Elizabeth Taylor interview Barbara Walters (with jewels)

Elizabeth Taylor says she can't remember a time when she wasn't famous famous for her acting her illnesses her friends romances husbands and divorces above all for her incredible beauty that an image after image has always been accentuated by fabulous jewelry Elizabeth I have never seen anything so magnificent as all of this Julie it's just staggering not to mention what you're wearing I acquired this about a month ago so most gorgeous that it's unbelievable you bought this for yourself yeah how nice for you see yeah yes so good to you well there's nobody else around do people still go out and wear jewelry do you still with us well honey I do Dame Elizabeth Taylor for services to acting and to charity Elizabeth two years ago you were given a great honor when Queen Elizabeth of England gave you the order of commander of the British Empire she made you a dame how'd you feel when you were named Dame Elizabeth well I've always been abroad so it wasn't too far a stretch from abroad to a dame please join me in welcoming Elizabeth Taylor no longer a Hollywood leading lady she has successfully transformed herself into a humanitarian and businesswoman using her iconic status she has raised millions for AIDS research and made millions for herself selling her perfumes the first white diamonds her latest venture is this book celebrating her jewelry collection considered by many to be among the finest in the world for two days we were given a rare glimpse as trays and trays of diamonds pearls rubies and emeralds were laid before us what you are looking at is only about 1/10 of her collection and as rich as these jewels are so are the stories behind them they are in fact a window into Elizabeth Taylor's extraordinary life some people collect antiques some people collect paintings but your joy is Julie what fascinates you sold by jewelry ah the beauty of the perfection God's workmanship they're all from the ground this red is from God the ruby and there's green little things yeah those green little things those emeralds those green little things but it is one of the great collections isn't it I can tell how could one person amass such a collection Taylor's love affair with jewelry began as a child when she bought this costume brooch for her mother as she grew up to become arguably the most beautiful woman in the world the men in her life fed her insatiable passion for jewels especially her third husband Mike Todd a larger-than-life Hollywood producer who she married in 1957 one day you were in your swimming pool when he came up to you and put around your neck the most magnificent gift a diamond and ruby necklace I've never seen anything like that in my life I probably never will again I mean he was so generous and he took such care of me I felt so protected and loved the win the two biggest prizes in within one year yes and he also gave her an antique diamond tiara which she wore to the 1956 Academy Awards then tragedy after only 13 months of marriage and one daughter together Mike Todd was killed when his plane the Liz crashed Taylor was devastated his legacy to me was love he taught me what love really meant I can never be more far away from you then and this some years later she met her second great love British actor Richard Burton on the set of Cleopatra both were married at the time and they're very public affair became an international scandal unquestionably their torrid relationship was one of the century's great romances describe him the young people now who may not remember him that well Richard hmm good God shame on you where's the camera right there shame on you I'm mad for you go to a video store and rent and a thousand days rent Beckett rent Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf I want you to get yourself a little iller a little life in you got that we are forgiven Richard Griffin was a great actor and a hunk in 1964 they married throughout the 60s the Burton's were the most celebrated couple on the planet they're wild Jet Set lifestyle made them superstars before there was such a word Britain's showered his wife had spectacular jewels including the famous 33 carat Krupp diamond the crops were a German family that supplied munitions to the Nazis and Taylor writes quote help knock off millions of Jews how perfect she wrote it would be if a nice Jewish girl like me were to own it it was up for augs and Richard said I'm going to get you that ring I'm going to get you that ring look at it the hypnotic beauty that pulls you in and doesn't let you go is it heavy my dear would you like to try I would love to try it okay okay don't get anything you bring uh-huh look at that get it Malloy well thanks a long listen Beth the interviews over Burton gave her other important historic pieces like this 16th century Taj Mahal diamond necklace its original inscription reads to my beloved mahal and on the back look at the incredible detail here the magnificent hieroglyphics on the King Farouk bracelet that belonged to an Egyptian king and the exquisite la peregrina pearl it is one of the world's finest examples of a pear-shaped natural pearl and was once owned by Queen Mary Tudor of England shortly after you received that pearl you had quite a scare it decided Oh Taylor and Burton were in a Las Vegas hotel room as Elizabeth walked back and forth with the Pearl around her neck she suddenly realized it was missing and there was nothing there was nothing there and I heard one of the puppies shoeing a bone I thought that's wrong we don't give the puppies bones and one of the puppies was grown and you didn't the girl chewing on the pearl thank god there's no scratches did you ever tell Richard weeks later weeks later Elizabeth when you look back over that period of your life remembering it in part from all of these magnificent jewels what are your thoughts when you look back how grand it was how lucky I was that I was their Guardian their protector and nobody could have enjoyed them or had more fun with them but the jewels Britain rained on her couldn't calm the growing volatility between them they married and divorced twice I think we loved almost too hard I think you become so much in the other person's pocket in their mind in their soul that you begin to lose your own identity hard to understand isn't it yeah thank God I had it can you ever imagine having it again okay when you're with a new man and you're wearing the jewelry given to you by other men is it ever awkward or uncomfortable for the new man in your life in so I've been told yeah what do you do about it encourage them to give me more Taylor has also lavished jewelry on herself purchasing many of the pieces in her collection you said in your book I'm a pretty good con lady so if the rest of us are paying retail what's your secret I don't pay retail you don't pay retail how do you get it for less I see and then the price comes down I'm not sure the rest of us can be if it's a male salesmen in recent years her good friend Michael Jackson has also contributed to Taylor's treasure chest his gifts include this diamond bracelet watch and this diamond necklace do you think that Michael Jackson is misunderstood yes I do he has been hurt by so many people why should he trust people I think I'm the only person in his life that has not betrayed him today Elizabeth Taylor's fragile health particularly her severe back pain and two hip replacements has limited her movement last summer she was also treated for a curable skin cancer but even at age 70 who are legendary violet eyes still mesmerized and remind us of her hypnotic beauty there is a famous photographer he once said of you whenever she set her heart on a man on a film roll or a diamond it was to be the only one in the world for ever and ever once she had it in her sights her holdin it was total and irreversible well Dame Elizabeth that just about sums it up well I don't see how he could say such a thing but I guess you could say that's true

Channel: ValleyTaylorBurton

Views: 1,252,607

Rating: 4.7838931 out of 5

Keywords: Elizabeth Taylor (Actor), Barbara Walters (Journalist), Interview, Exclusive

Id: sm_3jmRbUL8

Length: 10min 36sec (636 seconds)

Published: Fri May 10 2013