Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise
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- Author：Scott Eyman
- ISBN：1501192116
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Summary
Film historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive biography of Hollywood legend Cary Grant， one of the most accomplished—and beloved—actors of his generation， who remains as popular as ever today。
Born Archibald Leach in 1904， he came to America as a teenaged acrobat to find fame and fortune， but he was always haunted by his past。 His father was a feckless alcoholic， and his mother was committed to an asylum when Archie was eleven years old。 He believed her to be dead until， when he was thirty-one years old， he was informed she was alive。 Because of this experience Grant would have difficulty forming close attachments throughout his life。 He married five times and had numerous affairs。
Despite a remarkable degree of success， Grant remained deeply conflicted about his past， his present， his basic identity， and even the public that worshiped him in movies such as Gunga Din， Notorious， and North by Northwest。
Drawing on Grant’s own papers， extensive archival research， and interviews with family and friends， this is the definitive portrait of a movie immortal。
Born Archibald Leach in 1904， he came to America as a teenaged acrobat to find fame and fortune， but he was always haunted by his past。 His father was a feckless alcoholic， and his mother was committed to an asylum when Archie was eleven years old。 He believed her to be dead until， when he was thirty-one years old， he was informed she was alive。 Because of this experience Grant would have difficulty forming close attachments throughout his life。 He married five times and had numerous affairs。
Despite a remarkable degree of success， Grant remained deeply conflicted about his past， his present， his basic identity， and even the public that worshiped him in movies such as Gunga Din， Notorious， and North by Northwest。
Drawing on Grant’s own papers， extensive archival research， and interviews with family and friends， this is the definitive portrait of a movie immortal。
Reviews
Barry Martin Vass
，
Cary Grant （nee Archibald Leach） was born in 1904 in the small English port of Bristol， 125 miles from London。 His formative years sound particularly grim， but these years shaped the person he became in later life: an anxious， secluded man who mistrusted love because his parents， particularly his mother， were incapable of it。 His father was an emotionally-distant alcoholic who was rarely home because of the constant arguments with his mother; another son had died at an early age， and there were Cary Grant （nee Archibald Leach） was born in 1904 in the small English port of Bristol， 125 miles from London。 His formative years sound particularly grim， but these years shaped the person he became in later life: an anxious， secluded man who mistrusted love because his parents， particularly his mother， were incapable of it。 His father was an emotionally-distant alcoholic who was rarely home because of the constant arguments with his mother; another son had died at an early age， and there were money problems （his father had his mother committed to an institution when Archie was eleven but never told his son （she was diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia years later）; Archie thought for decades that she'd run away and/or died）。 Denied any sort of love at home， Archie joined a vaudeville troupe at fourteen and dropped out of school。 He was an acrobat and a stilt-walker， then graduated to skits。 To perform in front of cheering， applauding crowds helped fill the void he felt at home。 He eventually joined the theatre， then made his way to New York and then Hollywood just as motion pictures were taking off。 Definitely in the right place at the right time， he reinvented himself completely: the psychologically-isolated child of working-class parents， Cary Grant was a construct， a suave， urbane， smiling funnyman perfect for high comedy。 It worked， and Grant became one of the most popular movie stars of all time， but he never could quite escape his past， as five marriages， countless therapy sessions， and more than a hundred LSD sessions attested。 This is Grant's story， warts and all。 Here's an example of the writing: "Peter Bogdanovich witnessed an amusing scene in 1973， when he and Grant both attended the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award for John Ford。 Grant had forgotten his ticket and asked the lady at the reception for some help。 Name？ she asked， looking down at her list。 "Cary Grant，" he said。 She looked up and wasn't sure about what she saw。 "You don't look like Cary Grant。" "I know，" he said with a smile。 "Nobody does。" Author Scott Eyman has certainly done his homework for this one！ 。。。more
Heidi
，
