A fan's recollection of Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor - Father of the Bride                       (Photo/wiki)

Elizabeth Taylor, film actress, was not just famous and constantly sought after by the paparazzi in Hollywood alone.

Ms Taylor was also bombarded and embraced by the paparazzi and fans wherever she went.  Travels within and out of the country were no exception.

She is also a true friend with multiple music and acting legends, one of those having  been Michael Jackson. (MJ's funeral).

The following is a story about a fan who accidentally 'ran' into Ms Taylor on one of these excursions.  A fan, Bill, whom this writer met over a 2009 Thanksgiving dinner while visiting in Palm Springs, California.

(Photo/wiki)

According to Bill, who was at the beginning of a Singapore to America trip on Pan Am airlines and was seated in seat number one (taking for granted he was in first class), his recollection went something like this...

The year was approximately late 1958 or early 1959, soon after Ms Taylor's husband, Mike Todd, had passed away in March 1958.  Elizabeth Taylor was and still is a gorgeous person and talented actress. 

I was on a Pan Am flight that had been late in taking off for America, originating in Singapore, with multiple stops, at least one that I can remember the best, that of Tokyo.

While we all waited for the plane to depart I noticed that a limo pulled up right next to the boarding staircase.

I was seated in the first row, first seat, with an empty seat next to me.  A person came on board with multiple pieces of garments, those of which were carried down the aisle to the rear of the airplane.   Then a woman came on board and sat next to me.  Yes, it was Elizabeth Taylor!

During the trip the main thing I remember are the multiple times that Ms Taylor got up during the flight [assuming it was for quick greetings to the fans at each stop].  Before each greeting she would head to the rear of the airplane to change her clothes and then return to sit for a few minutes before the plane landed. 

Each change was into a dress of beautiful design and color - vivid colors all them.  But then we were about to land in Tokyo.  She had already told me about that stop, and how she was expected to step out and wave at the crowd [like previous other stops, it is assumed], but this time there would be cameras!

Again Ms Taylor left to the rear of the plane to change, but when she returned she was not wearing a dress of vivid color, instead she wore a black, wool-like suit. 

I asked her why she chose a suit and in black when she had been wearing such lovely gowns before in such lovely colors.  She told me:  'Why everyone knows one looks their best in black when in front of the camera.'

So that answered that.  She knew what she was doing.  Upon our last stop and Ms Taylor's departure, she nudged me with her elbow and said: 'See you later.'"

None of us at the Thanksgiving meal found out if Bill did get to see Elizabeth Taylor again.  But maybe if Bill or Elizabeth Taylor, herself, reads this, it would be wonderful to hear that answer as well as more about their trip. 

Excuse that this has been a bit paraphrased, and due to the fact that Bill's recollection is from fifty years ago, it is wonderful to know that the main idea and fond memory still has been caught in time. 

Even though half a century has passed, Bill spoke as if that airplane trip had just occurred.  And none of us who shared Thanksgiving dinner with Bill, at a huge round table, were able to eat one more bite of turkey until he finished sharing the delightful story.

Thanks Bill, and thank you Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood icon! 

You are wished the best with your health Ms Taylor.