by M. G. Lord
77 “The story admittedly deals with …”: Quoted in Geoffrey M. Shurlock, memo, May 25, 1959, Suddenly, Last Summer Production Code Archive, Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS.
77 “I don’t need to tell you …” Geoffrey M. Shurlock to Sam Spiegel, letter, November 16, 1959, in ibid.
77 “the most bizarre film …”: Variety, quoted in Mann, How to Be a Movie Star, 272.
78 “Cathy knew she was being used for evil.”: Ad for Suddenly, Last Summer, quoted in Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 143.
9. BUtterfield 8, 1960
79 “There should be developed …”: E. G. Dougherty, Production Code Administration memo, October 16, 1959, BUtterfield 8 Production Code Archive, Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS. (All Production Code Administration correspondence and memos are from this archive.)
80 “nymphomaniac”: Geoffrey M. Shurlock to Robert Vogel, letter, October 12, 1959.
80 “sex where our agency is denied”: Rebecca Walker, “Lusting for Freedom,” in Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation, ed. Barbara Findlen (Emeryville, CA: Seal Press, 2001), 23.
80 “For giving bodies …”: Ibid.
80 “Confronted with a right-wing backlash …”: Ellen Willis, No More Nice Girls: Countercultural Essays (Hanover: Wesleyan University Press, 1992), 20.
83 “norm of white procreative heterosexuality”: Eva Pendleton, “Love for Sale: Queering Heterosexuality,” in Whores and Other Feminists, ed. Jill Nagle (New York: Routledge, 1997), 73.
83 “Heterosexuality as a social system …”: Ibid.
84 “separate themselves from the lower orders”: Laura Kipnis, Bound and Gagged: Pornography and the Politics of Fantasy in America (New York: Grove Press, 1996), 173.
85 Gloria must be portrayed as “sick”: Dougherty, Production Code Administration memo, October 16, 1959.
86 “rewritten so as to eliminate …”: Dougherty, Production Code Administration memo, August 14, 1959.
86 “Liggett appears to have no recognition …”: Geoffrey M. Shurlock to Robert Vogel, letter, October 27, 1959.
86 “From that moment on …”: John O’Hara, BUtterfield 8 (New York: Modern Library, 2003), 33.
86 “MGM must have thought …”: Eddie Fisher, My Life, My Loves (New York: Harper & Row, 1981), 167.
87 “The trouble had nothing to do with the fact that Gloria was a call girl …”: Pandro S. Berman, quoted in Maddox, Who’s Afraid of Elizabeth Taylor? 154.
87 “trash”: Fisher, My Life, My Loves, 168.
87 “a non-actor …”: Saturday Review, “BUtterfield 8,” November 19, 1960.
88 Fisher details the “No Sale” incident in My Life, My Loves, 168–69.
88 “moral story”: Geoffrey M. Shurlock to Eric Johnston, letter, May 25, 1961.
88 “sentimentally”: Ibid.
88 “exactly the way it should …”: Ibid.
88 “In the last century …”: Ibid.
89 “I love prostitution …”: Gustave Flaubert, quoted in Charles Bernheimer, Figures of Ill Repute: Representing Prostitution in Nineteenth-century France (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1997), 134.
89 “The ending is absurd”: Bosley Crowther, “Elizabeth Taylor at ‘BUtterfield 8,’ ” New York Times, November 17, 1960.
10. 1960–1962
90 Taylor’s injuries in childhood: Heymann, Liz, 39.
90 Fisher discusses Taylor’s 1957 surgery in Fisher, My Life, My Loves, 128.
90 Todd’s purchases are detailed in Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 108.
91 Fisher discusses emergency rooms in Fisher, My Life, My Loves.
92 “Get me my lip gloss”: Ibid., 167.
92 Fisher details the Philadelphia accident in ibid., 170.
92 Taylor offends the British Hairdressers’ Union: Amburn, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, 124.
93 Fisher details the tracheotomy in Fisher, My Life, My Loves, 183–84.
94 “Hundreds of people …”: Ibid, 184.
94 SIX THOUSAND …: Walter Wanger, My Life with Cleopatra (London: Corgi Books, 1963), 67.
94 “Dying, as I remember it …”: Elizabeth Taylor, quoted in Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 165.
