CARY GRANT

[JackFavell]

No man looked better in a negligee.

[pvitari]

I did a search for a Cary Grant thread but couldn't find one -- I would have posted the photo there if I had been able to find it.

I don't think he's "puffed up" -- it's the angle that broadens his face. But I'm always a sucker for a white shirt and unbuttoned collar.

As for the tan, wasn't that kind of permanent? I think only George Hamilton outdid Cary Grant in the tanned department.

[intothenitrate]

If I ever "suddenly turned gay," I'd blame Cary. From the days of his unimpeachable elegance in the late thirties, to that grizzled misanthrope in Father Goose, I can't think of a film in which he was "off." (Perhaps you can direct me to one).

Has anyone else read the essay he wrote about his LSD treatments later in life? You can really see the beauty of his soul, and how he came through those decades of public adulation with his humanity intact.

[charliechaplinfan]

I haven't read the essay, I've read about his treatments, I got the impression that Cary Grant was an alter ego for Archibald Leach, I wonder if that came out in his essay.

[Uncle Stevie]

I have been watching several movies with Cary Grant lately and observed a disturbing characteristic. His eyes are forever wandering. He never seems to be able to talk to his target. I wonder if he had a memory problem and was always looking around for a "cue" card. His facial serious glances in "Night and Day", for instance, were poorly attentive to the script. He also portrayed a mean personality when it was not called for. I have also seen his wandering eyes in "When Your'e In Love" with Grace Moore. Either he can't concentrate or like I said, he was looking at cue cards.

Did anyone else see this too?


Uncle Stevie

[intothenitrate]

This just in from People Magazine. Cary Grant's Daughter (with Dyan Cannon) has written a book about her dad. I found a link to the article on a news site, where the headline was "Cary Grant enjoyed being called Gay."


Here's a portion of the article:

Though the book is a model of discretion – Cary himself was notoriously private about his life, and never wrote his own book – its author, who is an actress and a mother of a 2-year-old son named Cary Benjamin Grant, does not shy away from the rumors about her dad. Specifically, she addresses rumors that he was cheap and that he was gay.

"In my experience, Dad was neither cheap nor excessive," she writes. "Which, for a wealthy man, is remarkable." Even so, he did deny her expensive designer jeans, because, he'd learned, the denims at the Gap came from the very same manufacturing plant as the signature versions.

As for Cary Grant's sexuality, "Can't blame men for wanting him, and wouldn't be surprised if Dad even mildly flirted back," his daughter writes. "When the question arises, it generally speaks more about the person asking."

Then again, she says, "Dad somewhat enjoyed being called gay. He said it made women want to prove the assertion wrong."

[charliechaplinfan]

This is a book I'd love to read. I've been reading biographies whilst on holiday, Kate Hepburn, Jean Arthur and Leslie Caron. All had worked with Cary, Kate regarded him as her best leading man, apart from Spence that is but in later life didn't approve of him, for what reason the biography didn't explain. Jean Arthur thought he was a scene stealer and hated it when someone had some business to do that would detract from him, the ending in Talk of the Town being one such example, when Jean has to totter after him on high heels. Leslie Caron said she learned a great deal from him about not stealing scenes and his professionalism. he always seems such an enigma. I'd love to read his daughter's account of him.

[JackFavell]

I always get the idea that Cary, like many theatre or movie people, was an open-minded man, not at all concerned with what a person's sexuality was...he seems to have been friendly with all types of people. Perhaps this is one reason people still have the question on their minds years after his death. Alison, you've read a lot about him, is this the case, or have I gotten the wrong impression?