No rating as I DNF’d about half-way thru。 My hopes is that I will be able to pick it back up。 As a biography it was very well written and filled in a lot of details about Grant’s pre-Hollywood life。 Unfortunately as Grant’s career takes off and the author begins covering his movies and personal lives （wives）， the author begins to add some serious editorializing about Grant’s choices （especially in his slightly complicated personal life）。 By the time he was married to his first wife and was heade No rating as I DNF’d about half-way thru。 My hopes is that I will be able to pick it back up。 As a biography it was very well written and filled in a lot of details about Grant’s pre-Hollywood life。 Unfortunately as Grant’s career takes off and the author begins covering his movies and personal lives （wives）， the author begins to add some serious editorializing about Grant’s choices （especially in his slightly complicated personal life）。 By the time he was married to his first wife and was headed toward divorce， the facts became intertwined with psychological musings。 Whelp， that’s where I get off （for now）。 I just wanted to learn more about his professional life— not analyze that which can only be guessed at decades later。 I will thank the author for covering in order so many of Grant’s early films。 I loved reading about the movie abs then finding them to watch。 He starred in not one but two Mae West movies and reading the behind the scenes anecdotes were a delightful complement to the movie （I could only summon up the will power to sit thru one of those two movies— equal parts charming and awful）。 Overall I learned a lot more Hollywood history that I didn’t know… but will have to postpone more history lessons to another time— for now， I’ll just keep watching those Cary Grant films instead！！PS—I highly recommend the Criterion channel if you love old movies— there aren’t enough weekends to watch all those glorious films pre-1960。 。。。more
Mike DuBois
，
I learned a lot about Cary Grant's life and career。 A very workmanlike but well-researched and comprehensive。 I learned a lot about Cary Grant's life and career。 A very workmanlike but well-researched and comprehensive。 。。。more
Lietke
，
Very well researched， and the author did not run away nor dwell significantly on the rumors of Grant's sexuality。 This was a great choice。Truly an original， Grant may be the one who most successfully went from the 20s to the 70s and adapted to become a superstar to almost all eras。Sure， he was a neurotic skinflint who was not great to his wives， but he was also very caring to friends and those in need。 Complex person， discovered nicely by Eyman。 Very well researched， and the author did not run away nor dwell significantly on the rumors of Grant's sexuality。 This was a great choice。Truly an original， Grant may be the one who most successfully went from the 20s to the 70s and adapted to become a superstar to almost all eras。Sure， he was a neurotic skinflint who was not great to his wives， but he was also very caring to friends and those in need。 Complex person， discovered nicely by Eyman。 。。。more
Dale
，
This is the first time I can remember ever reading an actor's biography， especially by someone who specializes in actors/actresses/celebrities' biographies。 I am a fan of Cary Grant， and this book told me much more than I previously knew about Grant's life and career。 That being said， it just seemed to read like "one damn thing after another。" Lots of facts， but not a great flowing narrative。 This should not be considered the definitive history of Grant。 This is the first time I can remember ever reading an actor's biography， especially by someone who specializes in actors/actresses/celebrities' biographies。 I am a fan of Cary Grant， and this book told me much more than I previously knew about Grant's life and career。 That being said， it just seemed to read like "one damn thing after another。" Lots of facts， but not a great flowing narrative。 This should not be considered the definitive history of Grant。 。。。more
Letha Boust
，
This is a very good， well researched biography of the Golden Era of Hollywood’s most loved leading man。 The persona of Cary Grant is to me the epitome of a handsome， masculine， suave and debonair male and I’ve had a crush on him since I was a little girl watching his movies on the black and white TV in our home。 Father Goose was one of my favorites。 The book lays out his background and experiences that made him， with his personality and fortitude， the insecure and somewhat narcissistic， yet gene This is a very good， well researched biography of the Golden Era of Hollywood’s most loved leading man。 The persona of Cary Grant is to me the epitome of a handsome， masculine， suave and debonair male and I’ve had a crush on him since I was a little girl watching his movies on the black and white TV in our home。 Father Goose was one of my favorites。 The book lays out his background and experiences that made him， with his personality and fortitude， the insecure and somewhat narcissistic， yet generous and considerate of others struggling adult。 Acting was what he did and comedy was his specialty， yet he underestimated the value of his gift on film and the enjoyment his performances gave and still giving to his audience and felt he hadn’t contributed enough to society。 How wrong he was。 The book has a lot of interesting tidbits of information about some of that era’s Hollywood elite， and their relationships。 This is a must read for movie buffs of the Golden Age of Hollywood。 。。。more
