Elizabeth Taylor on "General Hospital" in 1981

That was REALLY bad and not in a good way.

She was a drugged up fat ole hag in a turban chasing Tony Geary.. much like Geary's husband in Amsterdam.

She's awful. of course, looking at the cue cards every two seconds isn't helping. She's worse than john Van Horn in Tootsie.

I LOVE the queeny butler!

"Someone dust this painting!"

They could have at least tarted her up to look like the "Madame" they were all so terrified of who demands such utter perfection - out steps this dazed drugged schlump .

Good, campy fun.

Helluva Casserole!

Sharing a campy dramatic scene with the improbably named foreign exchange detective Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers). I love when he leaves how she spends several moments twitching.

Her character arc must have inspired bringing Joan Collins in a similarly flamboyant role as Alexis onto "Dynasty."

they gave her a great theme ….. she looked best at the wedding; that curse sure did work.

[quote] Her character arc must have inspired bringing Joan Collins in a similarly flamboyant role as Alexis onto "Dynasty."

No, Dynasty had already decided to bring Alexis on before Taylor appeared on GH.

OMG, these clips are hilarious. I watched them way back when and haven't seen them again until now. Back then I had the hots for Scorpio. I can see why she did too.

Still a lot better than that old cunt Constance Towers.

[quote]Good, campy fun.

Campy, I guess so, fun not so much.

Also, not good as well as not fun.

I remember a blooper from the show on a show of bloopers where Taylor had to walk past a row of men and kept blowing her line. Finally apologizing and commenting that she was new to acting.

R15. “Not used to acting.” Close enough. She seemed fun, if it a little rusty.

She laughs like Roseanne

Nice big tits

R10, I'll tell you which soap bitch -- ironically -- gave Dynasty the idea for Alexis.

I remember the film clip of her giggling her head off and flubbing her lines while doing a scene with Tristan Rogers; he was not amused. It was obvious she was on something. Anyway, her appearances on GH were pathetic; the great movie star Elizabeth Taylor reduced to doing a soap. I remember tabloid stories from back then going on about her "romance" with the gay as a goose Anthony Geary. Jesus!

It was Liz' idea to do the guest spot. She was a fan of the show.

It's too bad it happened when she was still a big gal. 5 years later, she'd really slimmed down.

She came to the wedding for the cake.

When they wouldn't let her have any, that's when she got the idea for the curse.

She was a fan of the show? Well, that just goes to show how dumb she was. Soap operas are for the not very bright.

R23 Thurgood Marshall watched DAYS.

[quote] Thurgood Marshall watched DAYS.

And then he died.

"Thurgood Marshall watched DAYS."

He was quite a scholarly man who had to make a lot very important decisions in his life. I guess he needed some escapism. But most soap opera fans are dunces.

Don't talk about the boy, Martha...

Ingmar Bergman was a big fan of [italic]Dallas[/italic], [italic]The Muppet Show[/italic], and [italic]Sex and The City[/italic].

How did her appearance time with the stage show of The Little Foxes?

Liz did The Little Foxes from April 29 previews to opening night May 7 to September 5, 1981.

There's that funny story about Maureen Stapleton and Elizabeth Taylor in the receiving line to meet Ronald and Nancy Reagan, after performing in the Little Foxes. I laughed till I peed.

Awful. Dame Elizabeth is supposed to come across as an imposing, grand, dragon lady of a woman, but she is a mere amateur. Dame Joan pulled it off much better over in prime time.

I remember this. I was ten years old, and my sister, being nearly six years older than me, always had control of the only television in the house after school. I watched this soap as did my three years older brother - she was a real fucking Nazi with that tv, man. I remember thinking to myself that ET was a very striking looking old lady if I did not use those exact words when watching her on GH though I had absolutely no idea of the extent of her fame. I grew up and saw one of her old movies on television and then I thought "that's the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

What's up with the high altitude drone shots? Is it to cover up her triple chins?

At least her hair isn't jet black at this time. But that eye makeup and the groucho Marx eyebrows always looked terrible on her "later" in life. Poor thing had a nice laugh though. Liz knew how to enjoy herself. How much champagne was on set?

Did Richard Simmons inspire her to get in shape after her zaftig appearance?

Brittany Spears ,bitch stole my act.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra lite

Those clips are hilarious. I love how actors and actresses back then all had deep, gravelly smokers' voices. They all sounded like they smoked two packs a day.

PR people at the time kept subtly suggesting that Elizabeth Taylor and Tony Geary might be lovers outside of the show.

Tristan Rogers' rug is so obvious in the clip at R8. Don't know how I didn't notice as a kid.

[quote] PR people at the time kept subtly suggesting that Elizabeth Taylor and Tony Geary might be lovers outside of the show.

