Martha Frankel, a Boiceville-based writer, artist and provocateur, shared some intimate memories of the late Elizabeth Taylor with the Daily Freeman this week. Frankel recalls that she met Taylor while strenuously trying not to offend her by making eye contact on the set of Sweet Bird of Youth in 1989:
After a while, though, Taylor must have noticed this woman who tried to not even look at her, because, Frankel said, “she finally came over to me and said, ‘OK, who are you?’”
Taylor then invited Frankel to her house for a party, where Frankel had a front-row seat as Taylor stayed up until 2am telling stories about her famous life and times:
“She told us about what it was like during (the filming of) ‘Cleopatra’ and how they put up sheets on the boats so nobody could see them.
“She talked about what it was like with her and Richard Burton and how crazy it got. She talked about her friendship with Michael Jackson.
“I think the most touching thing she talked about was Rock Hudson and how much she loved him and how close they were and how hiding his homosexuality was for him,” Frankel said. “But mostly it was just fun she was telling stories.”
“It was such an evening for me just to be privy to this stuff,” she said. “ I got to lay at her feet and listen to Elizabeth Taylor tell stories.”
