Elizabeth Taylor's Love Nest
Plus: the history behind the Toronto Sceptres name, the fate of the Leslieville Dollhouse, and more...
My new online course, A Downright Scandalous History of Toronto, gets started this Monday night. (You can learn more about it here.) So for this week’s newsletter, I thought I would share a chapter from The Toronto Book of Love: a story all about a celebrity couple who scandalized our city back in 1964…
Cleopatra was a BIG movie. It told the story of one of the most spectacular love affairs of all time — the tragic romance between Roman general Mark Antony
and Egyptian queen Cleopatra — and the film production matched the grandeur of the tale. It had lavish sets. Elaborate costumes. Thousands of extras. It ran more than three hours long. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made. It won four Oscars, earned more money at the box office than any other movie in 1963, and still managed to lose tens of millions of dollars.
But nothing about Cleopatra was bigger than its stars. Elizabeth Taylor, hailed as one of world’s most beautiful women, became the highest paid actress in Hollywood when she signed on to play the title role. Starring alongside her as Mark Antony was one of the most respected thespians of his time: Richard Burton.
To the joy of paparazzi everywhere, the two fell in love. They were gorgeous, tempestuous, alcoholic, and entertaining. Their director said working with them was “like being locked in a cage with two tigers.” Every twist and turn in their relationship became international news.
It was less fun for their spouses. At the time, Burton had been married for more than a decade; Taylor, at twenty-eight years old, was already on her fourth husband. Neither marriage would last much longer. When Burton’s wife saw the way he behaved with his co-star on the set of Cleopatra, she fled — not just the set, but the entire country. The couple was divorced by the end of 1963.
It wasn’t an easy divorce. More than a hundred years after Elizabeth Powell and John Stuart were granted the first divorce in Toronto history, divorces were still exceedingly difficult to get — both in Canada and the United States. Burton and his wife had been forced to go to Mexico for theirs. Taylor’s was taking even longer.
That was a problem. Burton needed to get to Toronto right away; he was set to star in a production of Hamlet directed by the respected Shakespearean actor John Gielgud. It would be playing at the O’Keefe Centre (later known as the Hummingbird Centre, the Sony Centre, and Meridian Hall) before heading to Broadway. He’d been there for the red carpet grand opening of the flashy new theatre on Front Street just a few years earlier, starring with Julie Andrews in its first ever production: the world premiere of Camelot. Now, he was scheduled to make a grand return. There was absolutely no way he could possibly miss it.
But he also couldn’t bear to be without Elizabeth Taylor. Which meant they would be living in Toronto. Together. For eight weeks. In sin.
They arrived in January 1964 and took over a five-room suite on the eighth floor of the King Edward Hotel. It was big news. “SHE’S HERE!” screamed the front page of the Toronto Star upon their arrival, alongside a photo of a Mountie escorting the hand-holding stars into a waiting car at the airport. The couple’s Hollywood nickname, “Dickenliz,” was thrown around liberally. And the paper reported gleefully on the crowd of fans filling the lobby of the hotel, packed so tight that when Prime Minister John Diefenbaker finished giving a speech in a ballroom, he couldn’t find his way to the exit. They even printed a photo of Taylor’s dogs when they arrived on a later flight.
The couple’s marital status was big news, too. For many people, it was an outrageous scandal. There was no shortage of religious indignation in the early 1960s. The Vatican had already denounced Taylor’s “erotic vagrancy.” Judgmental teenagers showed up at the hotel to protest, brandishing signs with slogans like “Drink not the wine of adultery” and “She walks among your children.” And while some have since suggested that at least a few of the teenagers were being satirical, there was no shortage of righteous scorn directed the couple’s way. One congressman in the United States suggested that Burton’s U.S. visa should be revoked.
But the moralizers were fighting a losing battle. There were more fans than picketers. The Toronto Star ran an editorial defending the couple. Times were changing.
And then one day, when Taylor came down from their suite to meet Burton for lunch, there he was, sitting at their usual table in the Sovereign Ballroom. It was strangely deserted; he’d reserved the entire room. That’s when he proposed.
Nine days after Taylor’s own Mexican divorce was finalized, the couple were married — in Montreal, since conservative Ontario wouldn’t recognize their quickie, foreign divorces. A couple of days later, they were back in Toronto showing off their wedding rings. The minister who performed the ceremony would be getting angry phone calls for weeks.