[charliechaplinfan]

I've read about him but he's difficult to pin down whoever is doing the telling. It's possible that he did have a relationship with Randolph Scott, I personally find it difficult to believe of those two men, I think they were very good buddies. He liked women but he sees not to have trusted his ability to pick them. I ultimately think he was a complicated man, Cary Grant was not Archie Leach, cary Grant named his dog Archie Leach, Archie Leach had a very difficult upbringing and believed his mother dead for years when she was in an institution, that must be difficult to reconcile. Virginia Cherrill gave one author access to her diaries, she felt on the outside of Cary and Randolph's friendship then talks of how ill Cary got, stomach ulcers or problems around the time he rediscovered his mother. I don't think he cared about people sexuality and encouraged the talk about his own. He seems a charming enigma, I'd love to get my hands on the definitive book about him by the author who is not sensationalising his past and wants only the truth, I'm not sure it's been written.

[JackFavell]

In re-reading my post, I think I gave the wrong impression.... I meant that I thought he was friends with people of all types, not caring a bit about what their sexuality was. I am not sure that came across right in my previous post.

I would also like to see something written about him that didn't have an agenda or a monetary goal attached to it. If you find it, let me know.

[charliechaplinfan]

I think he was very non judgemental of people but protective of his privacy. I'm just reading Notorious the biography of Ingrid Bergman, I'm just up to the Rossellini scandal, Cary was one of the first to send her his best wishes, in it he said that a simple telegram could not list the amount of friends you have here in Hollywood. What a nice guy.

[Rita Hayworth]

Here is my first post on this Thread ...

To me, my favorite Cary Grant movie is always Bringing Up Baby - 1938 Classic ... Starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. But, for sentimental reasons ... my 2nd Favorite ... is Operation Petticoat - 1959 Classic ... Starring Tony Curtis, Dina Merrill, Marion Ross (Happy Days), Dick Sargent (Bewitched), and host of others like Gavin MacLeod (The Love Boat) and Joan O'Brian as Lt. Crandall. Boy, she was a hoot :!:

Note: Many Television Stars are in this wonderful comedy that came out in 1959.

I must have seen 20-40 movies of him in his lifetime and I find him having a charm of its own. But, Operation Petticoat is my 2nd favorite comedy because his chemistry with Tony Curtis is so incredible and they seems to work their "magic" on screen. I've seen this movie at least once a year ... and the scene of where they are cruising along in a pink sub always cracked me up!

To me, he has aura of his own ... I find him one of the most versatile actors ever appeared on the Silver Screen and when a Cary Grant movie is on any of my Cable Channels ... I make an effort to watch them or set my DVR to them.

By, the way ... I just read all of your comments about Cary Grant ... and I just watched "North By Northwest" on Turner Classic Movies ... its amazed me that he can do any "genre" and do it quite well.

That's makes him a great actor.

[charliechaplinfan]

I agree I love Bringing Up Baby but I've never seen Operation Petticoat. I'll have to look out for it.

[feaito]

Today I revisited "North by Northwest" (1959). We went to my sister and brother-in-law's apt. to watch the Blu Ray Edition of the film on their 46" 3D LED TV. It was quite an experience! The detail on the scenes is amazing and the sequences set in Mount Rushmore look great (I thought they were going to look more phony and it wasn't the case). Cary Grant is at the epitome of his famous screen persona....debonair and yet somewhat helpless...impeccable....My sister and brother in law enjoyed tremendoulsy the film and Cary's performance. This time I appreciated better the sophisticated comedy aspects of the film, in spite of being a thriller. Everyone else too. Cary Grant is an institution. Eva Marie Saint, while no Grace Kelly (in terms of flawless beauty) is absolutely stunning, smart, alluring, elegant and attractive as Eve Kendall; she gives a grand performance....the sexy scenes between her and Cary on the train are so perfect. We perfectly understand what is going on and everything is so classy! The supporting cast: Martin Landau, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll is superb! I have to watch the extras now!

[charliechaplinfan]

I always forget James Mason is in North By Northwest until I sit down to watch it, he's a worthy adversary for Cary Grant. I love the scenes on the train, very sexy, the film must have looked amazing on a 46 inch screen.