saw it on TV and even then I could see what caught Mickey Rooney’s eye. Absolutely breathtaking, even then.
Mickey Rooney, there’s another one.
cleek
@Rosalita:
let us not forget Mick and Keef.
PurpleGirl
For me, her best role was Maggie (to Paul Newman’s Brick) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
A probably best forgotten role was as Barbara, an aging woman who gets secret plastic surgery to regain youthful looks, in Ash Wednesday (1973).
And she and Burton also filmed Night of the Iguana.
Goddess, she lived a tumultuous life and her spirit deserves peace now.
After thought — her children don’t seem to have become hellions or sociopaths; maybe behind the public scenes she was a loving, wise and good mother.
Villago Delenda Est
@Rosalita:
Clapton is God.
There. I said it.
Menu
@Alex S.:
Indeed! Pure eye candy.
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
to be fair, lauren bacall is still living and none of these other people you talk about are mentioned in a song by the clash.
to the larger issue, when people who may have jerked it to a particular actress, flicked the bean to an actor, got their first piece, buzz or toke to your music et al, become old enough to run things, then you can assess legendary status..
as to who the next generation of legends is? who knows? i would think prince combines the musical catalog and the life’s weirdness to be a legend, especially if all the rumors of unreleased records and full production value videos that have never been released are true.
stuckinred
@cleek: I know I’m not supposed to talk to you but are you talking about Keef Hartley??? Wow, Halfbreed!
geg6
@debbie:
@Dennis SGMM:
I’m with both of you. My favorite film headlined by Taylor/Burton (though I loved Virginia Woolf, too). They were amazing in it, both of them, and having such an obvious blast with good ol’ Will.
Alex S.
@Viva BrisVegas:
Ah yes, thanks for the correction.
David
Her work with AmFar shouldn’t be forgotten either.
Tokyokie
Frankly, I’m surprised she made it as long as she did, given the amount of substance abuse she engaged in. I worked with a guy (who was an alcoholic himself) who was a former press aide to John Warner, and he said she could drink the entire staff under the table, and frequently did. A beautifully damaged soul, and I’m going to miss her, even if she had already slipped from view long before the end.
PurpleGirl
My bad; Taylor wasn’t in Night of the Iguana. That was Ava Gardner opposite Richard Burton.
ETA: Yes, she had addiction problems but she also had severe regular health problems that had her hospitalized multiple times.
She had 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
stuckinred
@PurpleGirl: She was in the Comedians with him.
PurpleGirl
@stuckinred: Right. After seeing the movie, I read the Graham Greene novel.
nancydarling
Was there ever a more beautiful cleavage than Taylor’s in that white dress as Maggie the Cat? I saw that movie at age 14 with a girlfriend and her father who sat two rows behind us. The scene where Brick and Maggie are fighting, he goes into the bathroom, slams the door, leans up against it, then falls apart as he smells her perfume in the nightgown hanging there said so much about longing and desire. I was very uncomfortable watching that erotic scene with Mr. J. nearby. Today it seems so tame—nothing left to the imagination these days.
mclaren
Why on earth did anyone ever pay attention to this uninteresting woman?
She was never good looking. Her acting talent ranged from shrill shrieks to sullen snarls. Her personal life proved as embarrassing as that of all Hollywoood celebrities.
Did she ever succeed in leaving alcohol rehab?
Rosalita
@Villago Delenda Est:
yeah, he’s high my list too…
master c
@Alex S.: yes!
gypsy howell
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- still one of my favorite movies. She was at her most beautiful in that movie. And Paul Newman was looking pretty good too.
piratedan
@mclaren: why the hate? It’s not as if she was David Broder is it? She actually did some good in the world promoting and supporting good causes regardless of your opinion of her as an actress.
geg6
@piratedan:
Not to mention that, like any actress who had a long career, she had plenty of excellent performances along with plenty of crappy ones (or crappy because the script sucked and no one could save it). Viciously trashing her entire career for no reason I can see (other than ignorance of it) and making shitty remarks about her battle with addiction is what some people call “fun.”
YellowJournalism
Thanks for posting this, mistermix. I just saw it on the news and it brought tears to my eyes. Someone so iconic can’t help but make up a part of your personal and cultural history if you paid attention to their career and enjoyed their work. I felt the same way about Paul Newman, Madeline Kahn, and Katharine Hepburn.
I think there are not many actors from more recent generations who could be considered greats. Julia Roberts comes close to a Doris Day figure because of all her work in romantic comedies, but I would say maybe Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep could be considered greats long after they are gone. There’s probably more, but I can’t think of anyone else right now. (Clooney? Very Cary Grant-ish personality.)
@Alex S.: Amen to that and to everyone else who holds Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as one of the best pairings in cinematic history. And I say that she was the best Helen Burns of all the Jane Eyre adaptations I’ve seen. But then, I adore that version of Jane Eyre anyway.
I would be interested to know what films a person who describes her acting as shrieks and snarls has seen.
JGabriel
Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve, Sophia Loren, Jeanne Moreau.
.
gene108
@cleek:
And still acting! Longest movie career EVER!
A big ALSO, TOO – Last person left in Hollywood, who acted in silent movies.
When he goes a lot of history will be gone with him.
Elizabelle
Always startling when someone larger than life is stilled.
RIP
Omnes Omnibus
@mclaren: At least we can say about you that you really are an equal opportunity asshole. Good job.
fraught
I’m 70 and cannot remember a time when there wasn’t a movie star named Elizabeth Taylor. Wasn’t her biggest fan but her loyalty to her gay friends in the fifties was nearly heroic.
Also, the giant B & W closeups in “A Place in the Sun” were unforgettable.
Corner Stone
@JGabriel:
I watched RED recently and was pleasantly surprised at how attractive I still find Helen Mirren. Say what you will but I’m digging her.
Corner Stone
@stuckinred:
Why aren’t you?
Felonious Wench
@Omnes Omnibus:
I read the post before I saw who had written it, and I knew, I just knew, it was mclaren trying to shit on another thread.
Nothing new to see here, move along, move along.
Cat Lady
Suddenly Last Summer – the scene where she runs away from the shrink and accidentally stumbles into the lock down ward of the asylum has been etched in my mind since I first saw that as a young teen. That scene unfolds as such a tour de force of horror and of chiaroscuro as that whole movie is. She was a force of nature that won’t be seen again. RIP beautiful lady.
Brachiator
Never saw National Velvet. But from clips she was clearly a beautiful young woman with a great screen presence. And not too long ago, I saw in quick succession Father of the Bride and The Last Time I Saw Paris, and thought “damn, she grew up to be a sizzling adult” and wondered how fans at the time adjusted, especially since it is not always the case that a notable child star has equal charisma as an adult.
In reading her obit, it’s noted that she fell off a horse during Velvet, which may have begun her long battle with health issues. But she was also clearly brave, one of the first stars whose grief (death of husband Mike Todd) and personal battles was highlighted before the public.
And she burns up the screen in films like Giant with Rock Hudson and James Dean and even enlivens that giant turkey (which also bankrupted the studio) Cleopatra.
Taylor wasn’t just a star. She, like very few other actors, is also representative of the history of the film industry.
Thanks Liz. You were indeed a hell of a broad.
bjacques
Good night, ma’am.
Here are a couple of news pix I was lucky to obtain awhile back:
Out on a spring day in Paris:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjacques/4591338491/in/photostream/
and a happy birthday on the set of “Cleopatra”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjacques/4591338481/in/photostream/
SFAW
mclaren’s right, she was never “good looking”.
She was a knockout. For a long time. Later years, not as kind to her as they were to, say, Lena Horne. And she may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there weren’t too many who could match her (for looks) when she was in her prime. Grace Kelly (in a different sort of way), Ava Gardner, Ruth Buzzi, I’m sure I’m forgetting others.
You Don't Say
@fraught: “A Place in the Sun” is a great movie and, yes, it brings immediately to mind close-ups of her gorgeous face.
Villago Delenda Est
@SFAW:
Women who have aged really well: Lena Horne and the FABULOUS Tina Turner.
SFAW
Yeah, Lena was pretty amazing. Haven’t seen Tina in a long time, so you have the advantage of me there.
rikryah
Maggie the Cat IS ALIVE…….
may she RIP
thank you, Ms. Taylor.
nancydarling
@SFAW: In fairness to Taylor, she injured her back in National Velvet which led to her life long struggle with prescription drugs. That plus the legendary boozing took its toll. Amazing that she was able to pull herself together and look so good for as long as she did. I would add Sophia Loren to the list of aging beauties.
Violet
She was a great actress, a great beauty and someone who lived her life fully and with great love. RIP, Liz. Condolences to her family and friends. A huge loss.
