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164-431: Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump ; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts before turning to producing and directing in television and films. His best-known films include Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), A Shot in
328-546: A Salvation Army director in She Done Him Wrong , which made it all the more charming. The film was a box office hit, earning more than $ 2 million in the United States, and has since won much acclaim. For I'm No Angel , Grant's salary was increased from $ 450 to $ 750 a week. The film was even more successful than She Done Him Wrong , and saved Paramount from bankruptcy; Vermilye cites it as one of
492-557: A "genuine charm", which made him stand out among the other good looking actors at the time, making it "remarkably easy to find people who were willing to support his embryonic career". He made his feature film debut with the Frank Tuttle -directed comedy This is the Night (1932), playing an Olympic javelin thrower opposite Thelma Todd and Lili Damita . Grant disliked his role and threatened to leave Hollywood, but to his surprise
656-554: A "masterpiece in this vein" of silent comedy, though it did include minimal dialogue. Edwards married his first wife, actress Patricia Walker, in 1953; they divorced in 1967. Edwards and Walker had two children, actress Jennifer Edwards and actor-writer-director Geoffrey Edwards. Walker appeared in the comedy All Ashore (1953), for which Edwards was one of the screenwriters. Edwards also named one of his film production companies, Patricia Productions, Incorporated, after her. Edwards's second marriage, from 1969 until his death in 2010,
820-531: A "mixture of John Barrymore and cockney ", while another announced that he had brought a "breath of elfin Broadway" to the role. Grant found it difficult forming relationships with women, remarking that he "never seemed able to fully communicate with them" even after many years "surrounded by all sorts of attractive girls" in the theater, on the road, and in New York. In 1930, Grant toured for nine months in
984-607: A 1927 Packard sport phaeton . He visited his half-brother Eric in England, and he returned to New York to play the role of Max Grunewald in a Shubert production of A Wonderful Night . It premiered at the Majestic Theatre on October 31, 1929, two days after the Wall Street Crash , and lasted until February 1930 with 125 shows. The play received mixed reviews; one critic criticized his acting, likening it to
1148-697: A British army sergeant opposite Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the George Stevens -directed adventure film Gunga Din , set at a military station in India . Roles as a pilot opposite Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth in Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings , and a wealthy landowner alongside Carole Lombard in In Name Only followed. In 1940, Grant played a callous newspaper editor who learns that his ex-wife and former journalist, played by Rosalind Russell ,
1312-823: A Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Song for Mancini). The film also received numerous other accolades , although, Rooney's portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi garnered significant subsequent controversy for being racist . In 2012, the film was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress . Fending off a date from the night before, Holly Golightly visits the Tiffany & Co. flagship store but her date finds her at her apartment building. Holly, who cannot find her keys, buzzes her landlord, Mr. Yunioshi, to let her in. Holly meets her new neighbor Paul Varjak as she readies to leave for her weekly visit to incarcerated mobster Sally Tomato. Tomato's lawyer pays her $ 100
1476-491: A Male War Bride in which he appeared in scenes dressed as a woman, wearing a skirt and a wig. During the filming he was taken ill with infectious hepatitis and lost weight, affecting the way he looked in the picture. The film, based on the autobiography of Belgian resistance fighter Roger Charlier , proved to be successful, becoming the highest-grossing film for 20th Century Fox that year with over $ 4.5 million in takings and being likened to Hawks's screwball comedies of
1640-496: A car accident. Topper became one of the most popular movies of the year, with a critic from Variety noting that both Grant and Bennett "do their assignments with great skill". Vermilye described the film's success as "a logical springboard" for Grant to star in The Awful Truth that year, his first film made with Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy . Though director Leo McCarey reportedly disliked Grant, who had mocked
1804-524: A career comeback, and would respond to the suggestion with "fat chance". He did, however, briefly appear in the audience for Elvis Presley 's 1970 Las Vegas concert documentary Elvis: That's the Way It Is . In the 1970s, he was given the negatives from a number of his films, and he sold them to television for a sum of over $ 2 million dollars in 1975 ($ 11.3 million in 2023). Morecambe and Stirling argue that Grant's absence from film after 1966
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#17327833860641968-533: A career's best with an "extraordinary and agile performance", which was matched by Rogers, it received a mixed reception overall. Grant had hoped that starring opposite Deborah Kerr in the romantic comedy Dream Wife would salvage his career, but it was a critical and financial failure upon release in July 1953, when Grant was 49. Though he was offered the leading part in A Star is Born , Grant decided against playing that character. He believed that his film career
2132-538: A case of mistaken identity. Like Indiscreet , it was warmly received by the critics and was a major commercial success, and is now often listed as one of the greatest films of all time. Weiler, writing in The New York Times , praised Grant's performance, remarking that the actor "was never more at home than in this role of the advertising-man-on-the-lam" and handled the role "with professional aplomb and grace". Grant wore one of his most well-known suits in
2296-492: A cautionary tale about a little girl lost in the big city". He later labelled the film "a sugar and spice confection" and claimed Capote praised it as an independent work, but not as an adaptation. In later years, American Film Institute ranked the film No. 61 in 100 Years ... 100 Passions and "Moon River" as No. 4 in 100 Years ... 100 Songs . The film was also ranked No. 486 on Empire ' s The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time list. The image of Hepburn with her hair in
2460-547: A convict on the run in The Talk of the Town (1942), who escapes after being wrongly convicted of arson and murder. He hides in a house with characters played by Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman , and gradually plots to secure his freedom. Crowther praised the script, and noted that Grant played Dilg with a "casualness which is slightly disturbing". After a role as a foreign correspondent opposite Ginger Rogers and Walter Slezak in
2624-452: A country girl into a Manhattan "socialite", along with wealthy Brazilian politician José da Silva Pereira and the wealthy American Rusty Trawler. Some time later, 2E enters Paul's apartment, worried about someone loitering outside the building. Paul confronts the man who explains he is Holly's husband, Doc Golightly. Doc informs him that Holly ran away and he has come to bring her back to rural Texas. After Paul reunites them, Holly informs Paul
2788-462: A critic from Variety praised his performance, and thought that he looked like a "potential femme rave". In 1932, Grant played a wealthy playboy opposite Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus , directed by Josef von Sternberg . Grant's role is described by William Rothman as projecting the "distinctive kind of nonmacho masculinity that was to enable him to incarnate a man capable of being
2952-473: A dark psychological film about the effects of alcoholism on a previously happy marriage, starred Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick . It has been described as "perhaps the most unsparing tract against drink that Hollywood has yet produced, more pessimistic than Billy Wilder 's The Lost Weekend ". The film gave another major boost to Edwards's reputation as an important director. According to critic George Morris, Darling Lili "synthesizes every major Edwards theme:
3116-467: A director came in 1952 on the television program Four Star Playhouse . In the 1954–1955 television season, Edwards joined with Richard Quine to create Mickey Rooney 's first television series, The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan . Edwards's hard-boiled private detective scripts for Richard Diamond, Private Detective became NBC's answer to Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe , reflecting Edwards's unique humor. Edwards also created, wrote, and directed
3280-454: A director of silent movies , and in 1925, he moved the family to Los Angeles and became a film production manager. In an interview with The Village Voice in 1971, Blake Edwards said that he had "always felt alienated, estranged from my own father, Jack McEdward". After graduating from Beverly Hills High School in the class of Winter 1941, Blake began taking jobs as an actor during World War II. Edwards describes this period: I worked with
