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My favorite performances of hers are where she demonstrated a hearty good humor -- the aforementioned MALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. I don't know if she had the technique for true comedy, but if nothing else she seemed capable of being a lot of fun on screen; something that rarely came across in her dramas.
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She does seem to have had a great sense of humor by most accounts. I mean who else could’ve thrown Princess Leia in the pool and gotten away with it?
K
Karin Schill
Guest
Maybe it's a copyright issue. I think Elizabeth & Richard owned more of The Tamping of the Shrew and were actually co-producing it with someone.
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LIFE magazine said RAINTREE COUNTY was MGM's "big budget imitation of GONE WITH THE WIND" that starred Elizabeth Taylor as Scarlett O'Hara-esque Susanna Drake, a mentally unstable Southern belle.
MGM had purchased the rights to the unpublished RAINTREE COUNTY from author Ross Lockridge Jr. in 1947 for $150,000. The film languished inside the studio's development process for a few years, with such names as Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Janet Leigh, Van Heflin, and Gene Kelly attached at different times for top roles in the film. By 1949, the film had died and the production was postponed indefinitely.
In 1955, the production was revived. The project was handed to studio executive Dore Schary, and David Lewis was assigned producing duties. Elizabeth Taylor was signed on early to play Susanna, with Millard Kaufman soon hired to adapt the story for the silver screen. Montgomery Clift signed a three-movie-deal with MGM in late 1956 on the assurance that RAINTREE COUNTY would be his first assignment for the studio. In January 1956, the studio recruited Eva Marie Saint to play Nell Gaither for $100,000.
RAINTREE COUNTY was a prestigious production for MGM. It was plagued with production delays, primarily because of Clift's off-screen automobile accident. The incident caused Clift to miss several weeks of work and have his face restructured due to the injuries he sustained. RAINTREE COUNTY was a popular success when it was released in 1957.
Taylor's performance as Susanna Drake brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, although she lost that year to Joanne Woodward for her acclaimed performance in THE THREE FACES OF EVE (1957).
MGM had purchased the rights to the unpublished RAINTREE COUNTY from author Ross Lockridge Jr. in 1947 for $150,000. The film languished inside the studio's development process for a few years, with such names as Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Janet Leigh, Van Heflin, and Gene Kelly attached at different times for top roles in the film. By 1949, the film had died and the production was postponed indefinitely.
In 1955, the production was revived. The project was handed to studio executive Dore Schary, and David Lewis was assigned producing duties. Elizabeth Taylor was signed on early to play Susanna, with Millard Kaufman soon hired to adapt the story for the silver screen. Montgomery Clift signed a three-movie-deal with MGM in late 1956 on the assurance that RAINTREE COUNTY would be his first assignment for the studio. In January 1956, the studio recruited Eva Marie Saint to play Nell Gaither for $100,000.
RAINTREE COUNTY was a prestigious production for MGM. It was plagued with production delays, primarily because of Clift's off-screen automobile accident. The incident caused Clift to miss several weeks of work and have his face restructured due to the injuries he sustained. RAINTREE COUNTY was a popular success when it was released in 1957.
Taylor's performance as Susanna Drake brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, although she lost that year to Joanne Woodward for her acclaimed performance in THE THREE FACES OF EVE (1957).
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I like the music, and this scene, but RAINTREE COUNTY mostly isn't too good:
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I what little I managed to watch of it on TCM a few years ago didn't intrigue me. I watched maybe the first 30 minutes before I lost interest.
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Yeah, THE SANDPIPER was her first movie back at MGM since THE VIPs in 1963.
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One thing bothers me about "Raintree County" (aside of the fact that it´s impossible not to be waiting for the before/after changing looks of Monty Clift) and it´s that Liz (or the director who directed her...) seemed to think that looking disheveled and yelling equals a good performance of someone depressed. VP did the same on "Dallas"...
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Karin Schill
Guest
I loved "Raintree County" when I first watched it. So much in fact that I was inspired to make a fan music video of it the next day. 
But I don't really think it was that similar to Gone with the wind. I mean Scarlett O'Hara was such a strong character whereas Susanna was weak and mentally unstable.
So I think the only thing the movies had in common was that they were both set during the civil war era.
But I don't really think it was that similar to Gone with the wind. I mean Scarlett O'Hara was such a strong character whereas Susanna was weak and mentally unstable.
So I think the only thing the movies had in common was that they were both set during the civil war era.
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Now, TAP ROOTS was similar to GWTW...I loved "Raintree County" when I first watched it. So much in fact that I was inspired to make a fan music video of it the next day.
But I don't really think it was that similar to Gone with the wind. I mean Scarlett O'Hara was such a strong character whereas Susanna was weak and mentally unstable.
So I think the only thing the movies had in common was that they were both set during the civil war era.
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I recently finished an autobiography of Rock Hudson and there was a lovely story about Elizabeth Taylor in it.
When Rock was dying of AIDS, at first many of his Hollywood friends publicly offered support and some even visited him at The Castle (his Hollywood home) but because of the stigma associated with HIV at the time, it didn't last and the visits became less and less. Elizabeth visited when he was close to death and saw Rock frail and alone in his bed because people were afraid to get close to him out of fear of catching HIV. She was heartbroken for Rock so she got into the bed with him and cuddled him so he would still feel loved.
