The Most Beautiful Woman in the World

by Amburn, Ellis

• ISBN13: 9780060197193
• ISBN10: 0060197196
• Edition: Large
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-15
• Publisher: Cliff Street Books

Summary

Frequently the target of scandalous tabloid headlines, Elizabeth Taylor's love affairs and failed marriages have captured the attention of the American public for almost half a century. Just when we thought we knew everything about this American screen siren, Ellis Amburn blows the lid off of some of Hollywood's best-kept secrets. In The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, he taps into unexplored primary sources to expose the tragedies and triumphs of Taylor's life, including the successful removal of a golf-ball-sized brain tumor, the launching of a fragrance line that took off like a rocket, breaking her back twice in two years, and her relationship with Rod Steiger, who lured her back to life from a nervous breakdown. Amburn also reveals Taylor's tragic and heartbreaking affection for Montgomery Clift and James Dean; Taylor's disastrous marriage to the abusive and philandering Nicky Hilton, who abandoned Liz on their honeymoon to be with another woman; cunning Eddie Fisher, who forced Liz to appear at his Las Vegas shows in order to bring in capacity crowds;

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	x
Preface	xv
Discovering Boys: A Mixed Blessing	1	(37)
Montgomery Clift: Unconditional Love	38	(18)
Sexual, A-loving Husbands	56	(50)
Nicky Hilton
Michael Wilding
Loving, A-Sexual Partners	106	(38)
James Dean
Rock Hudson
Mike Todd: A 414-Day Joyride	144	(48)
Eddie Fisher: Closure by Injection	192	(39)
Cleopatra: The Queen of the World	231	(26)
The Burtons: One Bright, Shining Moment	257	(57)
The Jet Set	314	(57)
One More Go at Love: The Divorce and Remarriage of Sturm und Drang	371	(39)
Showbiz Takes Over D.C.	410	(15)
Elizabeth Taylor
John Warner
Ronald Reagan
Private Lives and Public Bottoms	425	(30)
Lesions, White Diamonds, and Rough Trade	455	(63)
September Songs	518	(28)
Rod Steiger
Michael Jackson
Cary Schwartz
Photo Captions	546	(8)
Notes	554	(38)
Bibliography	592	(6)
Index	598