95 “I lost to a tracheotomy”: Shirley MacLaine, quoted in Amburn, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, 129.
95 “MGM’s Little Miss Mammary”: Richard Burton, quoted in Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 177
95 “elegant in a simple yellow silk gown”: Wanger, My Life with Cleopatra, 120.
95 “handsome, arrogant, and vigorous”: Ibid.
95 “you could almost feel the electricity”: Ibid.
95 “erotic vagrancy”: L’Osservatore della Domenica, quoted in Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 184.
11. Cleopatra, 1963
97 “Alexandria had its share …”: Stacy Schiff, Cleopatra: A Life (New York: Little, Brown, 2010), 35.
98 Monroe fired from Something’s Got to Give: Detailed by Maddox, Who’s Afraid of Elizabeth Taylor? 171.
98 “I have a healthy aunt in Vienna …”: Billy Wilder, quoted in Wanger, My Life with Cleopatra, 5.
99 Mankiewicz begged Zanuck: Joseph Mankiewicz to Darryl Zanuck. October 22, 1962, “Correspondence and Clippings on Cleopatra” collection, Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS.
100 “women than ever before …”: Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (New York: Dell, 1983), 311.
101 “the forfeited self”: Ibid., 310.
101 “How soon, how soon …”: Carlo Maria Franzero, The Life and Times of Cleopatra (London: Heron Books, 1968), 10.
102 “that touch of frailty …”: Ibid., 11.
104 “army of 4,000 …”: “Liz is Back as Enchantress of Egypt,” Life, October 6, 1961, 100.
104 “for naval engagements”: Ibid.
104 “Cool-Chassis”: Ibid., 112A.
104 “Automatic Picture Contrast Resolution”: Ibid., 18.
104 “Golden Tube Sentry Unit”: Ibid., 126–28.
104 Mankiewicz’s use of amphetamines: Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 170.
106 “Miss Taylor is monotony …”: New Statesman, cited in ibid., 191.
106 Martinez’s work is detailed in Chip Brown, “The Search for Cleopatra,” National Geographic, July 2011, 40–63.
107 Number of ballets, operas, plays, and films about Cleopatra are detailed in ibid., 45.
108 “I am fire and air”: William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, act 5, scene 2.
108 “infinite variety”: Ibid., act 2, scene 2.
12. 1963–1965
110 “This is a man who sold out”: Richard Burton’s agent, quoted in “The Man on the Billboard,” Time, April 26, 1963, 70.
110 “Richard professionally is …”: Paul Scofield, quoted in ibid.
110 “she was spread-eagled …”: “Elizabeth Taylor Speaks Out,” Life, December 18, 1964, 78.
111 The Burtons’ meeting with Trumbo in London: Dalton Trumbo to Martin Ransohoff, letter (possibly unsent), February 18, 1965, Dalton Trumbo Archive, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
13. The Sandpiper, 1965
112 “As regards the individual nature …”: Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, question 91, article 1, reply objection 1.
112 “Any woman …”: Gloria Steinem, “Sisterhood,” New York Magazine, December 20, 1971, 46.
115 “been dull and devoid of ideas …”: Dalton Trumbo to Martin Ransohoff, letter (possibly unsent), February 18, 1965, Dalton Trumbo Archive, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
115 The Burtons’ meeting with Trumbo in London: Ibid.
115 “a lady’s magazine melodrama”: Richard Burton, quoted in Dalton Trumbo to Martin Ransohoff, letter, February 18, 1965, in ibid.
116 “There came a time …”: Dalton Trumbo to Martin Ransohoff, letter accompanying changes to the script, August 10, 1964, in ibid.
116 “Beauty needs more tact …”: Edith Wharton, Novels (New York: Library of America, 1985), 36.
118 “uses the formidable Miss Taylor …”: Bosley Cro
wther, “Love Along Big Sur Seacoast,” New York Times, July 16, 1965.
119 “Taylor demurely …”: Pauline Kael, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (New York: Bantam Books, 1969), 432.
119 The Production Code’s position on nudity in The Sandpiper is detailed in a letter from Geoffrey M. Shurlock to Robert Vogel, July 9, 1964. (The full quote: “At no time should there be any exposure of her breasts.”) AMPAS Production Code Archive, Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS.
