Their first marriage survived ten years, produced more bad scenes than a B movie, and finally finished in divorce 14 months ago. Now Elizabeth Taylor, 43, and Richard Burton, 49, appear strong enough for a second try. "This is not a trial reconciliation, it is permanent," proclaimed Pressagent John Springer of his clients, who met in Switzerland last week following Taylor's six-month tour in Russia for the filming of The Bluebird. With Taylor apparently having parked her current beau, Used Car Dealer Harry Wynberg, she and Burton have planned a trip to Israel to test their reborn romance. For the time being the couple are acting coy about another wedding. At the moment, said a friend, marriage "is a very private matter for Mr. Burton and Miss Taylor to decide."

It was a royal flush for Fleet Street's sensation seeker, the London Daily Mirror. Princess Anne GETS OBSCENE PHONE CALLS, headlined the paper, disclosing that a devious dialer had uncovered Anne's top-secret number at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where she and Husband Mark Phillips live. Only two days after the number was changed, reported the Mirror, the off-color caller discovered the new royal connection, resumed his work, and at one point "started to whistle the national anthem" before the princess could hang up. Though Buckingham Palace spokesmen dismissed the business as a simple case of "nuisance calls" and denied that Anne herself had actually heard the prankster, police confirmed that there had indeed been some "deep breathing" on the line. Scotland Yard launched an investigation, and the Department of Industry set a trap for the mysterious caller.

"Dakin is the greatest eccentric in America and maybe in the world," says Playwright Tennessee Williams of his brother, Dakin Williams, 56. Tennessee, 64, who has his own unconventional side, might have a point. Though Attorney Dakin already has a string of Illinois political defeats to his credit, including a 650,000-vote loss to Senator Adlai Stevenson III in 1974, he is now running for Governor against Incumbent Dan Walker and former northern Illinois District Attorney Jim Thompson. "I think I'm almost a shoo-in," asserts Williams, a conservative Democrat whose platform calls for busing teachers instead of pupils and moving the state capital from Springfield to Chicago because "Springfield is a dog place when it comes to restaurants." This week he hopes to get Brother Tennessee's endorsement at a press conference. "He cut me out of his will," says Dakin, "but we are back on good terms." Tennessee, however, says that he opposes most of his brother's policies and has never had much interest in politics anyway. "I only voted once," he reflects. "That was for Norman Thomas."

"I thought it would be fun to be in front of the camera instead of behind for a change--especially since I've said such bad things about actors," chuckled Author Truman Capote, trying to explain why he had signed up for his first movie role ever. Capote, the scriptwriter for Beat the Devil and The Innocents, will portray an eccentric, killer-minded billionaire in a Neil Simon comedy titled Murder by Death. "The movie will have more special effects than Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist combined," claimed Truman, whose co-stars will include Peter Folk, Alec Guinness and Elsa Lanchester. Has the author of In Cold Blood finally changed his mind about thespian intelligence? "Actors are stupid, but I'm not stupid," he replied. "Anyway, this will give them a chance to carve me up."

Ex-Mobster Mickey Cohen, now 61 and dependent on a cane, gets around nonetheless. His latest conquest is Actress Edy Williams, 33, former wife of soft-core Pornographer Russ Meyer (producer of such unrememberable screen classics as Vixen). "He's my Sir Galahad. He's incredibly strong; I only hope some of his strength rubs off on me," says Edy of her hero, whom she met at Boxer Bobby Chacon's Los Angeles training camp while posing for publicity pictures. "I'm used to guys chasing me, but when we were introduced he just stood back and I chased him instead," confessed Edy, adding that she is not quite ready yet to start sharing Cohen's digs. "He's a very orderly man. I'm very messy like all artistic people, and I think that might upset him."

Relations between British Tory Leader Margaret Thatcher and her ousted predecessor, Ted Heath, are as frosty as ever, but the two Conservatives do have one thing in common. Both like to be photographed in yachting hats at the helm of a boat. Ocean-Racer Heath, however, need fear no competition from Thatcher, who last week on holiday was content to be aboard the twin-engine Melita on the placid canals of Brittany. "It really is so important to keep a boat tidy," counseled the Tories' First Lady. "Any housewife will tell you, the smaller the space, the more important it is to have everything in its place." Even so, might there be time between chores to catch Prime Minister Harold Wilson's economic address on the telly? "I can do without seeing Harold for a week," snapped Margaret. "I am sure he feels the same way about me."

Cleveland may not be big enough for Washington Post Reporter Sally Quinn any more. In her new book, We're Going to Make You a Star, Quinn describes her trip to Ohio to promote her short-lived stint on the CBS Morning News. "In Cleveland we had a breakfast interview at our hotel, the Hollenden House, the city's best, though it looked a bit seedy to me," writes Quinn and goes on to call the reporter, Cleveland Plain Dealer Radio-TV Critic William Hickey, "the guy who wore white shoes." Not only was Quinn wrong about his shoes, claims Hickey, but the interview took place in midafternoon and at a downtown eatery called Pierre's. "I asked her one question, noted her answer, and published it in full the next day," says Hickey. "I never once mentioned that I found her singularly unattractive, or that I considered her dull and vapid. In fact, I gave her the benefit of every doubt, and acted accordingly." Back to you, Sally.

Hollywood is living up to its reputation as Sequel City. After Godfather II, and then French Connection II, what could be more natural than The Exorcist, Part II? Sure enough, Warner Bros, has announced plans for a follow-up to the 1973 thriller, based on a young priest who digs up some of Exorcist Max von Sydow's old cases. Also featured once again will be Actress Linda Blair, 16, siner ring as a 17-year-old high school senior who is still a bit dizzy from her earlier bout with demons. This time, however, Blair will not be repossessed, nor will she speak in any tongues but her own. Her paycheck for Part II? A devilish $350,000, plus a substantial bonus based on box office receipts.

A 27-city "Tour of the Americas" earned $3 million in take-home pay for the Rolling Stones this year, but two of the British band members may come up a little short. Lead Guitarist Keith Richard, who was busted for reckless driving outside Fordyce, Ark., on July 5, declined to show up in court and defend himself, in effect admitting guilt and forfeiting his bail--a modest $163.50. Singer Mick Jogger, however, did appear in California's Alameda County superior court, resplendent in sky blue waistcoat, glossy black trousers and light doeskin loafers, to fight a $690,000 default judgment rendered against him last year. That amount had been awarded to California ranchers who claimed that their land had been trampled during the Stones' 1969 concert at Altamount. Jagger pleaded for a new trial, and Judge Robert Kroninger promised to consider the matter. The rock star left smiling, allowing that a day in court was really not so bad. Said Jagger: "Man, I've spent full days in jail before."

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