A few days after they got back, Taylor and Burton were off to the United States; Hamlet was opening on Broadway. Over the course of the 1960s, they would make seven movies together and drink and fight and write passionate love letters declaring their undying devotion. He called her “a poem,” “unquestionably gorgeous,” “extraordinarily beautiful,” and also “famine, fire, destruction and plague.” They divorced in 1974. Remarried in 1975. Divorced again in 1976. That would be the last time; a few years later he was dead.
When she came home from the memorial service, there was one last love letter waiting for her in the mail. He’d written it three days before he died, asking her to give him one more chance. In one of the last interviews she gave before she passed away in 2011, she said it was still there, where she always kept it, in a drawer beside her bed.
The Toronto History Weekly needs your help! This newsletter involves a ton of work, so it’s only by growing the number of paid subscriptions that I’ll be able to continue doing it. Thank you so, so much to everyone who is already supporting it with a few dollars a month — and if you’d to make the switch yourself, you can do it by clicking right here:
My Scandalous New Course Starts This Monday!
I’m offering another brand new online course! Toronto has a lot of skeletons in its closet. The city's history is filled with stories of infamous love affairs, disgraced politicians and outrageous movie stars. Tales of vice, sin and impropriety have made headlines, shocked the public, and deeply shaped the place we call home. In this online course, we'll explore what those spicy stories can teach us about our city and its past by illuminating the boundaries of Torontonian morality — and we'll meet those who have challenged its limits, for better and for worse.
Format: The course will include four weekly lectures on Zoom with a chance to interact and ask questions, as well as a list of recommended readings. Each week's lecture will last approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
Dates: September 16 to October 7, 2024.
Time: 8pm every Monday night.
Recordings: Every lecture will be available to stream online later for anyone who can't make that week's class. All the recordings will remain available for the foreseeable future.
Cost: $75 + tax.
Paid subscribers to the newsletter also get 10% off!
The History Behind the Toronto Sceptres Name
Toronto’s PWHL team revealed their new name this week. The Toronto Sceptres was a surprising pick for a few reasons, not least of which is that it seems to reflect a bygone era of our city’s history. Toronto was once a very British place, where royal imagery like sceptres were deeply powerful symbols. But many people have been pointing out that the name doesn’t seem to reflect the modern, multicultural city of today.
I headed onto CBC Radio’s Here And Now to have a chat with Ramraajh Sharvendiran about the history behind the name.
I’ve Got Three Upcoming Talks!
“THE TORONTO BOOK OF THE DEAD & THE CITY’S MORBID PAST” AT THE ENOCH TURNER SCHOOL HOUSE
The Enoch Turner Schoolhouse has been standing on Trinity Street since the middle of the 1800s, so what better place to share some of the most fascinating stories from The Toronto Book of the Dead? The historic site’s pub night tradition returns this month and I’m delighted to take part as a speaker for the night:
“Enoch Turner on Tap! returns as a celebratory pub night to toast 175 years of free schooling at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. Enjoy storytelling, snacks, Victorian games, and even sip on a custom brewed beer good enough to impress Enoch Turner himself!”
When: Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30pm.
Where: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse (106 Trinity Street).
Price: $33.28.
“A SECRET HISTORY OF TORONTO: SPIES TRAITOR & THIEVES” AT THE WORD ON THE STREET
Toronto has been deeply shaped by its secrets. Dramatic scenes have played out in the dark corners of our city; our past is filled with tales of espionage, betrayal and conspiracy. History has been made by our secret agents, undercover operatives, bootleggers, con artists and thieves. I’ll be sharing some of those shadowy stories from the city’s past as part of this year’s Word On The Street festival — a talk presented by the Toronto Public Library.
When: Sunday, September 29 at 3:30pm.
Where: Queen’s Park.
Price: Free!
“THE BODY SNATCHERS OF TORONTO” AT TORONTO’S FIRST POST OFFICE
“Back by popular demand and just in time to ring in the spooky season, Adam Bunch will present ‘The Body Snatchers of Toronto.’ Toronto's dead haven't always been able to rest in peace. There was a time when our city was plagued by graverobbers. As local medical schools developed a ravenous appetite for fresh bodies, grisly scenes played out under the cover of darkness. Join Adam to learn about how Victorian Torontonians were left horrified by reports of empty coffins and missing corpses.”
When: Thursday, October 17 at 7pm.
Where: Toronto’s First Post Office.
Price: $17.31 for members of The Town of York Historical Society; $22.63 for non-members.
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
DYING DAYS OF A GHOST BRIDGE NEWS — The Old Eastern Avenue Bridge has spanned the Don River for nearly a century now, sitting abandoned for most of that time. It’s one of my favourite strange landmarks in the city. But Phoebe Knight writes that it’s about to be demolished by Waterfront Toronto as part of their flood protection project. Read more.
