Noel Taylor

Noel Taylor (1913-2010) was interviewed for one-and-a-half hours in West Hollywood, CA.  Taylor talked about his early experiences in the theater as an actor and writer before turning his talents to costume designing.  He discussed his entrance into television working under NBC contract, primarily on the anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame.  He talked about several of this series productions including "Hamlet," "The Green Pastures," "The Magnificent Yankee," and "Barefoot in Athens."  He discussed such aspects of the craft as creating a shade of white that could be read on camera and painting "embroidery" on costumes as a moneysaving technique.   He talked about being recognized by the Emmy Awards for costume design for "The Magnificent Yankee," in the first year costume design was cited.  He detailed his continued work in television including the 1970s KCET series The Hollywood Television Theater, which earned him a second Emmy Award.  Lastly, he discussed his long association with Katharine Hepburn on all of her later work, including Mrs. Delafield Wants To Marry.  B-roll consisted of photos and costume sketches from Hallmark Hall of Fame, Turn of the Screw, Hollywood Television Theater, Antony and Cleopatra, Eleanor First Lady of the World, and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry.  The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on April 19, 2005.