Product Description

The ultimate biography of this ever-popular star and icon, from a young Cambridge don who has already made his name with a much praised biography of Marilyn Monroe. Cary Grant made men seem like a good idea. Tall, dark and handsome with a rare gift for light comedy, he played a leading man who liked to be led, a man of the world who was a man of the people. Cary Grant was Hollywood's quintessential democratic gentleman. Born in England as Archie Leach, made famous in America as Cary Grant, he was a star for more than 30 years, in more than 70 movies, his popularity still intact when he brought his career to a close. He was never replaced: nobody else talked like that, looked like that, behaved like that. He was a class apart. Cary Grant never explained how he came to play 'Cary Grant' so well. 'Nobody is every truthful about his own life,' he said. 'There are always ambiguities.' This book explores the ambiguities in the life and work of Cary Grant: a working class Englishman who portrayed a well-bred American; the playful entertainer who became a powerful businessman; the intimate stranger who was often the seduced male. Thorough and meticulously researched, this book is a dazzling and entertaining account of Cary Grant's broad and enduring appeal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107479 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Writing with the low-key stylishness his subject deserves, academic Graham McCann pays tribute to the working-class Englishman who became "a democratic symbol of gentlemanly grace" to moviegoers world-wide. Aptly subtitled A Class Apart, the book sympathetically depicts Archie Leach--born into poverty, his mother committed to an asylum when he was nine--reinventing himself as Cary Grant, whose debonair screen persona showed no signs of these difficult origins. A decorous account of Grant's private life (McCann dismisses talk of bisexuality as mere rumour) accompanies cogent descriptions of his performances. --Christine Buttery

From the Author
An account of the books approach and contents.
I did not set out to write a positive biography of Cary Grant.I set out to write an objective biography of Cary Grant.That I ended up writing a positive biography of Cary Grant was due,I would argue,to him rather than to me.I researched his life and his work as thoroughly and as carefully as I could.I examined every story,every episode,every rumour and every piece of gossip with an open mind.At the conclusion of it all I was genuinely pleased to find myself able,without the need for exaggeration or omission,to celebrate both an admirable performer and,in many ways,an admirable life.CARY GRANT:A CLASS APART is,I hope,a book that will appeal to anyone who has ever been impressed and/or intrigued by Cary Grant, as well as to anyone with a broader interest in Hollywood performers and twentieth century celebrity.It includes 26 illustrations,a comprehensive reference section,a detailed bibliography and index,and a complete list of Grants 72 movies

About the Author
Graham McCann is professor of social and political science at King's College, Cambridge. His previous books include: MARILYN MONROE: The Body in the Library (1988); WOODY ALLEN: New Yorker (1990); REBEL MALES: Clift, Brando & Dean, and a recent study of Theodore Adorno for Blackwells.

Customer Reviews

The definitive biography of the great Grant
Wow!This is the work of a proper writer,if you know what I mean,and this is as informative,authoritative,witty and wise account of the man,the actor and the star that we are likely to see.David Thomson,the great movie critic,rates this book as by a long,long way the definitive biography,and I certainly cannot fault it.A magnificent contribution to our understanding of Mr Grant in particular and of movie stars and actors in general.

Informative and revealing
As a 21 year old Cary Fan and not even having been aware of his films until he was dead, a book was the only way I had of finding out anything about him. I found this book easy and straightforward to read, though at some points a little confusing in it's comparison with or dicreditation of other authors work on the same subject. Other books I have ready since this one seem to bring Cary to life again in their tone and language, where as this one is a cold,hard and dispassionate analysis of his life, warts and all. That may be what some people are looking for, but if you don't like your heroes to be toppled from their pedestals then this book isn't for you.

A biography of style,intelligence and grace.
This is a superb book.Beautifully written,thoroughly researched and packed with insights,it deals with all the films,all the facts and most of the myths,and deals with them all with wit,good judgement,sensitivity and (how rare!)decency.If ever a star deserved an elegant biographical treatment it is Grant,and now he has just such a biography.This is a joy from start to finish.