Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1957)

his mighty epic, “Around the World in 80 Days.” The pair appeared at a post-premiere party for “Lust for Life” at the home of Ed Pauley, the oil king. Liz, once described as a girl who comes alive only when she’s in love, appeared radiant. No matter what the circumstances, the guests had to agree they made a handsome and happy pair. Todd was attentive and affectionate to the screen beauty. (Wilding, upon being informed of this new duo, remarked, “It isn’t this romance that upsets me, it’s the one before,” but characteristically refused to explain this odd sentence. An M-G-M publicist murmured, “Oh, but Liz asked Wilding first if it was all right if she went out with Todd.”) While the activities of this unusual combination were steaming the columns from New York to Hollywood and back again, the burning question of the day was the usual one — But Will It Last? Hollywoodites, when they had no weightier subjects to discuss, buzzed with arguments pro and con. The beautiful Miss Taylor was sure it would last. After her dates with Todd began to be noticed, she joked to M-G-M friends that she and Todd were just pals. But in private she told a close friend that “I’m really in love with him. When I’m free I hope to marry him.” Many of her friends supported this idea. They felt her friendship with Todd was a step toward her maturity. Furthermore, they pointed out, the couple was not such an odd combination after all. I talked to one close friend of the star’s who likened the Todd-Taylor duo to David Selznick and Jennifer Jones. “Liz’s other husbands have been all wrong for her,” the friend insisted. “Todd will guide her career. “Nicky Hilton was much too young and mixed-up. Mike Wilding was too subtle and sophisticated and not responsible. He was a pixie who liked to drink and have fun. He wasn’t exactly rich, either. But Todd is the opposite. He is wealthy and, unlike an actor, always will be. He is funny, but in an open, gay way as Elizabeth is. She is not a sophisticate, but a down-to-earth, fun-loving creature. She likes to pull on a pair of pedal pushers and a sweater and be casual. She is a natural, California-type girl.” “Todd,” says another, “is dependable. Liz can lean on him. With Wilding she had to do everything — run the house, bring up the children, take care of him. At work on the set she was always worried about what was happening at home. But Todd knows how to get things done. She could feel secure with him. He is a competent, brilliant guy.” Thus, the champions of a Todd-Taylor merger insist that young men bore her. But as late as last October, opponents to the merger said stubbornly that the age factor was the single reason why Liz would never become Mrs. Mike Todd. “If she does,” they added, “it won’t last.” “She gets those schoolgirl crushes, violent, intense things,” says one of her close friends. “And they’re usually on older men. Just show her any man over 45 and she flips.” Elizabeth, these worried pals say, has a common ailment: a father complex. She was a troubled girl who never had a natural home life. To a daughter the father is the most important member of the family; her relationship with him sets the pattern for her relationships with men the rest of her life. Elizabeth scarcely knew her father until recent years. Her friends believe she is attracted to older men because of a desperate search for % p\ VM DESIGNED TO FIT RIGHT FOOT DESIGNED TO FIT LEFT FOOT NEAT, SLIM, ADJUSTABLE DOUBLE FASTENING IS 100% GUARANTEED... HI-LO NO. 902 (illustrated) extra heavy duty boot . . . rugged sole . . . heavy heel . . . for high, medium or low heels. HIGH HEEL STYLE NO. 801 (not illustrated) CLEAR AND GREY nQQ PLASTIC BOOT *■ COFFEY-HOYT PRODUCTS, INC. GARDENA, CALIFORNIA BRANCHES IN: NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE WANT EXTRA CASH? 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