Suspicion (1941)

  "...the film is the equivalent of the book you can't put down."

With Joan Fontaine.

Suspicion - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"Two thirds of Hitchcock's Suspicion is very good, and that is enough to make a thriller.  During that time Hitchcock used all his smoothness and his sharp eye for detail to build up a situation in which a loving wife (Joan Fontaine) is in danger of being poisoned by an equally loving but less trustworthy husband (Cary Grant).  A best friend (Nigel Bruce, as a chubby ass) has already, mysteriously, fallen by the way.  The fact that Hitchcock throws in a happy end during the last five minutes, like a conjurer explaining his tricks, seems to me a pity; but it spoils the film only in retrospect, and we have already had our thrills.  A steep cliff, a letter from an insurance company, a glass of milk at the bedside - on such details and on the equivocal looks that foreshadow murder, Hitchcock fixes a fascinated gaze.  So long as the magic lasts (there's a slow beginning, by the way) the film is the equivalent of the book you can't put down.

-  William Whitebait, The New Statesman and Nation

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number 40 - Suspicion (Lobby Card Style)

Part Of

For more, see also:

Quote From Today - 14 November 2022

On This Day - 14 November 2021

On This Day - 14 November 2020

Gunga Din (1939)

   "Hollywood, however, even when it was not deliberately repeating itself, repeated itself unconsciously.  Gunga Din is an example of this unconscious repetition."

With Victor McLaglen.

Gunga Din - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"Gunga Din, the most expensive picture in the history of RKO, which was last week on the point of emerging from a six-year bankruptcy, unfolds a jolly story about high jinks on India's frontier.  Poor old Gunga Din has small part of the proceedings.  In the first part of the picture he wobbles about carrying a goatskin water bag.  In the last part, he inspires a scared-looking Rudyard Kipling to produce a commemorative poem.  The rest of the time Gunga Din's doings are eclipsed by those of the three agile young sergeants - Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  The story of Gunga Din appears to be a sort of Anglo-Indian Three Musketeers.  Funny, spectacular, and exciting.  Typical sequence: battle between a regiment of Scots Highlanders and Thug cavalry, filmed on the slopes of Mt. Whitney last summer, with a cast of 900 extras.  

As an individual product of the cinema industry, there is practically nothing to be said against Gunga Din.  First-class entertainment, it will neither corrupt the morals of minors nor affront the intelligence of their seniors.  But unfortunately, Gunga Din is not an isolated example of the cinema industry's majestic mass product.  It is a symbol of Hollywood's current trend.  As such it is as deplorable as it is enlightening.  

Hollywood, however, even when it was not deliberately repeating itself, repeated itself unconsciously.  Gunga Din is an example of this unconscious repetition.  Whatever there is to be said about the minor matter of barrack-room life in India has been more than sufficiently said by the cinema many times, most recently in Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Charge of the Light Brigade and Drums.  

Moving pictures are a vigorous entertainment medium.  There has probably never been a moment in the world's history when more exciting things were going on than in this year of 1939.  That Hollywood can supply no better salute to 1939 than a $2,000,000 rehash, however expert, of Rudyard Kipling and brown Indians in bed sheets, is a sad reflection on its state of mind." 

- Time

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number 32 - Gunga Din (Lobby Card Style)

Part Of

For more, see also:

Gunga Din, On This Day, 17th February 2022

Gunga Din, On This Day, 17th February 2021

Quote From Today... Suspicion (1941)

"Work?"

With Joan Fontaine.

Suspicion was Cary Grant's 40th full-length feature film.

Suspicion (1941)

Lina: There's going to be no more borrowing.

Johnnie: What else is there to do?

Lina: You've got to go to work.

Johnnie: Work?

On This Day...Suspicion (1941)

Cary Grant's 40th full length feature film, Suspicion, was released today in 1941.

Synopsis:

After a chance meeting on a train, Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant) and Lina McLaidlaw(Joan Fontaine) have a whirlwind romance and are married. Johnnie was well known in society circles while Lina is a shy sort. They return from a lengthy European honeymoon to a beautiful house Johnnie's arranged for them. She's a bit shocked to learn, however, that her new husband has no means of support, and seems to live off money he borrows from friends. 

She soon learns he has a darker side, however, and loves to gamble. Johnnie loves mystery novels, and Lina begins to suspect he would go to any lengths to keep his lifestyle secure. She's certain that a business deal he's dreamed up with his longtime friend Beaky (Nigel Bruce) is a scam on his part. When the police inform her that Beaky died in Paris, she's certain her husband is behind it all. Her main concern, however, is whether she will be the next victim.

"Miss Fontaine is beauteous, and Cary Grant finds a new field for himself - the field of crime, the smiling villain, without heart or conscience." - John Mosher, The New Yorker.

"The film is well cast all down the line. Cary Grant in particular is just right for that part..." - Otis Ferguson, The New Republic.

Did You Know?

Joan Fontaine liked the character of Lina in this movie so much, that she sent Alfred Hitchcock a note after she read the novel, "Before the Fact", by Francis Iles, offering to play the part for free, if necessary.