3444-549: A flame." Mae also praised the "slick" and "perceptive" screenplay and the "fine" supporting cast, singling out Peppard, Ebsen, Balsam and Rooney. Henry T. Murdock of the Philadelphia Inquirer said: " Breakfast at Tiffany's shines like a gem. Much of the iridescence comes from the richly impulsive performance by Hepburn as the scatterbrained, pathetic, fiercely independent lead. [Peppard] plays with understanding. Ebsen appears briefly, but to good effect [and] Rooney
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#17327833860643608-408: A freelance actor was The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (1936), which was shot in England. The film was a box office bomb and prompted Grant to reconsider his decision. Critical and commercial success with Suzy later that year in which he played a French airman opposite Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone , led to him signing joint contracts with RKO and Columbia Pictures , enabling him to choose
3772-719: A group called the "Knockabout Comedians" at the Palace Theater on Broadway. He formed another group that summer called "The Walking Stanleys" with several of the former members of the Pender Troupe, and he starred in a variety show named "Better Times" at the Hippodrome towards the end of the year. While serving as a paid escort for the opera singer Lucrezia Bori at a Park Avenue party, he met George C. Tilyou Jr. , whose family owned Steeplechase Park . Learning of his acrobatic experience, Tilyou hired him to work as
3936-473: A half minutes. Wansell notes how Grant's performance "underlined how far his unique qualities as a screen actor had matured in the years since The Awful Truth ". In 1947, Grant played an artist who becomes involved in a court case when charged with assault in the comedy The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (released in the U.K. as "Bachelor Knight"), opposite Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple . The film
4100-457: A high chignon and carrying an oversized cigarette holder is considered one of the most iconic images of 20th century American cinema . The sunglasses worn by Hepburn, another popular item, were designed and manufactured in London by Oliver Goldsmith . In 2011, the sunglasses were re-released to mark the film's 50th anniversary. One of three dresses designed by Givenchy for Hepburn to use in
4264-461: A mental institution, and told him she had gone away on a "long holiday", later declaring that she had died. Grant grew up resenting his mother, particularly after being told she left the family. After she was institutionalised, Grant and his father moved into Grant's grandmother's home in Bristol. When Grant was ten, his father remarried and started a new family. Grant did not learn that his mother
4428-547: A noise in the back row and would never do his homework". He spent his evenings working backstage in Bristol theatres, and at the age of 13, was responsible for the lighting for magician David Devant at the Bristol Empire in 1917. He began hanging around backstage at the theatre at every opportunity, and volunteered for work in the summer as a messenger boy and guide at the military docks in Southampton , to escape
4592-491: A notable exception. His most dynamic and successful collaboration was with Peter Sellers in six of the movies in the Pink Panther series. Edwards later directed the comedy film 10 with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek . Operation Petticoat was Edwards's first big-budget movie as a director. The film, which starred Cary Grant and Tony Curtis and was produced by Grant's own production company, Granart Company, became
4756-511: A pre-eminent luxury retailer was further boosted by the popularity of the film. Since the 1990s, Rooney's portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi, which featured makeup and a prosthetic mouthpiece, has been subject to controversy and labelled as a caricatured approximation of a Japanese man. In the Bruce Lee biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Breakfast at Tiffany's is used as an illustration of Hollywood's racist depiction of East Asians: it
4920-622: A production of the musical The Street Singer . It ended in early 1931, and the Shuberts invited him to spend the summer performing on the stage at The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri ; he appeared in 12 different productions, putting on 87 shows. He received praise from local newspapers for these performances, gaining a reputation as a romantic leading man. Significant influences on his acting in this period were Gerald du Maurier , A. E. Matthews , Jack Buchanan , and Ronald Squire . He admitted that he
5084-413: A response attributed to Hepburn herself in another account. According to Time , Mancini "sets off [the] melodies with a walking bass, extends them with choral and string variations and varies them with the brisk sounds of combo jazz . "Moon River" is sobbed by a plaintive harmonica, repeated by strings, hummed and then sung by the chorus and finally resolved with the harmonica." The soundtrack featured
Blake Edwards - Misplaced Pages Continue
5248-659: A romantic hero". Grant found that he conflicted with the director during the filming and the two often argued in German. He played a suave playboy type in a number of films: Merrily We Go to Hell opposite Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney , Devil and the Deep with Tallulah Bankhead , Gary Cooper and Charles Laughton (Cooper and Grant had no scenes together), Hot Saturday opposite Nancy Carroll and Randolph Scott , and Madame Butterfly with Sidney. According to biographer Marc Eliot, while these films did not make Grant
5412-522: A sailor in Singapore Sue (1931), a ten-minute short film by Casey Robinson . Grant delivered his lines "without any conviction" according to McCann. Through Robinson, Grant met with Jesse L. Lasky and B. P. Schulberg , the co-founder and general manager of Paramount Pictures respectively. After a successful screen-test directed by Marion Gering , Schulberg signed a contract with the 27-year-old Grant on December 7, 1931, for five years, at
5576-428: A score composed and conducted by Mancini, with several unreleased musical compositions not featuring in the final film. One piece, "Carousel Cue", appears in a deleted scene, while another piece titled "Outtake 1" also appears in a deleted scene. In 2013, Intrada Records released the complete score in its original film performance: as with many soundtrack albums from the time period, the album initially released alongside
5740-470: A screenplay by George Axelrod and based on the 1958 novella of the same name by Truman Capote . It stars Audrey Hepburn , George Peppard , Patricia Neal , Buddy Ebsen , Martin Balsam , and Mickey Rooney . In the film, Holly Golightly (Hepburn), a naïve, eccentric socialite meets Paul Varjak (Peppard), a struggling writer who moves into her apartment building. Development for the film began soon after
5904-415: A sense of permanence and stability in her life. He had become increasingly disillusioned with cinema in the 1960s, rarely finding a script of which he approved. He remarked: "I could have gone on acting and playing a grandfather or a bum, but I discovered more important things in life". He knew after he had made Charade that the "Golden Age" of Hollywood was over. Grant expressed little interest in making
6068-655: A series of successful performances in New York City, he decided to stay there. He established a name for himself in vaudeville in the 1920s and toured the United States before moving to Hollywood in the early 1930s. Grant initially appeared in crime films and dramas, such as Blonde Venus (1932) and She Done Him Wrong (1933), but later gained renown for his performances in romantic screwball comedies such as The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), His Girl Friday (1940), and The Philadelphia Story (1940). These pictures are frequently cited among
6232-542: A soldier in post-World War I France. The production opened on September 29, 1931, in New York, but was stopped after just 39 performances due to the effects of the Depression. Grant's role in Nikki was praised by Ed Sullivan of The New York Daily News , who noted that the "young lad from England" had "a big future in the movies". The review led to another screen test by Paramount Publix, resulting in an appearance as
6396-984: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1993, Edwards received the Preston Sturges Award jointly from the Directors Guild and the Writers Guild. In 2000, Edwards received the Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild. In 2002, Edwards received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild as well as the Special Edgar from The Mystery Writers of America for career achievement. Between 1962 and 1968, Edwards
6560-489: A star, they did well enough to establish him as one of Hollywood's "new crop of fast-rising actors". In 1933, Grant gained attention for appearing in the pre-Code films She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel opposite Mae West . West would later claim that she had discovered Cary Grant. Of course Grant had already made Blonde Venus the previous year in which he was Marlene Dietrich's leading man . Pauline Kael noted that Grant did not appear confident in his role as
