What More Is There To Say About Cary Grant?

Is there anything left to be said about Cary Grant? As time goes by, he is probably the most popular, most enduring and endearing of all classic Hollywood stars. We love him and have praised him and will continue to praise him to the skies. We never tire of him. He could do it all and I can find no fault.



Well, maybe one: being human, he could not appear in every movie ever made.

What if Cary had been able to appear in some classics that were, of course, diminished by his non-participation? Here are a few that, personally, I think would have been immensely improved by his presence.

1. GONE WITH THE WIND

Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes just never did it for me. How could Scarlett possible prefer him to Clark Gable? Now, no one could possibly replace Mr. Gable as Rhett Butler, but if Scarlett had to choose between him and Cary, that would have presented Miss O'Hara will an almost impossible dilemma! Since Howard was allowed to maintain his British accent, Cary would have been just as plausible. Imagine the scene in the orchard when Scarlett and Ashley throw caution to the wind and share a passionate kiss? Or the scene when Scarlett kisses Ashely before he goes off to war (while poor wife Melanie is upstairs, taken to her bed)? Or the scene of Scarlett's scandalous abandon when she reveals her love to Ashley in the library at Twelve Oaks?  If only.....

Dreaming of Gable or Grant?

2. LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON

Gary Cooper just seemed too old for such a young Audrey Hepburn. He was only a few years older than Cary, but seemed much older at that point and much more world-weary. We know that Cary and Audrey had great chemistry (demonstrated six years later in "Charade") and Audrey being swept away by a six-years younger Cary would not only seem perfectly understandable, but wouldn't have that faint whiff of something-not-quite-right-here about it. The delicacy required in the scene where she hides in his apartment would have been cake for Cary; the scene in which he pulls her into the train fraught with more romance. And I do believe that future father-in-law Maurice Chevalier would have been much more pleased. How unfortunate that Billy Wilder and Mr. Grant never hooked up.

What is this old man doing in my room? Bring me Cary Grant!

3. MILDRED PIERCE

Cary could be sinister, too, and superficial. What fun it would have been to see him ping-pong back and forth between Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth in "Mildred Pierce." Oh, Zachary Scott was alright, but in the person of Cary Grant we could believe these 2 women doing almost anything to get him and keep him.
Joan and Cary would have been quite an interesting star cocktail, especially in this movie. Joan was at her best and Cary would have to have been at his most charming and caddish to keep pace.

Two minds with but a single thought: Cary Grant

4. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION

Tyrone Power is very good in this film. He plays against type, but I can see him acting. Cary Grant could have aced this oily conman who had a way with the ladies and made it seem like second skin. Power was fine, but not quite sincere. Cary would have you believing in his innocence (even though you knew he was guilty). He would have been more than a match for Marlene Dietrich at her duplicitous best, and the scenes between Cary and Charles Laughton make for delicious contemplation. Billy Wilder: why did you never call Cary?

I would lie, cheat and kill for Cary Grant!

5. SABRINA

Another case of a too-old, rather joyless man for the sparkling Audrey. While Bill Holden was perfectly believable as a crush, it was a little (OK -VERY) hard to swallow Humphrey Bogart as her ultimate love interest. Bogey looked old and acted old. I know the character was supposed to be stodgy, but think how much fun an older version of Cary's "Bringing Up Baby" professor would have been here. He would have really given Bill a run for his money and Audrey's eventual swan dive into love would have seemed inevitable. Their dance to Isn't it Romantic? would have been a classic. Another case of Billy Wilder needing Cary Grant.

I thought I wanted Bill Holden, but Cary Grant is looking mighty swell!

I have a hard time coming up with any great role that Cary Grant could not have played. Hamlet? Abraham Lincoln? The Wizard of Oz? I believe in Cary Grant! He might not seem right at first, but I am sure he would have found a way to make it his own. Well, a girl can dream, can't she? And who better to dream about than Cary Grant, who, night after night, continues to star in countless dreams around the world.

See you in my dreams, Lover