Michael Wilding

He was out of practice when it came to the pace of shooting films, and he was in nearly every scene of Rain Tree County.

Plus, as Liz Taylor's marriage to Michael Wilding deteriorated, Clift had somehow become a sounding board not just for Liz, but also Wilding, who would drive over to Monty's rental house late at night to seek his advice as to how to retain Elizabeth's love.

Monty had spent so much time with the Wildings since their marriage in 1952 that there were rumors around town that they must be a throuple, which was not true, at least not sexually.

But Liz seemed even more attached to Monty than Libby was.

It seems like perhaps even Liz and Monty were not sure exactly what it was that was going on between the two of them.

Which is highly relatable if you've ever been an 18-year-old girl, as Liz Taylor was in 1950. but the possibilities of what it could potentially be seemed to dwindle after she married British actor Michael Wilding in February, 1952.

As Bosworth wrote, not long after Elizabeth Taylor got married, Monty stopped mentioning the possibility of ever marrying himself.

He also stopped going to his favorite dive bar, which he had visited every day or night he could during 1950 and 1951.

It goes without saying that Libby Holman and the men in her life were no strangers to American tragedies.

But George Stevens' film is quite different from Sternberg's take on the material.

The script by Michael Wilson and Harry Brown, which won an Oscar, changes all of the characters' names and makes some significant alterations to the two women the male protagonist is stuck between.

Whereas in Sternberg's film, Sylvia Sidney's Roberta is sad, but sweet and adorable.

If you don't know it, I'll let you look that up.

Finally, did you know Elizabeth Taylor and husband Michael Wilding invited Rock Hudson and his future wife to their house for the get-to-know-you drinks one night at the start of production.

Hudson described it as a liquid evening.

They all got exceedingly drunk, finished the evening at 3am, Taylor's call time was 5.30am, and Hudson's wasn't long after that.

Her shortest marriage, eight months.

Then Michael Wilding, British actor, a bunch of actors, producers, eventually Richard Burton, of course.

Then John Warner, who was a US senator.

So I mean, honestly, the first seven, she, she's kind of rotating out of a certain class of people.

Wow.

Then Michael Wilding for, oh, that was five years.

Then Mike Todd, the second Mike in a row.

Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth Taylor died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she had been hospitalized for nearly seven weeks.

Her publicist announced that she died peacefully, surrounded by her four children, Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton.

The official cause of death was congestive heart failure, the chronic condition she had publicly disclosed in 2004 and managed for years through medication, repeated hospitalizations, and close medical supervision.

Because Taylor had been under continuous medical care for a well-documented natural illness, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner did not conduct a full forensic autopsy, as there were no indications of suspicious circumstances, and the death was certified as natural.