6724-476: A starting salary of $ 450 a week. Schulberg demanded that he change his name to "something that sounded more all-American like Gary Cooper ", and they eventually agreed on Cary Grant. Grant set out to establish himself as what McCann calls the "epitome of masculine glamour", and made Douglas Fairbanks his first role model. McCann notes that Grant's career in Hollywood immediately took off because he exhibited
Blake Edwards - Misplaced Pages Continue
6888-437: A stilt-walker and attract large crowds on the newly opened Coney Island Boardwalk , wearing a bright greatcoat and a sandwich board that advertised the amusement park. Grant spent the next couple of years touring the United States with "The Walking Stanleys". He visited Los Angeles for the first time in 1924, which made a lasting impression on him. The group split up and he returned to New York, where he began performing at
7052-475: A three-week tour of the United States as part of a group to help the war effort and was photographed visiting wounded marines in hospital. He appeared in several routines of his own during these shows and often played the straight-man opposite Bert Lahr . In May 1942, when he was 38, the ten-minute propaganda short Road to Victory was released, in which he appeared alongside Bing Crosby , Frank Sinatra and Charles Ruggles . On film, Grant played Leopold Dilg,
7216-440: A three-year contract between Grant and Pender that stipulated Grant's weekly salary, along with room and board, dancing lessons, and other training for his profession until age 18. There was also a provision in the contract for salary raises based on job performance. The Pender Troupe began touring the country, and Grant's performing pantomime developed his physical skills, broadening the range of his acting. The troupe traveled on
7380-547: A tormented character who hysterically discovers that his amnesia has affected the masculine order in society in The Black Curtain . After making a brief cameo appearance opposite Claudette Colbert in Without Reservations (1946), Grant portrayed Cole Porter in the musical Night and Day (1946). The production proved to be problematic, with scenes often requiring multiple takes, frustrating
7544-608: A troupe of acrobatic dancers known as The Penders or the Bob Pender Stage Troupe. He subsequently trained as a stilt walker and began touring with them. Jesse Lasky was a Broadway producer at the time and saw Grant performing at the Wintergarten theater in Berlin around 1914. In 1915, Grant won a scholarship to attend Fairfield Grammar School in Bristol, although his father could barely afford to pay for
7708-436: A week to deliver "the weather report". Holly meets Paul's "decorator" Emily Eustace Failenson, a wealthy older woman, whom Paul nicknames "2E". That night, when Holly crawls out onto the fire escape to elude an over-eager date, she sees 2E leaving Paul money and kissing him goodbye. Holly visits Paul and learns he is a writer who has not had anything published in five years, and has no ribbon in his typewriter. Holly explains she
7872-512: A week. The show was not well received, but it lasted for 184 performances and several critics started to notice Grant as the "pleasant new juvenile" or "competent young newcomer". The following year, he joined the William Morris Agency and was offered another juvenile part by Hammerstein in his play Polly , an unsuccessful production. One critic wrote that Grant "has a strong masculine manner, but unfortunately fails to bring out
8036-503: Is almost wholly superfluous. Perhaps the inference to be taken is that a man in his 50s or 60s has no place in romantic comedy except as a catalyst. If so, the chemistry is wrong for everyone". Hitchcock had asked Grant to star in Torn Curtain that year, only to learn that he had decided to retire. In 1966, when his daughter Jennifer Grant was born, Grant retired from the screen so he could focus on bringing her up and to provide
8200-466: Is arrested in connection to a drug ring run by Sally Tomato. Berman pays her bail and Paul picks her up in a cab with all her things, including Cat and a breakup letter from José. Holly decides to go to Brazil anyway, breaking bail, as Paul declares that he loves her. Resistant to being in a relationship, Holly chastises him and releases Cat into an alley. Paul storms out of the cab, leaving the engraved ring with Holly. After she puts it on, Holly runs back to
8364-432: Is at his funniest in this iconic classic, and Audrey Hepburn absolutely lights up the screen." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Time magazine noted "[Hepburn's portrayal] is not much different from Capote's [character]. She has kicked the weed but she is still jolly Holly who runs away to find some of
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#17327833860648528-461: Is implied that Lee and his future wife, Linda Lee Cadwell , walked out of a screening of the film upon viewing Rooney's performance. Promotional materials released by Paramount for the film between October and December 1960 did not reveal Rooney to play Yunioshi, with press releases stating that an upcoming Japanese comedian named "Ohayo Arigatou" ("hello" and "thank you" in Japanese ) would play
8692-485: Is often called "the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made". In 1964, Grant changed from his typically suave, distinguished screen persona to play a grizzled beachcomber who is coerced into serving as a coastwatcher on an uninhabited island in the World War II romantic comedy Father Goose . The film was a major commercial success, and upon its release at Radio City at Christmas 1964 it took over $ 210,000 at
8856-406: Is saving money to support her brother, Fred, after he completes his Army service. The pair fall asleep but are awakened when Holly has a nightmare about Fred. When Paul questions her about this, Holly chides him for prying. Holly buys Paul a typewriter ribbon to apologize, and invites him to a party at her apartment. There, he meets her Hollywood agent, Berman, who describes Holly's transformation from
9020-412: Is the hardest thing in the world". In 1952, Grant starred in the comedy Room for One More , playing an engineer husband who with his wife ( Betsy Drake ) adopt two children from an orphanage. He reunited with Howard Hawks to film the off-beat comedy Monkey Business , co-starring Ginger Rogers and Marilyn Monroe . Though the critic from Motion Picture Herald wrote gushingly that Grant had given
9184-586: Is to marry insurance officer Ralph Bellamy in Hawks' comedy His Girl Friday , which was praised for its strong chemistry and "great verbal athleticism" between Grant and Russell. Grant reunited with Irene Dunne in My Favorite Wife , a "first rate comedy" according to Life magazine, which became RKO's second biggest picture of the year, with profits of $ 505,000. After playing a Virginian backwoodsman in The Howards of Virginia , set during
9348-542: Is too slapstick as the Japanese photographer. Edwards keeps things moving with a lilt." The film helped rejuvenate Ebsen's career, as it helped him land the role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). A.H. Weiler of The New York Times called the film a "completely unbelievable but wholly captivating flight into fancy composed of unequal dollops of comedy, romance, poignancy, funny colloquialisms and Manhattan's swankiest East Side areas captured in
9512-459: The Pink Panther's Clouseau , developed with the comedic skills of Peter Sellers as a character "perfectly consistent" with his "absurdist view of the world, because he has no faith in anything and constantly adapts". Critic Stuart Byron calls his first two Pink Panther films "two of the best comedies an American has ever made". Polls taken at the time showed that his name, as a director,
9676-709: The Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute in 1999. Grant was born into an impoverished family in Bristol , where he had an unhappy childhood marked by the absence of his mother and his father's alcoholism. He became attracted to theatre at a young age when he visited the Bristol Hippodrome . At 16, he went as a stage performer with the Pender Troupe for a tour of the US. After
9840-473: The New York Hippodrome , the largest theater in the world at the time with a capacity of 5,697. They performed there for nine months, putting on 12 shows a week, and they had a successful production of Good Times . Doing stand-up comedy is extremely difficult. Your timing has to change from show to show and from town to town. You're always adjusting to the size of the audience and the size of
10004-455: The RMS ; Olympic to conduct a tour of the United States on July 21, 1920, when he was 16, arriving a week later. Biographer Richard Schickel writes that Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were aboard the same ship, returning from their honeymoon; Grant played shuffleboard with Fairbanks, who became an important role model for him. After arriving in New York, the group performed at
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#173278338606410168-626: The Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California . He was 88. Edwards was greatly admired, and criticized, as a filmmaker. His critics are alluded to by American film author George Morris: It has been difficult for many critics to accept Blake Edwards as anything more than a popular entertainer. Edwards' detractors acknowledge his formal skill, but deplore the absence of profundity in his movies. Edwards' movies are slick and glossy, but their shiny surfaces reflect all too accurately
