Week of March 25: Elizabeth Taylor On TV

By Sylvia Gurinsky

The big screen was where she became a legend, but the small screen was where Elizabeth Taylor went to have fun.

The peak of her movie stardom coincided with the rise of television as America's major entertainment. In 1954, she appeared on the game show "What's My Line?":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gR-vU44gd4

It's too bad MGM wasn't casting her in lead comedy roles!

Sadly, Elizabeth Taylor wasn't among the MGM stars who appeared on "I Love Lucy" when the Ricardos and Mertzes went to Hollywood. But 15 years later, she appeared with then-husband Richard Burton on "Here's Lucy," when Lucy (now secretary Lucy Carter), couldn't get that famous Taylor ring off her finger:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FntN7Tr_O0Y

Taylor was a huge soap opera fan, and "General Hospital" was her favorite. In 1981, she got the chance to play the widowed Helena Cassadine - including scenes in the famous Luke-and-Laura wedding episode watched by 30 million viewers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK17NAY1d-8

In 1984, she also managed a cameo appearance on another favorite soap, "All My Children," that surprised good friend Carol Burnett, who was playing Verla Grubbs at the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSJGBYvm_Es

Taylor was dressed like Burnett's famous cleaning woman character from "The Carol Burnett Show" on CBS. Burnett took the "pilot light" comment from Vicki Lawrence's famous "Mama" character on her show.

She also did a number of television movies. The best of them, "Malice In Wonderland," a CBS production in which she played gossip columnist Louella Parsons to Jane Alexander's Hedda Hopper, is available on DVD.

To wrap up, here's part of her fantastic appearance on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson" in 1992:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5WlCf9zFMo

Alas, her marriage with Larry Fortensky (husband No. 8) did not work. But she was a survivor for 78 years with a marvelous film career - and very entertaining appearances on the small screen.

Farewell, Elizabeth.