When Rock was dying of AIDS, at first many of his Hollywood friends publicly offered support and some even visited him at The Castle (his Hollywood home) but because of the stigma associated with HIV at the time, it didn't last and the visits became less and less. Elizabeth visited when he was close to death and saw Rock frail and alone in his bed because people were afraid to get close to him out of fear of catching HIV. She was heartbroken for Rock so she got into the bed with him and cuddled him so he would still feel loved.
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Elizabeth ascended into heaven 11 years ago this Wednesday, March 23rd...
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Might need to download it before You-Know-Where snatches it off.
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It's posted by Youtube itself, so I think it'll be up for a while.
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In 2016, Vanity Fair story on the Kurtz/Cleo/Jacko film... Corey Feldman swears it really happened:
BY KATEY RICH
JANUARY 27, 2016
The story is irresistible: on 9/11, unable to fly, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, and Marlon Brando jumped in a car together—the three of them, no entourage—and made it as far as Ohio in an attempt to escape New York City. The story was first revealed in a 2011 Vanity Fair story by Sam Kashner— with the caveat that Taylor’s representative insists she remained in New York City, which makes it possible the whole thing never happened. The story has now made the next inevitable step in evolution: it’s becoming a movie.
A British TV movie, to be specific, which means it may not be all that easy to watch in America. Given one of the casting choices, that may be for the best; Joseph Fiennes, the brother of Ralph best known for his role in Shakespeare in Love, has been cast to play Jackson. It’s inspired the expected round of “WTF?” headlines, and especially amid an uproar about the Oscars and recognition for black actors, isn’t necessarily the best look for an industry still trying to prove that it offers opportunity for actors of color. Then again . . . Michael Jackson’s appearance had changed pretty dramatically by 2001. It doesn’t eliminate the question of race, but it does make the role a mighty challenge to cast no matter who you choose.
As Kashner himself points out, via e-mail, “I think the casting is inspired, actually. Sometimes life isn't just stranger than fiction, it's fiction’s muse!” And the author of the original story about Liz, Michael, and Marlon’s escape isn’t surprised at all to see it taking on new life. “There's something just so irresistible about simply the image of this holy trinity in the car together. It's a kind of comic misrule flight out of Egypt story, and a tale told out of the celebrity Bible that should go on forever.”
Fiennes, speaking to WENN, agrees that the film is a “challenge,” and describes the story as “a fun, light-hearted tongue in cheek road trip of what celebrity of that kind is like. But also it’s rather beautiful and poignant about their relationships as well.” With Stockard Channing set to play Taylor and Brian Cox as Brando, the film will provide an opportunity to see three fascinating characters step into three even more fascinating, larger-than-life personalities. But will the tricky race issue make it harder to enjoy this celebrity story on screen than in print?
The Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor Story Gets Even Crazier Thanks to Casting
It’s an irresistible Hollywood story . . . but will tricky race issues take all the fun out of it?BY KATEY RICH
JANUARY 27, 2016
The story is irresistible: on 9/11, unable to fly, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, and Marlon Brando jumped in a car together—the three of them, no entourage—and made it as far as Ohio in an attempt to escape New York City. The story was first revealed in a 2011 Vanity Fair story by Sam Kashner— with the caveat that Taylor’s representative insists she remained in New York City, which makes it possible the whole thing never happened. The story has now made the next inevitable step in evolution: it’s becoming a movie.
A British TV movie, to be specific, which means it may not be all that easy to watch in America. Given one of the casting choices, that may be for the best; Joseph Fiennes, the brother of Ralph best known for his role in Shakespeare in Love, has been cast to play Jackson. It’s inspired the expected round of “WTF?” headlines, and especially amid an uproar about the Oscars and recognition for black actors, isn’t necessarily the best look for an industry still trying to prove that it offers opportunity for actors of color. Then again . . . Michael Jackson’s appearance had changed pretty dramatically by 2001. It doesn’t eliminate the question of race, but it does make the role a mighty challenge to cast no matter who you choose.
As Kashner himself points out, via e-mail, “I think the casting is inspired, actually. Sometimes life isn't just stranger than fiction, it's fiction’s muse!” And the author of the original story about Liz, Michael, and Marlon’s escape isn’t surprised at all to see it taking on new life. “There's something just so irresistible about simply the image of this holy trinity in the car together. It's a kind of comic misrule flight out of Egypt story, and a tale told out of the celebrity Bible that should go on forever.”
Fiennes, speaking to WENN, agrees that the film is a “challenge,” and describes the story as “a fun, light-hearted tongue in cheek road trip of what celebrity of that kind is like. But also it’s rather beautiful and poignant about their relationships as well.” With Stockard Channing set to play Taylor and Brian Cox as Brando, the film will provide an opportunity to see three fascinating characters step into three even more fascinating, larger-than-life personalities. But will the tricky race issue make it harder to enjoy this celebrity story on screen than in print?
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This is quite fascinating! I’d give just about anything to be a fly on the wall in that car.