Which frauen still use to this day to pooh-pooh the thought that their darling, dashing rapist Lucas Lorenzo Spencer might crave cock in real life.

One tabloid said of Liz's cavalier treatment of her swain Anthony Geary: "she chewed him up and spit him out." Yes, she seduced poor Anthony with her charms and then threw him aside like he was nothing. I imagine GH fans actually believed that. The tabloids also reported on the hot affair between Liz and Malcolm Forbes, who, like Geary, was gay. I guess the GH fans believed that one, too.

Liz demanded pressies. Everyday. And then she would act surprised.

FOR MOI???

On her Intimate Portrait special Liz says when she was married to John Warner and he became a Senator she spent her days at home watching TV with Jack Daniels and a platter of fried chicken. Perhaps that's when she learned to love General Hospital.

R23, Newsweek in 1981 called General Hospital Television's Hottest Show

not Daytime's Hottest Show, but TELEVISIONS

I would say today, soaps have become the cliche people once thought they were, but back then, they were great.

OP your grammar is horrible!

But grandpa is a cutie.

I didn't even know soaps were still on tv.

General Hospital may have been "televisions' hottest show" at one time but that didn't mean it was GOOD. In fact, it sucked. It was just a fucking soap opera but for some reason the due of Anthony Geary and Genie Francis became the hottest ticket in daytime. I remember them both on an Oprah Winfrey episode; she asked them if they had ever "dated" in real life. They said no. "Never?", she asked incredulously. Did she think because they fucked on tv they also fucked in real life? But by way of explanation Anthony Geary said "Genie is a lot younger than me." He forgot to also mention he was gay.

Just because Tony had a perm doesn't make him a gay. Mister Geary has won 7 Emmy Awards playing a straight man!! If he had chosen a gay lifestyle, he would not be able to portray such a convincing man.

R2 OMG

TV Guide article.

She was the biggest star on the planet and could do what she damn well pleased — and that included taking a job on a daytime soap! It's been 33 years since Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor stunned Hollywood by appearing on ABC's General Hospital as villainess Helena Cassadine, who campily crashed the wedding of Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) and put a curse on them that lasts to this day.

At the time, Taylor told People magazine, "I'm wild about General Hospital. Someone from [ABC] came to see me when I was doing The Little Foxes in New York, and I agreed to do the soap when I got to L.A. I had a ball."

The ceremony — airing November 16 and 17, 1981 — drew a record audience of 30 million. And we're still talking about it! TV Guide Magazine asked Geary and costar Jacklyn Zeman, who plays Luke's sister, Nurse Bobbie Spencer, to flash back on Taylor's trip to Port Chuck. Here's what they had to say.

Geary: I'm sure nobody from the network went to Elizabeth about this unsolicited, because the possibility that she'd do GH was just too crazy to even imagine. Someone from her team must have floated the idea first. This was back when she was married to Sen. John Warner and wasn't very happy sitting on the farm in Virginia. She told me that GH — especially the Ice Princess story — took her out of her lethargy every afternoon. Luke and Laura's love story made Elizabeth feel very nostalgic. She said it reminded her of her youth and the great romance films of the old studio system.

Zeman: Ms. Taylor had a spectacular existence — fame, money, jewels, yachts and husbands galore — but being on GH gave her real pleasure. It was such an inspiration to see her come on our show and say, "I don't care what anybody thinks!" She didn't need anybody's validation. She was the ultimate cool girl.

Geary: There were rumors in the press that Elizabeth had insisted on her dressing room being painted violet to match her eyes and that it have floor-to-ceiling fish tanks. Ridiculous! She didn't pull any star s--t. [Laughs] In fact, I'd seen far more star s--t from some of my castmates! She was sweet, funny, self-deprecating — a dream to work with.

Zeman: You have to remember these were very different times. Show business was compartmentalized. Soap actors didn't do primetime. Primetime actors didn't do movies. So [Taylor] was a big shot in the arm for GH and all of daytime TV. Her guest stint broke the rules.

Geary: After her appearance, we suddenly had a glut of big names wanting to be on GH but [then-executive producer] Gloria Monty wasn't biting. Her attitude was, "I don't need stars. I make 'em!" It's a testament to Elizabeth's star power that her character [now played by Constance Towers] is still with us all these decades later. Helena has died and come back more often than I've had a glass of wine. There's a reason for that longevity — the character was born of magnificence.

I think it's very sad that Elizabeth Taylor was reduced to watching soaps in order to take her "out of her lethargy." I thought she was ridiculous on GH; a faded movie star on a soap.

There have been some real beauties on soaps. Don Daimont and Igo Rademacher come to mind but Tony Geary? Did I miss his well hidden sex appeal?

^^^ Bill Murray with Annie Lennox's hair.

R55 TV Guide. Couldn't you afford a subscription to Readers Digest?