Lance Lumley
，
The first part of the book details Grant a s a person who was trying hard to get out of his poor childhood whose mother was in a mental ward although she shouldn't have been in there and a father who didn't really care。 His struggle to rid the childhood by portraying a different character in becoming Carey Grant movie star， as opposed to growing up as Archibald Leach。The author writes about Grant as an on set male diva， who fought with his co workers， directors ， directors and behind the scene s The first part of the book details Grant a s a person who was trying hard to get out of his poor childhood whose mother was in a mental ward although she shouldn't have been in there and a father who didn't really care。 His struggle to rid the childhood by portraying a different character in becoming Carey Grant movie star， as opposed to growing up as Archibald Leach。The author writes about Grant as an on set male diva， who fought with his co workers， directors ， directors and behind the scene studio execs ， along with charging his fellow friends fees for using his telephone， food， and toilet paper， when he would let them stay at his house when they were out of work。 The lengthy read skips over some of his movies， but focuses on others in depth， gives a unique example of the Hollywood star。 Fans that are just getting to know his life may be shocked to read about his "life changing" world of LSD， his abusive ways to his first wives， and his ego attitude。 this was an interesting read， which， if true， is a look at one of Hollywood's mega stars in a different light。 。。。more
Russ Bertetta
，
I liked this book and learned quite a bit about a person about whom I knew somethings but not a lot， I think it could have been better and more enjoyable to read if it had been reduced from 480 pages to about 300。 For me there was far too much information about the behind the scenes of making Grant's movies that really had little or nothing to do with Cary Grant-the endless changing of writers， directors and producers， the financial arrangements。 I glossed over a lot of that-especially when ther I liked this book and learned quite a bit about a person about whom I knew somethings but not a lot， I think it could have been better and more enjoyable to read if it had been reduced from 480 pages to about 300。 For me there was far too much information about the behind the scenes of making Grant's movies that really had little or nothing to do with Cary Grant-the endless changing of writers， directors and producers， the financial arrangements。 I glossed over a lot of that-especially when there were several pages at a time devoted to that。 Tell me about Cary Grant！ I have no interest in Leo McClary！I found Grant to be a very enigmatic， interesting， complex man with several layers of people wrapped into one。 Over-all I found him completely compelling and someone I would have enjoyed knowing （of course， only if I had the good fortune to be rich， famous， and living in Hollywood 3/4 of a century ago！）One of the nice touches was including so many pieces， snippets of letters written to and by Cary Grant。 Many were touching， all seemed thoughtful and well-written and all are part of a lost art from a bygone era。 。。。more
Lisa
，
I did like this book， but it's filled with a lot of trivia about people other than Cary Grant。 I think he could have used a better editor。 It's long。 Really long。 I did like this book， but it's filled with a lot of trivia about people other than Cary Grant。 I think he could have used a better editor。 It's long。 Really long。 。。。more
Barbara Lipkin
，
This is an extensive documentation of the actor's life and career， too extensive， I think。 The author would have done better to focus on an analysis of Grant's movies。 Instead， he brings in every fact he can find and it's way too much。 This is an extensive documentation of the actor's life and career， too extensive， I think。 The author would have done better to focus on an analysis of Grant's movies。 Instead， he brings in every fact he can find and it's way too much。 。。。more
Amy
，
