The Cary Grant List

[domino harvey]

THE CARY GRANT LIST
March 01 - April 15



Please submit a list of no less than ten and no more than twenty films starring Cary Grant in ranked order to me, domino harvey, by April 15. Documentaries and clip-shows "starring" Cary Grant are not eligible. Otherwise, if he's in it, you can vote for it.

[therewillbeblus]

I change my answer back to Cary Grant (and somehow am still rejecting the advice of teachers who say not to correct your first answers into my 30s...)

[knives]

Grant should be a lot of fun. Though I imagine Hawks and Hitchcock will dominate the list if not discussion.

[therewillbeblus]

I can't wait to die on a hill alone championing Gunga Din, and this will be a great excuse to revisit Blonde Venus to examine Grant's role there. I'm also excited to finally motivate myself to see Destination Tokyo and Sylvia Scarlett among others.

[senseabove]

Though I imagine Hawks and Hitchcock will dominate the list if not discussion.

Probably but here's how I feel about that:


I look forward to reading your write-up of Gunga Din, twbb, because I honestly, without hyperbole, thought it so godawful I very nearly left the theater early.

But I also think Sylvia Scarlett, which I happened to rewatch last night, is an accidental masterpiece, so what do I know.

[domino harvey]

I’m going to leave this thread open, if people want to continue “pre-gaming” the Grant List. Maybe that’s one innovation we can try out to increase participation, giving people upfront time in a thread to discuss before the project actually begins? I’ll split off any relevant posts into the Grant List thread as needed

[Rayon Vert]

This sounds exciting!

So would this project definitely start right after the sci fi list? And is it possible to know how long it would last? I'm asking these questions in order to have the required time to order the discs.

[domino harvey]

Great question! Yes, it would immediately follow Sci-Fi. I’m thinking six weeks, so beginning of March to mid-April? Standard 10 but up to 20 ballot. But open to thoughts.

[soundchaser]

His performance in In Name Only, which I just watched the other night, is definitely worth a look. I don’t know how often the world got to see a totally helpless Grant, but he pulls it off here.

[domino harvey]

I don’t know how often the world got to see a totally helpless Grant, but he pulls it off here.

I watched George Stevens' Penny Serenade last night, and while I don't think the film quite ends up working, there is a very effective scene wherein Grant is called upon to get to the verge of tears while pleading with a judge that is effective only because the viewer brings their baggage of what "Cary Grant" means and seeing him so vulnerable and quivering makes it that more shocking and successfully engaging.

Shame about the bizarre last fifteen minutes, which seem to be the product of a really clumsy rewrite/reshoot

Spoiler

It seemed apparent from all the foreshadowing that their daughter was supposed to have fallen to her death from the rafters in the school play, and that this was later hastily changed to her contracting a disease out of nowhere completely off screen. It was obvious the kid was toast, but if this wasn't a reshoot, then what terrible screenwriting!

[knives]

That’s definitely a great one even if the film around him isn’t. I’m seriously probably going to vote for both Gunga Din and Sylvia Scarlet which might also be my favorite Hepburn performance and Cukor film.

[Rayon Vert]

Six weeks sounds good to me. I've seen most of the big titles, but looking at the IMDB ratings, for instance, I see there's still a fair amount of other seemingly worthy entries to delve into.

[domino harvey]

Reminder for participants that Universal put out Cary Grant: the Vault Collection, a very affordable DVD set a few years ago of 18 of Grant's early to mid 30s films, split evenly among comedies and drama

Letterboxd has 112 titles listed for Grant, but after taking out documentaries and compilations, it's actually 76, of which I have seen 50. Looking forward to getting close to rounding that number out!

[therewillbeblus]

I look forward to reading your write-up of Gunga Din, twbb, because I honestly, without hyperbole, thought it so godawful I very nearly left the theater early.

It's definitely dwindled a bit in my esteem over the years (and I'm well aware that most of this board is in your camp on this one, though at least I've got knives) but I think it's a fun screwball action-adventure that feels very Hawks-lite in the interplay (and I felt very validated when reading McCarthy's Hawks biography to learn that Hawks, Hecht, and MacArther all made specific contributions to it and set a familiar tone I wasn't just making up in my mind!) I don't know how much I'll have to say about it, but even gags like the punch bowl in the first act work for me based off facial expressions of the trio's dynamic, even if the characters themselves aren't particularly interesting. I also enjoy how it was partly refurbished into Temple of Doom, and even if that film outdoes it, the setpieces borrowed are impressive enough here. And I know this statement will cause some serious eye-rolls but I actually think the action scenes in the back half are well done and enjoyable to watch, without getting into all the fine details about blocking that may be a point in the 'nay' corner if we get technical.

But I also think Sylvia Scarlett, which I happened to rewatch last night, is an accidental masterpiece, so what do I know.

I saw that and it made me prioritize it on my queue even without this list- I'll be interested to compare thoughts once I've seen it

[senseabove]

Thanks for the nod to that one, soundchaser.

I can already make a list of 20 with almost no filler, so suggestions for which deeper cuts to prioritize are much appreciated...

My own recommendations for lesser-seen Grants, in case people need time to hunt them down, are Richard Brooks' Crisis, Stuart Walker(but really Mitchell Leisen, if you believe Leisen)'s The Eagle and the Hawk, and (to mention it one more time) Cukor's completely unstable, tonally mad, gender-bending picaresque, Sylvia Scarlett.

[knives]

Totally incidental to this list, but that Hepburn set with it is full of little gems and jam packed with extras. It definitely is worth a proud space on any shelf.

[senseabove]

While I'm on it, does anyone know if the original cut of The Eagle and The Hawk has ever surfaced anywhere?

