...and this is the front.
We should have known that you bitches would immediately realize that anyone sporting a lacquered Grecian curl bouffant; a mink-trimmed Pierre Cardin gown; and tons of Bulgari bling would have to be Dame Elizabeth Taylor, 1963 vintage.
A superstar since her childhood, La Liz really became a fascinating, over-the-top, train-wreck-slash-goddess during this period. Her hair, clothing and jewelry became ever more outrageous, and her always-voluptuous figure grew to increasingly zaftig proportions. She could look fabulous or horrendous, depending on the day (and how much bourbon and Chasen's chili she'd consumed the night before); but always interesting.
The movie from which our original Mystery Guest photo was taken is, of course, The V.I.P.s (1963), a superficial, all-star drama set in a London airport. The Taylor-Burton juggernaut, fresh from the Cleopatra hoopla (read about it here!), headed an impressive cast which also included Louis Jourdan, Margaret Rutherford, Orson Welles, Rod Taylor, Maggie Smith and Elsa Martinelli. Critical reception was largely negative, although Rutherford won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the dotty, impoverished Duchess of Brighton -- foreshadowing Helen Hayes' win in the same category as the loveable stowaway in Airport (1970), another glossy, star-studded affair. The New York Times also singled Jourdan out as the "sleek but pathetic" gigolo, calling his performance "excellent" and full of "delicate feeling and grace." And, here at SSUWAT, we just love sleek but pathetic gigolos!
We're sure it's just a matter of time before The V.I.P.s receives full dress treatment over at Poseidon's Underworld, so we'll simply say, once again, thanks for playing, darlings! The eagle-eyed Billy D was the first to identity Mrs. Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky, based on her "danglers." Because we adore Billy so, we thought it appropriate that, as his prize, he receive a pair of her danglers for himself.
