Elizabeth Taylor Should Have Made More Comedies

Was Elizabeth Taylor just too beautiful as a young actress to be considered for comedy roles? Based on many of her real life appearances (such as this 1954 clip from What’s My Line), I think that, given a strong director and script, it would have been great to see her cut loose in a crazy role. As it was, she appeared in a lot of comedies, but tended to play the role of the placid beauty. You get a taste of what she could have done in These Old Broads (2001), but that was just a collection of funny moments that didn’t add up to much. At least we’ve been able to enjoy glimpses of the real Liz over the years: a bawdy, clever woman who is not afraid to let it all hang out and have a good laugh at herself. People like to make fun of her wackier moments (like in the clip below, where she literally howls at a reporter’s question), but I love how she isn’t afraid to be herself. She’s marvelous.