On This Day...North By Northwest (1959)

North By Northwest was Cary Grant's 66th full length feature film and for me the best!

Cary Grant plays a business executive, Roger Thornhill, who is mistaken for a secret agent and kidnapped. 

And what more can I say ...action and thrills from the UN Plaza, Grand Central Station, Mount Rushmore and crop dusters.

Production picture.

This film has everything!! From the opening titles by Saul Bass and Bernard Herrmann's score to the film's final scene on Mount Rushmore.

So hopefully the selection of pictures will convey what my words can not!!

With Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall.

With Adam Williams and Robert Ellenstein.

"Cary Grant performs with the polish that movie-goers have for long come to expect of him." - Look Magazine

With Jessie Royce Landis, Robert Ellenstien and Adam Williams.

"If it does nothing else (but it does, it does), North By Northwest resoundingly reaffirms the fact the Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock are two of the very slickest operators before and behind the cameras. Together they can be unbeatable." - Newsweek

With James Mason, Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau.

With Philip Ober.

"Mr. Lehman not only provided Hitchcock with exactly the right kind of story to take advantage of his skills, but he has written that rare thing these days - a screen original." - Saturday Review

On Location.

With the crop duster....classic scene!

The scene was a combination of on-set back projections and on location shots. 

With Leo G. Carroll

Mount Rushmore: On set.

Grand Central Station: Behind the scenes.

Final destination:

With Eva Marie Saint.

Cast:

Roger Thornhill                    Cary Grant

Eve Kendall                          Eva Marie Saint

Philip Vandamm                   James Mason

Clara Thornhill                     Jessie Royce Landis

Professor                              Leo G. Carroll

Lester Townsend                  Philip Ober

Handsome Woman                Josephine Hutchinson

Leonard                                Martin Landau

Valerain                                Adam Williams

Victor Larrabee                     Edward Platt

Licht                                     Robert Ellenstein

Auctioneer                            Les Tremayne

Dr. Cross                               Philip Coolidge

Chicago Policeman                Patrick McVey

Capt. Junket                         Edward Binns

Chicago Policeman                Ken Lynch

Behind the scenes with James Mason and Eva Marie Saint.

Publicity shot with Eva Marie Saint.

With Eva Marie Saint, Alfred Hitchcock and James Mason.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Running time: 136 minutes.

And finally...check out my other North By Northwest related posts, "My Favourite Film of the 1950's", "He's a Well Tailored One, Isn't He, by clicking on the labels below!

On This Day...Topper(1937)

Topper was Cary Grant's 27th full length feature film, released in 1937.

Cary Grant plays George Kirby, who with his wife Marion (Constance Bennett) are two sophisticates who live from drink to drink.

This leads to their early deaths in a car crash. But they return in spirit form and flesh to assist Cosmo Topper (Roland Young).

"The possibilities for farcical episodes are of course endless and the trick-work is brilliant throughout...The fun is by no means mechanical; Constance Bennett and Cary Grant make an attractive pair of phantoms. But above them all is Roland Young. His performance really makes the film." - The Spectator

 

With Roland Young and Constance Bennett.

With Constance Bennett.

An interesting French poster that gives a lot away...the plot!

A press release picture that shows some of the special effects.

Cast:

Marion Kerby                    Constance Bennett

George Kerby                    Cary Grant

Cosmo Topper                   Roland Young

Mrs. Topper                      Billie Burke

Wilkins                              Alan Mowbray

Casey                                Eugene Pallette

Elevator Boy                      Arthur Lake

Mrs. Stuyvesant                 Hedda Hopper

Miss Johnson                     Virginia Sale

Hotel Manager                  Theodore Von Eltz

Policeman                         J. Farrell McDonald

Secretary                           Elaine Shepard

"Three Hits and a Miss"      Themselves

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Produced by Hal Roach

Running time: 98 minutes

On This Day...Walk, Don't Run (1966)

This date saw the release of Cary Grant's 72nd full length feature film, and his last. 

Due to the birth of his only child, Jennifer, he never returned to the screen again.

Grant plays Sir William Rutland, an English industrialist, who arrives Tokyo during the 1964 Olympics two days early.

With Samantha Eggar.

This means that he struggles to find accommodation, until he talks Christine Easton (Samantha Eggar) into sharing her apartment. Then, he meets Steve Davis (Jim Hutton), an American athlete in the same predicament and manages to include him in the living arrangements!

With Jim Hutton and Samantha Eggar.

After completing, Charade, two years earlier with Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant felt he was too old to play the romantic leads and so in his final film he is the catalyst for the romance between his two younger co-stars.

In his final scene on film.

"Too long as are most comedies today, Walk Don't Run seems to take its title far too literally; but there are several very funny sequences, a jaunty score by Quincy Jones, and the unflawed elegance of Mr. Grant." - The Saturday Review

One of my favourite scenes is Cary Grant making coffee...and if you recognise the tune he is whistling its because it is the theme from Charade!

Oh and second place...

Press release photographs.

With George Takei.

On location with Samantha Eggar

Cast:

William Rutland                    Cary Grant

Christine Easton                    Samantha Eggar

Steve Davis                           Jim Hutton

Julius P. Haversack               John Standing

Aiko Kurawa                         Miiko Taka

Yuri Andreyovitch                 Ted Hartley

Dimitri                                  Ben Astar

Police Captain                      George Takei

Mr. Kurawa                          Teru Shimada

Mrs. Kurawa                         Lois Kiuchi

Behind the scenes!

Lobby Cards:

Full Set of Lobby Cards.

Directed by Charles Walters.

Distributed by Columbia Picture.

Produced by Granley Company (Set up by Cary Grant)

Running time: 114 minutes.

On This Day...Kiss and Make Up (1934)

Today was the release date in 1934, of Cary Grant's 16th full length feature film, Kiss and Make Up.

Grant plays Dr. Maurice Lamar, who runs a modernistic beauty salon, which is a haven for ladies, old and young, who want to be beautiful.

Helen Mack plays his plain secretary Anne, who loves him, while Genevieve Tobin plays Eve Caron, who becomes the a beautiful Frankenstein in the story.

With Helen Mack

With Genevieve Tobin and Edward Everett Horton

The film still has a relevant commentary to make about beauty, etc, even today! And don't forget, this was a Pre-Code film!

"There is a theme in the new film which, in more skillful hands, might form the basis of a good comedy. Carrying the principles of the beauty culture to their logical conclusion, Dr. Lamar finally produces a masterpiece of liveliness, who is, unfortunately, so bound to the harrowing ritual of lotion, massage,diet and rest that she becomes entirely useless." - The New York Times

With Genevieve Tobin.

"Either a gag comedy with a romantic thread or a light romance with gag comedy, but more gags than romance. 

Cary Grant does well as the doctor but both he and E.E. Horton play too strongly for laughs. Genevieve Tobin fills the specifications as the beauty, but acting honors go to Helen Mack as the secretary. A delightful sincere performance. Plenty of sight stuff and plenty of laughs in spots." - Variety 

With Helen Mack, E.E. Horton and Genevieve Tobin

Cast:

Dr. Maurice Lamar                    Cary Grant

Anne                                         Helen Mack

Eve Caron                                 Genevieve Tobin

Marcel Caron                            Edward Everett Horton

Max Pascal                                Lucien Littlefield

Countess Rita                            Mona Maris

Vilma                                         Katherine Williams

Magda                                        Lucille Lund

Rolando                                     Rafael Storm

Mme. Severac                            Mme. Bonita

Mme. Durand                             Doris Lloyd

Maharajah of Baroona                Milton Wallace

Plumber                                     Sam Ashe

Landlady                                    Helena Phillips

Consuelo of Claghorne               Toby Wing

Chairman of banquet                  Henry Armetta

Jean (Valet)                                George Andre Beranger

Beauty clinic nurses                   Judith Arlen, Jean Gale, Hazel Hayes, Lee Ann

                                                  Meredith

Radio announcer                        Helene Cohan

Maharajah's wife                        Jean Carmen

Radio listener                             GiGi Parrish

Lady Rummond-Dray                  Ann Hovey

Beauty clinic patients                 Betty Bryson and Jacqueline Wells 

                                                  and the Wampas Baby Stars of 1934

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Harlan Thompson

Distributed by Paramount Publix.

Running time: 80 minutes.