Horrible acting, script and actors. Im glad that we have standards nowadays

I love the line where walked down and around the set of chairs only to return to the exact place she started from before she finished the same damn line.

Those sets are downright opulent though.

[quote]the great movie star Elizabeth Taylor reduced to doing a soap.

Yes.

Anthony Geary...soap opera fans swooned over him. On GH he was irresistible to women (although the character of Luke Spencer didn't start out that way) and attracted beautiful, much younger lovers. Here's proof soap opera fans are nuts. Rona Barrett had a gossip rag about daytime tv stars; in the letter section a GH fan wrote in to say that Anthony Geary's acting was on a par with the acting talent of Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman. Now that is nuts.

The second Helena Cassadine, played by Dimitra Arliss, was one scary looking bitch.

Personally, I've loved Constance Towers in the role... even better than Elizabeth Taylor.

R64 I came here to post Dimitra's stint, but you beat me to it! She actually had a pretty good career of her own, not as big as Liz's or Connie's, but she's in "The Sting", "Xanadu" and "It's My Party". I guess while Helena was sick, her hair fell out and grew back blonde.

I must say, that's a really good picture of her.

Dimitra Arlyss sort of resembles Shirley Ann Field who originated the role of Pamela Capwell on "Santa Barbara" before Marj Dusay took over.

R8 she turned down the Alexis Carrington role on Dynasty to do GH?

Then Sophia Loren was offered Alexis and was actually in talks, but it fell through so we got Joan Collins

Liz Taylor must have been pissed she turned Dynasty down

Liz could have never handled Dynasty.

R70 how so?

Do tell...

I remember my mom watching this at the time. I was about 4 years old, I had no idea who Liz was. She was really slumming, but most of her 1970’s Italian B movies aren’t much better. Her movie career as a leading lady in A films was over by the age of 38.

[quote] But most soap opera fans are dunces.

Honestly, I disagree. I credit the fact that I grew up watching soaps, for being able to read at a college level by the fourth grade. While other students had problems following and understanding novels, I didn't. You can't be a dunce and follow a soap opera. A dunce would be lost trying to follow multiple storylines and dozens of characters. A dunce would be completely lost and would quickly give up on the show. It is also a great way to keep your memory active. People make fun of old people sitting around nursing homes and watching soaps, but they should be.

" You can't be a dunce and follow a soap opera. "

Oh, sure you can. The plotlines drag on for so long that you could not watch a soap for a few weeks and when you went back to it the same things would still be going on.

And here's another thing: soap opera fans think the characters on the shows are REAL. Yes, a lot them appear to think that. There are soap opera characters who have received threats due to the fact that they play an evil character; the dumb clucks who watch the show think they ARE the character. On some Oprah Winfrey show she had on actors from "All My Children"; audience members were allowed to ask questions and one of the idiot audience members, thrilled to be in proximity with characters from her "stories", exclaimed to one of them "HI, HILLARY!" The person to whom she was speaking was Carmen Thomas; the character she played on AMC was Hillary Wilson.

There was some event where Tristan Rogers from "All My Children" was appearing. An audience member asked him this question: "How tall are you?" His answer: "Five foot eleven." The audience's response to that: 'SHHHHREEEIIIK!" Yes, soap operas tend to be dumb, indeed.

Have you never been to a comic-con type event? It isn't only soap fans.  And the idea that you can miss multiple episodes and pick right back up is a myth, you can but you will be confused for several episodes.

"Have you never been to a comic-con type event?"

No. I assume people at those events are as ridiculous as soap opera fans.

[quote] [R70] how so? Do tell...

Liz was too lazy and easily distracted to handle the grind of a weekly series.

Liz never could've put up with the hours involved in filming an hour-long dramatic series. It's a pretty heavy schedule. She was too lazy and spoiled to have been able to tolerate it, as r77 said. TV sets are different from movie sets, they can't pamper and coddle divas, there's just not enough time in the schedule to allow for that.

As much as I love Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins was born to play Alexis. There was something about the alchemy of her getting that role, at her age, after being C list actress for so long- she greeted it with a ferocity that truly sent the show to #1. She played the hell out of that role, knowing it was (finally!) her ticket to wealth and true fame. She also had incredible chemistry with her co-stars, even if they hated each other.

Here is who would have been my choice for a Helena re-cast.

At her worst, she is better than the current crop of crap on GH. See: Sonny, Cary, Jason, Sam.

A veritable Camptest...and I watched it.

Elizabeth Taylor was a very beautiful woman...those eyes.

After college, I worked on Capitol Hill. I knew a young woman, whose father was Chief of Staff to John Warner. She said that Elizabeth Taylor was a very sweet and kind woman.

And don't ever forget, Elizabeth Taylor was an activist for us amidst the Aids crisis, long before others became involved. She's a saint.

." She's a saint."