10332-664: The "Jack Janis Company", which began touring vaudeville. He was sometimes mistaken for an Australian during this period and was nicknamed "Kangaroo" or "Boomerang". His accent seemed to have changed as a result of moving to London with the Pender troupe and working in so many music halls in the UK and the US, eventually becoming a sort of transatlantic or mid-Atlantic accent . In 1927, he was cast as an Australian in Reggie Hammerstein's musical Golden Dawn , for which he earned $ 75
10496-421: The "best thing he's done in a long time". After a commercial failure in his second RKO venture The Toast of New York , Grant was loaned to Hal Roach 's studio for Topper , a screwball comedy film distributed by MGM , which became his first major comedy success. Grant played one half of a wealthy, freewheeling married couple with Constance Bennett , who wreak havoc on the world as ghosts after dying in
10660-406: The "frustrated advertising man" was one of his best screen portrayals. In Every Girl Should Be Married , an "airy comedy", he appeared with Betsy Drake and Franchot Tone , playing a bachelor who is trapped into marriage by Drake's conniving character. He finished the year as the fourth most popular film star at the box office. In 1949, Grant starred alongside Ann Sheridan in the comedy I Was
10824-421: The "greatest box-office success of the decade for Universal [Studios]" and made Edwards a recognized director. Breakfast at Tiffany's , based on the novella by Truman Capote , is credited with establishing him as a "cult figure" with many critics. Andrew Sarris called it the "directorial surprise of 1961", and it became a "romantic touchstone" for college students in the early 1960s. Days of Wine And Roses ,
10988-407: The 1940s and 1950s, Grant had a close working relationship with director Alfred Hitchcock , who cast him in four films: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959). For the suspense-dramas Suspicion and Notorious , Grant took on darker, morally ambiguous characters, both challenging Grant's screen persona and his acting abilities. Toward
11152-431: The 1958–61 TV detective series Peter Gunn , which starred Craig Stevens , with music by Henry Mancini . The following year, Edwards produced Mr. Lucky , an adventure series on CBS starring John Vivyan and Ross Martin . Mancini's association with Edwards continued in his film work, significantly contributing to their success. Edwards's most popular films were comedies, the melodrama Days of Wine and Roses being
11316-702: The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, during that year's Saturn Award ceremony. In 1983, Edwards was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for Victor/Victoria as well as winning Best Foreign Film and Best Foreign Screenplay in France and Italy, respectively for Victor/Victoria . In 1988, Edwards received the Creative Achievement Award from the American Comedy Awards. In 1991, Edwards received
11480-516: The Academy will take me seriously". Film historian David Thomson wrote that "the wrong man got the Oscar" for The Philadelphia Story and that "Grant got better performances out of Hepburn than (her long-time companion) Spencer Tracy ever managed." Stewart's winning the Oscar "was considered a gold-plated apology for his being robbed of the award" for the previous year's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . Grant's not being nominated for His Girl Friday
11644-626: The American Revolution – which McCann considers to have been Grant's worst film and performance – his last film of the year was in the critically lauded romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story , in which he played the ex-husband of Hepburn's character. Grant felt his performance was so strong that he was bitterly disappointed not to have received an Oscar nomination, especially since both his lead co-stars, Hepburn and James Stewart , received them, with Stewart winning for Best Actor. Grant joked "I'd have to blacken my teeth first before
11808-586: The Dark (1964), The Great Race (1965), 10 (1979), Victor/Victoria (1982), Blind Date (1987), and the hugely successful Pink Panther film series with British actor Peter Sellers . Often thought of as primarily a director of comedies, he also directed several drama, musical, and detective films. Late in his career, he took up writing, producing and directing for theater. In 2004, he received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for
11972-633: The Dark (1964), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978). (1968's Inspector Clouseau , the third film in the series, was made without the involvement of Edwards or Sellers.) The films were all highly profitable: The Return of the Pink Panther , for example, cost just $ 2.5 million to make but grossed $ 100 million, while The Pink Panther Strikes Again did even better. After Sellers's death in 1980, Edwards directed three further Pink Panther films. Trail of
12136-574: The French risqué comedy Boom-Boom at the Casino Theater on Broadway, which premiered on January 28, 1929, ten days after his 25th birthday. MacDonald later admitted that Grant was "absolutely terrible in the role", but he exhibited a charm that endeared him to people and effectively saved the show from failure. The play ran for 72 shows, and Grant earned $ 350 a week before moving to Detroit, and then to Chicago. To console himself, Grant bought
12300-495: The National Vaudeville Artists Club on West 46th Street, doing comic sketches, juggling, performing acrobatics, and as "Rubber Legs", riding a unicycle. The experience was a particularly demanding one, but it gave Grant the opportunity to improve his comic technique and to develop skills that benefitted him later in Hollywood. Grant became a leading man alongside Jean Dalrymple and decided to form
12464-433: The Pink Panther (1982) consisted of unused material of Sellers from The Pink Panther Strikes Again as well as previously seen material from the earlier films. Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) and Son of the Pink Panther (1993) were further attempts by Edwards to continue the series without Sellers but both films were critical and financial disappointments. Edwards eventually retired from film making two years after
12628-799: The River Kwai at the time, but found that it was not possible because of his commitment to The Pride and the Passion . The film was shot on location in Spain and was problematic, with co-star Frank Sinatra irritating his colleagues and leaving the production after just a few weeks. Although Grant had an affair with Loren during filming, Grant's attempts to woo Loren to marry him during the production proved fruitless, which led to him expressing anger when Paramount cast her opposite him in Houseboat (1958) as part of her contract. The sexual tension between
12792-600: The Screen Trade . In the late 1970s and early '80s, Grant became troubled by the deaths of many close friends, including Howard Hughes in 1976, Howard Hawks in 1977, Lord Mountbatten and Barbara Hutton in 1979, Alfred Hitchcock in 1980, Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman in 1982, and David Niven in 1983. At the funeral of Mountbatten , he was quoted as remarking to a friend: "I'm absolutely pooped, and I'm so goddamned old. ...I'm going to quit all next year. I'm going to lie in bed... I shall just close all doors, turn off
12956-614: The Studios at Paramount in Hollywood, California . The film's music was composed by Henry Mancini and its theme song, " Moon River ", was written by Johnny Mercer . Breakfast at Tiffany's was released in the United States on October 5, 1961, by Paramount Pictures . It grossed $ 14 million worldwide and received critical acclaim for its music and Hepburn's style and performance, being nominated for five Academy Awards , including Best Actress for Hepburn, and winning two ( Music Score of
13120-463: The alley, where Paul is looking for Cat. After Holly finds Cat, she cradles it in her coat and, smiling, walks into Paul's embrace. After Paramount producers Martin Jurow and Richard Shepherd optioned the film rights to Capote's novella, they hired Sumner Locke Elliott to write its screenplay. Although generally faithful to the source material, Jurow and Shepherd disliked Elliott's screenplay and he
13284-498: The beauty of the score". Wansell notes that the pressure of a failing production began to make him fret, and he was eventually dropped from the run after six weeks of poor reviews. Despite the setback, Hammerstein's rival Florenz Ziegfeld made an attempt to buy Grant's contract, but Hammerstein sold it to the Shubert Brothers instead. J. J. Shubert cast him in a small role as a Spaniard opposite Jeanette MacDonald in
13448-605: The best comedy films of the 1930s. After a string of financially unsuccessful films, which included roles as a president of a company who is sued for knocking down a boy in an accident in Born to Be Bad (1934) for 20th Century Fox, a cosmetic surgeon in Kiss and Make-Up (1934), and a blinded pilot opposite Myrna Loy in Wings in the Dark (1935), and press reports of problems in his marriage to Cherrill, Paramount concluded that Grant
13612-480: The best directors – Ford , Wyler , Preminger – and learned a lot from them. But I wasn't a very cooperative actor. I was a spunky, smart-assed kid. Maybe even I was indicating that I wanted to give, not take, direction. Edwards served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II, where he suffered a severe back injury, which left him in pain for years afterwards. Edwards's debut as
