The Taylor-Burton Scandal - The Love Affair of the Century!
The first time that Elizabeth met Richard, was, actually, not on the lavish set of Cleopatra. It was at actor Stewart Granger's Los Angeles house. Elizabeth was with Michael Wilding, and Richard was with Sybil. Richard later remembered: "I was enjoying this small social triumph, but then a girl sitting on the other side of the pool lowered her book, took off her sunglasses and looked at me. She was so extraordinarily beautiful that I nearly laughed out loud... she was unquestioningly gorgeous...She was lavish. She was a dark, unyielding largess. She was, in short, too bloody much, and not only that, she was totally ignoring me."
Needless to say, Elizabeth was not impressed at all by the man with his booming voice, reciting Shakespeare. They would meet again at a cocktail party hosted by Tyrone Power, and at a luncheon. Elizabeth knew of Richard's casanova reputation - once on set, Richard surprised Elizabeth by sniffing her shoulders and saying "Eh, short but with a beautiful face." Somewhat surprised, Elizabeth rushed over and sat down on Eddie's lap - implying to Richard her status as wife. (I am going slightly off-topic here, but, during her marriage to Eddie, Elizabeth adopted a German baby girl whom she and Eddie named Maria - Elizabeth was no longer able to have children because of her tubal ligation. Later Richard would adopt Maria during their marriage.) Elizabeth would recall "Richard came on the set and sort of sidled over to me and said: 'Has anybody ever told you that you're a very pretty girl?' I thought, Oy gevalt, the great lover, the great wit, the great Welsh intellectual, and he comes out with a corny line like that! But then I noticed his hands were shaking as if he had Saturday night palsy. He had the worst hangover I'd ever seen. And he was obviously terrified of me. I just took pity on him. I realized he really was human. That was the beginning of our affair."
Elizabeth began to realise the developing chemistry between her and Richard. One kissing scene went on for so long that the spectators began to feel embarrassed. Soon the press found out about the affair and eventually Eddie heard the story. He was in New York at the time and asked her to hold a press conference and deny the 'rumours'. It wasn't until he returned to Rome that she confessed.
The affair made the headlines. Tabloids raged about Elizabeth's 'wantonness'. She had a difficult decision to make ... and finally, chose to be with Richard, no matter what. However the affair took a dark turn. Richard decided the drama was all too much -for him and Sybil- and decided to end the romance. Depressed, Elizabeth took an overdose of sleeping pills. She was rushed to hospital where her stomach was pumped. Once again, Elizabeth almost died.
Needless to say, Elizabeth was not impressed at all by the man with his booming voice, reciting Shakespeare. They would meet again at a cocktail party hosted by Tyrone Power, and at a luncheon. Elizabeth knew of Richard's casanova reputation - once on set, Richard surprised Elizabeth by sniffing her shoulders and saying "Eh, short but with a beautiful face." Somewhat surprised, Elizabeth rushed over and sat down on Eddie's lap - implying to Richard her status as wife. (I am going slightly off-topic here, but, during her marriage to Eddie, Elizabeth adopted a German baby girl whom she and Eddie named Maria - Elizabeth was no longer able to have children because of her tubal ligation. Later Richard would adopt Maria during their marriage.) Elizabeth would recall "Richard came on the set and sort of sidled over to me and said: 'Has anybody ever told you that you're a very pretty girl?' I thought, Oy gevalt, the great lover, the great wit, the great Welsh intellectual, and he comes out with a corny line like that! But then I noticed his hands were shaking as if he had Saturday night palsy. He had the worst hangover I'd ever seen. And he was obviously terrified of me. I just took pity on him. I realized he really was human. That was the beginning of our affair."
Elizabeth began to realise the developing chemistry between her and Richard. One kissing scene went on for so long that the spectators began to feel embarrassed. Soon the press found out about the affair and eventually Eddie heard the story. He was in New York at the time and asked her to hold a press conference and deny the 'rumours'. It wasn't until he returned to Rome that she confessed.