You're a nutjob. She was a pampered, spoiled, self-absorbed, greedy, rich movie star who wanted what she wanted when when she wanted it. She had the maturity of a teenager. She defended Michael Jackson, that vile seducer of little boys. She was no fucking "saint."

And you are a fool, R83. Elizabeth Taylor did more for Aids research and the gay community than any other celebrity at the time.

Yes, all thos adjectives (pampered, spoiled, self-absorbed) can be applied to all actors and actresses. Rich...what's wrong with that? Or are you advocating the violent overthrow of capitalism? Greedy she wasn't.

And as for defending Michael Jackson, well she saw him much like herself...in the public eye for most of their lives. 20/20 hindsight is not something most of us have. You must be special in that regard.

Educate yourself about your community's history. Elizabeth Taylor is one of our patron saints.

You are a deluded idiot, R84. Yeah, fat, spoiled, greedy, self-absorbed, immature Elizabeth Taylor was "one of our patron saints." What stupidity!

Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most talented fiancees ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her life. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in Hollywood. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her appetites and she theirs.

There have already been several threads on this OP. Would it have killed you to have done a search before you posted this? Would it? What’s wrong with having a little consideration for others and doing a search first? Would it really have been that hard? Would it? Are you going to be able to give us an honest answer to this? Are you?

Jackie Zeman and Connie Towers are two of the nicest people in soaps.

I remember reading, somewhere, that Anthony Geary wasn't all that nice to Constance Towers, just because she took over the role of his favorite fag hag, Elizabeth Taylor.

I'm not sure if that's true, but if it was, he's a total bastard.

As I counseled you, R85...educate yourself

I know all about Elizabeth Taylor, R90. Who wouldn't? She was one of the most over publicized movie stars of all time. And indeed she was immature, greedy, self-absorbed, wildly materialistic, spoiled and self-centered. Oh, and she liked to steal other women's husbands. I think you're the one who needs to be counseled, dear.

R90 and R91, y'all are like Viki and Dorian

Well, R92, I'm sure you mean that I'm Viki and not that skanky ho, Dorian! LOL!!!

R91, you know I love you more than my luggage!

She’s terrible in those clips. She looks fine, but if she’d just been called in as a regular actress to audition, she’d never have got the part.

She just seems clueless.

In the outtakes, she can’t even pronounce her character’s name.

"In the outtakes, she can’t even pronounce her character’s name."

Yeah, I seem to remember those film clips of her where she can't pronounce "Cassadine." She was giggling and giggling and very amused. But Tristan Rogers, who was in the scene with her, didn't think it was very funny. He looked like he wanted to knock her giggling head off.

Even when Liz got the name -- Cassa-dine -- correct, she'd cut herself off and say oops.

She wasn't used to doing 15 plus pages a day or whatever they gave her.

What a lot of people don't know is that after Doug Marland did all the heavy lifting, restructuring the show, taking it from No. 9 to No. 2 with the Laura/Scotty/Bobbie triangle and introducing Tracy, and writing the David Hamilton story/murder -- the Lesley/Rick/Monica/Alan story -- and created a great supporting cast of characters: Lee, Gail, Edward, Lila, Alice Grant (!), etc., Pat Falken Smith came on, continuing the Luke/Laura story and everything else Doug started/created.

But after Pat Falken Smith left the writing went to crap. But the show rode on the popularity of its characters...there were some bright spots: Luke/Holly and Holly/Robert; Laura's return was great.

I didn't really ever enjoy the show again until Ron C. came along and even his stuff had its share of misses.

R96 Pat Falken Smith went to Days of Our Lives after GH and made that show a GH clone

Big time

R96, yes, she went back to DAYS. She had studied under Bill Bell and really got it.

She continued Doug's stories at GH which was brilliant. She wrote the Lesley slapping Monica scene in summer of 1980. Great stuff.

hard to believe that'll be 40 years ago.

Pat created both the Cassadines and the DiMeras. She created Kelly's Diner and the Brady Fish Market (which later became the pub).

R98 Pat must have had a thing for Frank Parker (Paddy Kelly, "GH", Shawn Brady, "Days").

Yes, I think she might have brought Thaao over from Gh where he was briefly Victor Cassadine (that name!) to DAYS where he played Tony DiMera.

Pat was an unsung hero. She went back to GH and created the role of Anna Devane.

GH rode the popularity from Doug and Pat's first go around all the way till 1988 when Y&R overtook it.

Personally, I think a huge, huge loss for GH was Denise Alexander (Lesley). Genie said in an interview she talked to producers about bringing her back. Stefan faking her death that Helena had ordered tracked, mostly, story-wise.

What didn't was writing Rick Webber as an icky weirdo and that Theresa Carter character who NEVER existed. I'd love Gh to fix that while Denise and Chris Robinson are still with us.