13776-612: The board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . He died of a stroke in 1986 at the age of 82. Grant was born Archibald Alec Leach on January 18, 1904, at 15 Hughenden Road in the northern Bristol , England suburb of Horfield . He was the second child of Elias James Leach and Elsie Maria Leach (née Kingdon). His father worked as a tailor's presser at a clothes factory, while his mother worked as a seamstress. His older brother John William Elias Leach died of tuberculous meningitis two days before his first birthday. Grant may have considered himself partly Jewish. He had an unhappy upbringing; his father
13940-459: The box-office in the first week, breaking the record set by Charade the previous year. Grant's final film, Walk, Don't Run (1966), a comedy co-starring Jim Hutton and Samantha Eggar , was shot on location in Tokyo, and is set amid the backdrop of the housing shortage of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics . Newsweek concluded: "Though Grant's personal presence is indispensable, the character he plays
14104-616: The cast and crew. Grant next appeared with Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains in the Hitchcock-directed film Notorious (1946), playing a government agent who recruits the American daughter of a convicted Nazi spy (Bergman) to infiltrate a Nazi organization in Brazil after World War II. During the course of the film Grant and Bergman's characters fall in love and share one of the longest kisses in film history at around two and
14268-443: The character because he was a comedy director. We had fun doing it. Never [since] we made it [has] there been [any] complaints. Every place I've gone in the world people say [I] was so funny." Rooney later said that he would not have taken the role if he thought it was offensive. The film continues to draw criticism for the character, with film historian Robert Osborne calling it "such a racial slur. I blame Edwards. The caricature
14432-517: The character. Other press releases featured false quotes, written in phonetically broken English, attributed to the fake comedian. Rooney eventually revealed his involvement in Breakfast at Tiffany's in a statement while wearing the makeup and prosthetic mouthpiece seen in the film. Shepherd later claimed that he wanted to cast a Japanese actor to portray Yunioshi, but that Edwards overruled him. He also stated he did not believe "[Rooney] didn't play
14596-529: The cinema, where he enjoyed the performances of Charlie Chaplin , Chester Conklin , Fatty Arbuckle , Ford Sterling , Mack Swain , and Broncho Billy Anderson . He moved a short distance to 50 Berkeley Road at about age 4, and was sent to Bishop Road Primary School when he was 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 . Grant's biographer Graham McCann claimed that his mother "did not know how to give affection and did not know how to receive it either". Biographer Geoffrey Wansell notes that his mother blamed herself bitterly for
14760-476: The comedy styles in silent films and tried to recreate them in their work together. After their immense success with the first two Pink Panther films, The Pink Panther (1963) and A Shot in the Dark (1964), which adapted many silent-film aspects, including slapstick, they attempted to go even further in The Party (1968). The film has always had a cult following, and some critics and fans have considered it
14924-499: The course of his film career. As Entertainment Weekly reported, "Honorary Oscar winner Blake Edwards made an entrance worthy of Peter Sellers in one of Edwards' Pink Panther films: A stuntman who looked just like Edwards rode a speeding wheelchair past a podium and crashed through a wall. When the octogenarian director entered and dusted himself off as if he had crashed, he told presenter Jim Carrey , 'Don't touch my Oscar.'" Also in 2004, Edwards received The Life Career Award from
15088-474: The day together, taking turns doing things each has never done before. At Tiffany's, he has the ring from a box of Cracker Jack engraved as a present for her. After spending the night together, Paul awakens to find Holly gone. 2E arrives and calmly accepts when he ends their affair, realizing he loves Holly. Returning from a date with José, Holly learns Fred has been killed and trashes her apartment. Months later, Holly readies to move to Brazil and marry José but
15252-516: The death of Grant's brother John, and never recovered from it. Grant acknowledged that his negative experiences with his mother affected his relationships with women later in life. She frowned on alcohol and tobacco, and would reduce pocket money for minor mishaps. Grant attributed her behavior to overprotectiveness, fearing that she would lose him as she did John. When Grant was nine, his father placed his mother in Glenside Hospital ,
15416-653: The director by enacting his mannerisms in the film, he recognized Grant's comic talents and encouraged him to improvise his lines and draw upon his skills developed in vaudeville. The film was a critical and commercial success and made Grant a top Hollywood star, establishing a screen persona for him as a sophisticated light comedy leading man in screwball comedies. The Awful Truth began what film critic Benjamin Schwarz of The Atlantic later called "the most spectacular run ever for an actor in American pictures" for Grant. In 1938, he starred opposite Katharine Hepburn in
15580-410: The disappearance of gallantry and honor, the tension between appearances and reality and the emotional, spiritual, moral, and psychological disorder" in such a world. Edwards used complex cinematography techniques, including long-shot zooms, tracking, and focus distortion, to great effect. However, the film failed badly with most critics and at the box office. Despite a cost of $ 17 million to make, it
15744-482: The disposable values of contemporary life. Others, however, recognized him more for his significant achievements at different periods of his career. British film critic Peter Lloyd, for example, described Edwards, in 1971, as "the finest director working in the American commercial cinema at the present time". Edwards's biographers, William Luhr and Peter Lehman, in an interview in 1974, called him "the finest American director working at this time". They refer especially to
15908-711: The end of his career he starred in the romantic films Indiscreet (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), That Touch of Mink (1962), and Charade (1963). He is remembered by critics for his unusually broad appeal as a handsome, suave actor who did not take himself too seriously, and in comedies was able to toy with his dignity without sacrificing it entirely. Grant was married five times, three of them elopements with actresses Virginia Cherrill (1934–1935), Betsy Drake (1949–1962), and Dyan Cannon (1965–1968). He had daughter Jennifer Grant with Cannon. He retired from film acting in 1966 and pursued numerous business interests, representing cosmetics firm Fabergé and sitting on
16072-457: The film (with the wife discovering her husband is innocent rather than his being guilty and she letting him kill her with a glass of poisoned milk) "a complete mistake because of making that story with Cary Grant. Unless you have a cynical ending it makes the story too simple". Geoff Andrew of Time Out believes Suspicion served as "a supreme example of Grant's ability to be simultaneously charming and sinister". In 1942, Grant participated in
16236-430: The film and convinced Hepburn to reshoot scenes for free in the hope that scenes featuring Yunioshi could be edited out, but was overruled by Edwards. Edwards later stated he "would give anything to recast [Rooney]" and he "wished [he] had never done it" but stressed it was not something he could "undo". In a 2008 interview, Rooney said he was "heartbroken" regarding the criticism, saying, "Edwards wanted me to [portray]
16400-465: The film earned rave reviews from critics. He again appeared with Hepburn in the romantic comedy Holiday later that year, which did not fare well commercially, to the point that Hepburn was considered to be "box office poison" at the time. Despite a series of commercial failures, Grant was now more popular than ever and in high demand. According to Vermilye, in 1939, Grant played roles that were more dramatic, albeit with comical undertones. He played
16564-470: The film influenced her later roles. Tinee Mae of the Chicago Tribune also gave a positive review, saying, "In the wrong hands, the unconventional, disorganized, sophisticated, innocent, utterly contradictory [lead] character could be a tiresome idiot. Audrey makes her as sweet as she is silly, as appealing as she is affected, a playgirl without scruples, a moth who doesn't quite deserve to die in
16728-407: The film sold at auction by Christie's on December 5, 2006, for £467,200 (~US$ 947,000), about seven times the reserve price. The little black dress designed by Givenchy and worn by Hepburn is cited as one of the most iconic clothing items of the twentieth century and was described by Glamour as the most famous little black dress of all time. A second little black dress by Givenchy, which
