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In happier days, Liz Taylor bubbles as ebullient husband Mike Todd hams it
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yi TAYLOR
Mike
"I
L-ucky uz" on March 22 that nick
name became tragically ironic.
It was the name Mike Todd had
bestowed on the plane that plunged
him to his death in New Mexico, along
with film writer Art Cohn and Todd's
pilot and copilot. It was also a pet
name for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor.
In either case, "luck" was a word
that scarcely applied.
Todd's widow is 26. Yet her closest
friends agree that she has lived less
than 14 months from the time she
married Todd in Mexico until his
death. Neither before nor since has
anything mattered as much to Liz as
this brief and turbulent marriage
even though she's been called "the
girl with everything." s
Todd brought this "sleeping
That title, like "Lucky Liz," over
looks the facts of Miss Taylor's pam
pered life. For all her wealth and
fame, her years have been a succes
sion of boredom, indifference, and
dullness.
Born in London, Elizabeth and her
older brother Howard enjoyed the
gracious living of the English upper
class. Her father, Francis Taylor, was
a well-to-do art dealer and her moth
er an American actress who was
known as Sara Sothern.
Elizabeth had her own nurse; her
godfather, Col. Victor Cazalet, gave
her a horse when she was barely four;
at five she rode with Sir Anthony
Eden; when she was seven, war
threatened Europe and Taylor sent
beauty" to life for the first time;
his wife and children to stay with Mrs.
Taylor's family in Pasadena. He join
ed them six months later and they
settled in Beverly Hills where he
opened the highly successful Taylor
Art Galleries.
By then Elizabeth already had
crossed the Atlantic several times,
called on England's prime minister,
met the British royal family, eaten
oysters Rockefeller at Antoine's in
New Orleans and crepe suzette at
Maxime's in Paris. She missed one
thing, however a spanking. Her par
ents had put her on too high a ped
estal for that.
Where they left off, Metro-Goldwyn
-Mayer took over after signing Liz to
a long-term contract at 10. Two years
I
now that he's gone, what
later she won stardom with one of the
leading roles in "National Velvet."
The Culver City studio is famous
for its protective attitude toward its
players, but no one was ever sheltered
like lovely Liz. She was never criti
cized or reprimanded (even when she
deserved it). She could do no wrong.
When she got her first divorce from
hotel heir Nicky Hilton a reporter
wondered how this might affect the
future of the 18-year-old-star. Before
Liz could answer, a publicist cut in,
"Why, every girl from a good family
is divorced at least once!"
Liz had been identified as the most
beautiful girl in Hollywood, but not
one of the brightest. Gossips said she
didn't have the brains to keep up a
J
Ten days before crash, Todds lunch with Cohn
"fell
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does the future hold for her?
conversation, but most people were
convinced she was simply too lazy to
think. Why should she? Everything
came to Liz without effort.
Liz also had the problem of growing
up too fast. "I was a child one day,
and an adult the next," she com
plained. Physically, this was true. But
if she kept pace mentally, it was a
well-hidden secret even after two
marriages.
Liz had difficulty discussing any
subject except movies and animals.
She was unable to make friends be
cause she had no interest in anyone
except her current beau , or husband.
She could capitalize on her beauty,
but on nothing else until she met
Mike Todd.
(right).
Before him, the only satisfaction
she derived from life was her work.
While she would be late for most ap
pointments, she was always on time
on the set and never came unprepared
for the day's shooting.
After her marriage to Hilton, Liz
admitted she was completely unpre
pared for the responsibilities of mat
rimony. She'd had only a few dates
with boys her age and, strange as it
may seem, often had a hard time find
ing any date at all. Fellows were too
awed by her position to ask her out.
Frequently her mother would talk
her brother Howard into taking her to
parties, which he did reluctantly be
cause, as he put it, "Nobody wants a
movie star tagging along."
In a way it wasn't surprising that
' practically the first boy to
show real interest in Liz also be
came her first husband. According to
friends, "The marriage was doomed
before it started."
Nicky Hilton was only fours years
older than Liz, a playboy, and every
bit as spoiled as she. His father had
sent him to hotel school in Switzer
land, but Nicky had more fun giving
parties. After a few months, he be
came such a disturbing influence that
he was asked to leave the school. He
was. as incapable of accepting respon
sibilities as his bride.
