Customer Reviews

Cary Grant: A Biography

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Thank Goodness that Cary Grant led an interesting and sometimes spectacular life, otherwise this book would be a complete bore. My biggest complaint is that Marc Elliot only offers theories and opinions and very little fact or even sound logic behind some very outlandish claims. For example, he supposes that Cary Grant must have been a male escort because how else could he have survived in New York on his own at 17 years old. Even though we learn that he lived with two other men who helped him out and worked at any job he could get: stiltwalking, selling ties and starting up his own acrobat troupe. By the way since one of the men he lived with was gay, Marc also surmizes that he and Cary were lovers. As further proof of his being a male escort he offers the fact that Mae West casts the very handsome and young Cary in two of her movies even though he was a complete unknown. Furthermore, since she was known to arrange dates for rich men and women with her showbiz friends in New YOrk and since Cary was in New York at the same time and also in showbiz then she must have been his pimp in those early years. Add to that the fact that Cary couldn't stand Mae West seems to somehow substantiate this theory (at least in his own mind). It was this type of logic(illogic) and supposition that is peppered throughout the book that finally renderes it unreliable and essentially fictional.

He offers no first hand annecdotes, facts or source material that supports his theory/supposition that Cary is gay. Someone repeating gossip is just gossip and thats all thats offered. Even though he goes into great detail showing how Cary was blacklisted by the studios for being the first actor to go independent and even Marc Elliot suggests that much of the gay gossip orignated from the studios trying to punish and hopefully reign in their very very big star. They used Hedda Hopper and the other gossip mongers to beserch him in any way they could, hoping he would submit to their demands. Its sad that Marc Elliot doesnt offer anything of value; no articles, no interviews or even 2nd hand accounts of his homosexuality, bi-sexuality or even frugality. He just repeats old rumors that have been repeated over and over again through the years, and presents them as facts.

The funniest/insulting part was Marc Elliots' ( as one reviewer said) attempt at psychoanalysis of Cary Grant and his sexual relationships. Its amazing since the author never met Cary Grant and doesnt interview anyone who knew or slept with the man for that matter, even though 3 of his wives are still living. He bases this in depth analysis on divorce records and gossip again. He says Cary's first marriage fell apart because of his relationship with Scott, but his first wife according to these same records only accuses him of being domineering and jealous: Randolph Scott doesnt come up at all even as a buddy who is around too much; since she was in the midst of a divorce trying to get a rather large settlement (but failed) you'd think something juicy like that would have come up. He also skips over completely his five year live in relationship with Phyllis Brooks who lived with him off and on at the Scott beach house or that Scott himself married twice and had two children during this supposed affair. The author seems to edit things as he sees fit to substantiate his theories, but just gets so much wrong its hard to take any of it seriously. I think the worst example is his accusing Cary of having a gay affair (again) with his chaueffer, even though the chaueffer says it never happened and admits to having a relationship with Cary's 3rd wife after their divorce. Elliot never interviews or seems to take notice of interviews with Betsy Drake (3rd wife), Cannon (4th wife) or his 5th wife who all state that Cary was never gay and he also never interviews the chaueffer, though he's also alive and well. The book is such a shallow offering that it seems to come from nothing but the most salacious rumors the author could find and put in a book form. He put no time or effort into this and its obvious.

The only value I found in this book were the first few chapters of Cary's early life. What a sad childhood and what a brave and resourceful man Cary Grant must have been to survive without love or care and to be on his own since 10 years old and truly overcome insurmountable obstacles. That alone is enough to make his star shine brighter.

This really isn't that bad of a biography - it's fairly well-written and organized and interesting - however I like the biographies I read to strictly adhere to FACT and not mix it with FICTION. This biography appears to be 60% fact and 40% imaginative fiction, fiction which spins basic facts into in-depth descriptive stories. I think that any critical reader will realize that from the sources that the author has identified and stated, there is no possible way that he could have had an accurate knowledge of much of what he is presenting here in rich detail. It is well-known that Grant and Randolph Scott were devoted lovers, but neither left either memoirs of the affair or talked in detail to others about it. Yet Eliot states with great certitude what they were thinking and feeling in many scenes and presents intimately choreographed moments that he would logically have no access to unless he had been a fly on the wall in one of his previous lives. Eliot does this a great deal! And though it makes for good drama and interesting reading, the thoughtful reader will stop and ask himself how the author could possibly know these details. The answer is that he doesn't - it's just artistic license which fills in the blanks and creates intriguing exchanges that might have taken place, according to the author's educated guess work. It's so convincing that I bet very few readers notice it to question. But, for me, the thought of so much clever fictionalizing here destroys the reliability of the biography. After all, Grant's life has been thoroughly documented in numerous books by now, and if you're interested in the topic, there is absolutely very little that is new and revealing here. In essence, it was an unnecessary book, unless the previous biographies weren't available for checkout at the local libraries. In trying to present the overwhelming illusion of strict fact, fact, fact, and scrupulous scholarship, Eliot uses the time-honored ploy of constantly padding his fictitous passages with tons of extranneous film facts - facts gallore on almost every other page that divert focus from the suject and overwhelm the reader with unneccessary and unwanted information at that point in the story. Example, Grant is to star in Night and Day and suddenly Eliot breaks away from the narrative and present a page-long paragraph going into listing the dozens of other actors and actresses who have made biographical films - really for what purpose other than the magician's trict of diverting our eyes and attention from noticing his less factual and creative passages concerning Grant, his detailed inner thoughts and feelings and the specifics of private undocumented coversations and meeting. Also, some of this almanac of film facts Eliot slides in are totally erroneous, such as when he introduces Irene Mayer Selznick on page 242 as Grant's great friend and stating that the friendship was firmly established back in the 1920's when Grant was an actor in NYC on Broadway and Irene was a Broadway producer. Eliot often gets confused like this. In fact, Irene was a schoolgirl in Hollywood during the 1920's when Grant was on Broadway. She didn't go to NYC and become a producer until after she divorced David Selznick after WWII. This author gets his facts easily confused, and I think he's more committed to what sounds good than to what factually was. He also, in boosting Grant's superstar, asks us to believe that Frank Capra originally planned "It's a Wonderful Life" specifically for Grant, and when Grant refused the role, Capra was forced to settle for Jimmy Stewart. If you belive that, you're not movie-savy enough to be bothered by everything else in this work of fact-based popular fiction.

As far as self-defining populations, most readers of CARY GRANT: A BIOGRAPHY are going to be fans of the late film star. Insofar as decades have passed since his death, much that had been written about him during his lifetime now has been forgotten and, therefore, some of the information in this biography will strike many readers as new.

Accordingly, author Marc Eliot has done a workman-like job of assembling existing facts, and of discovering other facts heretofore unknown. The mass of original material he has sorted through, as stated in the bibliography and notes, is huge and impressive.

He goes into detail not before seen about Grant's earliest history, particularly Grant's first years after arriving in the United States from England. The author comes to some conclusions that are not firmly supported in fact, but which do seem reasonable as he presents them.

Eliot comes out firmly in support of the long-standing theory that Grant was a homosexual--or, more likely, bisexual. The author also presents evidence that, in his early and hungry days in New York, Grant had worked as a male escort. Eliot also claims that the actress Mae West, in her day, had run an escort service there, and he conjectures that Grant may have worked for her.

Some of Eliot's conclusions seems flimsy and unsupported, while others are plausible.

On page 72 of the hardcover version, Eliot offers a description of Grant's famous cleft chin that is one of the funniest things ever printed; almost certainly, unintentionally as funny as the passage ends up reading. Yet, on reflection, there is a certain truth and sense to Eliot's thesis.

Other issues are a bit sloppy, including some of the prose, which would have benefited by good editing. Particularly puzzling was the anecdote about how much Frank Sinatra and Grant had hated each other on the first movie they did together, in light of the strong friendship Eliot later credits these men with establishing. As an author, Eliot owes it to his readers to connect these two stages of their relationship, from hatred to friendship, and this discrepancy never is acknowledged.

What makes CARY GRANT: A BIOGRAPHY especially good reading is the story of the creation of the motion picture industry, which Grant entered at an early stage of that industry's development. In consequence, the story of Cary Grant and his emergence as a movie star inescapably becomes the history of the modern entertainment business. As a result, this biography is peppered with names long forgotten, and these inclusions clearly enrich the book as a whole.

CARY GRANT: A BIOGRAPHY is a must-read for all fans of this actor, as well as for anyone with a keen curiosity about Hollywood in its heyday.

There wasn't enough input from primary sources in this book - interviews with, and direct quotes from, family and friends - to make it antyhing resembling a definitive biography. The details that were provided came off sounding more like heresay than fact, and there was more pop psychology in this than seemed appropriate. The author came across as extremely knowledgeable about Grant's movies, but then got some key details wrong (as noted in detail by other reviewers) but the rest of it seemed like it was written from the outside looking in, which undermined the credibility of the book. The photo on the front was the best part!

Given how the author of this biography gets certain facts about details in Cary Grant's films incorrect, it makes other claims suspect as well. For example refering to his character in "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" as a teacher, although he was not. If the writer could not be troubled to get things that are easily checked correct I have a difficult time believing that several details about Grant's personal life are true.

This biography also spends way too much time focusing on Grant's sexuality.

CARY GRANT, a biography by Marc Eliot made for some very provocative reading; however, I personally feel that a great many of the author's suppositions are just that! Cary Grant was a unique actor and very private individual, and to my knowledge, he didn't share his thoughts and feelings with the author or to most columnists.


Cary Grant was older than my parents, and by the time that I discovered his films as a teenager, he was already a very mature man. His screen persona was often that of an easy to like and charismatic man. That's exactly why so many of us loved his films. Yes, he was an actor, but except for a few films, he was almost always the same character. Having read a book by Nancy Nelson called EVENINGS WITH CARY GRANT: Recollections In His Own Words And By Those Who Knew Him Best, I really feel that he did show something of his genuine personality in his work. Marc Eliot insinuates that Grant hurt most of the women that he was involved with by his remoteness; however, the author also tells us that Grant attracted women by the droves and many women he dated wanted to marry him. So, who really knows what happens in an individual's private life? Do any of us want to marry all of the various people that we meet?

The overall look at Grant's life was fairly extensive, but I didn't like the way that the author chose to tell us how Grant felt about everything and why he reacted in the way that he did to various situations. The author made Grant into an unlikable and neurotic person. Unfortunately, once you're dead, a lot of unproven claims can be made!

I'm giving this book a one star rating. The video research that the author did on Grant's films seemed pretty extensive. but I don't recommend this story of Cary Grant's private life.

As any baby boomer knows, screen legend Cary Grant was the epitome of style and elegance throughout his thirty-plus-year acting career, yet he had a down-to-earth sensibility that endeared him to movie audiences unlike other continental types like Charles Boyer. Certainly not a scathing expose, this book takes an admiring look at the two sides of Grant, as he made the not-altogether-smooth transition from Cockney-born acrobat to Hollywood star. Although he seemed to maintain a permanent veneer of calm, he was quite a rule-breaking pioneer in his prime, on one hand, redefining what creative freedom meant in Hollywood by working outside the established studio system and then on the other hand, flaunting an 11-year, openly gay relationship with actor Randolph Scott. According to author Marc Eliot, such maverick tendencies did not sit well with him at times, as he felt the studios often conspired against him, robbing him of respect and a Best Actor Oscar, a lifelong obsession. Eliot provides an insightful glimpse into a man who never really thought he had talent and felt he held onto the coat tails of great directors like Alfred Hitchcock and George Cukor to sustain his career. What a shame since one look at any of his best movies shows not only great acting prowess but a matchless and timeless charisma to which today's leading men can only aspire.

On the private side, Grant's purported bisexuality you would think would make for titillating copy, but it is presented in quite a matter-of-fact way, as I'm sure Grant would have approved had he lived during a more liberal time. Moreover, his subsequent and multiple marriages seem far less interesting than his close friendship with Howard Hughes; his WWII spy work on his then-wife, Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton; his experimentation with LSD in the fifties; and the happiness he found in fatherhood late in his life. But honestly, the best parts of the book relate to his amazing legacy of films, many but not all cherished classics. From "The Awful Truth" to "Bringing Up Baby" to "The Philadelphia Story" to "Notorious" to "North by Northwest", he was unavoidably sublime, and Eliot does a fine job recounting Grant's experiences in making all these movies. Almost as interesting is the list of films he reportedly turned down due to professional insecurity or excessive salary demands - "Roman Holiday", "Sabrina", "A Star Is Born", "Lolita", "My Fair Lady", to name a few classics. I will always remember Grant's touching modesty when he finally accepted an honorary Oscar in 1970 after a clever montage of clips that merely proved his greatness, an episode retold in the book. This is a treat for Hollywood cinemaphiles.

