I recently watched the 3-part docuseries, “Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar” on Fox Nation and loved it. Produced by Kim Kardashian (who surprised me with the depth of research and her skill in presenting so much information on the superstar, some of it never seen before), the series held me riveted each night.
I suspect many of you grew up during Elizabeth Taylor’s heyday like I did and were as enraptured by her stunning beauty, long list of movies, and those leading men who could just about lead ME anywhere they wanted, again like I was. 🙂
I don’t know of any woman who had seven husbands with eight marriages, do you? Her son, Chris Wilding, interviewed at length during the shows, proclaimed Elizabeth as a good mother. I was a bit amazed by that. His childhood, along with that of his three siblings, couldn’t have been easy with the tabloids proclaiming her scandalous affairs and revolving door of husbands. She didn’t give her children a stable family life, in my opinion. But he did say he was sent away to boarding school (I’m not sure about the other three), so perhaps that was Elizabeth’s way of protecting him somewhat from the repercussions of her famous, super-star, self-centered life.
When I think of her, I always remember her diamonds, red lipstick, that mole on her right cheek, and her incredible beauty. Her acting talent isn’t on my list, but the movie moguls during the last half of the 20th century would disagree with me. Universal Studios contracted her when she was ten years old, and MGM shortly thereafter, grooming her to become a major child star. She went on to make 72 films and television projects between 1942 and 2001.
Since she acted in lots of classic Hollywood dramas (remember Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and big historical productions like Cleopatra, out of those 72 films, only two were westerns. Interesting, since westerns were in their heyday during their time.
1. Giant (1956)
A Western drama set in Texas that spans 25 years. Rock Hudson is a wealthy cattle baron, and Elizabeth Taylor plays his wife. James Dean is a rebellious ranch hand who strikes oil and also becomes rich, and the rivalry between the two men spans the length of the film. Giant was James Dean’s last film before he died.
2. Poker Alice (1987)
Not the sprawling epic film of her previous western, this TV movie is more character-driven with Elizabeth portraying Alice Moffitt who is a traveling gambler in the Old West. George Hamilton plays her cousin. She wins a house during a poker game, and the house turns out to be a bordello. Doesn’t that sound fun? Throw in a bounty hunter cousin to George Hamilton who competes for Alice’s attention, and there’s plenty of romance and tension to keep the movie interesting.
Elizabeth Taylor died in 2011 of complications from congestive heart failure at the age of 79. At the time of her passing, she was surrounded by her children, but none of her seven husbands were at her side.
When you think of Elizabeth Taylor, what do you remember about her? Have you seen either of her western movies? Do you have a favorite?
