Cary Grant - The Icon of Elegance

WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520
Speaker A: Welcome back to the Classic Film Club, where

1
00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:04.800
we dive deep into the legends of Hollywood's

2
00:00:04.800 --> 00:00:07.280
golden age. Today we're tackling a question

3
00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:09.680
that's both simple and endlessly complex.

4
00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:12.840
Who is Cary Grant? For many, the name

5
00:00:12.840 --> 00:00:15.480
Cary Grant conjures an image of effortless

6
00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.480
charm, debonair style and a twinkle

7
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.960
in the eye that could melt glaciers. He was

8
00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:23.440
in many ways the epitome of the leading man,

9
00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:26.200
a man who seemed to have been born with a

10
00:00:26.200 --> 00:00:28.740
tuxedo on. But beneath that polished

11
00:00:28.740 --> 00:00:31.340
exterior lay a fascinating life story.

12
00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:33.820
A journey from humble beginnings to

13
00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:36.820
international stardom. Born Archibald Leach

14
00:00:36.820 --> 00:00:39.172
in Bristol, England on January 18,

15
00:00:39.348 --> 00:00:42.260
1904, his early life was far from the

16
00:00:42.260 --> 00:00:45.060
glamour he would later embody. His father was

17
00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:47.620
an alcoholic tailor and his mother suffered

18
00:00:47.620 --> 00:00:50.020
from mental health issues leading to her

19
00:00:50.020 --> 00:00:52.700
institutionalization when Archie was just a

20
00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:55.670
boy. This early trauma deeply affected

21
00:00:55.670 --> 00:00:57.870
him and he often spoke of a feeling of

22
00:00:57.870 --> 00:01:00.550
abandonment. He found solace and escape in

23
00:01:00.550 --> 00:01:02.990
the world of performance, joining a troupe of

24
00:01:02.990 --> 00:01:05.430
acrobats at a young age. This experience

25
00:01:05.590 --> 00:01:08.550
would prove invaluable, teaching him physical

26
00:01:08.550 --> 00:01:11.190
comedy, stage presence and a

27
00:01:11.190 --> 00:01:13.990
remarkable sense of timing. At 16,

28
00:01:14.070 --> 00:01:16.630
he emigrated to the United States, initially

29
00:01:16.630 --> 00:01:18.710
working in vaudeville and touring with his

30
00:01:18.710 --> 00:01:21.310
acrobatic group. It was during this time that

31
00:01:21.310 --> 00:01:23.790
he began to shed the skin of Archibald Leach

32
00:01:23.870 --> 00:01:26.430
and cultivate the Persona of Cary Grant.

33
00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:29.470
He adopted the name in 1927, a

34
00:01:29.470 --> 00:01:31.430
decision that would forever etch him into

35
00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:34.430
cinematic history. His distinctive name,

36
00:01:34.750 --> 00:01:36.670
coupled with his striking looks and suave

37
00:01:36.670 --> 00:01:38.870
demeanor quickly caught the attention of

38
00:01:38.870 --> 00:01:41.830
Hollywood. His early film career saw him

39
00:01:41.830 --> 00:01:44.030
in a variety of roles, but it was his

40
00:01:44.030 --> 00:01:46.630
transition to RKO pictures in the early

41
00:01:46.630 --> 00:01:49.520
1930s that that truly launched him. He

42
00:01:49.520 --> 00:01:52.120
became a star with films like the Awful

43
00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:54.720
Truth and

44
00:01:54.720 --> 00:01:57.200
Bringing up Baby in 1938,

45
00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.560
both opposite the equally brilliant Katharine

46
00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.560
Hepburn. These screwball comedies, with

47
00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.760
their rapid fire dialogue and chaotic

48
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:08.760
situations, showcased Grant's impeccable

49
00:02:08.760 --> 00:02:11.600
comedic timing and his ability to play a man

50
00:02:11.600 --> 00:02:14.090
perpetually out of his depth, yet always

51
00:02:14.090 --> 00:02:16.890
maintaining his composure. But Cary Grant

52
00:02:16.890 --> 00:02:19.330
wasn't just a comedian. He could embody

53
00:02:19.330 --> 00:02:22.050
romance, adventure and even a touch of

54
00:02:22.050 --> 00:02:24.530
danger. His collaboration with Alfred

55
00:02:24.530 --> 00:02:27.050
Hitchcock is legendary. In

56
00:02:27.050 --> 00:02:29.930
Suspicion, he played

57
00:02:29.930 --> 00:02:32.490
a charming but potentially sinister husband,

58
00:02:32.810 --> 00:02:35.210
leaving audiences guessing his true nature.