PurpleGirl
Found at another blog, this tribute to her made by Paul Newman for Turner Classic Movies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyHa4NSmTkk&feature=player_embedded
DKF
@mclaren:
Are you out of your fucking mind?
Brachiator
@SFAW:
Sophia Loren.
Some of the shots of a wet Loren in Boy on a Dolphin put the hubb in “Hubba Hubba!”
And a great actress and distinctive individual, also too.
Also: Ann Margaret dancing in “Viva Las Vegas”
SFAW
Agree re: Sophia Loren, embarrassed that I forgot her.
sparky
i’m not old enough to know her firsthand from movies, but apparently she leaves a good-sized body of work, not to mention being one of the transitory figures between celebrity for a reason (acting) and celebrity because…there’s 30,000,000 Americans who need a celebrity fix.
otherwise, i got nuthin.
imo mclaren is just doing a little trolling in an otherwise “no bad thing said” thread.
no one so far mentioned Liza Minelli, another transition figure.
Tokyokie
Perhaps mclaren is complaining about Elizabeth Taylor’s performance in the dreadful clunker Night Watch. I remember sitting through that crap and thinking that Taylor was especially bad in it, although the plot of the badly written thing necessitated scenery-chewing by the lead actress. Years later, I read that the only reason she did the picture was because her longtime friend and co-star, Laurence Harvey was dying of stomach cancer and desperately needed the money. How many of stars of today would willingly do work ill-suited for them to help out a friend in desperate need? It’s the sort of act of kindness that made me cherish Liz.
bjacques
In memoriam…
The Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf Drinking Game:
http://www.sepulchritude.com/suffer/2003/waovw/
“You can’t afford good liquor George! Not on an *associate professor’s* salary!”
PurpleGirl
@Tokyokie: How many of stars of today would willingly do work ill-suited for them to help out a friend in desperate need?
When Angela Lansbury was making Murder She Wrote, she had bit parts and cameos written for a number of her friends who were older and in financial stress. Since their medical insurance from SAG depended on making a minimum amount of money from current acting, it was important for these people to get even bit parts. I’ve always respected her for that.
HyperIon
@SteveinSC wrote:
I was amazed when I saw this movie….the 50s!
But not necessarily in a self-abuse sort of way. ;=)
debbie
I thought Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most beautiful movie starts when she was in her prime. Maybe I missed a couple of early ones, but I thought her first lousy movie was Cleopatra, which wasn’t entirely her fault.
They really don’t make movies like that anymore. I can’t remember if it was Summer and Smoke or Suddenly Last Summer, but that scene where Katherine Hepburn descends majestically in that open elevator was magic. Talking about hamming!!
HyperIon
@PurpleGirl wrote:
Well, she wasn’t in the film. Maybe you are thinking of Ava Gardner? Deborah Kerr was in it also but nobody could confuse Kerr and Taylor. But Burton was excellent.
Nobody has mentioned “The Sandpiper”. Burton and Taylor together. And it inspired a very funny Mad magazine parody”.
HyperIon
@PurpleGirl corrected herself
Oh, sorry for not reading to the end and seeing your correction. I hate that when it happens.
Tokyokie
@PurpleGirl: And Angela is another Laurence Harvey colleague, she just wasn’t in a position to help him in 1973.
Kilkee
About 20 years ago I happened to wander into the Filene’s store in Boston the day that Elizabeth Taylor was there to promote some new perfume she was hawking. I guess I was about 35, she about 60. Most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. Those violet eyes, in person, are like nothing else, especially since you knew they were effin’ real.
Then there was all the great stuff she did about AIDs and gay folks, when she didn’t have to, and it was needed, and it mattered. God bless her, I hope she’s chillin’ with Richard and the gang.
john b
re: all the people talking about most “legendary entertainers”
does entertainer = actress, now?
because musicians are entertainers. as are dancers and comedians (and many others). if you think she was one of the most legendary actresses out there, I’ll give you that. And I’ll even give you that she was a legendary entertainer. But when people are talking about remaining legendary entertainers and then give a list like this:
I gotta call shenanigans. First it’s all women. Second it’s all actresses (I think). And half the people on there aren’t exactly legendary.
huh?
Kilkee
@john b: Maybe you misunderstand. I wasn’t suggesting they made her a legendary actress, or legendary anything. I was saying they were incredibly striking. If you’d seen them you’d probably agree.
Phoebe
For anyone still out there, look at this:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/02/zahedi-lacma-slide-show-201102
Beauty x 10!
C
I disagree, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were the best looking screen actors together.