Overall， an enlightening read。 However， some parts were much more interesting than others， including how Archibald Alexander or Alec Leach became Cary Grant。 Other interesting tidbits tied to Grant's frugality， although some might call him cheap; Grant's "control" issues; the names of the people in Grant's social / acting circles， dating back to his Vaudeville days was remarkable， as was the listing / discussion of the comprehensive list of the financial requirements of every leading man in the Overall， an enlightening read。 However， some parts were much more interesting than others， including how Archibald Alexander or Alec Leach became Cary Grant。 Other interesting tidbits tied to Grant's frugality， although some might call him cheap; Grant's "control" issues; the names of the people in Grant's social / acting circles， dating back to his Vaudeville days was remarkable， as was the listing / discussion of the comprehensive list of the financial requirements of every leading man in the movie business as compiled by Universal Pictures in 1955。 Even then， some actors， including Humphrey Bogart， Gary Cooper， and Spencer Tracy were already making $250，000 against 10% of the gross / picture。 Astonishing！Grant's views on LSD were concerning: While Grant remained resolutely "antidrug，" he would explain that LSD was a chemical and not a drug。 "People who take drugs are trying to escape from their lives。 LSD is a hallucinogen， and people who take it are trying to look within their lives。" His view on friendships was interesting。 While he was friendly with everyone， he only let his guard down with a few intimate friends。 These included: Stanley Fox， Frank & Barbara Sinatra， and Quincy Jones。 Slightly below them （the author's words） were Kirk Kerkorian， Merv Griffin， Eva Gabor， Gregory Peck & his wife， Johnny Carson & his wife of the moment， David Hockney， and Sidney & Joanna Poitier。 Towards the end of his life， Grant seemed to become somewhat reclusive - he didn't want to be out in the spotlight， which I assume was why he was in Davenport， Iowa， when he passed away。 At close to 500 pages， this book addressed a lot of Grant's quirks or idiosyncrasies， but at the same time， some of what was written seemed to be filler in order to make this book grander than it was。 。。。more
Mary
，
This is an excellent biography and a must for Cary Grant fans。
Cynthia
，
This was an excellent book。 It is odd for me， though， reading these biographies from professional biographers。 Mr。 Eyman isn't writing about Cary Grant because he loves him， admires him， has always studied him。 （unlike many historical biographies I have read）。 He is writing about Cary Grant because whatever his research is， it shows that people will buy it to read about Grant。 So， that's fine。 But there is no passion in this book。 It's like reading a school paper， or thesis。 I learned a great de This was an excellent book。 It is odd for me， though， reading these biographies from professional biographers。 Mr。 Eyman isn't writing about Cary Grant because he loves him， admires him， has always studied him。 （unlike many historical biographies I have read）。 He is writing about Cary Grant because whatever his research is， it shows that people will buy it to read about Grant。 So， that's fine。 But there is no passion in this book。 It's like reading a school paper， or thesis。 I learned a great deal about Cary Grant， the first being that I had him mentally confused with Rock Hudson ha ha。 I learned a lot about the studio system in those days， and the way the fame train worked。 I learned about other celebrities he knew， and about how they lived their lives in those days。 But I didn't come away with a new fire to see his movies， or read other books about him。 The author wasn't passionate， so he didn't make me passionate。 But it was interesting， well written， well organized and presented。 If you like biographies， I recommend this one。 。。。more
RRex
，
Would have been better if it had been more about Grant and less about the film industry。 Along with Dyan Cannon's book on Grant， destroyed my enjoyment of his physical beauty。 Error - References Devlin in "Notorious" as FBI when he should be CIA。 The FBI operates domestically， the CIA internationally。 Would have been better if it had been more about Grant and less about the film industry。 Along with Dyan Cannon's book on Grant， destroyed my enjoyment of his physical beauty。 Error - References Devlin in "Notorious" as FBI when he should be CIA。 The FBI operates domestically， the CIA internationally。 。。。more
Grburbank
，
This is a workmanlike biography covering everything from Archie's childhood to Grant's death。 Neither a dishy tell-all， hagiography， or shred-tearing exposé， Eyman writes about Grant's career， marriages， retirement， family life， and the rather complicated， contradictory man beneath the charming façade。 The Hollywood ins-and-outs are occasionally tedious or even pointless。 However， reading it was an excuse to revisit favorite films and discover others I'd never seen。 This is a workmanlike biography covering everything from Archie's childhood to Grant's death。 Neither a dishy tell-all， hagiography， or shred-tearing exposé， Eyman writes about Grant's career， marriages， retirement， family life， and the rather complicated， contradictory man beneath the charming façade。 The Hollywood ins-and-outs are occasionally tedious or even pointless。 However， reading it was an excuse to revisit favorite films and discover others I'd never seen。 。。。more
Katy Koivastik
，