120 “empathy with the plight of one’s companions …”: Leonard Shlain, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image (New York: Viking, 1998), 338.
120 “work, goals, focus …”: Ibid.
120 “cruelty, argument, a disregard for nature …”: Ibid.
14. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966
122 “The adjusted and cured …”: Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, 311.
122 “The famous problem …”: Richard Schickel, “What Film Has Done for Virginia,” Life, July 22, 1966, 8.
122 Nichols and Lehman’s tough decision is detailed in Thomas Thompson, “Raw Dialogue Challenges All the Censors,” Life, June 10, 1966, 92.
123 “daughters of educated men”: Woolf, Three Guineas, 18.
125 Edith Oliver, “The Current Cinema,” New Yorker, July 2, 1966, 65.
126 from “comic stridency” to “the desperation …”; “fully deserves …”: Schickel, “What Film Has Done for Virginia,” 8.
126 “an aging maneater” who has “a father fixation …”: Time, “Marital Armageddon,” July 1, 1966.
126 “has not really written about men …”: Newsweek, “Who’s Afraid …,” July 4, 1966.
127 “I think it’s a marvelous film”: Geoffrey M. Shurlock, quoted in Thompson, “Raw Dialogue Challenges All the Censors,” 96.
127 Kiss Me, Stupid: Shurlock’s embarrassment is detailed in ibid.
127 goddam, screw you, etc.: Geoffrey M. Shurlock to Jack Warner, letter, March 26, 1963, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Production Code Archive, Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS.
127 Appeal to review board: Thompson, “Raw Dialogue Challenges All the Censors,” 98.
128 “The only possible favorable comment …”: Catholic volunteer, quoted in ibid., 96.
128 “Disguising profanity …”: Mike Nichols, quoted in ibid., 92.
15. 1967–1973
130 “bonny Kate” and “Kate the curst”: William Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew, act 2, scene 1.
131 “skirt every pan”: Interview with Richard McWhorter, Los Angeles, August 21, 2010. (All McWhorter quotations are from this interview.)
131 “serve, love and obey”: Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew, act 5, scene 2.
131 “I am ashamed …”: Ibid.
132 “You have made my original book …”: Carson McCullers to John Huston, Chapman Mortimer, and Gladys Hill, letter, October 11, 1966, John Huston Archive, Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS.
133 “What other movie queen …”: Gloria Steinem to Ray Stark, undated memo, in ibid.
133 “More guys than you can imagine …”: Interview with Robert Forster, Los Angeles, April 10, 2008. (All Forster quotations are from this interview.)
134 “Hell hath no fury …”: Bosley Crowther, “Sex, Shock and Sensibility,” New York Times, October 22, 1967, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5071FFA3A55107A93C0AB178BD95F438685F9&scp=4&sq=Crowther%20review%20Reflections%20Golden%20Eye&st=cse.
136 “holds all the joy of standing at an autopsy”: Variety, quoted in Amburn, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, 219.
16. Ash Wednesday, 1973
139 “a fucking lousy nothing …”: Richard Burton to photographer Gianni Bozzachi, letter, April 27, 1973. Photograph of handwritten letter and transcription in RR Auction catalog for a sale on June 15, 2011. http://www.icollector.com/Richard-Burton_i10646841.
139 “Lumpy and “Pockface”: Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, 258.
140 “I’m sure Taylor did support the Equal Rights Amendment …”: Liz Smith to M. G. Lord, e-mail, March 31, 2009.
141 “a hoot”: Interview with Kate Burton, New York City, May 14, 2010. (All Kate Burton quotations are from this interview.)
141 “Eating became one …”: Taylor, Elizabeth Takes Off, 44.
142 “John went his way …”: Ibid., 45.
142 “the wife of some dim dilettante …”: Garry Trudeau, A Tad Overweight, but Violet Eyes to Die For (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1979), 8.
142 “domestic Siberia”: Taylor, Elizabeth Takes Off, 42.
142 Meeting with Zev Buffman: Mann, How to Be a Movie Star, 404.
17. The Little Foxes, 1981
143 “I’m going to be alive …”: Lillian Hellman, Six Plays by Lillian Hellman (New York: Vintage Books, 179), 198.