HOLLOW SHELL NEWS — Architect Eric Rodrigues writes in The Toronto Star about facadism. “[It] has become the go-to move for developers eager to pay lip service to heritage conservation,” he argues. “The result? A cityscape that feels more like a movie set than a living, breathing urban environment.” Read more.
EX NEWS — In his excellent City Hall Watcher newsletter, Matt Elliott highlights a recent presentation about heritage buildings at the Ex. Many were allowed to fall into disrepair before being saved, which seems like a particularly timely topic given the Ford government’s approach to the Science Centre:
The Music Building… was first slated for demolition in 1971 and later closed to the public in 1985 due to safety concerns. But the public rallied and saved the building… The presentation tells similar stories about the Arts, Crafts & Hobbies Building (circa 1912), the Ontario Government Building (circa 1926) and the Horticultural Building (circa 1907). In all three cases, the buildings had been allowed to deteriorate to a shabby and dangerous state, but public investment saved them from the wrecking ball. Maybe there’s a lesson here.
GRAVITY NEWS — A very special apple tree stands outside the physics building at York University. It’s said to be a descendent of the famous tree that inspired Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity all the way back in 1666. Now, it has been joined by two more, created from grafted cuttings. Read more.
DOLLHOUSE NEWS — Your last chance to see the Leslieville Dollhouse is coming up later this month. Last week, we learned that the iconically kitschy home had been sold. This week, the new owners revealed their plans for the house — which includes removing all the dolls. But it sounds like they’ll be going out in style. The owners are giving everyone one last chance to visit… and to take home one of the dolls as a souvenir! That last hurrah will be happening on September 29 between 10am-2pm, with donations being collected for SickKids and a local food bank. Phoebe Knight wrote about it for blogTO. Read more.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
US AND THEM: CANADA, CANADIANS & THE BEATLES
September 16 — 2pm — Richview Library
“With words, images and music, local author John Robert Arnone will tell the remarkable, proud and little-known history of Canada's relationship with The Beatles. His research will leave you breathless, including: A Canadian talent scout who let the early Beatles slip through his fingers; uncredited Canadian musicians who played on Beatles songs; a 14-year-old Scarborough teenager who created the world's largest Beatles fan club and an Alberta Cree elder who likely influenced John Lennon's ‘Imagine’. And so much more.”
Free!
YONGE STREET’S INCREDIBLE MUSIC & POP CULTURE HISTORY
September 19 — 7:30pm — Online & Montgomery’s Inn
“Did you know... That Gordon Lightfoot once sang for $25 a day at a Yonge Street dinner theatre? That a chance meeting in Toronto determined the direction of The Beatles greatest album? That the most decisive event in Rock N Roll history occurred at Yonge and Dundas? (In what is now a drugstore.) Yonge Street's connection to music, theatre and pop culture is literally second to none. Having been described as a musical/theatre mecca equal or better than Times Square or Hollywood Blvd. From Jazz and Motown to Hip Hop. Rock N Roll and Metal to Alternative. This 40 minute talk will show you a side of ‘The Strip’ you never knew existed.”
Free for members of the Etobicoke Historical Society; annual memberships are $25.
WHAT IS A TREATY? POP UP TALK AT FORT YORK NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
September 20 & 27 — 12:30pm & 2:30pm — Fort York National Historic Site
“Inspired by the Talking Treaties Collective’s "A Treaty Guide for Torontonians", this pop-up talk invites participants to share their understanding of treaty relationships between humans and the natural world. Models of treaty relationships between different Indigenous nations and with European settlers and the objects that were exchanged to solidify these agreements will be referenced during the discussion.”
Free!
MONEY TALKS: TRANSLATING VALUE OVER TIME
September 23 — 7:30pm — In person & online — Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society
“Drew von Hasselbach’s great-great-granduncle bought a property in Ontario for 17 pounds and 10 shillings in 1837. But how much is that in today’s money? Drew was a reporter at the Financial Post for 20 years, and he’ll show you how to figure that out. Speaker Drew von Hasselbach is a lawyer and journalist who has been doing genealogical research for more than 30 years. He received a Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in October 2022. He has experience researching records in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Germany and Eastern Europe. He reads English, French, German and Latin. Since 2017, Drew has been with Global news, where he is currently head of the copy desk, supervising a team of editors who review stories before publication on the web, and training reporters on news writing techniques. Outside of work, you might find him playing guitar with other journalists in the band Conrad Black Sabbath.”
