Posted by
Bill Crawford on Saturday, April 02, 2011 7:01:56 PM
I've gotten a few mentions of her in conversation, a few more in passing via e-mail. More than a handful wanted to know what I thought of her. The short answer is, aside from using her as an illustrative reference on Oscar night, I don't think about her. Never did.
She was one of the last of the child stars raised and groomed by the major studios. She had a presence that went beyond her talent. She became a fiercely independent actress, leading a path for others when the studio system died out.
She was the first actor to get a million bucks for a picture. When they wanted her for "Cleopatra", she told her agent to ask for that number, obviously not caring whether she got the part or not. Much to her surprise, they offered it, and she became the center of a production whirlwind for a boondoggle picture that, adjusted for inflation, was the most expensive film ever made until Cameron's "Titanic" topped it.
On the angel's side, she was very incvolved in awareness and fund raising for AIDS, way back when it was known as GRID (Gay Related ImmunoDeficiency syndrome). This was the subject of many of the e-mails sent to me.
I''m afraid though, that my strongest memory of her is how she turned one of the potentially greatest Shakespearian actors of our time into a babbling drunk. Round about 1960, Richard Burton was doing a Hamlet on Broadway that was flooring people. Ten years later, he was just a big name. Ten years after that, he was doing a sequel to "The Exorcist".
Oh, well. That's the way the ball bounces. May she rest in peace.