Cary Grant

[ClassyCo]

AFI ranks Cary Grant the second-greatest male star in Hollywood history, just behind Humphrey Bogart. Certainly, I've known about Cary Grant practically since I journeyed into my fandom of classic cinema many years ago. Grant had a long, successful career in the movies, and is easily one of the most famous leading men to appear on the silver screen. He co-starred with an array of actresses, such as Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Sylvia Sidney, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow, Constance Bennett, Frances Farmer, Rita Hayworth, Rosalind Russell, Irene Dunne, Myrna Loy, Ginger Rogers, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, and Audrey Hepburn among many, many others.

One of the first B&W movies I bought and watched was MONKEY BUSINESS (1952), and even though that was entirely due to Marilyn being in it, I must say that upon different re-watches, I thoroughly enjoy Grant's performance. Aside from that, BRINGING UP BABY (1938) is easily one of my favorite classic movies of all time, and perhaps my favorite of the screwball comedies I've so far. MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) is also a scream, with Grant and Irene Dunne playing off one another beautifully, as they did on a few separate occasions.

And, to think that Mae West got this all started.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

The very epitome of the dapper Libra Rising leading man.

My favorite whisper: where was he the night Manson's followers went to Cielo Drive?

 

[Crimson]

AFI ranks Cary Grant the second-greatest male star in Hollywood history

My only disagreement being that I think he should have been first.

To people with the odd notion that an actor's job is to become a different person, Grant's work may look all the same. After all, he couldn't but look and sound like Cary Grant. That overlooks the remarkable nuance of Grant's performances. Absurdly handsome and debonair, he could could still play an average dad or even a bumbling nerd. Like his perfect screen partner, Kate Hepburn (and I like their pairings far more than Tracy & Hepburn), Grant was a master at playing variations of himself. Like Hepburn, he was exceptional in comedy and light drama but, unlike Kate, had the good sense to stay away from heavy drama. I mean the idea of Grant in Eugene O'Neil or Tennessee Williams ...

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I do think Hepburn was more suited, however, for heavy drama than Grant.

I also agree that Grant should have been Number 1 on that AFI list but, due to obvious political bias, they pushed John Wayne out of the Top 10! (Not that I'm a huge Wayne fan, necessarily, but every picture he ever made -- except for one -- made money across a stretch of half-a-century).

Warren Beatty tried to tap Grant for the James Mason role in HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1978) and Spelling-Shapiro offered Grant the part of Blake Carrington for DYNASTY in 1980. But Cary had resolutely retired, apparently displeased with his own (deliberately) shabby appearance in FATHER GOOSE (1964) and, like his former co-star Doris Day, simply could not be shaken loose on his grip on that retirement. Preferring to focus on his Faberge line of men's products, capitalizing on his well-earned sophisticated and "classy" image.

And good on him.

For some reason, I was somewhat surprised to learn late in life (hers and certainly mine) that my mother didn't care much for Cary Grant (Dad loved NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and so they watched it often), she finding Grant's his persona too thin or effete somehow (and preferring Charles Boyer). Kate Hepburn once said she liked the young, skinny Cary Grant better than the greying, seasoned one --- but some might say the same about Kate herself (but not me, as I like the aging Kate the best). Everybody gets older, and Cary Grant did it quite gracefully.

 

[ClassyCo]

My only disagreement being that I think he should have been first.

I personally see Grant as a strong contender for the #1 spot, if for nothing more than his longevity as a star in the "Golden Age".

To people with the odd notion that an actor's job is to become a different person, Grant's work may look all the same. After all, he couldn't but look and sound like Cary Grant. That overlooks the remarkable nuance of Grant's performances. Absurdly handsome and debonair, he could could still play an average dad or even a bumbling nerd. Like his perfect screen partner, Kate Hepburn (and I like their pairings far more than Tracy & Hepburn), Grant was a master at playing variations of himself. Like Hepburn, he was exceptional in comedy and light drama but, unlike Kate, had the good sense to stay away from heavy drama. I mean the idea of Grant in Eugene O'Neil or Tennessee Williams ...