A portrait of a complex man who was known to be tight with his money。 What may be less known was how generous he was in advocating for directors just beginning their careers to work on his films and in his reaching out and helping friends in need。Archie Leach overcame a hardscrabble beginning in Bristol， England by becoming an acrobat and vaudevillian。 His father， Elias， was alcoholic and committed Archie’s mother， Elsie， to an asylum， telling Archie she was dead。 The Cary Grant the public knows A portrait of a complex man who was known to be tight with his money。 What may be less known was how generous he was in advocating for directors just beginning their careers to work on his films and in his reaching out and helping friends in need。Archie Leach overcame a hardscrabble beginning in Bristol， England by becoming an acrobat and vaudevillian。 His father， Elias， was alcoholic and committed Archie’s mother， Elsie， to an asylum， telling Archie she was dead。 The Cary Grant the public knows developed over time， but the shadow of Archie Leach never fully dissipated。 Playwright Clifford Odets’ son， Walter， a psychologist， knew Cary。 Addressing the rumors Cary Grant was gay， said though Cary put much thought into his wardrobe， he was not gay。 His feeling was that Cary was compensating for feeling unlovable， which manifested in his pursuit of other people。Well read by Angelo di Loreto， whose robust voice is not unlike Rod Serling’s。 。。。more
Dodey
，
Learned a lot about the craft of movie making and how it affects your personality
Michael Votano
，
An engaging， sometimes frustrating look at the life of Hollywood's most charming--and， quite possibly， enduring--figure。 Eyman's writing is clean and incisive， and the amount of research he undertook to write this sprawling biography of Archibald Leach （known ubiquitously as Cary Grant） is evident。 Eyman's biography often revolves around the duality between Archie （the shy， melancholic man） and Cary （the urbane， invariably confident and charming performer）， emphasizing Grant's inability--until r An engaging， sometimes frustrating look at the life of Hollywood's most charming--and， quite possibly， enduring--figure。 Eyman's writing is clean and incisive， and the amount of research he undertook to write this sprawling biography of Archibald Leach （known ubiquitously as Cary Grant） is evident。 Eyman's biography often revolves around the duality between Archie （the shy， melancholic man） and Cary （the urbane， invariably confident and charming performer）， emphasizing Grant's inability--until retirement， that is--to rectify his two wholly distinct existences。 It is disappointing then， for Eyman to exert so much of his attention on the minutia of filmmaking。 Of course， without the latter， the name "Cary Grant" would mean little to the reader， however， considering the formidable amount of research that went into this biography， Eyman seems to have wasted a golden opportunity to dig deeper into the inner-trenches of Archibald Leach。 Instead， the reader only receives glimpses of this hinterland， and when they are treated to this fascinating region of Grant's life， it too often focuses on his ostensibly homosexual proclivities。 Grant's sexuality， at least to me， was less interesting than the relationships he had with his wives， mother， and himself。 Nevertheless， Eyman seems to have crafted the definitive biography of Grant's life， one that won't be transcended， the same way Grant's charm--despite the Brad Pitts and Leonardo Dicaprios of this era--will remain well atop Hollywood's pantheon of actors。 。。。more
Betsy
，
I've always been a fan of Cary Grant movies， especially those in which he starred with Katharine Hepburn。 This book doesn't share any real surprises， but it does seem well researched and it tries to explain the man behind the facade of "Cary Grant。" I've always been a fan of Cary Grant movies， especially those in which he starred with Katharine Hepburn。 This book doesn't share any real surprises， but it does seem well researched and it tries to explain the man behind the facade of "Cary Grant。" 。。。more
Dr。 Satan
，
Pretty solid biography about a fascinating character。 This does a good job of dispelling some of the myths around Grant while also delving into what made him tick。 The writing is a little choppy in spots but by and large this is a quick， enjoyable read with a lot of great quotes。
Katherine
，
Great Biography - puts all the others to shame
Drew
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this detailed description of someone I don’t want to be， but through the looking glass of his life as described in this book I found so many bits of life。 Cary Grant was a man， a very talented man who lived， was very successful and exceedingly a failure in just as many ways。 He was human， with the ability to speak his wisdom to others and through his fame a large audience。 We all should listen and watch wide eyed， critically and open。 Follow at your own risk。
Larry
，