59
00:02:35.770 --> 00:02:37.930
Then came north by Northwest,

60
00:02:40.270 --> 00:02:42.270
a masterful thriller where he plays an

61
00:02:42.270 --> 00:02:45.270
innocent man mistaken for a spy, leading

62
00:02:45.270 --> 00:02:47.590
to a series of breathtaking chases and close

63
00:02:47.590 --> 00:02:50.390
calls. Hitchcock himself once said that

64
00:02:50.390 --> 00:02:53.070
Grant was the only actor he ever loved. And

65
00:02:53.070 --> 00:02:55.869
who can forget his iconic role as John Robey,

66
00:02:56.030 --> 00:02:59.030
the retired jewel thief in To Catch

67
00:02:59.030 --> 00:03:01.950
a Thief. Set

68
00:03:01.950 --> 00:03:03.870
against the breathtaking backdrop of the

69
00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:06.560
French Riviera. The this film solidified his

70
00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:08.520
image as the ultimate sophisticated

71
00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:11.360
adventurer, charming and elegant, even while

72
00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:14.240
evading the law. His filmography is

73
00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:17.160
a testament to his versatility. He starred in

74
00:03:17.160 --> 00:03:19.400
dramas like An Affair to Remember,

75
00:03:21.480 --> 00:03:24.440
a timeless tale of love and loss, and

76
00:03:24.600 --> 00:03:26.120
none but the Lonely Heart,

77
00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:30.920
a poignant drama for which he received his

78
00:03:30.920 --> 00:03:33.790
first Academy Award nomination. He also

79
00:03:33.790 --> 00:03:36.470
ventured into musicals, most notably in

80
00:03:36.550 --> 00:03:37.670
Kiss Them For Me,

81
00:03:39.670 --> 00:03:42.310
and even explored more complex characters in

82
00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:43.750
films like Indiscreet.

83
00:03:45.590 --> 00:03:47.990
Throughout his career, Grant was nominated

84
00:03:47.990 --> 00:03:50.630
for two Academy Awards for Best Actor for

85
00:03:50.630 --> 00:03:53.390
Penny Serenade in 1941 and

86
00:03:53.390 --> 00:03:55.110
None but the Lonely Heart in

87
00:03:55.110 --> 00:03:57.430
1942-1944.

88
00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:00.830
However, in a surprising twist for an actor

89
00:04:00.830 --> 00:04:03.520
of his caliber and popularity, he he never

90
00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:05.720
actually won an Oscar. In

91
00:04:05.720 --> 00:04:08.200
1970, he was awarded an honorary

92
00:04:08.200 --> 00:04:10.880
Academy Award for his unrivaled

93
00:04:10.880 --> 00:04:13.720
mastery of the art of screen acting. It was a

94
00:04:13.720 --> 00:04:16.440
fitting tribute to a man who, despite never

95
00:04:16.440 --> 00:04:18.800
taking home a competitive statue, had

96
00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:21.080
undeniably shaped the landscape of cinema.

97
00:04:22.200 --> 00:04:25.200
What made Cary Grant so special? It was more

98
00:04:25.200 --> 00:04:27.520
than just his good looks and charm. He was a

99
00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:30.370
master craftsman. He meticulously curated

100
00:04:30.370 --> 00:04:32.690
his image, and he understood the power of

101
00:04:32.690 --> 00:04:35.050
performance. He was also known for his

102
00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:37.970
professionalism on set, always prepared and

103
00:04:37.970 --> 00:04:40.690
always a gentleman. Yet behind the scenes, he

104
00:04:40.690 --> 00:04:43.330
was a complex individual, grappling with his

105
00:04:43.330 --> 00:04:45.370
past and the pressures of maintaining his

106
00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:48.010
carefully constructed Persona. He was

107
00:04:48.010 --> 00:04:50.370
married five times, and his personal life was

108
00:04:50.370 --> 00:04:52.410
often a subject of public fascination and

109
00:04:52.410 --> 00:04:55.250
speculation. Cary Grant retired from

110
00:04:55.250 --> 00:04:58.170
filmmaking in 1966, choosing to

111
00:04:58.170 --> 00:05:00.750
focus on his life off screen. He spent his

112
00:05:00.750 --> 00:05:03.390
later years as a respected figure, often

113
00:05:03.390 --> 00:05:05.630
attending film festivals and appearing at

114
00:05:05.630 --> 00:05:07.870
events. Still possessing that signature

115
00:05:07.870 --> 00:05:10.390
charisma, he passed away on November

116
00:05:10.390 --> 00:05:13.350
29, 1986, at the age of 82,

117
00:05:13.670 --> 00:05:15.950
leaving behind a legacy of unforgettable

118
00:05:15.950 --> 00:05:18.350
performances and a timeless image of

119
00:05:18.350 --> 00:05:19.350
Hollywood glamour.

120
00:05:19.830 --> 00:05:22.470
So who is Cary Grant? He is the

121
00:05:22.470 --> 00:05:24.510
suave gentleman who could conquer any

122
00:05:24.510 --> 00:05:27.450
situation with a smile. He is the master of

123
00:05:27.450 --> 00:05:30.330
comedic timing, the romantic lead who swept

124
00:05:30.330 --> 00:05:32.690
audiences off their feet, and the man who

125
00:05:32.690 --> 00:05:35.090
proved that true stardom is a combination of

126
00:05:35.090 --> 00:05:38.010
talent, dedication and an enduring

127
00:05:38.010 --> 00:05:40.610
mystique. He is, quite simply, an

128
00:05:40.610 --> 00:05:43.090
icon. OUTRO MUSIC FADES IN

129
00:05:43.650 --> 00:05:45.770
that's all for this episode of the Classic

130
00:05:45.770 --> 00:05:48.770
Film Club. Join us next time as we explore

131
00:05:48.770 --> 00:05:50.890
another fascinating chapter in cinematic

132
00:05:50.890 --> 00:05:53.530
history. Until then, keep those reels

133
00:05:53.530 --> 00:05:55.970
rolling. OUTRO MUSIC FADES OUT.