16892-469: The film was a re-recording. Breakfast at Tiffany's was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures on October 5, 1961. The film was first released on home media in the 1980s, on VHS and DVD, and was one of the first films featuring Hepburn released on home video. On February 7, 2006, a 45th anniversary special edition DVD was released in North America, containing featurettes not included on
17056-497: The film was possibly the finest romantic comedy film of the era, and that Grant himself had professed that it was one of his personal favorites. Grant received his first of five Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nominations for his performance and finished the year as the most popular film star at the box office. In 1959, Grant starred in the Hitchcock-directed film North by Northwest , playing an advertising executive who becomes embroiled in
17220-510: The film was released, which added several new featurettes, including interviews by the cast, a documentary discussing the controversy regarding Rooney's portrayal of I.Y. Yunioshi, an interactive tour of the Paramount Studios lot where filming took place, and a tribute to Mancini. On June 29, 2011, the film was digitally restored in high-definition and released on Blu-ray to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Breakfast at Tiffany's
17384-810: The film, Hepburn sang the film's signature song, " Moon River ", written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer . The song was tailored to Hepburn's limited vocal range and its sequencing was inspired by songs she performed in Funny Face (1957). On the Anniversary Edition home media release featuring audio commentary by Shepherd, he stated that after the film's test preview in San Francisco , Martin Rankin, Paramount's head of production, wanted "Moon River" replaced with music sung by somebody else. Shepherd claimed he and Jurow refused to replace it –
17548-439: The film, which became very popular, a fourteen-gauge, mid-gray, subtly plaid, worsted wool that was custom-made on Savile Row . Grant finished the year playing a U.S. Navy submarine skipper opposite Tony Curtis in the comedy Operation Petticoat . The reviewer from Daily Variety saw Grant's comic portrayal as a classic example of how to attract the laughter of the audience without lines, remarking that "In this film, most of
17712-499: The finer things of life." It also pointed out the differences to Capote's novella, stating "after that out-of-Capote beginning, Edwards goes on to an out-of-character end." Hepburn's performance received rave reviews, with it considered to be one of her most memorable and identifiable roles. Almost a half century later, Richard Corliss of Time emphasized the level of Hepburn's performance, stating, " Breakfast at Tiffany's set Hepburn on her Hollywood course" and argued her performance in
17876-535: The finest performances of his career. In 1944, Grant starred alongside Priscilla Lane , Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre , in Frank Capra 's dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace , playing the manic Mortimer Brewster, who belongs to a bizarre family that includes two murderous aunts and an uncle claiming to be President Teddy Roosevelt. Grant took up the role after it was originally offered to Bob Hope , who turned it down owing to schedule conflicts. Grant found
18040-426: The first of Grant's four collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock . Grant did not warm to co-star Joan Fontaine , finding her to be temperamental and unprofessional. Film critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times considered that Grant was "provokingly irresponsible, boyishly gay and also oddly mysterious, as the role properly demands". Hitchcock later stated that he thought the conventional happy ending of
18204-446: The first of four collaborations with Hepburn. Though a commercial failure, his dominating performance was praised by critics, and Grant always considered the film to have been the breakthrough for his career. When his contract with Paramount ended in 1936 with the release of Wedding Present , Grant decided not to renew it and wished to work freelance . Grant claimed to be the first freelance actor in Hollywood. His first venture as
18368-497: The gags play off him. It is his reaction, blank, startled, etc., always underplayed, that creates or releases the humor". The film was major box office success, and in 1973, Deschner ranked the film as the highest earning film of Grant's career at the US box office, with takings of $ 9.5 million. In 1960, Grant appeared opposite Deborah Kerr , Robert Mitchum , and Jean Simmons in The Grass Is Greener , which
18532-522: The greatest comedy films of all time. Other well-known films in which he starred in this period were the adventure Gunga Din (1939), the dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), and the dramas Only Angels Have Wings (1939), Penny Serenade (1941), and None but the Lonely Heart (1944), the latter two for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor . During
18696-481: The idea as Grant would be committed to only one feature film; therefore, the producers decided to go after someone who could be part of a franchise after James Mason would only agree to commit to three films. In 1963, Grant appeared in his last typically suave, romantic role opposite Audrey Hepburn in Charade . Grant found the experience of working with Hepburn "wonderful" and believed that their close relationship
18860-978: The inept Inspector Clouseau . The relationship between the director and the lead actor was considered a fruitful yet complicated one with many disagreements during production. At various times in their film relationship, "he more than once swore off Sellers" as too hard to direct. However, in his later years, he admitted that working with Sellers was often irresistible: "We clicked on comedy and we were lucky we found each other because we both had so much respect for it. We also had an ability to come up with funny things and great situations that had to be explored. But in that exploration there would often times be disagreement. But I couldn't resist those moments when we jelled. And if you ask me who contributed most to those things, it couldn't have happened unless both of us were involved, even though it wasn't always happy." Five of those films involved Edwards and Sellers in original material; those films being The Pink Panther (1963), A Shot in
19024-762: The late 1930s. By this point he was one of the highest paid Hollywood stars, commanding $ 300,000 per picture. The early 1950s marked the beginning of a slump in Grant's career. His roles as a top brain surgeon who is caught in the middle of a bitter revolution in a Latin American country in Crisis , and as a medical-school professor and orchestra conductor opposite Jeanne Crain in People Will Talk were poorly received. Grant had become tired of being Cary Grant after twenty years, being successful, wealthy and popular, and remarked: "To play yourself, your true self,
19188-478: The lead role. Grant stated that Warren Beatty had made a big effort to get him to play the role of Mr. Jordan in Heaven Can Wait (1978), which eventually went to James Mason. Morecambe and Stirling claim that Grant had also expressed an interest in appearing in A Touch of Class (1973), The Verdict (1982), and a film adaptation of William Goldman 's 1983 book about screenwriting, Adventures in
19352-407: The loveliest of colors". Weiler called Hepburn "a genuinely charming, elfin waif who will be believed and adored when seen" and further praised the performances of Peppard, Balsam, Rooney, Neal and Ebsen. Capote infamously disliked the film and Hepburn's performance for deviating from his novella. Capote's biographer, Gerald Clarke , characterized the film as a "valentine to free-spirited women, [not]
19516-541: The macabre subject matter of the film difficult to contend with and believed that it was the worst performance of his career. That year he received his second Oscar nomination for a role, opposite Ethel Barrymore and Barry Fitzgerald in the Clifford Odets -directed film None but the Lonely Heart , set in London during the Depression. Late in the year he featured in the CBS Radio series Suspense , playing
19680-406: The marriage was annulled and she declines to return with Doc. After drinking at a club, Paul and Holly return to her apartment, where she tells him she plans to marry Trawler for his money. A few days later, Paul learns a short story inspired by Holly will be published. On the way to tell Holly, he sees a newspaper headline stating that Trawler has married someone else. Holly and Paul agree to spend
19844-535: The nearby town of Almondsbury . Wansell claims that Grant had set out intentionally to get himself expelled from school to pursue a career in entertainment with the troupe, and he did rejoin Pender's troupe three days after being expelled. His father had a better-paying job in Southampton, and Grant's expulsion brought local authorities to Pender's door with questions about why he was living in Bristol and not with his father in Southampton. His father then co-signed
20008-578: The novella, stating the changes made were for "audience approval". Filming began on Fifth Avenue outside the Tiffany & Co. flagship store on October 2, 1960. Most of the exteriors were filmed in New York City , and all of the interiors, except for portions set inside Tiffany & Co., were filmed on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood. According to one report, the film's on-location opening sequence outside Tiffany & Co.