Probably closer to 2 stars than 3， but the book is not bad。 Just not for me。 Maybe I'm used to reading autobiographies rather than bios （other than of dead presidents） but the first 30% of the book as someone else put it， just felt like it was missing Cary Grant himself。 Lots of data on who attended parties， directors， salaries， living arrangements， but not much feel for the man himself。 Like the author found his diaries and built from there。 Probably a great book for movie buffs to know who hun Probably closer to 2 stars than 3， but the book is not bad。 Just not for me。 Maybe I'm used to reading autobiographies rather than bios （other than of dead presidents） but the first 30% of the book as someone else put it， just felt like it was missing Cary Grant himself。 Lots of data on who attended parties， directors， salaries， living arrangements， but not much feel for the man himself。 Like the author found his diaries and built from there。 Probably a great book for movie buffs to know who hung out with whom。 Much of that so far has seemed disorganized。 I would have appreciated chapters on each movie， or groups of movies， etc， but things follow more roughly a timeline with a lot of back and forth as the author send to remember one thing or another， and oh yeah， he sent a telegram to his mother that said x， and then went to a party that has 17 guests。 Too much data， not enough story。 Probably will not finish。 。。。more
Adamlora
，
He was not as nice as you think。 Watch Father Goose that was more like the real Mr。 Grant。
Kristi
，
Three and one half stars。 I fell in love with Cary Grant many times， but perhaps my favorite scenes involved Audrey Hepburn and Grant as they take an evening cruise on the Seine thru Paris in "Charade"。 I saw this movie in a theatre。 I had to wait until my 5oth birthday to take the same evening trip。 Is there a better scene in film than the crop duster and Grant in "North by Northwest"？ I still cry every time I watch "An Affair to Remember" and laugh out loud at "Arsenic and Old Lace"。 The biogr Three and one half stars。 I fell in love with Cary Grant many times， but perhaps my favorite scenes involved Audrey Hepburn and Grant as they take an evening cruise on the Seine thru Paris in "Charade"。 I saw this movie in a theatre。 I had to wait until my 5oth birthday to take the same evening trip。 Is there a better scene in film than the crop duster and Grant in "North by Northwest"？ I still cry every time I watch "An Affair to Remember" and laugh out loud at "Arsenic and Old Lace"。 The biography starts out well as it details Cary's difficult early life and "abandonment" by his mother。 I fell in love with Cary Grant because of his films， not his financial dealings。 The biography loses its way with minute details about movie deals and penny pinching。 At least a fourth of the book tells us how much he made on each picture and investment， but misses the boat on the making of the films themselves。 Three pages about "Charade" - mostly about his profits。 The book covers his private life， wives and child well， but drops the ball completely concerning the inside story of his films。 The title is apt since it is hard to find an actor who defines suave and smooth better than Cary Grant， yet he only merged his screen and private selves late in life。 This book did not tell me what I most wanted to know。 Disappointing。 Kristi & Abby Tabby 。。。more
Leigh
，
3。5。 Downgraded from four because of the relentless return to two themes: was he gay/bi and his frugality。 Enough with both of those。
Susan Lobravico
，
Being an avid fan of TCM movies， this book gave me insight to one of my favorite actors。 Learning so much about his childhood， early career， acting accomplishments and married life， gives me a personal affinity and understanding of the man he was; his good heart and compassionate soul。 What impressed me the most was his love and devotion to his daughter， Jennifer。 Unfortunately he discovered the joys of being a father very late in life。 I now watch his movies with a new perspective of his person Being an avid fan of TCM movies， this book gave me insight to one of my favorite actors。 Learning so much about his childhood， early career， acting accomplishments and married life， gives me a personal affinity and understanding of the man he was; his good heart and compassionate soul。 What impressed me the most was his love and devotion to his daughter， Jennifer。 Unfortunately he discovered the joys of being a father very late in life。 I now watch his movies with a new perspective of his personality。。。just love his quirky sense of humor and he certainly is handsome！ 。。。more
Barb
，
The author goes into great detail not only about Cary Grant but also the people around him。 Sometimes this got tiresome。
Sis Montet
，
The author was thourough， however， way too much unneccessary information。 I enjoyed learning about the man behind some of my favorite movies， as well as the making of the films。 Was not interested in gains and losses。。seems beyond personal。 I hope his work on John Wayne is more about the man himself and his work， not finances。
Bill
，