“Ivanhoe” Is Playing on TCM on February 23 (USA)

Ivanhoe (1952) is playing on Turner Classic Movies on Sunday February 23rd at 9:30 a.m. est. Closed captioned.

Robert Taylor and Liz Taylor in Ivanhoe.

Wonderful movie! This film is an exciting adventure-romance which never once loses its pace or feel. Robert Taylor brings depth to a potentially dull lead character. Jean Fontaine is great as his love, the Lady Rowenna. Elizabeth Taylor, though, steals the show with her stunning portrayal of Rebecca of York! This film has aged very well and shows first-hand to a young generation just why Elizabeth Taylor was such a star.

Although this film is an extremely enjoyable adventure, it also has the guts to tackle some complicated issues and resolve them in a very non-Hollywood fashion. As Ivanhoe feels his love for the beautiful Rebecca grow will he defy convention and pursue the lovely Jewish girl or remain with the safe charms of the blond, Anglo-Saxon Rowenna? The answer is intelligently handled and surprising. This film is one of the greatest examples of the classic adventure. Review by David Arbury for the IMDB

About giraffe44

I became a Robert Taylor fan at the age of 15 when his TV show, "The Detectives" premiered. My mother wanted to watch it because she remembered Mr. Taylor from the thirties. I took one look and that was it. I spent the rest of my high school career watching Robert Taylor movies on late night TV, buying photos of him, making scrapbooks and being a typical teenager. College, marriage and career intervened. I remember being sad when Mr. Taylor died. I mailed two huge scrapbooks to Ursula Thiess. I hope she got them. Time passed, retirement, moving to Florida. Then in 2012 my husband Fred pointed that there were two Robert Taylor movies that evening on Turner Classic Movies--"Ivanhoe" and "Quentin Durward." I watched both and it happened all over again. I started this blog both for fans and for people who didn't know about Robert Taylor. As the blog passes 200,000 views I'm delighted that so many people have come by and hope it will help preserve the legacy of this fine actor and equally good man.

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2 Responses to “Ivanhoe” Is Playing on TCM on February 23 (USA)

PA Lady Dianne says:

February 19, 2014 at 3:29 am

Probably my all-time favorite Robert Taylor film since I like both Taylors so much. Handsomest man & most beautiful woman ever to appear on the screen in my opinion. (Their earlier movie together, “Conspirator,” was hardly a classic & is interesting only to look at them.) English teachers all over the world would have freaked if the filmmakers would have let Ivanhoe choose Rebecca. Interestingly, Elizabeth Taylor did eventually convert to Judaism & remained Jewish until her death.

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giraffe44 says:

February 19, 2014 at 3:54 pm

That’s an interesting point about Liz. I had forgotten that she converted when, I think, she married Eddie Fisher. I love this movie, too, especially the interaction between Ivanhoe and Wamba (poor Wamba).

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