143 “What if this woman …”: Interview with Austin Pendleton, New York City, August 13, 2008. (All Pendleton quotations are from this interview.)
146 “Miss Taylor is no cardboard harridan …”: Frank Rich, “Stage: The Missus Taylor and Stapleton in ‘Foxes,’ ” New York Times, May 8, 1981, http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/08/theater/stage-the-misses-taylor-and-stapleton-in-foxes.html?scp=5&sq=rich%20little%20foxes%20review&st=cse.
146 “I’m really Alexandra …”: Conversation between Lillian Hellman and Elizabeth Taylor as recalled by Pendleton.
18. 1982–1984
149 “Richard Burton looked at me …”: Pendleton interview.
149 “I have to talk to you …”: Ibid.
150 “He had an eye”: McWhorter interview.
150 “I never touched a drop …”: Taylor, Elizabeth Takes Off, 98.
151 “all the vitality …” Frank Rich, “Theater: ‘Private Lives’ Burton and Miss Taylor,” New York Times, May 9, 1983, http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/09/theater/theater-private-lives-burton-and-miss-taylor.html?scp=2&sq=%22private%20lives%22%20frank%20rich&st=cse.
151 “family intervention”: Taylor, Elizabeth Takes Off, 99.
151 “The entire process …”: Ibid., 100.
153 Taylor cooled to Colacello: Conversation with Bob Colacello, Los Angeles, November 9, 2008.
153 “Debauched Mary”: Bob Colacello, Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up (New York: HarperCollins, 1990), 154.
153 The leaf plucking is detailed in ibid., 156–57.
153 “big fat joints of Brazilian marijuana …”: Ibid., 346.
153 “No movie …”: Liz Smith to M. G. Lord, e-mail, March 31, 2009.
154 “Its three roots …”: Taylor, Elizabeth Takes Off, 105.
154 “She has been surrounded …”: Smith to Lord, e-mail, March 31, 2009.
155 “It was her greatest conscious gift”: Burton interview.
19. Her Greatest Conscious Gift, 1984–2011
157 “A woman who advertised …”: Woolf, Three Guineas, 30.
157 “ “the judgment of God …”: Falwell’s Old Time Gospel Hour, August 7, 1983.
158 “We were young doctors …”: Interview with Michael Gottlieb, Los Angeles, May 18, 2011. (All Gottlieb quotations are from this interview.)
159 “Why did they bring him …”: Interview with Francine Hanberg, Los Angeles, October 6, 2010.
162 “lame-dog causes …”: Frank Sinatra, quoted in Taraborelli, Elizabeth, 397.
162 “When I saw that my fame …”: Elizabeth Taylor, quoted in Liz Smith, “Elizabeth Taylor, Close Up,” Architectural Digest, July 2011, 64.
162 “At a time when disgust …”: Sean Strub’s remembrance in Kevin Sessums, Elizabeth Taylor Interview About Her AIDS Advocacy, Daily Beast, March 23, 2011, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/03/23/elizabeth-taylor-interview-about-her-aids-advocacy-plus-stars-remember.html.
164 “On a personal level …”: Telephone interview with Dr. David Ho, November 18, 2010.
164 “love of the work itself”: Woolf, Three Guineas, 171.
164 “wildly exaggerated”: Interview with Sally Morrison, Los Angeles, October 20, 2011.
165 “Working at the age of nine …”: Elizabeth Taylor, interview by Larry King, May 30, 2006.
165 “I really was concerned …”: Burton interview.
165 “I don’t see her …”: Ibid.
166 “No RIP Elizabeth Taylor …”: Margie Phelps, quoted in Huffington Post, “Westboro Baptist Church to Picket Elizabeth Taylor Funeral: March 24, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/westboro=baptist=church=elizabeth=taylor_n_839979.html.
166 “Feminism is …”: Pollitt in “Rebecca Traister, Hanna Rosin, and Others.”
166 “her greatest conscious gift”: Burton interview.
167 “all of us who were HIV positive …”: Sessums, Elizabeth Taylor Interview.
Footnotes
* His real title.
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