Not at all Rich the praise is well deserved. He really did wear things you could walk out onto the street with today. I wonder what sources he used to figure out what people were wearing that he admired? Was he just a savvy observer or did he ask the people that made for him what to wear to emulate a certain level of taste?
Also the theme that he was always striving for excellence and improvement is interesting because it gives us hints that he was constantly rehearsing in his mind, sort of a movie star air-guitar.
Interesting discussion of CG in an Italian publication, including a terrific photo of CG I had not seen before (Click link and scroll down)...
http://www.wumingfoundation.com/english/giap/giapdigest32_3.htm
Why CG was like no one else...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE6D9113FF930A35752C1A96E948260
There's an interesting piece by Todd McEwen on Cary Grant's suit in North by Northwest in the latest edition of Granta.
To richt: One error-you attribute a quote to "Charles Frazier"-it should be George. Charles is I believe, the author of "In Cold Mountain".
Review of George Clooney's film, "Good Night, and Good Luck," comparing GC with CG (Source: Rozanehmagazine.com)
Being Cary Grant is hard work. Even Cary Grant, the former British acrobat and music-hall performer Archie Leach, found it difficult. An interviewer once told him, "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant." "So would I," Grant is said to have responded.
Yet, throughout film history, Hollywood has constantly looked for another Cary Grant. The requirements are manifold: He should be drop-dead handsome, wear a suit with style (whether or not it's a stylish suit), and be capable of performing in a screwball comedy like "Bringing Up Baby," a sharp thriller like "Notorious" and a cheeky mystery like "North by Northwest" or "Charade" without visible effort. Needless to say, nobody has fit the bill.
But when suggestions for "the new Cary Grant" are made, one name comes up more than any other nowadays: George Clooney. Handsome? Absolutely. Stylish? Of course. Effortless actor in a broad range of films?
Well, that's the thing. Clooney is a good actor, but he doesn't want to be Grant. Grant wouldn't have fit into the ensemble of "Ocean's Eleven" or the brooding drama of "Solaris." Perhaps Grant could have made "The Peacemaker," but it would have required more Hitchcockian menace.
But that's OK: Clooney is doing just fine on his own. He's gone back and forth between light comedy ("Ocean's," "Intolerable Cruelty") and serious drama ("Solaris," the upcoming "Syriana"), all the while remaining true to his own vision. Hollywood will have to keep looking if it wants a new Grant -- Clooney would rather be George Clooney.
This weekend, his new film, "Good Night, and Good Luck" -- which he directed, co-wrote and stars in -- premieres in limited release
And, this review of a past Hugh Grant film on why he is not the modern-day Cary Grant...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_199702/ai_n8755483/pg_1
A bit of a digression here, but I was watching To Catch a Thief this evening and noticed someting I hadn't noticed before.
The scene where CG meets Grace Kelly in the lobby of the hotel for a beach outing he's wearing a three-button blazer in the first shot, all three buttons are buttoned. A violation of the rules? But in the very next shot, the top button is unbuttoned. Odd, eh?
A continuity mistake? Why would CG button all three buttons of a three-button blazer in the first place?
Any thoughts?
RT
I have looked in vain through some ancient GQs for an article about CG's suit in North by Northwest. A Beverley Hills tailor whose name I forget claimed that he made CG's suit and also that worn by Martin Landau in the film. The story went that CG was slightly annoyed at how good ML's suit looked and said that he wanted to keep it after shooting ( along with his own ). Does this resonate with anyone?
Sorry to be so vague - but I am fairly sure that Kilgour did not make the suit as stated in the recent style book.
Last edited by il vecchio (2006-10-04 07:05:00)