Their marriage started with the
most publicized wedding in recent
Hollywood history and led to a turbu
lent honeymoon in Europe where Liz
reportedly accused him of excessive
gambling and drinking. He fought
back by claiming she was just a toy
wife who spent too much of his
money. The quarrels mounted in in
tensity until Nicky reluctantly agreed
to give Liz a divorce.
It didn't take Liz long to convince
herself that what she really needed
was an older man, who would look
after her with gentle understanding.
Michael Wilding was just the "right"
age old enough to be her father. He
claimed to be 39 when he married 19-year-old
Liz in London on Feb. 21,
1952. The best guess is that he was
around 44.
For two years Liz convinced her
self that Michael was all she wanted.
He was charming, gracious, under
standing. If his career lagged behind
hers, it made no difference. Besides,
she insisted that she didn't really like
to work and did it only "because I
like to live comfortably." They called
each other "Nose" and "Nostril,"
"Lazy" and "Old Drawers," and other
nicknames which nobody could' figure
out. They dressed casually some
people called it sloppily and lived a
lazy, uneventful life. Their "friends"
accepted invitations to the Wilding
home more out of curiosity than for a
stimulating evening.
In the meantime, Liz and Michael
spent money easily, even carelessly.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had to extend
a helping hand to help pay the obste
trician's bill for their second child. It
didn't seem to bother either of them.
Typical of their attitude was Wilding's
present for Liz's birthday, a white
Cadillac convertible.
"How can we afford it?" Liz asked.
"It was easy," Michael replied. "I
just sold the blue Cadillac you gave
me as a present two years ago."
No one, not even the principals in
volved, can explain what makes mar
riages break up in Hollywood. In the
case of Liz and Michael Wilding, the
best guess is that she finally became
irked with the easygoing attitude she
once admired and also with his ap
parent unwillingness to work. His
calmness in face of her increasing
anger only kindled more anger. But
the final factor was the gradual switch
in relationships Liz, the bride who
wanted to lean on somebody, found
herself bolstering an increasingly de
pendent husband.
Rumors that "another man" had
entered the picture perhaps Mont
gomery Clift or Rock Hudson were
never taken seriously by anybody but
Hollywood's more malicious gossips.
When she and Michael separated,
Liz showed no more regret than she
had when she left Nicky Hilton. The
marriage, like life itself, had been a
bore; there was nothing to look back
to, or forward to, except her sons,
Michael Howard, now 5, and Chris
topher Edward, now 3.
So at 24, twice-divorced Liz still
reigned as Hollywood's most beautiful
woman and most empty one.
"Then the incredible Mike Todd
burst upon the scene the
brash, boisterous, wise-cracking,
sometimes crude, always self
assured Boy Wonder of Broadway
and Hollywood. A millionaire before
he could vote, Mike made and lost
fortunes as other men change shirts.
"I have been broke many times, but I
have never been poor," he used to say.
There was about the same age dif
ference between Liz and Mike Todd
as there had been between her and
Michael Wilding. At the time of his
death, Mike's age was given as 50. But
he looked and acted so young that Liz
once remarked with a grin, "Some
times I think I'm too old for Mike."
Mike's influence on Liz was imme
diate and spectacular. He brought out
a quality which her closest associates
never thought she possessed: he made
her interesting. Mike himself vibrated
excitement that attracted people to
him just as Liz's beauty attracted peo
ple to her. And this excitement rubbed
off on her.
Yet if the marriage of Mike and Liz
was "ideal," it was also hectic. There
was a constant cycle of fights, recon
ciliations, and gifts. Mike loved the
publicity that went with it, and Liz
insisted she enjoyed arguments be
cause it was so much fun to make up
again particularly with such presents
as a Rolls Royce and diamond tiara
to salve her feelings.
The change in Liz became evident
to everyone who knew her. Until she
met Mike, reporters dreaded inter
viewing her; she never had anything
to say. Once, when asked about a
tour of Europe, she said, "It was nice."
Crossing the main street in Cactus
Junction would have sounded like a
more thrilling experience.
How different was her account of
a trip to Moscow with Mike last Win
ter! Without being coaxed, she gave
a detailed and informative report on
everything from Russian fashions to
their attitude toward Americans.
Indications of the "new" Liz were
even more evident in her attitude
toward work.
Except when she was before the
cameras, Liz used to be as disinter-
(Continued on page 23)
Family Weekly, July 20, 1958 9
8
Family Weekly. July 20, 195