Is Cary Grant Fantastic or What

Well the answer to this simple question is a resounding yes of course he is, sorry to spoil it for you. I suppose you may disagree, so if your still reading then I will attempt to convince you otherwise.

As a teenager growing up in Leeds, I was not what I would call debonair and sophisticated, far from it as any one who knew me then will know. I did however have my moments wearing my white fake fur coat, when I thought I was about as cool as cool got. I know realise I was wrong and was rather lucky to escape a bit of a beating from the less open minded people of Yorkshire!

However one person that I can remember admiring from that young age was Archibald Alexander Leach, better known to most of us as Cary Grant. I can remember afternoons spent with my mam watching the black and white films on TV, most of which passed me by, but Cary Grant always stood out.

I suppose it was the humour in the films that initially attracted my attention. I defy anyone to watch arsenic and old lace and not laugh your socks off. What about bringing up baby, his girl Friday and the awful truth to mention but a few more. The brilliance of Cary Grant as a comic actor was never more highlighted than in these classics. These films to me are still timeless works of art.

To me what made Grant such a brilliant actor was that yes he played comedy parts, and very funny they were, but it was very subtle humour, even in screwball comedy films. He had the ability to laugh at himself in such a graceful way that he was in my eyes the type of man I wanted to be. He played humour with humility, yet would end up in the most ridiculous of situations. He was sophisticated, he was handsome, he was magnificent, everything I wanted to be.

But for me the most brilliant works of art created by Cary Grant where his Hitchcock films. These films for me shine like stars in the night, and show the true depth of talent of the man. Take suspicion for instance, in this film Cary Grant plays a man who it appears is plotting to kill his wife. It is a dark film, but again he plays it as Cary Grant, with style, grace and brilliance.

To catch a thief could almost be said to be his greatest film ever. Everything about the film exudes him as a person who dominates the screen. He plays a reformed jewel thief alongside the stunning and brilliant Grace Kelly. The chemistry between the 2 is electric and a very light hearted Hitchcock film is just such a fantastic platform to show Cary Grant at his most majestic sophisticated peak.

It was after seeing such classic films that I became enthralled by Cary Grant. All though still in my late teens, I so wanted to be like this man. I could often be seen wearing a cravat and a very smart cardigan and telling people it was my Cary Grant look. How people put up with me I will never know, but they did. The peak of my obsession was in 1995, when at the age of 25 I held a party to celebrate Cary Grants birthday. Guest were encouraged to dress in a suitable manner, I of course wore my smart blazer and cravat. I was hooked on Cary Grant, to me he was the perfect man.

Yet as I found out more about him, some of which I suppose he was ashamed of, I respected the man even more than ever before. He was gay, though to come out in those times was such a sin, so he married and married, all in all I think he had 6 marriages, while been deeply in love with Randolph Scott. In the late 50s he used LSD as a way to find his true self. Legend has it that he would take LSD and look into the mirror at himself for hours on end in an attempt to find himself! The thought of that actually terrifies me, but he was a man who wanted to be at peace with himself and for that I can only admire him.

Of course one of his most famous films is north by northwest, which is playing at my local art house cinema in the next few weeks. This has prompted me to write this blog to celebrate Cary Grant. It still amazes me to this day that he never received an Oscar for any of his performances in films. What a strange world we live in, when one of the most brilliant actors of his, or any generation is not rewarded in the way he so deserved.

I am older now and no longer believe that I am Cary Grant, though I still admire him more than any actor alive or dead. I do still get my cravat out for the odd occasion, though only special occasions now. What still amazes me about Cary Grant is how he could play serious dark roles and comedy roles in almost the same way, yet both were truly convincing and amazing. When you watch a Cary Grant film, you always see Cary Grant. He always manages to bring his personality to the film, and never ceases to take my breath away.

So for those of you who love Cary Grant then I hope that you will go out rediscover the brilliance of the man. For those of you have never seen Cary Grant, please go and watch some of his films he will amaze you. And for those of you who never liked him, then what can I say that I have not already said.

I don't think there is actor around at the moment who compares to Cary Grant. Sure there are great actors around who can play comedy and non comedy, but are any of them as debonair and stylish and classy as Cary Grant? I think not.