I, too, quite enjoy the Grant and Hepburn films. I also really like his movies with Irene Dunne. He worked very well with the two of them, even if the criticism about him "always playing himself" is fairly common.

unlike Kate, had the good sense to stay away from heavy drama. I mean the idea of Grant in Eugene O'Neil or Tennessee Williams ...

Yes, Grant was wise to steer clear of heavier dramas. Under the right direction and with the right script, he might would've done alright. But I digress.

but, due to obvious political bias, they pushed John Wayne out of the Top 10!

This, to me, is one my biggest issues with AFI's list. John Wayne was one of the most consistent box office draws in the history of Hollywood, and he deserved to be much higher on the list.

But Cary had resolutely retired, apparently displeased with his own (deliberately) shabby appearance in FATHER GOOSE (1964) and, like his former co-star Doris Day, simply could not be shaken loose on his grip on that retirement. Preferring to focus on his Faberge line of men's products, capitalizing on his well-earned sophisticated and "classy" image.

Apparently, Grant had grown weary of playing the love interest to younger women, like in THAT TOUCH OF MINK with Day, or CHARADE with Audrey Hepburn. The script for the latter was changed so that she pursued him.

 

[Crimson]

Cary had resolutely retired,

Grant was wise to stay retired. While HEAVEN CAN WAIT wouldn't have been a terrible reason to return, the movie was fine with Mason; Grant didn't need to return for a supporting role. Grant's retirement spared him the embarrassing follies that marred the end of so many of his peers careers. Possibly he could have followed Kate's route, who had a few duds but never humiliated herself. I do wish Kate and Cary had reunited before his retirement for an autumnal romantic comedy.

they pushed John Wayne out of the Top 10

John and Joan should have both been higher, if only for the sheer durability of their careers. Joan at least barely squeaked into the Top 10, but both of their reputations were damaged by their private lives/beliefs.

If the list were compiled now, I think Joan would rank higher and John lower. I belong to a few classic movie groups on reddit. Joan's reputation has almost fully recovered. Mommie Dearest has little to no impact to younger generations of classic film fans, but Wayne is largely despised.

I also really like his movies with Irene Dunne

Yes, also a great pairing. Grant also worked very well with Myrna Loy. I wish he had worked with Claudette Colbert, as they seem like they would have been a good match.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

If the list were compiled now, I think Joan would rank higher and John lower. I belong to a few classic movie groups on reddit. Joan's reputation has almost fully recovered. Mommie Dearest has little to no impact to younger generations of classic film fans, but Wayne is largely despised.

Of course, that has a lot to do with Crawford being a woman. The Mommie Dearest revelations hurt her Mother of the Year reputation temporarily, but being revealed to have been a no-holds-barred dragon lady just enhances a grande dame diva's image long-term.

While Duke Wayne's politics are more out-of-fashion in Hollywood than ever --- never mind that Jimmy Stewart, placed higher on the AFI list than Wayne, was every bit as staunchly right-wing. But it wasn't as much part of Stewart's public image.

That said, I know someone who slept with Wayne's son while shooting THE GREEN BERETS -- and John Wayne caught 'em... And let's just say Wayne's public image was way different than what he was like in real life.

 

[ClassyCo]

Grant's retirement spared him the embarrassing follies that marred the end of so many of his peers careers.

No, Grant never experienced the lows that some of his peers did, which is a testament to his longevity and star power. As late as his final film, WALK, DON'T RUN (1966), he was still a big box office draw. Times had changed, but he still drew in a crowd.

Possibly he could have followed Kate's route, who had a few duds but never humiliated herself. I do wish Kate and Cary had reunited before his retirement for an autumnal romantic comedy.

I could see him having following Hepburn's lead, but it's probably best he didn't. He had left behind a gallery of good, consistent work.

