William Desmond Taylor - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• The 1950 film Sunset Boulevard with William Holden and Gloria Swanson featured a fictional, aging silent screen actress named Norma Desmond whose name was taken from Taylor's middle name and Mabel Normand's last name as a way to resonate with the widely publicised scandals of almost thirty years before.

• Gore Vidal's 1990 novel Hollywood features a fictionalised account of the Taylor murder.

• Taylor's murder was depicted in David Merrick's production of the Jerry Herman - Michael Stewart "cult" musical Mack & Mabel which opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on 6 October 1974 and ran for six previews and 66 regular performances. Directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, the production starred Robert Preston as Mack Sennett and Bernadette Peters as Mabel Normand, with James Mitchell portraying William Desmond Taylor.