20172-507: The off-beat comedy Once Upon a Honeymoon , in which he was praised for his scenes with Rogers, he appeared in Mr. Lucky the following year, playing a gambler in a casino aboard a ship. The commercially successful submarine war film Destination Tokyo (1943) was shot in just six weeks in September and October, which left him exhausted; the reviewer from Newsweek thought it was one of
20336-405: The part well". Shepherd later apologized for Rooney's casting and performance, saying, "If we could just change Mickey, I'd be thrilled with the [film]." Although Axelrod expanded the role of Yunioshi in the screenplay compared to the novella, Edwards sought to use the character for comic relief and hired Rooney, his old roommate. Axelrod clashed with Edwards regarding the placement of Yunioshi in
20500-414: The prior releases. These included a photo gallery, the film's theatrical trailer, a history featurette on Tiffany & Co., audio commentary by Shepherd, a making-of featurette with interviews from Edwards and Neal, and a tribute to Hepburn, which contained a letter written by Hepburn to Tiffany & Co. for their 150th anniversary in 1987. On January 13, 2009, a remastered Centennial Collection version of
20664-521: The publication of Capote's novel, with several actors, including Marilyn Monroe , Shirley MacLaine , Kim Novak , Steve McQueen , Jack Lemmon , and Robert Wagner , considered for the lead roles prior to Hepburn and Peppard being cast. The screenplay, which deviates from Capote's novella, was originally completed by Axelrod and director John Frankenheimer , who was replaced by Edwards well into pre-production. Principal photography began on October 2, 1960, with filming taking place in New York City and at
20828-455: The release of Son of the Pink Panther . In addition to the Pink Panther films, Edwards directed Sellers in the comedy film The Party . Having grown up in Hollywood, the stepson of a studio production manager and stepgrandson of a silent-film director, Edwards had watched the films of the great silent-era comedians, including Charlie Chaplin , Buster Keaton , Harold Lloyd , and Laurel and Hardy . He and Sellers appreciated and understood
20992-595: The romance An Affair to Remember , playing an international playboy who becomes the object of her affections. Schickel sees the film as one of the definitive romantic pictures of the period, but remarks that Grant was not entirely successful in trying to supersede the film's "gushing sentimentality". That year, Grant also appeared opposite Sophia Loren in The Pride and the Passion . He had expressed an interest in playing William Holden 's character in The Bridge on
21156-502: The same year is also a "sin of omission" for the Oscars. The following year Grant was considered for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Penny Serenade —his first nomination from the academy. Wansell claims that Grant found the film to be an emotional experience, because he and wife-to-be Barbara Hutton had started to discuss having their own children. Later that year he appeared in the romantic psychological thriller Suspicion ,
21320-622: The scenes featuring Rooney removed. In 2004, a musical adaptation of the film made its debut at The Muny in St. Louis . In May 2009, Anna Friel starred in a London stage adaptation that opened in September 2009 at the Haymarket Theatre . In March 2013, a new stage adaptation made its debut at the Cort Theater in New York City , starring Emilia Clarke . Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach ; January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986)
21484-469: The screen. Born William Blake Crump July 26, 1922, in Tulsa, Oklahoma , he was the son of Donald and Lillian (née Grommett) Crump (1897–1992). In an interview with Andre Previn , Blake Edwards claimed to be a descendant of William Blake . His father reportedly left the family before he was born. His mother married again, to Jack McEdward, who became his stepfather. McEdward was the son of J. Gordon Edwards ,
21648-417: The screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby , featuring a leopard and frequent bickering and verbal jousting between Grant and Hepburn. He was initially uncertain how to play his character, but was told by director Howard Hawks to think of Harold Lloyd . Grant was given more leeway in the comic scenes, the editing of the film and in educating Hepburn in the art of comedy. Despite losing over $ 350,000 for RKO,
21812-402: The source material. Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe to play Holly Golightly: he considered Monroe to best reflect the character, with Axelrod required to "tailor" the screenplay to accommodate Monroe. Monroe declined to star in the film, opting for The Misfits (1961), after theatre director Lee Strasberg advised her that playing a "lady of the evening" would be bad for her image. The role
21976-566: The stories that he felt suited his acting style. His Columbia contract was a four-film deal over two years, guaranteeing him $ 50,000 each for the first two and $ 75,000 each for the others. In 1937, Grant began the first film under his contract with Columbia Pictures, When You're in Love , portraying a wealthy American artist who eventually woos a famous opera singer ( Grace Moore ). His performance received positive feedback from critics, with Mae Tinee of The Chicago Daily Tribune describing it as
22140-516: The theatre. —Grant on stand-up comedy. Grant became a part of the vaudeville circuit and began touring, performing in places such as St. Louis, Missouri , Cleveland , and Milwaukee , and he decided to stay in the US with several of the other members when the rest of the troupe returned to Britain. He became fond of the Marx Brothers during this period, and Zeppo Marx was an early role model for him. In July 1922, he performed in
22304-412: The time. Grant received more than $ 700,000 for his 10% of the gross of the successful To Catch a Thief , while Hitchcock received less than $ 50,000 for directing and producing it. Though critical reception to the overall film was mixed, Grant received high praise for his performance, with critics commenting on his suave, handsome appearance in the film. In 1957, Grant starred opposite Deborah Kerr in
22468-442: The two was so great during the making of Houseboat that the producers found it almost impossible to make. Later in 1958, Grant starred opposite Bergman in the romantic comedy Indiscreet , playing a successful financier who has an affair with a famous actress (Bergman) while pretending to be a married man. During the filming he formed a closer friendship and gained new respect for her as an actress. Schickel stated that he thought
22632-403: The unhappiness of his home life. The time spent at Southampton strengthened his desire to travel; he was eager to leave Bristol and tried to sign on as a ship's cabin boy, but he was too young. On March 13, 1918, the 14-year-old Grant was expelled from Fairfield. Several explanations were given, including being discovered in the girls' lavatory and assisting two other classmates with theft in
22796-405: The uniform. He was quite capable in most academic subjects, but he excelled at sports, particularly fives , and his good looks and acrobatic talents made him a popular figure. He developed a reputation for mischief, and frequently refused to do his homework. A former classmate referred to him as a "scruffy little boy", while an old teacher remembered "the naughty little boy who was always making
22960-436: Was "possibly the finest actress I've ever worked with". Grant was one of the first actors to go independent by not renewing his studio contract, effectively leaving the studio system , which almost completely controlled all aspects of an actor's life. He decided which films he was going to appear in, often had personal choice of directors and co-stars, and at times negotiated a share of the gross revenue, something uncommon at
23124-429: Was a commercial success, grossing $ 14 million on a $ 2.5 million budget. The film was screened at Radio City Music Hall before its theatrical release, where Variety called it "a bright box office contender". On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 88% of 56 critics' reviews are positive, with an average score of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "It contains some ugly anachronisms, but Blake Edwards
23288-410: Was a major commercial and critical success, and was nominated for five Academy Awards. Life magazine called it "intelligently written and competently acted". The following year, Grant played neurotic Jim Blandings, the title-sake in the comedy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House , again with Loy. Though the film lost money for RKO, Philip T. Hartung of Commonweal thought that Grant's role as
23452-500: Was a rare "marketable commodity" in Hollywood. Edwards himself described one of the secrets to success in the film industry: For someone who wants to practice his art in this business, all you can hope to do, as S.O.B. says, is stick to your guns, make the compromises you must, and hope that somewhere along the way you acquire a few good friends who understand. And keep half a conscience. TV movies In 2004, Edwards received an Honorary Academy Award for cumulative achievements over
