Today I celebrate a trio of birthdays: a Disney Imagineer (Rolly Crump) and two (heavenly) actresses (Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Bennett). Crump’s style is right up my alley; creative, weird, and dark. I had the opportunity to see his work at an exhibit in Oceanside six years ago. What a treat! There is much more to this man than just Disney.
Walt was impressed by Rolly and was grooming the young man for stardom in the Imagineer world. Unfortunately, Walt died before Rolly’s ideas for the Haunted Mansion came to fruition. Too afraid of his weird and dark aesthetic, most of Crump’s designs were deleted or minimized. This chair is one of the few items left in the Mansion that bears his distinctive style.
Elizabeth Taylor would have been ninety-one today. The actress/activist/husband collector/jewelry enthusiast and lover of life is shown here with James Dean. Taylor was filming “Giant” at the time and Dean was wrapping up filming on “Rebel Without A Cause.” He would join the George Stevens production shortly after this publicity shot was taken.
Taylor and her two boys enjoy a day at Disneyland with then-husband Eddie Fisher, circa 1959.
Today’s third (heavenly) birthday celebration is for Joan Bennett, who started her career as a blonde and hit pay dirt when she went brunette. Who says blondes have more fun?!? Here’s a vintage shot of a marquee with her 1956 film, “Navy Wife.”
Today, if remembered at all, it is probably for playing Elizabeth Stoddard on the 1960’s/1970’s cult TV show, “Dark Shadows.”
Bennett also happened to be one of the many actresses who tested for the plum role of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” Here’s a very bad dupe of Bennett’s screen test (along with a few others):
See more Daveland photos at my main website.
