National Velvet, the classic 1944 movie directed by Clarence Brown, was the breakout role for the young, talented Elizabeth Taylor, who was just 12 years old when the movie was filmed. Her performance in the movie, which tells the story of an English girl named Velvet Brown who dreams of winning the Grand National steeplechase with her beloved horse, The Pie, launched Taylor as one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming stars.
Although National Velvet was an instant fan favorite, there was much that went on behind the scenes that will make audiences love this movie even more. Here are 9 fun facts about National Velvet.
The Horse Was the Real Star
A horse named King Charles played Elizabeth Taylor/Velvet’s horse, The Pie, in National Velvet. King Charles was a seven-year-old chestnut thoroughbred horse with an impressive lineage. His grandsire was the legendary racehorse Man o’ War and the animal’s first cousin was the equally legendary Seabiscuit.
National Velvet Was Shot in Technicolor
National Velvet was the first movie to be filmed in Technicolor on location in England. The state-of-the-art color filming technique created a realistic visual experience for audiences, but to make it even more realistic, the filmmakers used real steeplechase courses and various locations around the English countryside to help transport audiences to the setting of the story.
Mickey Rooney’s Scenes Were Shot in a Hurry
Actor Mickey Rooney was cast to play horse trainer Mi Taylor in National Velvet. But after filming began, Rooney was drafted for basic training to serve in World War II. All his scenes had to be shot in just one month so Rooney could report for service. During his 21 months in the U.S. Army, Rooney’s duty was to entertain the troops and boost morale. He performed in person and on the radio broadcast on the American Forces Network, earning a Bronze Star Medal for entertaining troops in a combat zone.
Elizabeth Taylor Was Called “Too Boyish” for the Role
Initially, Gene Tierney, who was 18 years old, was cast in the role of Velvet in National Velvet. But the young actress created a challenge when she signed a contract with another studio. Instead of delaying the start of filming while the studios entered negotiations, the role was simply recast and given to 12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor. Clarence Brown, the film’s director, however, thought that Taylor was too boyish and immature looking. The young actress was committed to proving him wrong. She ate steak everyday to boost her protein intake in hopes of making her body curvier and more feminine. It worked. In just three months, Elizabeth Taylor grew three inches and blossomed into maturity.
Elizabeth Taylor Suffered a Horrible Injury During Filming
In preparation for her role in National Velvet, Elizabeth Taylor took riding lessons and spent countless hours riding and bonding with King Charles. She even helped care for him at the stables. She was an accomplished rider, yet accidents still happen. She took a terrible fall while filming one day and broke her back. She was young and healthy, so she was able to quickly recover from her injury and filming resumed. Later in life, however, the injury caused her recurring pain.
A Well-Known Hollywood Horse Trainer Worked on the Film
Rex Peterson, a well-known Hollywood horse trainer, worked on the set of National Velvet as the trainer for King Charles. If you don’t know his name, you certainly are familiar with some of the other notable movies that Rex Peterson worked on. He trained the horses used in Ben-Hur and Gone with the Wind.
Someone Forgot About the Accents
National Velvet was set in England and the main characters were English, yet there was no effort made to have the actors and actresses speak in English accents. Surprisingly, none of the critics mentioned that the characters all spoke in New York accents.
Elizabeth Taylor Picked Her Horse
King Charles was initially trained to be a showjumper. Elizabeth Taylor first encountered him at the Riviera Stables in Hollywood where she fell in love with the thoroughbred. She practiced riding with this horse. Since she was so bonded with the horse that MGM studio purchased King Charles for $800. When filming on National Velvet wrapped up, Louis B. Mayer surprised Taylor by giving her King Charles as a gift for her 13th birthday. She had the horse until he died when she was 24 years old.
The Horse Only Liked Elizabeth Taylor
Although Elizabeth Taylor and King Charles bonded and Taylor swore that the horse was gentle and loving, several of the crew members on National Velvet found King Charles to be temperamental and difficult to work with. In fact, there are reports of the horse being aggressive. In one incident, King Charles took a hunk of flesh out of the shoulder of one of the trainers.