23616-478: Was an English and American actor. Known for his Mid-Atlantic accent , debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he was one of classic Hollywood 's definitive leading men . He was nominated twice for the Academy Award , received an Academy Honorary Award in 1970 , and received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981. He was named the second greatest male star of
23780-452: Was an alcoholic and his mother had clinical depression. He had such a traumatic childhood, it was horrible. I work with a lot of kids on the street and I've heard a lot of stories about what happens when a family breaks down — but his was just horrendous. —Grant's wife Dyan Cannon on his childhood Grant's mother taught him song and dance when he was four, and she was keen on his having piano lessons. She occasionally took him to
23944-411: Was clear on camera, though according to Hepburn, he was particularly worried during the filming that he would be criticized for being far too old for her and seen as a "cradle snatcher". Author Chris Barsanti writes: "It's the film's canny flirtatiousness that makes it such ingenious entertainment. Grant and Hepburn play off each other like the pros that they are". The film, well received by the critics,
24108-474: Was drawn to acting because of a "great need to be liked and admired". He was eventually fired by the Shuberts at the end of the summer season when he refused to accept a pay cut because of financial difficulties caused by the Depression . His unemployment was short-lived, however; impresario William B. Friedlander offered him the romantic lead in his musical Nikki , and Grant starred opposite Fay Wray as
24272-460: Was expendable. Grant's prospects picked up in the latter half of 1935 when he was loaned out to RKO Pictures . Producer Pandro Berman agreed to take him on in the face of failure because "I'd seen him do things which were excellent, and [Katharine] Hepburn wanted him too." His first venture with RKO, playing a raffish Cockney swindler in George Cukor 's Sylvia Scarlett (1935), was
24436-529: Was extremely difficult to shoot, due to issues related to crowd control, Hepburn's dislike of pastries, and an accident that nearly resulted in the electrocution of a crew member. However, another report claims the sequence was captured rather quickly, owing to an unexpected lull in city traffic. It took me time to figure out what Holly Golightly was all about. I don't drink much, but I was sipping and it came to me one night. I wrote [the song] in half an hour. Henry Mancini on writing " Moon River ". During
24600-414: Was nominated for two Primetime Emmys as Best Director and Best Teleplay for Peter Gunn Between 1958 and 1983, Edwards was nominated eight times for Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild and won twice, for The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Victor/Victoria . Breakfast at Tiffany%27s (film) Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards from
24764-507: Was nominated six times for a Golden Laurel Award as Best Director by Motion Picture Exhibitors. In 1963, Edwards was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Director for Days of Wine and Roses . In 1962, Edwards was nominated for Outstanding Achievement by the Directors Guild for Breakfast at Tiffany's . In 1960, Edwards was nominated for an Edgar for Best Teleplay by the Mystery Writers of America for Peter Gunn . In 1959, Edwards
24928-416: Was not because he had "irrevocably turned his back on the film industry," but because he was "caught between a decision made and the temptation to eat a bit of humble pie and re-announce himself to the cinema-going public". In the 1970s, MGM was keen on remaking Grand Hotel (1932) and hoped to lure Grant out of retirement. Hitchcock had long wanted to make a film based on the idea of Hamlet , with Grant in
25092-451: Was offered the role of Paul Varjak, but declined the offer due to being under contract with United Artists , and Jack Lemmon was also approached, but was unavailable. Robert Wagner was also considered. The film's original director, John Frankenheimer , worked with Axelrod for three months on the project before he was replaced by Edwards after Hepburn's agent requested a higher-profile director. Edwards also supported Axelrod's changes to
25256-550: Was over, and briefly left the industry. In 1955, Grant agreed to star opposite Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief , playing a retired jewel thief named John Robie, nicknamed "The Cat", living in the French Riviera . Grant and Kelly worked well together during the production, which was one of the most enjoyable experiences of Grant's career. He found Hitchcock and Kelly to be very professional, and later stated that Kelly
25420-546: Was praised by critics, and it received three Academy Award nominations and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Picture , in addition to landing Grant another Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. Deschner ranked the film as the second highest grossing of Grant's career. Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman originally sought Grant for the role of James Bond in Dr. No (1962) but discarded
25584-441: Was praised by the critics, who admired the picture's slapstick qualities and chemistry between Grant and Loy; it became one of the biggest-selling films at the box office that year. Later that year he starred opposite David Niven and Loretta Young in the comedy The Bishop's Wife , playing an angel who is sent down from heaven to straighten out the relationship between the bishop (Niven) and his wife (Loretta Young). The film
25748-425: Was replaced by George Axelrod . Axelrod, who previously made structural changes to the source material while adapting The Seven Year Itch (1955), worked with Jurow and Shepherd to deviate from Capote's novella. This included altering its plot and tone to be a romantic comedy, replacing its unnamed gay narrator with a named, heterosexual male love interest, adding new characters, and reducing gay subtext present in
25912-443: Was seen by few cinema-goers, and the few who did watch were unimpressed. It brought Paramount Pictures to "the verge of financial collapse", and became an example of "self-indulgent extravagance" in filmmaking "that was ruining Hollywood". Darling Lili star Julie Andrews had married Edwards in 1969. Edwards also directed most of the comedy film series The Pink Panther , the majority of installments starring Peter Sellers as
26076-607: Was shot in England at Osterley Park and Shepperton Studios . McCann notes that Grant took great relish in "mocking his aristocratic character's over-refined tastes and mannerisms", though the film was panned and was seen as his worst since Dream Wife . In 1962, Grant starred in the romantic comedy That Touch of Mink , playing suave, wealthy businessman Philip Shayne romantically involved with an office worker, played by Doris Day . He invites her to his apartment in Bermuda , but her guilty conscience begins to take hold. The picture
26240-527: Was still alive until he was 31, his father confessing to the lie shortly before his own death. Grant made arrangements for his mother to leave the institution in June 1935, shortly after he learned of her whereabouts. He visited her regularly, including after filming Gunga Din in October 1938. Grant enjoyed the theater, particularly pantomimes at Christmas, which he attended with his father. He befriended
26404-546: Was styled with a wide-brimmed hat, influenced the comic book design for Catwoman by artist Adam Hughes and later inspired the costume for the character in The Dark Knight Rises (2008). A diamond necklace at Tiffany's that Hepburn's character scorns as too flashy was the Tiffany Yellow Diamond , which Hepburn wore in publicity photos for the film. Tiffany and Co.'s established profile as
26568-460: Was then offered to Shirley MacLaine , who turned it down in favor of starring in Two Loves (1961), and Kim Novak also turned down the role. Capote was angry at the studio's eventual decision to cast Hepburn, remarking, "Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey". Hepburn was hesitant to star in the film, citing difficulty playing an extroverted character. Steve McQueen
26732-500: Was to Julie Andrews . They were married for 41 years. He was the stepfather to Emma , from Andrews's previous marriage. In the 1970s, Edwards and Andrews adopted two Vietnamese daughters; Amy Leigh (later known as Amelia) in 1974 and Joanna Lynne in 1975. Edwards described his struggle for 15 years with the illness myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in the documentary I Remember Me (2000). On December 15, 2010, Edwards died of complications of pneumonia at
26896-487: Was totally embarrassing". It has also been the subject of censorship and petitions against its contemporary screening or labelling as a "classic". In 2011, a group of viewers opposed a screening held by SyFy and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation to commemorate the film, and in 2022, the broadcaster Channel 5 (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global ) aired the film in the UK with
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