It would've been great had Grant and Hepburn teamed up for a latter-in-life romantic comedy, maybe as old flames, or perhaps as widows starting over in the last act of their lives.

John and Joan should have both been higher, if only for the sheer durability of their careers. Joan at least barely squeaked into the Top 10, but both of their reputations were damaged by their private lives/beliefs.

If the list were compiled now, I think Joan would rank higher and John lower. I belong to a few classic movie groups on reddit. Joan's reputation has almost fully recovered. Mommie Dearest has little to no impact to younger generations of classic film fans, but Wayne is largely despised.

Yes, both John and Joan deserved to be higher on AFI's list. But, I suspect you're right, if a new list were done, they'd both be ranked differently today.

Yes, also a great pairing. Grant also worked very well with Myrna Loy. I wish he had worked with Claudette Colbert, as they seem like they would have been a good match.

I've yet to see THE AWFUL TRUTH, but it is on my watchlist. However, I do thoroughly enjoy MY FAVORITE WIFE. It is easily one of my favorite screwball comedies, and on the right day, I just might prefer it to the Doris Day-James Garner remake, MOVE OVER, DARLING (which, I also love).

Outside of their comedies together, I also remember liking Grant and Dunne's more dramatic turn in PENNY SERENADE. This is one of the very first classic movies that I watched when I was quite young. I bought it in a little one dollar dump bin that Walmart used to have upfront by their checkout lines. It's a sad, soapy affair, but I recall enjoying it. Of course, my opinion might be different if I were to give it a re-watch.

 

[ClassyCo]

Of course, that has a lot to do with Crawford being a woman. The Mommie Dearest revelations hurt her Mother of the Year reputation temporarily, but being revealed to have been a no-holds-barred dragon lady just enhances a grande dame diva's image long-term.

You said a mouth full right here. The restoration of Crawford's image is strongly enhanced by her being a woman. The "mommie dearest" stuff as mostly been brushed under the rug and, while still a part of her story, it's more funny for the drag shows.

While Duke Wayne's politics are more out-of-fashion in Hollywood than ever --- never mind that Jimmy Stewart, placed higher on the AFI list than Wayne, was every bit as staunchly right-wing. But it wasn't as much part of Stewart's public image.

That said, I know someone who slept with Wayne's son while shooting THE GREEN BERETS -- and John Wayne caught 'em... And let's just say Wayne's public image was way different than what he was like in real life.

Yes, American conservatism is distinctly John Wayne, even if it isn't true to reality.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Yes, both John and Joan deserved to be higher on AFI's list.

Frankly, Elizabeth Taylor should have been ranked even higher than she was. Stanwyck probably got pushed down because she'd had a TV series.

Outside of their comedies together, I also remember liking Grant and Dunne's more dramatic turn in PENNY SERENAD

Mom loved Charles Boyer; Dad loved Irene Dunne.

 

[ClassyCo]

Frankly, Elizabeth Taylor should have been ranked even higher than she was. Stanwyck probably got pushed down because she'd had a TV series.

Taylor did possess a longevity and star power that few have matched, and I'm sure the stigma surrounding TV pushed Stanwyck down the list.

 

[Toni]

AFI ranks Cary Grant the second-greatest male star in Hollywood history, just behind Humphrey Bogart. Certainly, I've known about Cary Grant practically since I journeyed into my fandom of classic cinema many years ago. Grant had a long, successful career in the movies, and is easily one of the most famous leading men to appear on the silver screen. He co-starred with an array of actresses, such as Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Sylvia Sidney, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow, Constance Bennett, Frances Farmer, Rita Hayworth, Rosalind Russell, Irene Dunne, Myrna Loy, Ginger Rogers, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, and Audrey Hepburn among many, many others.

One of the first B&W movies I bought and watched was MONKEY BUSINESS (1952), and even though that was entirely due to Marilyn being in it, I must say that upon different re-watches, I thoroughly enjoy Grant's performance. Aside from that, BRINGING UP BABY (1938) is easily one of my favorite classic movies of all time, and perhaps my favorite of the screwball comedies I've so far. MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) is also a scream, with Grant and Irene Dunne playing off one another beautifully, as they did on a few separate occasions.

