The Silver Screen Oasis

I liked that fact that he could be silly and charming at the same time. Has anyone seen these pictures? Sorry for the large size, but I'm not able to downsize them directly from the site on here like I do on TCM boards.

metsfan wrote:Sorry for the large size, but I'm not able to downsize them directly from the site on here like I do on TCM boards.

Thank heavens... Now I don't have to even ask for the third one you posted! Yowza...

A very underated actor who most people considered just a personality.

He was usually only known for his comedic skills which were amazing in themselves. Look at the scenes in His Girl Friday (1940) where he and Russell run though lines at 80 miles and hour, yet they are perfectly in sync and taking every hairpin turn together. Bringing up Baby (1939) shows a totally different personality type and great physical comedy.

Comedy is timing. It's not so much what you say as how you say it. Unfortunately the Academy doesn't really hand out Oscars for comedy roles which is a shame, because it shows how little some people know about acting. If they were to see the lines on paper before seeing the film perhaps they would have a greater appreciation for what these gifted people do with their roles.

When Grant did step into drama he was as good as anyone in the business. Films Like Notorius (1946) and Crisis (1950) showed quite a different side of Grant. One he should have probably explored more. Clifford Odettes' None but the Lonely Heart (1944) pushed the envelope of his skills and is a great performance. In Name Only (1939) is another fine example.


It frustrates me to no end when I'm told (once by a TCM poster) "Cary Grant just played the same role over and over." These people are fooled by his abilty to create a great part or line and make it work within his style.

My personal favorite of his moments on film, is in Only Angels Have Wings (1939) when Jean Arthur realizes he is crying over the death of the Kid. It's a beautiful shot--and it's Cary Grant.

bobhopefan1940 wrote:

MissGoddess wrote:Cary Grant: A handsome, elegant man unafraid of looking ridiculous.

Couldn't have said it better myself... And love the pic, too

I know! I love that photo also!

But Cary Grant was so utterly elegant, I'm not sure if it was really possible for him to look truly ridiculous. I mean, he was so elegant that any time he looked ridiculous, the impression was that he was TRYING to look ridiculous. Which made him, in my mind...not ridiculous.

If that makes any sense at all.

pktrekgirl wrote:

bobhopefan1940 wrote:

MissGoddess wrote:Cary Grant: A handsome, elegant man unafraid of looking ridiculous.

Couldn't have said it better myself... And love the pic, too

I know! I love that photo also!

But Cary Grant was so utterly elegant, I'm not sure if it was really possible for him to look truly ridiculous. I mean, he was so elegant that any time he looked ridiculous, the impression was that he was TRYING to look ridiculous. Which made him, in my mind...not ridiculous.

If that makes any sense at all.

You make a good point, and I'd like to point out that even in real life, there exist people who always seem to look better, cooler, more together, more unruffled, than the rest of us. It's likely the case that CG was one of those people, and he coincidentally played such people on screen as well.

Love those photos, metsfan!
My Dad wore clothes well like Cary did. I also feel that one of the best
attributes Mr. Grant posessed was his infinite ability to be graceful and silly at the same time.

It's a movie that a lot of people seem to dislike, but I loved Cary Grant in Hitchcock's Suspicion. Wonderfully ambiguous. And he's terrific as the very nasty hero of Notorious. As for comedy, his finest moment has to be His Girl Friday.

I adore the man!

Especially in 'Houseboat' and 'That Touch of Mink'.

He was older in these movies and more comfortable in his own skin.

I actually think that he looked best in his 40's than in his 20's.

Cary was most definitely better in his 40's than in his 20's. I recall the discussion on TCM message boards that Mr. Arkadin mentioned, and I recall making the comment Cary Grant always played Cary Grant, no matter what role he was playing. I may be mis-quoting myself, but my meaning was that he never lost his grace or elegance no matter how silly or slapstick he was acting.

Anne

Anne, it wasn't you. It was a friend of ours who we don't speak of here.

cinembuff64 wrote:I adore the man!

Especially in 'Houseboat' and 'That Touch of Mink'.

He was older in these movies and more comfortable in his own skin.

I actually think that he looked best in his 40's than in his 20's.

I love the older Grant---in fact, I think he was his sexiest in Charade.

Kate Hepburn always would say she liked him best when he was younger, when he had a bit of a "tummy" and wasn't quite so elegant. I see her point but I still like his ease in maturity and "comfort in his own skin" as you say.

Cary Grant was one of those very few men who looked better and better as he got older. The Cary Grant of the early 1960's was SOOOOOOO elegant. But just as funny as ever.

I can think of only two men who have aged this well - Cary Grant and Sean Connery.

Sean Connery is STILL spongeworthy, and he's what? 80 or something?

Paul Newman certainly preserved well too... Hard to believe that he's in his 80's...

^ Ah yes! Forgot about him!

Agreed!

dfordoom wrote:It's a movie that a lot of people seem to dislike, but I loved Cary Grant in Hitchcock's Suspicion. Wonderfully ambiguous. And he's terrific as the very nasty hero of Notorious. As for comedy, his finest moment has to be His Girl Friday.

I loved "Suspicion" all the way up to that silly cop-out ending. Whose idea was that anyway? Hitchcock's or Grant's?

And as for Sean Connery--yummy. Especially after he stopped wearing that toupee...