As one can tell from the reviews that Mark Eliot's biography "Cary Grant" has received, readers' opinions about the material presented are mixed, and for a variety of reasons. The running thread seems to be that Eliot uses too few sources to substantiate some of his material, however I doubt that the average reader is more knowledgable about a topic they have never researched. While "Cary Grant: A Biography" is far from perfect, Eliot has done a commendable job fleshing out the enigma that was Cary Grant, not an easy task considering his vast output of movies and areas of his life that were not public knowledge for a long time.

Eliot begins the biography with a look at Grant winning an honorary Oscar for his lifetime's work in movies - an astonishing feat since Grant bucked the traditional system and angered Academy members early in his career, costing him for years to come in the popularity contest known as the Academy Awards. From there, Eliot traces the family background of Archibald Leach in Bristol, England, and the troubled marriage of his parents that led to their split. As a teenager, Grant joined Bob Pender's troupe of performers, working mainly as a stilt walker and acrobat, with whom he took a voyage to America that further cemented his desire to go into showbiz. A lifelong Charlie Chaplin fan, Grant worked the vaudeville circuits before settling down in New York, living hand to mouth at a variety of jobs before moving to Hollywood to try his luck in movies.

Upon arriving in Hollywood, Grant received a new name (the first name that of a character he had portrayed in a play, the last selected off a list of options from the studios), and began his ascent to stardom. Eliot traces Grant's earliest movie work with Mae West and his relationship with fellow actor Randolph Scott that angered studio executives, although both Grant and Scott seemed oblvious to the rumors that followed them. Eliot traces in detail all of Grant's movies, his failures and successes, and Grant's unprecedented decision to become a solo player rather than signing a multiple movie contract with one studio after his initial contract was up. Eliot explores Grant's tumultuous marraiges, his friendship with Howard Hughes, and the relationship that defined his moviemaking career - his inspired pairing and success with director Alfred Hitchcock.

"Cary Grant" by Marc Eliot is a thorough look at a screen legend who can still mesmerize audiences to this very day. Truth be told, there is no one like Cary Grant, either the onscreen creation or the real life incarnation. The biography is generally well-written and well-researched, however there are instances when Eliot seems to hypothesize rather than admit that little might be known about a certain topic. For any Cary Grant fan, Eliot's biography will answer many questions, while also raising a few, that help to paint a more complete picture of one of Hollywood's most timeless stars.

I agree with many reviewers that tend to believe that there are certain so called "facts" in this book that seem to be just gossip.
But I will say this, the book is very entertaining.It talks about his childhood and the lies that were told to him about his mother (really after that don't you think you'd have commitment problems?). It delves into his early life in New York and how he made his money, the author speculates about his even being a male escort. But really just because he lived with a guy that was gay, does that automatically mean they were lovers?
And his relationship with Randolph Scott is seen as a homosexual relationship because they lived together and they were always seen out and about. Could they have been lovers? Yes, but I believe that for a biographer you should get some quotes from someone stating that fact. Not just because the gossip columns of the time were insinuating this, does it make it fact.
But other then that discrepency I find that the book does give you some insite on the man, especially to see him stand up to the big studios when he decided to go at alone, and still succeed.

I should have read the all the reviews on here before I read this book. Reading this biography, if you can even call it that, was like reading US Weekly or People. The only redeeming quality? The few pages on Grant's childhood, but I call into question the complete accuracy of everything written because of the content of the rest of the book. Eliot's insistence on Grant's homosexuality and/or bisexuality is nothing new. This is a persistent rumor that has plagued the actor during his life and after his death. What I find interesting and quite absurd is that Eliot provides insight into these so called "relationships" Grant had with Scott and others (Orry-Kelly, for example). He provides fictionalized dialogue of these "encounters" and tries to pass it off as such as if he were there in the flesh with a pen and paper documenting them. Eliot conveniently leaves out all the women Grant dated in between his various marriages. He may have mentioned Phyllis Brooks, but it was not a significant representation, even though it was a significant part of Grant's life. His citations are fluff and he often goes on wild tangents. Also, he goes into lengthy, book report style descriptions of Grant's movies. This book is just like reading tabloid fodder.

Was Cary Grant gay or bisexual? Is it true? I don't think it is, but it doesn't make one bit of difference to me what he was. It doesn't change how I feel about him. However, it obviously means something to Grant's family and his memory (and to Grant when he was alive), and so I will not support people who say or write this kind of garbage.