Leisen was officially AD for Stuart Walker and claims (and I'd say seems, based on the film's style) to have actually directed most of it, only to have Walker assert that his contract granted him sole credit after filming was done.

Kino's recent BD has the re-release cut, but according to Leisen that version removed two moments:

Spoiler

"In the love scene between Carole and Freddy March, originally he said, "You're awfully kind" and she said, "I want to be kind, your place or mine." Then I cut to the next morning, when he wakes up and finds she's gone, but she left her gardenia in the hollow in the pillow where her head had been. All that was cut out.
And the end! The whole reason I wanted to do this script so much was for the end. [...] In the end, you see a plaque in March's hometown; thats where the film ends now, but originally, we pulled back from the plaque, until we see Cary Grant, walking by with a bottle in a paper bag. He has become a bum, and he will regret all his life the mockery he made of March's death."

—from David Chierichetti's Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director

[domino harvey]

As far as underseen Grant films go, I heartily recommend Kiss Them For Me, Destination Tokyo, and This is the Night. I also think Sylvia Scarlett is one of the worst movies he or anyone ever made. There's a funny moment in the RKO doc from the 80s I was talking about a few months back where the interviewer keeps trying to convince an aged Hepburn that the film is a cult hit and popular with many audiences now and she just won't hear it and refuses to engage in any praise for it!

[senseabove]

Cukor and Hepburn were both pretty severely burned by its box-office failure, from what I've read, with it surely contributing to the impending "box office poison" label that Hepburn got grouped into. Hepburn reportedly begged producer Pandro S. Berman to burn it after completely disastrous previews and let her and Cukor do a freebie for him to make up for it. Cukor was also unwaveringly dismissive of it. From Lambert's On Cukor, not even Judy Holliday could change his mind:

Anyway, I'll save saying more on it for the actual thread.

[Red Screamer]

One of the things I find fascinating about Grant's career is that, though he's one of the most likable actors ever, when he worked with Hitchcock they tended to push his characters into ugly territory while essentially staying within the bounds of his star persona. He's almost doing self-parody in North by Northwest, fit with a spray tan and self-satisfied pickup lines. In Notorious, he's surprisingly cruel to Bergman and obstructs their relationship over and over again with a harshness and perversity that we're not meant to entirely understand. In Suspicion...well, you know. That being said, he's delightful in To Catch a Thief, and there, I think, perfectly updates the romantic lead from earlier in his career to a more laid-back, mid-tempo style.

Does anyone recommend the new Grant bio?

[senseabove]

Given the recent discussion in the Film Critics thread, I'll go ahead and throw out Kael's essay on Grant, The Man from Dream City, as preparatory reading material.

[soundchaser]

Does anyone recommend the new Grant bio?

Coincidentally, I just bought it last week — I may try to read it alongside the list. Amazon’s got it for only $16.99 right now, and Eyman’s usually pretty reliable.

[domino harvey]

Here's an obscurity: the Killer of Fossil Gulch, a silent western shot by Betsy Drake and starring Grant in dual roles (as both the victim and juror of the titular fiend) alongside his kids. Uploaded to Vimeo by a relative of Drake. Someone should tell her Criterion or any other label would probably pay good money to license it for a future Grant release!

[therewillbeblus]

Grant's ability to maneuver between serious and silly while somehow embodying a consistent tone in personality adds to his enigmatic quality- there are times when I think I 'know' him in movies but he's a great example of an actor whose facade appears so genuine and yet masks a lot of darkness. Some have mentioned that his poor childhood may have affected him in compensating by appearing suave and well-groomed, and I'm always interested in how he presented as generous and genial and advocated for stars, etc. but also charged small change for autographs from fans well below his class, and was pretty demanding when it came to salary- not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's an interesting blend of generosity in one area and stinginess in another, perhaps a manifestation of financial insecurity (not objective insecurity, the feeling). An interesting man to be sure, I'll try to pick up that bio.

His drunk performance in North by Northwest is some of the greatest comic acting in film history, and every time I watch it (including last week for the itsgottabeclosetoahundredth time) I continue to marvel at how he pulled that off.

[therewillbeblus]

As far as underseen Grant films go, I heartily recommend Kiss Them For Me

I'll second that, though I'll need to revisit it since I felt mixed outside of Grant's perf which was excellent- so for the purpose of this project it may chart highly. My writeup from the 50s thead:

Kiss Them For Me

This one gets points for a terrific Grant perf, wandering through his confident meandering goof shtick to find pockets of power, including one moment that commanded my breath as it deafened the crowd on screen. I ultimately found this to be an inconsistent film, but- like a few of my last watches- the structure builds to an odd collection of joyous ingredients.

A scene kicking off the last act is indescribable because it doesn’t involve any striking plotting or gags, but seemingly every supporting character loses their temper or their minds as Mansfield reacts obliviously, and then we move into Grant’s bedroom as he and Suzy Parker affectionately embrace with her dipping down over him on the bed, only to wind up under him, and then proceed to engage in collaborative conversation with each establishing their individuality. I doubt anyone would pinpoint this scene as a remarkable one but it’s indicative of what Donen does so well, orchestrating his players and tones to reach continual peaks of mini-crescendos, only for larger waves like these to pop up and signal the possibilities of cinema with overlapping brushstrokes of every color. Erupting pandemonium using unique, unexpected methods only to dissolve into a sensual curious piece of romance and move from there to individual reflection, a series of polar opposites trying to find common ground in a single scene, is remarkable genius. I would imagine Godard to be a fan of this one, for it spoke the language to me of how he refers to Ray's Johnny Guitar.