By Lee Pfeiffer
Even if you've never heard of Jack Taylor, if you've seen a movie since the 1940s, you're familiar with his work. Taylor is - ironically- a tailor. More precisely, he's the probably the most famous tailor in the world, having been a fixture in Beverly Hills for decades. He's the man who started a modest clothing business in New York and wound up being the last word on style when it came to the personal clothing preferences for Hollywood legends ranging from Jackie Gleason to Frank Sinatra, and most notably, Cary Grant - the man who is regarded as the epitome of male glamour. All of these artists entrusted their sartorial matters to Taylor, a cantankerous, out-spoken, quick-witted and no-nonsense perfectionism who rules over his shop like a benign dictator. Most amazingly, he continues to do so even though he's in his 90s. His long-suffering, but adoring major domo is his charming wife Bonnie, who has been his inseparable partner for over 60 years. Jack and Bonnie are the subject of a wonderful documentary titled
Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills. It's a first-time movie effort by novice filmmaker Cecile Leroy Beaulieu, an Italian who was raised watching classic Hollywood movies. She fell in love with the sense of style stars once had and while in Beverly Hills with her husband, accompanied him to Jack's store in the naive belief they would have a seersucker suit custom-made. Jack Taylor was appalled by the notion and flat-out refused to comply with their request, despite the fact that the job would have netted him a hefty sum. Beaulieu was so intrigued by this man of principle that she decided to make a documentary about his remarkable career.The result is
Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills,which has won acclaim at film festivals and which has now been released on DVD through Indiepix. Considering the fact that it represents Beaulieu's first attempt at making a film, it's a rather remarkable achievement.