Cary Grant: A Biography

Once I started reading this book, I could hardly put it down. After watching some of Cary Grant's movies I was so surprised about his private life. This book gave me the impression that inside his facade was a lonely, confused little boy who never realized the "happiness from within" side of life. Marc Eliot's writing was very descriptive and matter of fact and I plan on reading more of his books.

A marvelous look at this great actor. Eliot examines Grant (Archie Leach) from his early years right thru to his death in Iowa while touring at the age of 82. Grant started in vaudeville in Bristol, England and his company came to the U.S. to perform on Broadway in the early `20's. After that, Grant essentially made the rest of his career in the U.S. (Hollywood). Eliot discusses Grant's relationship with other men, like Randolph Scott who he lived with for many years. While Hollywood tolerated this liaison in private, it would put great pressure on its' star actors to `heterosexualize' and marry. It would publicize any heterosexual event the actors were seen at. Also Hollywood and its' publicists virtually `set-up' available actors with members of the opposite sex and `rev-upped' the publicity. Grant was victimized by this machine several times - as his several marriages can attest to. Bearing Tom Cruise and others in mind - is it any different today? Eliot discusses Grant's several wives. His relationship with Hitchcock is probably the director who brought out the full range of Grant's performance on the screen. Cary Grant on screen makes acting look so easy, but when you examine any scene he is in - his is the dominating personality - the actors and montage revolved around him. If you are interested in Cary Grant you will be interested in this book.

It's amazing how people refuse to acknowledge unpleasant truths, insisting instead on believing lies and fairytales, spun oftentimes by the artists themselves seeking to protect a private life, one oftentimes filled with shame and fear of exposure. The great thing about Marc Eliot's book is that it's not sensational by any stretch of the imagination. And contrary to what some reviewers have written, is in fact well-researched as evidenced by the extensive list of sources at the book's conclusion. Admittedly, some sources are anonymous, but that should hardly come as surprising considering the subject matter. What is surprising are the fans who won't let go of the image they've been fed of who Cary Grant was, an image he himself sought to further. Cary Grant was the first one to perpetrate the myth of "Cary Grant" and was also the first to admit he couldn't live up the image. Who could? Eliot goes behind the Hollywood propoganda of the day (which sadly is still slavishly accepted) to show the dark and light, a very complex man in a complex industry struggling to survive the emotional wounds of childhood. What's gotten so many older fans feathers ruffled is the reality of Grant's relationship to Randolph Scott -- something that was common knowledge to Hollywood insiders (as was his earlier affair with Orry-Kelly), but which adoring female fans (I suppose understandably) would rather die than accept. Contrary to the rumors of the day, however, the author clearly notes that Grant was not gay, but bisexual (which if anything is actually a rarer trait). To the author's credit, he neither glorifies nor glosses over that fact. It simply is. Fans who quote Dyan Cannon (his second to last wife) as stating he was never homosexual are missing the point. Grant's first wife's unpublished diaries tell the true story as did Randolph Scott (as verified by the late George Cukor): Grant loved both men and women. If you can accept that (and there's plenty of evidence to back up the claim), you'll enjoy this fascinating book and allow yourself to move on to the various other facets of Grant's fascinating life, one that made the fictional roles he played pale by comparison. Indeed, this book would be the perfect basis for a screenplay based on Grant's life. The only real dilemma would be: Who would play him?