And, to think that Mae West got this all started.

View attachment 58207

She was specialized in getting things started, uhuh, I tell ya...hmmmm...

 

[Crimson]

The Mommie Dearest revelations hurt her Mother of the Year reputation temporarily, but being revealed to have been a no-holds-barred dragon lady just enhances a grande dame diva's image long-term.

How ironic MOMMIE DEAREST did longer lasting damage to Dunaway than Crawford.

While Duke Wayne's politics are more out-of-fashion in Hollywood than ever --- never mind that Jimmy Stewart, placed higher on the AFI list than Wayne, was every bit as staunchly right-wing. But it wasn't as much part of Stewart's public image.

I think Wayne's simple masculinity and jingoism would have fallen out of favor anyway, but the damage to his reputation is linked heavily to that abysmal interview he did towards the end of his life He failed to remain silent, and thus removed all doubt. See image above.

 

[ClassyCo]

How ironic MOMMIE DEAREST did longer lasting damage to Dunaway than Crawford.

Yet Dunaway felt so close to Crawford.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Yet Dunaway felt so close to Crawford.

Faye's hypocrisy-in-real-time didn't help: as the film was being released in 1981, Dunaway did magazine interviews expressing the feeling that Crawford's "spirit" was uneasy over the contents of MOMMIE DEAREST in order to seemingly distance herself from the material before audiences had even seen it, even making it seem as if she'd been reluctant to take the role.

When, in fact, Faye Dunaway had actively lobbied for the part -- a part based on Christina's already infamous book which, as everyone knew, was no love letter to her adoptive-mother, Joan Crawford.

And Faye continued that disingenuous 'what-me-slander?' approach to the topic of MOMMIE DEAREST's criticism of Joan in interviews for decades.

Dunaway wanted to play both sides. And did. For years and years... And her own behavior on set-after-set likely had more to do with harming her own career. (Not a new observation, but Crawford was usually far more professional in the studio, with only the rare "OMG, did-I-hurt-you-darling??" incident peppered throughout her years as an actress... While Faye was all-too-often an overtly raving maniac, which today -- to her credit? -- she almost seems to concede).

Also: the book version of Mommie Dearest in 1978 (I remember when it was released, a friend of mine bought a copy of it that year for her mother, a Scorpio Rising/Moon in Aquarius like Crawford, as a dig) indeed created short-term reputational damage amongst the female audience who'd grown up with Crawford movies and her highly-controlled 'Mother of the Year' image, those female audiences who were either shocked at Christina's allegations or had a pre-'80s gravely, smoke-encircled defense of Joan and her maternal right to treat her kids any-damned-way-she-wants-to.

But what no one counted on were the f*ggots and their adoration for the Diva Bitch Dragon Lady archetype (i.e./e.g., the Bette/Crawford/Dunaway/AlexisCarringtons) and how slapping a child and/or killing a husband simply enhances her image as a Monster Spectaculaire, and, hence, solidifies her legend. (Just as the 60s horror movies never really hurt Davis & Crawford, although there was industry disapproval at the time).

As questionable John Waters once observed, "the gay audience" doesn't relate to the trials of the little girl in MOMMIE DEAREST, but to Dunaway's Crawford because "she's rich; she's a bitch!"

I mean, where would Lana Turner be post-1958 without the Johnny Stamponato killing? Just another almost-forgotten pretty face from the dusty armoire of Hollywood... No wonder Turner ignored her hairdresser pals' urging to clear her daughter, Cheryl, of the crime before Lana passed away: the "weird, creepy woman" image, though Lana was well-aware of it, was also endemic to her long-term reputation.

In that way, MOMMIE DEAREST had a positive, lasting impact on the images of both Crawford and Dunaway. But it became a convenient excuse for why nobody wanted to work with the younger woman anymore -- her behavior was just too nuts.