Monday, May 15, 2017

Five Stars Blogathon: Cary Grant Tops My List of Favorite Stars

This is my contribution to the Five Stars Blogathon in support of National Classic Movie Day. I encourage you to check out all the posts to this wonderful blogathon. When my fellow contributor Rick asked me to write about my five favorite film stars, I came up with four of them quickly. It was a challenge, though, to determine who to place in that last slot!

1. Cary Grant - Debonair and dashingly handsome, I most admire Cary Grant for his versatility. He can play zany roles in comedies like Holiday, charming heroes in escapist fare such as To Catch a Thief, or serious roles like the bitter government agent in Notorious. My favorite Cary Grant movies: Bringing Up Baby, North By Northwest, and The Bishop's Wife.


2.  Deborah Kerr - This gracious, understated actress lights up the silver screen with her compelling presence. She can play a lonely woman whose passion erupts on a sandy beach (From Here to Eternity) or an elegant governess in which a dance is the only way to convey her feelings (The King and I). She can even convincingly play three women in the same film (the under-appreciated Life and Times of Colonel Blimp). My favorite Deborah Kerr films must include Black Narcissus and The Chalk Garden.

3.  David Niven - This classy performer has a unique gift: He makes any movie better when he's in it. Although he became a Hollywood star, it's surprising how many supporting roles he had throughout his career. He flew alongside Errol Flynn in The Dawn Patrol, eluded Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther, and was one of the hotel residents in Separate Tables. He was also an entertaining writer, as evidenced by his delightful books Bring On the Empty Horses and The Moon's a Balloon. Some of my favorite films with this multifaceted actor: A Matter of Life and Death (aka Stairway to Heaven), The Birds and the Bees, and The Guns of Navarone.

4.  Danny Kaye - I always thought this gifted actor/dancer/singer should have been a bigger star. He was an absolute master of comic timing, as evidenced by the hilarious "Chalice in the Palace" and "Get it? Got it. Good!" routines in The Court Jester. He was also incredibly graceful on the dance floor, as he wonderfully displayed with Vera-Ellen in the lovely White Christmas number "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing." These two also happen to be my favorite Danny Kaye movies.

5.  Katharine Hepburn - I am sure this strong-willed, intelligent actress will show up on many lists in this blogathon--and rightfully so. Like Cary Grant, she was equally at home in comedy and drama. She also managed to remain a star for an incredible five decades (six if you count a trio of made-for-TV movies and a small role in Love Affair). My favorite Katharine Hepburn films include Holiday, Desk Set, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Honorable Mentions:  Charles Laughton, Alec Guinness, Alastair Sim, Vincent Price, and Gene Tierney.

17 comments:

  1. Such a pleasure to read your list. Such wonderful stars.

    I always thought of Danny Kaye as a big star. You have me doubting my world view.

    I solved the ranking problem by putting ladies first and then alphabetical order. Excited for the rush of stars.

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  2. Class acts for sure. I love the use of the word understated for Kerr. I always felt, along with her talent, she had an understated sexiness especially in From Here to Eternity. Pure sophistication and class. Great picks!

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  3. I'm so gald you cited A Matter of Life and Death! It's my favorite David Niven film!
    Here is my list: http://criticaretro.blogspot.com.br/2017/05/five-stars-blogathon-my-top-5-classic.html
    Cheers!
    Le

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  4. I love to see Alastair Sim as an honorable mention. He was the only Scrooge to me. Then I saw him in Stage fright and fell in love with his adorable character. Love this man!!

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  5. Hard to argue with your list. My Kaye masterpiece is "The Court Jester," where his double character roles came to a peak. You can find my picks at
    http://unknownhollywood.blogspot.com/

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  6. I love your choices. I invite you to add this post this week's The Classic Movie Marathon Link Party http://classicmovietreasures.com/classic-movie-marathon-link-party-8/

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  7. Excellent choices, including the honourable mentions! I'd considered a few of these for my own list...

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  8. You surely went for class. I love how you included honorable mentions - it really is tough to narrow it down to five, isn't it? Thanks for a splendid blogathon.

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  9. Shouldn't Cary top everyone's list? :) I am most impressed with the inclusion of David Niven who is never mentioned on people's tops lists. I'm a Niven fan myself although he wouldn't have made it on my list. Also, I grappled with Hepburn because I do so admire her work, but went the musical route instead. Terrific read as always.

    Aurora

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  10. Great list Rick. I think the first movie I saw in a theater was Danny Kaye's Hans Christian Andersen. I too think he has been under-rated for his many talents. Deborah Kerr was always wonderful, and Katharine Hepburn won more Best Actress awards than anybody. But I like your Honorables too: Vincent Price; Gene Tierney, Alec Guinness - all great.

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  11. Loved your description of Kerr in particular. And Laughton--why didn't I think of him? Thank you for hosting a marvelous blogathon. So much fun.

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  12. Toto, I love your picks! Danny Kaye was a masterful comedian and graceful dancer. It's a shame that only a handful of movies truly took advantage of his massive talents. I love your point about David Niven making any movie better. I can't imagine anyone else in his role as the pilot who dies too soon in A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

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  13. Yup - this was a pretty great list. And many thanks for adding Danny Kaye. He was pretty terrific, wasn't he? Miss him a lot.

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  14. I would add to your Deborah Kerr list: "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison," and "The Sundowners." She and Robert Mitchum had great chemistry. (I'll even give a nod to "The Grass Is Greener," the lesser of their match-ups).

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  15. Danny Kay's multi-talents also include being a gourmet Chinese cook and an accomplished private jet pilot. He was also a huge L.A. Dodger fan and could often be found sitting in the press box at evening games at Chavez Ravine.

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  16. Oh, what a mix! Deborah Kerr? Love her! But then, these are OUR choices, so there are no wrong ones. Thanks for such an interesting blog topic, Rick!

    Rupert

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  17. I truly enjoyed reading all these comments and all of our diverse choices. It is a wonderful moment when a performer leaps from the silver screen straight into our hearts! Thank you, Rick, for hosting this blogathon and for establishing National Classic Movie Day!

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