Free, I believe!
SHEILA WHITE PRESENTS “THE LETTERS: POSTMARK PREJUDICE IN BLACK AND WHITE”
September 25 — 7pm — Toronto's First Post Office — Town of York Historical Society
“Shelia White will present on her 2023 debut novel, ‘The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White;’ a biographical story about her parents’ interracial marriage in 1940s Toronto. White chronicles her parents' courtship which transcends deeply rooted taboos in this friends to lovers narrative uncovering the social injustices and perceptions that were apparent in Toronto in the 20th century.”
$17.31 for members; $22.63 for non-members.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SUN… LET THERE BE LIGHT!
September 25 — 7pm — Northern District Library — North Toronto Historical Society
“Discover the history of the stained glass windows of the Church of St. Clement (50 St. Clements Ave. at Duplex). In this illustrated presentation, St. Clement's archivist, Donald E. Holmes, will describe the history and religious significance of the 27 windows made by six Canadian manufacturing companies.”
Free, I believe!
GHOSTLY WALK THROUGH OLD TOWN
September 26 to October 30, various dates and times — Meet at Campbell House Museum — Town of York Historical Society
“Brave the darkness as we explore the ghostly haunts of the Old Town of York and the early City. Hear tales of dread and mystery from those who walked Toronto's streets before us and visit some of the oldest (most haunted!) buildings that date back to the City's 1793 colonial inception.”
$11.98 for members; $17.31 for non-members.
HOW ARCHAEOLOGY IS REWRITING THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS
September 26 — 6:30pm — Royal Ontario Museum
“From the Canadian Arctic to the mountains of central Mexico, new research is shifting the long-standing western scientific narrative that human populations arrived in the Americas only 13,000 years ago. Join us for an evening event that includes the Canadian premiere screening of Walking with Ancients, a full-length documentary that challenges viewers to rethink the history of humans in the Americas based on new and emerging archaeological research. Following the screening, archaeologists Paulette Steeves, Ciprian Ardelean, Justin Jennings, and filmmakers Elizabeth Trojian and Robin Bicknell will discuss the archaeological evidence that is currently challenging how earlier generations of scientists framed the peopling of the Americas. Through their expert insights, we learn of new work being done to decolonize the discipline and gain a better understanding of the implications for how we understand our past, present, and future.”
Free with registration!
SYMPOSIUM ON INTANGIBLE HERITAGE
September 29 — 12:30pm — Cecil Community Centre & Online — Architectural Conservancy of Ontario
“Every year, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario’s Toronto Branch hosts a symposium exploring current heritage ideas... This year’s symposium will examine the phenomenon of Intangible Heritage or heritage that is distinct from built form. Intangible Heritage can relate to traditions, activities, commerce, communities, identities, and storytelling. There’s a sense in which all heritage has intangible elements. While it certainly has relationships with physical spaces, what makes Intangible Heritage different from built heritage is that its significance lies outside traditional evaluations of architectural merit. It is use, not aesthetics, that defines Intangible Heritage. Or is it? The narratives of Intangible Heritage are complex, intersectional, and in motion. Looking more closely at its presence across Toronto—from Kensington Market to Little Jamaica to Suburban Banquet Halls—this year’s symposium will highlight some of the things the term Intangible Heritage can and should mean and why.”
$49.26; $20 for Student/Recent Grad/NextGen in person; $22.63 for Student/Recent Grad/NextGen online.
HERITAGE TORONTO WALKING TOURS
Until October
“Through our events, including tours, community discussions, the Heritage Toronto Awards, and more, Heritage Toronto engages the public to reflect on the city’s heritage.”
Usually $9.85
WHEELING THROUGH TORONTO
October 3 — 6pm — Runnymede Library
“Join author Albert Koehl, as he discusses the rich history of the bicycle in Toronto. Wheeling through Toronto takes readers on an exciting 130-year ride from the Bicycle Craze of the 1890s to the COVID pandemic of the 2020s. Cities around the world, including Toronto, are today embracing cycling for its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transportation.”
Free!
TORONTO GONE WILD
Until November 2 — Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 4pm — Museum of Toronto
“Toronto Gone Wild explores the city as a multi-layered habitat — starring the animals, plants, and insects that call Toronto home. Venture through different Torontonian terrains from city streets to burrows, hives, and nests, all seamlessly woven together in our downtown exhibition space. You’ll emerge with a renewed appreciation for the interconnectedness of life in the city.”
Free!