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Q: Why don't I see "The Comedians" with Taylor and Burton on TV very often? It was a classic.

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Anything with Hollywood power couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton has always drawn attention, but people going to cinemas at the time didn't agree with your "classic" description.

Bosley Crowther, a New York Times film reviewer at the time of "The Comedians'" release, said the film was "conventional and obvious." Audiences agreed, and it was a flop at the box office.

So, with an ever-growing selection of old movies from which to choose, including better Taylor-Burton films, 1967's "The Comedians" is less likely than most to get put on anyone's schedule.

That's not to say that poor box office numbers stop a film from being aired on television. Indeed, "The Comedians" does show up on TV now and again, particularly on the classic-movie channels that have more schedule space to fill. But bad reviews and box office results certainly don't help.

Any attention the film has received since then is likely due to the presence of Taylor and Burton. The blending of their real-life and on-screen personas will always give any film they did together more significance than it would have gotten otherwise.

 

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