Cary Grant did not warm up to Joan Fontaine, finding her to be temperamental and unprofessional.

Cary Grant was paid $112,500 for his work in this film, while Joan Fontaine earned $69,750. At that time, Hitchcock was still being paid a weekly salary as director, and he was not happy about the amount his two stars were paid.

Cary Grant's first role in a Alfred Hitchcock movie. He also starred in three more: Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959).

With Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce.

Cast:

 Cary Grant ... Johnnie Aysgarth
 Joan Fontaine ... Lina McLaidlaw
 Sir Cedric Hardwicke ... General McLaidlaw 
 Nigel Bruce ... Gordon Cochran Thwaite aka Beaky
 Dame May Whitty ... Mrs. McLaidlaw 
 Isabel Jeans ... Mrs. Newsham
 Heather Angel ... Ethel
 Auriol Lee ... Isobel Sedbusk
 Reginald Sheffield ... Reggie Wetherby
 Leo G. Carroll ... Captain Melbeck

With Joan Fontaine.

Lobby Cards:

International Posters:

Spanish.

French.

English.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Produced by RKO Radio.

Running time: 99 minutes.

With Joan Fontaine and Alfred Hitchcock on set.

"Lights, Camera...Action!" - The Directors - Part 2

After Howard Hawks' five films with Cary Grant, there were two directors who completed four films each with Grant...Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Donen.

Alfred Hitchcock:

13th August 1899 - 29th April 1990

"Hitch and I had a rapport and understanding deeper than words. He was a very agreeable human being, and we were very compatible. I always went to work whistling when I worked with him because everything on the set was just as you envisioned it would be. Nothing ever went wrong. He was so incredibly well prepared. I never knew anyone as capable. He was a tasteful, intelligent, decent, and patient man who knew the actor's business as well as he knew his own." 

- Grant on Hitchcock

Suspicion (1941)

On set with Joan Fontaine.

His appearance in the film.

Notorious (1946)

Hitchcock's appearance in a scene with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.

To Catch A Thief (1955)

 

On film with Grant.

On set with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.

North By Northwest (1959)

An early appearance in the film.

                                                           

On set and behind the scenes with Cary Grant, Eve Marie Saint and James Mason.

"Cary is marvelous, you see. One doesn't direct Cary Grant, one simply puts him in front of a camera. 

And, you see, he enables the audience to identify with the main character. I mean by that, Cary Grant represents a man we know. He's not a stranger."

- Hitchcock on Grant

To be continued...The Directors - Part 3 - Stanley Donen.

Leading Ladies...Part 2.

So here are the actresses who starred in two films each alongside Cary Grant.

Jean Arthur:

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and Talk Of The Town (1942)

Also appeared in the following radio shows:

Only Angels Have Wings (May 28th, 1939)
Talk Of The Town (May 17th, 1943)

Joan Bennett:

Big Brown Eyes (1936) and Wedding Present (1936)

Ingrid Bergman:

Notorious (1946) and Indiscreet (1958)

"She wears no make-up and has big feet and peasant hips, yet women envy her ability to be herself." 
- Cary Grant

Nancy Carroll:

Hot Saturday (1932) and Woman Accussed (1933)

Betsy Drake:

Every Girl Should Be Married (1948) and Room For One More (1952)

Also appeared in the following radio show:

Every Girl Should Be Married (June 27th, 1949)

"Betsy was a delightful comedienne, but I don't think Hollywood was ever really her milieu. She wanted to help humanity, to help others help themselves." - Cary Grant

Joan Fontaine:

Gunga Din (1939) and Suspicion (1941)

Sophia Loren:

The Pride and the Passion (1957) and Houseboat (1958)

"I was fascinated with him, with his warmth, affection, intelligence, and his wonderfully dry, mischievous sense of humor." - Sophia Loren

Ginger Rogers:

Once Upon A Honeymoon (1942) and Monkey Business (1952)

Ann Sheridan

Enter Madame (1935: as Clara Lou Sheridan) and I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

Mae West:

She Done Him Wrong (1933) and I'm No Angel (1933)

Loretta Young:

Born To Be Bad (1934) and The Bishop's Wife (1947)

"Oh, We Ought to Learn That...!"

In 1918, when Archie Leach joined the Bob Pender Troupe his contract stipulated, not only his weekly salary, along with room and board, but also that he should have training for his profession and dance lessons.

Cary Grant is seen dancing in numerous films with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman and Sophia Loren and others.

Of all the dance sequences, my favourite has to be the Eightsome Reel from the 1958 fim, Indiscreet.
Starring alongside Ingrid Bergman, this dance, shows off Cary Grants natural acrobatic ability and timing.

If you haven't seen it or just want to enjoy it again, use the link below.

Behind the scenes rehearsals, with Ingrid Bergman...You can only imagine the fun!

With Ginger Rogers (Monkey Business 1952)

With Sophia Loren (Houseboat 1958)

With Katharine Hepburn (Holiday 1938)

With Joan Fontaine (Suspicion 1941)