The affair made the headlines. Tabloids raged about Elizabeth's 'wantonness'. She had a difficult decision to make ... and finally, chose to be with Richard, no matter what. However the affair took a dark turn. Richard decided the drama was all too much -for him and Sybil- and decided to end the romance. Depressed, Elizabeth took an overdose of sleeping pills. She was rushed to hospital where her stomach was pumped. Once again, Elizabeth almost died.
On March the 6th, 1964, Elizabeth divorced Eddie (Richard had divorced Sybil in 1963). It was an ending to a love triangle and the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that would dominate gossip magazines for many years to come. Her affair with Richard came at a high price - even the Pope condemned her, publicly, too!
By the time she had divorced Eddie, Elizabeth had made another film with Richard - called "The V.I.Ps" (1963) (which also starred Maggie Smith and Margaret Rutherford), based on the story of Vivien Leigh, who attempted to ditch her husband Laurence Olivier and run off with her lover Peter Finch, but got stuck at Heathrow by a fog. The role of Frances Andros (a socialite who wants to run off with her lover) was originally given to Sophia Loren. However Elizabeth persuaded the director to give the role to her (she was uneasy about Sophia and Richard being together), saying "Let Sophia stay in Rome." To say the least, "The V.I.P.s" was pretty bad, though it did well at the box office. Margaret Rutherford won an Academy Award and Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress award as the Duchess of Brighton. Apart from that, there nothing good came from the film, career-wise, for Richard or Elizabeth.
In September 1962, Richard and Elizabeth went to Mexico, so Richard could film "The Night of The Iguana" (alongside Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr). During filming they stayed in a house called Casa Kimberley in Puerto Vallarta. Actually Casa Kimberley was made up of two houses on opposite sides of the street with a bridge connecting them. Elizabeth later sold it intact, with her photographs, old clothes in the closets etc. (Sadly, Casa Kimberley is no longer what it was. After Elizabeth sold the property, Casa Kimberley was turned into a bread-and-breakfast that visitors could tour. However, it closed and is to be turned into condos.) "The Night of the Iguana" earned $12 million at the box office worldwide, and had four Oscar nominations, one of which it won - Best Costume Design.
By the time she had divorced Eddie, Elizabeth had made another film with Richard - called "The V.I.Ps" (1963) (which also starred Maggie Smith and Margaret Rutherford), based on the story of Vivien Leigh, who attempted to ditch her husband Laurence Olivier and run off with her lover Peter Finch, but got stuck at Heathrow by a fog. The role of Frances Andros (a socialite who wants to run off with her lover) was originally given to Sophia Loren. However Elizabeth persuaded the director to give the role to her (she was uneasy about Sophia and Richard being together), saying "Let Sophia stay in Rome." To say the least, "The V.I.P.s" was pretty bad, though it did well at the box office. Margaret Rutherford won an Academy Award and Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress award as the Duchess of Brighton. Apart from that, there nothing good came from the film, career-wise, for Richard or Elizabeth.
In September 1962, Richard and Elizabeth went to Mexico, so Richard could film "The Night of The Iguana" (alongside Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr). During filming they stayed in a house called Casa Kimberley in Puerto Vallarta. Actually Casa Kimberley was made up of two houses on opposite sides of the street with a bridge connecting them. Elizabeth later sold it intact, with her photographs, old clothes in the closets etc. (Sadly, Casa Kimberley is no longer what it was. After Elizabeth sold the property, Casa Kimberley was turned into a bread-and-breakfast that visitors could tour. However, it closed and is to be turned into condos.) "The Night of the Iguana" earned $12 million at the box office worldwide, and had four Oscar nominations, one of which it won - Best Costume Design.
The Burtons (1964-1974)
Elizabeth and Richard eventually married on March the 15th, 1964. Elizabeth - in a yellow chiffon dress with an emerald and diamond brooch pinned to it, lilies of the valley and hyacinths braided into her raven hair - was pleased to finally marry the man she loved. She declared, "I truly believe in my heart that this marriage will last forever. I know I have said that before, but this time I really do think it is true."
The next film that they would make together was called The Sandpiper (1965), a banal - but with beautiful shots of Big Sur - film, telling the story of a single mother who has an affair with an Episcopal minister. The one after, however, was the best film they had made together - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), a film which paralleled their allegedly 'dramatic' and 'tempestuous' off-screen lives as a married couple - 'the Burtons were not accustomed to the kinds of venomous exchanges in which George and Martha engaged in the film', as biographer J Randy Taraborrelli points out in Elizabeth. Serious drinking and drug problems, however, would seriously affect their marriage - and would destroy their second one.
Elizabeth and Richard both delivered excellent performances in the film (Elizabeth received a much-deserved Oscar, but Richard was unfairly disregarded) which would be the last major one they would perform in together. From 1967 to 1974, Elizabeth (with sometimes Richard) performed in mostly bad films and TV movies, such as Boom!, Secret Ceremony, The Only Game In Town and Hammersmith Is Out. Her film career was entering its nadir, with ridiculous story lines and weak scripts. Taming of the Shrew and Reflections In A Golden Eye are the two watchable ones during this period.
The next film that they would make together was called The Sandpiper (1965), a banal - but with beautiful shots of Big Sur - film, telling the story of a single mother who has an affair with an Episcopal minister. The one after, however, was the best film they had made together - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), a film which paralleled their allegedly 'dramatic' and 'tempestuous' off-screen lives as a married couple - 'the Burtons were not accustomed to the kinds of venomous exchanges in which George and Martha engaged in the film', as biographer J Randy Taraborrelli points out in Elizabeth. Serious drinking and drug problems, however, would seriously affect their marriage - and would destroy their second one.
Elizabeth and Richard both delivered excellent performances in the film (Elizabeth received a much-deserved Oscar, but Richard was unfairly disregarded) which would be the last major one they would perform in together. From 1967 to 1974, Elizabeth (with sometimes Richard) performed in mostly bad films and TV movies, such as Boom!, Secret Ceremony, The Only Game In Town and Hammersmith Is Out. Her film career was entering its nadir, with ridiculous story lines and weak scripts. Taming of the Shrew and Reflections In A Golden Eye are the two watchable ones during this period.
'Liz and Dick', as they were now known, now led extravagant lives. Elizabeth received many jewels from her loving husband - such as the magnificent La Peregrina pearl in 1969. Yet, as perfect as their lives might've seemed - with jewels, money and fame, the reality was far from it. Struggles with alcohol and drug addiction fuelled their many arguments. Elizabeth talked about her fights with Richard on 60 Minutes in 1970 - "I must say we enjoy fighting. I think that fighting, with somebody you love, and are really sure of, and if you're really sure of yourself, in your love, I think that having a fight - an out loud, outrageous, ridiculous fight - is one of the greatest exercises in marital togetherness."
Richard would write passionately to her :
'I love you, lovely woman. If anybody hurts you, just send me a line saying something like "Need" or "Necessary" or just the one magic word "Elizabeth", and I will be there somewhat faster than sound. You must know, of course, how much I love you. You must know, of course, how badly I treat you. But the fundamental and most vicious, swinish, murderous and unchangeable fact is that we totally misunderstand each other.'
Another excerpt reads:
'I am forever punished by the gods for being given the fire and trying to put it out. The fire, of course, is you. You are probably the best actress in the world, which, combined with your extraordinary beauty, makes you unique.' Sadly the ten-year marriage did not last. On June the 26th 1974, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton filed for divorce. Their marriage was over. Sixteen months after their divorce, Richard commented: "You can't keep clapping a couple of sticks [of dynamite] together without expecting them to blow up."
Richard would write passionately to her :
'I love you, lovely woman. If anybody hurts you, just send me a line saying something like "Need" or "Necessary" or just the one magic word "Elizabeth", and I will be there somewhat faster than sound. You must know, of course, how much I love you. You must know, of course, how badly I treat you. But the fundamental and most vicious, swinish, murderous and unchangeable fact is that we totally misunderstand each other.'
Another excerpt reads:
'I am forever punished by the gods for being given the fire and trying to put it out. The fire, of course, is you. You are probably the best actress in the world, which, combined with your extraordinary beauty, makes you unique.' Sadly the ten-year marriage did not last. On June the 26th 1974, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton filed for divorce. Their marriage was over. Sixteen months after their divorce, Richard commented: "You can't keep clapping a couple of sticks [of dynamite] together without expecting them to blow up."