TCM Star of the Month for December: Cary Grant

Turner Classic Movies’ December Star of the Month:
Cary Grant

Cary Grant

Charming, athletic with dashing good looks and an effortlessly carefree attitude, Cary Grant remains the ultimate Hollywood star. From his breakout-leading role in the George Cukor flop Sylvia Scarlett to his final role as Sir William Rutland in 1966’s Walk Don’t Run, Grant spend nearly 30 years at the top of the Hollywood game. And for the month of December, Turner Classic Movies will dedicate their Monday Night primetime lineup to him, as Cary Grant is once again TCM’s Star of the Month.

So, my dear readers, why is that almost 50 years after his final big screen appearance, Grant still remains the bar to which all other stars are measured? Well, I suppose there are many answers. His debonair demeanor, for one, probably has something to do with it. And then there’s his impossibly good looks to take into consideration. Or what about that sweet impeccable comedic timing, the timing that seems as natural as breathing but in reality took years of vaudeville training to master. And then, of course, there was his transatlantic accent, which made him seem to hail from everywhere, yet nowhere at once. Yes, all of those elements added to miraculous creation of Hollywood superstar Cary Grant. But in this writer’s personal opinion, the “it factor” of Grant was not as simple as his good looks or acting talents, it was his ability to not take any of that seriously and, thus his ability to not take himself too seriously.

While other stars of the classic era seemed too far in the heavens to ever touch, Grant always seemed grounded. Sure, Grant could have made a career playing the typically suave alpha male, worldly and elegant, refined and debonair. But he didn’t. Often times Grant would take on a persona so entirely contrary to his good-looks, such as the goofy and anxious David in Brining Up Baby, that somehow made him more approachable and, yes, even likable. Simply put, Grant’s unabashed silliness is what allows him to remain the ultimate Hollywood movie star. So let us celebrate this most silly of stars with some of Grant’s most silliest movies.

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Watch Cary Grant be silly as a War Bride with Ann Sheridan in I was a Male War Bride (1949, Howard Hawks director). Airing December 15th at 10:30 PM on TCM.

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 Watch Cary Grant be “gay all of a sudden” in Bringing Up Baby. (1938, Howard Hawks, director) airing December 23rd at 1:15AM on TCM.

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Watch Cary Grant be Silly with Katharine Hepburn in Holiday (1938, George Cukor director) airing December 23rd at 5:15AM on TCM.

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To see a complete listing of this month’s Cary Grant films on TCM, please visit TCM Full Schedule.

Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub