The Cary Grant Collection: Part 1 - Biographies.

 “To write an autobiography, you’ve got to expose other people. I hope to get out of this world as gracefully as possible, without embarrassing anyone.”

“I have no plans to write an autobiography, I will leave that to others. I’m sure they will turn me into a homosexual or a Nazi spy or something else.”

Cary Grant never wrote an autobiography, quite simply for the reasons he himself expresses in the quotes above.

The closest he came was writing a three-part article for The Ladies Home Journal, entitled 'Archie Leach'

(January/February 1963 (Part 1), March 1963 (Part 2), April 1963 (Part 3))

Maybe because of this, so many other people wrote about him.

Some, trying to get to the truth of how Archie Leach became Cary Grant, and others just repeating unfounded rumors and gossip.

But as a complete body of works...all add something to the story of a boy from a working-class upbringing in Bristol, who became one of, if not the greatest Hollywood Star ever.

Below are listed the biographies that grace my collection - The Cary Grant Collection.

(I have listed them in date order and scaled the pictures to give an idea of how the books compare to each other in size)

Cary Grant: An Unauthorized Biography by Albert Govoni (1971)

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Ian Allan Film Albums - 3: Cary Grant (1971)

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The Pictorial Treasury of Film Stars - Cary Grant by Jerry Vermilye  (1973)

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The Films of Cary Grant by Donald Deschner (1973)
Introduction by Charles Chaplin

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The Life and Loves of Cary Grant - A Biography by Lee Guthrie (1977)

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In The Spotlight - Cary Grant by Gallery Press (1980)

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Cary Grant: The Light Touch by Lionel Godfrey (1981)

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Cary Grant: A Celebration by Richard Schickel (1983)

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Cary Grant: Haunted Idol by Geoffrey Wansell (1983)

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The Private Cary Grant by William Currie McIntosh ans William Weaver (1983)

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Cary Grant by Jean-Jacques Dupuis (1984)

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Cary Grant by Chuck Ashman and Pamela Trescott (1986)

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Cary Grant: A Touch of Elegance by Warren G. Harris (1987) 

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Cary Grant by Pamela Trescott (1987)

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An Affair to Remember: My Life With Cary Grant by Maureen Donaldson and William Royce (1989)

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Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley (1989)

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Cary Grant: A Portrait in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best by Nancy Nelson (1991)
Foreword by Barbara and Jennifer Grant.

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Cary Grant: Dark Angel by Geoffrey Wansell (1996)

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Cary Grant: A Class Apart by Graham MaCann (1997)
Hardback

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Cary Grant: A Class Apart by Graham MaCann (1997)
Paperback

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Legends: Cary Grant by Richard Schickel (1998)

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Cary Grant: A Life in Pictures by Jerry Curtis (1998)

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Cary Grant: In Name Only by Gary Morecombe and  Martin Sterling (2003)
Foreword by Sheridan Morley

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Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best by Nancy Nelson (2003)
New Foreword by Barbara and Jennifer Grant

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Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot (2004)

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Cary Grant: The Wizard of Beverly Grove by Bill Royce (2006)

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Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style by Richard Torregrossa (2006)
Foreword by Giorgio Armani
Afterword by Michael Kors

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Movie Icons: Grant by Taschen (2007)

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Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant by Dyan Cannon (2011)

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Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant by Jennifer Grant (2011)

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Cary Grant: A Life in Picture by Pavilion (2011)

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How to Become Cary Grant: A Remarkable Life in Quotes and Remembrances by Horace Martin Woodhouse (2013) 

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Cary Grant Movie Poster Book: Special edition by Greg Lenburg (2016) 

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Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman (2020)

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Cary Grant: The Making of a Hollywood Legend by Mark Glancy (2020)

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American Legends: The Life of Cary Grant by Charles River Editors (?)

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Etre Cary Grant (To Be Cary Grant) by Martine Reid (2021)

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Some Versions of Cary Grant by James Naremore (2022)

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Listed below are writers who have put their name to more then one Cary Grant Biography:

Cary Grant by Chuck Ashman and Pamela Trescott (1986)

Cary Grant by Pamela Trescott (1987)

Cary Grant: Haunted Idol by Geoffrey Wansell (1983)

Cary Grant: Dark Angel by Geoffrey Wansell (1996)

An Affair to Remember: My Life With Cary Grant by Maureen Donaldson and William Royce (1989)

Cary Grant: The Wizard of Beverly Grove by Bill Royce (2006)

Cary Grant: A Portrait in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best by Nancy Nelson (1991)
Foreword by Barbara and Jennifer Grant.

Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best by Nancy Nelson (2003)

New Foreword by Barbara and Jennifer Grant

The Cary Grant Collection - 2022

Quote From Today... Hot Saturday (1932)

"Yes, but the moment you go to get them, burglar alarms start ringing all over town."

With Nancy Carroll.

Hot Saturday was Cary Grant's 6th full length feature film.

Romer Sheffield: Would it interest you to know that I've wanted you ever since I first saw you in the bank?

Ruth Brock: You're supposed to see things you want in banks.

Romer Sheffield: Yes, but the moment you go to get them, burglar alarms start ringing all over town.

Quote From Today.... The Awful Truth (1937)

"With a minute to go, Dad had the ball..."

With Molly Lamont and Irene Dunne.

The Awful Truth was Cary Grant's 29th full length feature film.

Lucy Warriner: [pretending to be Jerry's lower-class sister "Lola" at a gathering with his girlfriend's family] I'm sorry to interrupt you again, Jerry. Now, what were you saying?

Jerry Warriner: I was just telling one of Father's stories. You've heard it. With a minute to go, Dad had the ball...

Lucy Warriner: -A ball? What ball?

Jerry Warriner: -The football.

Lucy Warriner: Well, what in the world was Dad ever doing with a football, for heaven's sakes?

Jerry Warriner: I was just telling a story about when Father was at Princeton. You remember...

Lucy Warriner: [suddenly very enthused] Oh, Pop loved Princeton! He was there nearly 20 years, and if ever a man loved a place, he did. He just adored it. And he certainly kept it looking beautiful!

Quote From Today... The Last Outpost (1935)

"...here's to those lovely eyes! In any language."

With Kathleen Burke.

The Last Outpost was Cary Grant's 20th full-length feature film.

Michael Andrews: Oh Hello. And what do they call you, my pretty maid?.. 

(A young Turkish woman hands him a drink)

Thanks. Comment t'appelles-tu?

(Then Andrews attempts to speak Turkish)

Young Woman: Ilya.

Michael Andrews: Oh. Ilya, huh?

Well, Ilya, here's to those lovely eyes! In any language.

Quote From Today... Wedding Present (1936)

"Next year I'll be eligible for the Kentucky Derby..."

With Joan Bennett.

Wedding Present was Cary Grant's 24th full length feature film.

Marriage License Clerk: [Reviewing a marriage license] 

Do you solemly swear that the statements are?... Say! What's the matter with you? You've got the day of your birth down here August 4, 1934. That makes you two years old!

Charlie: That;s right. Next year I'll be eligible for the Kentucky Derby... and if you were marrying a girl like mine, you'd feel that young yourself.

Quote From Today... I'm No Angel (1933)

"You were wonderful tonight."

With Mae West

I'm No Angel was Cary Grant's 12th full length feature film.

Jack Clayton: You were wonderful tonight.

Tira: Yeah, I'm always wonderful at night.

Jack Clayton: Tonight, you were especially good.

Tira: Well... When I'm good, I'm very good. But, when I'm bad...

[winks at Jack]

Tira: I'm better.

Quote From Today... Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

"Look, Aunt Martha, men don't just get into window seats and die!"

With Josephine Hull and Jean Adair.

Arsenic and Old Lace was Cary Grant's 47th full length feature film.

Mortimer Brewster: Look, Aunt Martha, men don't just get into window seats and die!

Abby Brewster: We know, dear. He died first.

Mortimer Brewster: Wait a minute! Stop all this. Now, look, darling, how did he die?

Abby Brewster: Oh, Mortimer, don't be so inquisitive. The gentleman died because he drank some wine with poison in it.

Mortimer Brewster: How did the poison get in the wine?

Martha Brewster: Well, we put it in wine, because it's less noticeable. When it's in tea, it has a distinct odor.

Mortimer Brewster: You mean, you... You put it in the wine!

Abby Brewster: Yes. And I put Mr. Hoskins in the window seat, because Reverend Harper was coming.

Mortimer Brewster: Now, look at me, darling. You mean, you mean you knew what you'd done and you didn't want the Reverend Harper to see the body?

Abby Brewster: Well, not at tea. That wouldn't have been very nice.

Mortimer Brewster: Oh, it's first-degree.

Abby Brewster: Now, Mortimer, you know all about it and just forget about it. I do think that Aunt Martha and I have the right to our own little secrets.

Quote From Today... None But The Lonely Heart (1944)

"Oh, that? Friend of mine. Knew him when."

With Jane Wyatt.

None But The Lonely Heart was Cary Grant's 46th full length feature film.

Ada Brantline: [after Ada has seen Ernie give money to an older man who was rummaging through some trash] Charitable sort, you are.

Ernie Mott: Oh, that? Friend of mine. Knew him when.

Ada Brantline: When what?

Ernie Mott: When he was a man. Old Ike Weber, a friend of my Ma's, told me this: "As I was out walking, I saw in the distance what seemed an animal. Come up closer, and see it was a man. Come still closer, and see it was my brother."

Quote From Today... The Howards of Virginia (1940)

"Frozen, at that!"

With Paul Kelly.

The Howards of Virginia was Cary Grant's 37th full length feature film.

Captain Jabez Allen: Is that all!

Matt Howard: Aye. And they cost me the two dollars Norton sent me!

Captain Jabez Allen: Jehoshaphat's elbow! A dollar for a potato.

Matt Howard: Frozen, at that!

Quote From Today...Blonde Venus (1932)

"If this is a dream, Helen, I hope I never wake up."

With Marlene Dietrich.

Blonde Venus was Cary Grant's 5th full length feature film.

Nick Townsend: Hello, Helen.

Helen Faraday, aka Helen Jones: Well, if it isn't old Nick himself. I expected you to pop up someday.

Nick Townsend: If this is a dream, Helen, I hope I never wake up. Let me come backstage, will ya?

Helen Faraday, aka Helen Jones: I seem to remember you came backstage once before.

Quote From Today... Monkey Business (1952)

"Well, watch your head. I'll watch everything else!"

Monkey Business was Cary Grant's 58th full length feature film.

Barnaby: Well, all set? Is you motor running?

Lois Laurel: Is your motor running?

Barnaby: Is yours? Takes awhile to warm up.

Lois Laurel: It does, me too.

Barnaby: Well, watch your head. I'll watch everything else!

Quote From Today... People Will Talk (1951)

    "Surely it didn't take you twelve years to make up your mind!"

With Jeanne Crain.

People Will Talk was Cary Grant's 56th full length feature film.

Doctor Noah Praetorius: How old were you when you learned to walk?

Arthur Higgins: I could get around alright at four.

Doctor Noah Praetorius: And how old were you when you left the farm?

Arthur Higgins: Sixteen.

Doctor Noah Praetorius: Surely it didn't take you twelve years to make up your mind!

Quote From Today... I Was a Male War-Bride (1949)

    "I'll explain to them I think you're repulsive."

With Marion Marshall and Ann Sheridan. 

I Was a Male War-Bride was Cary Grant's 54th full length feature film.

Lt. Catherine Gates: [humiliated after Capt. Rochard publicly returns her laundry in an insinuating manner] Oh, what a stinker YOU are.

Capt. Henri Rochard: [coolly] Did I forget something?

Lt. Catherine Gates: What a dirty stinker - and you're going right back in that office and explain to them how you got my laundry by mistake in Dusseldorf and forgot to give it back to me.

Capt. Henri Rochard: Well, it's such a dull story. Who would care?

Lt. Catherine Gates: You know what you made them think?

Capt. Henri Rochard: [feigning innocence] I don't quite understa... Oh, no! You mean you and ME? Well, I'd be glad to explain to them. The very idea of any connection is revolting.

Lt. Catherine Gates: No, you don't. No, you don't. Never mind. Just forget it.

Capt. Henri Rochard: But I'd be delighted. I'll explain to them I think you're repulsive.

Quote From Today... The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)

  "A wealthy society lady saw my work, fell in love with me and sent me to art school."

With Shirley Temple and Myrna Loy

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer was Cary Grant's 50th full length feature film.

Susan: Did you have many ordeals before you became a success?

Richard Nugent: No, I...

Susan: You can talk to me. I want you to think of me, not as a newspaper woman, but as a friend.

Richard Nugent: Well, in that case, I'll tell you. I did suffer. When I was 10, my mother and father had a double suicide pact, they made it. I was sent to an orphanage. Some days they didn't beat me. Then one night I escaped, I ran away to New York. I used to steal.

Susan: What did you steal?

Richard Nugent: Beg your pardon?

Susan: What did you steal?

Richard Nugent: Crusts of bread... and things. One time I stole a valise. There were paints and paintbrushes inside. So I began to paint. Then they got me. I was sent to a reform school, but I escaped again.

Susan: Go on.

Richard Nugent: Back to new York. A wealthy society lady saw my work, fell in love with me and sent me to art school. The rest is history.

Susan: How wonderful. How terribly wonderful.