I told you long ago that Walt Disney has the best idea

In a 1972 interview with Dick Cavett, Alfred Hitchcock was asked about the remark "Actors are like cattle" he had supposedly made in the 1930s. Hitch famously told Cavett: "I would never say such an unfeeling, rude thing about actors at all ... what I probably said was that all actors should be treated like cattle." Later Hitch would make another derogatory remark about actors to filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich: "Actors are like children. They have to be coddled, and sometimes spanked." What seems clear is that Hitch didn't think very highly of actors and considered them a necessary evil in order to make films. It wasn't "the acting" or "the subject matter" Hitch really cared about, but most important to him were "the pieces of film ... all the technical ingredients that make the audience scream" (said Hitch in a 1973 interview with Oui Magazine). 

Hitchcock certainly didn't care for stars or their egos. While he realised that stars were necessary to draw audiences to theaters, during his long career Hitch had several times complained about the star system, especially when stars who were not suitable for their roles were forced upon him by the studio. For Torn Curtain (1966), Hitch was very unhappy with his leads Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, but Universal insisted they were cast. At the time the actors were two of Hollywood's biggest stars and —much to Hitchcock's dismay— received a combined salary of $1.5 million, cutting very deeply into the film's $5 million budget. When Newman, a method actor, repeatedly asked Hitch for his character's motivation, the director (who hated method acting) famously retorted, "Your motivation is your salary".

Hitch with Julie Andrews and Paul Newman on the set of Torn Curtain

The exorbitant fees of Newman and Andrews were on Hitchcock's mind when he wrote the following letter to Grace Kelly. With Torn Curtain about to go into production —shooting would start on 18 October 1965— Hitch complains to Grace about the salaries of his leads eating up a large part of his budget. Also, he talks about the salary demands of Shirley MacLaine, another big box-office star at the time. Hitch concludes his letter saying that Walt Disney had "the best idea". With his actors drawn on paper, if Disney didn't like them, he could just erase them or tear them up.

Source: Alamy

Transcript:

Her Serene Highness

Princess Grace of Monaco

Palace Monaco

Principality of Monaco

Dear Grace (handwritten),

Alma and I want to thank you so much for your thoughtful telegram.

I'm just about to start another movie, starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. But the money these people get these days! Between them, they are collecting as much as I have to make the whole picture. You would be astonished if you knew some of the sums of money now being commanded on account of the acute shortage of "names". It was told me, I believe by her agent Herman Citron, that Shirley MacLaine refuses to read any material of any kind unless a million dollar fee, against a percentage, was agreed upon.

You'll remember I told you long ago that Walt Disney has the best idea. He just draws them, and if he doesn't like them, he tears them up.

Love, Hitch (handwritten)

_____

Grace Kelly had left Hollywood almost ten years earlier to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco. She had been Hitch's favourite actress, having worked with him three times, i.e. on Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955). Grace and Hitch got along quite well and became close friends. While the pair had wanted to make a fourth film together, in the end they never did. In 1962, when Hitch was preparing his next film Marnie (1964), he asked Grace (by then already Princess of Monaco) to play the female lead. She accepted but ultimately had to withdraw from the project, due to the objections of the citizens of Monaco. (Grace's correspondence with Hitch about their failed project can be seen here.) The role eventually went to Tippi Hedren.

Above: Hitch and Grace Kelly on the sets of their mutual films, clockwise—To Catch a Thief, Dial M for Murder and Rear Window, in the latter photo also with leading man James Stewart. Below: 29 April 1974, Hitch with Princess Grace of Monaco on the occasion of Hitch's tribute at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York. 

Please keep me posted on all the news

After their church wedding on 19 April 1956, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier immediately left on their honeymoon, a seven-week Mediterranean cruise on Rainier's yacht Deo Juvante II. The newlyweds went ashore in Spain, among others visiting the island of Mallorca (where they attended a bullfight) and the cities of Madrid and Valencia. A few days after returning to Monaco, Grace wrote a letter to her friend and MGM publicist Morgan Hudgins, in which she commented on her honeymoon in Spain and meeting some of her Hollywood friends there (Cary Grant and his wife Betsy Drake as well as Ava Gardner and Ava's then-husband Frank Sinatra). Her departure from Hollywood still very fresh, Grace was of course quite anxious to hear all the news and urged Hudgins to keep her in the loop, especially regarding the critical reception of her two last films The Swan (1956) and High Society (1956). 

Grace's letter to Morgan Hudgins, in which she also worries about the press reactions to the wedding, is seen below. Incidentally, I don't know who "Nadia" is but I assume she was an assistant to Grace.  

Source: icollector.com

Transcript:

Saturday 

Dear Morgan

We arrived back on Thursday after a very wonderful honeymoon – Spain was so nice and we thoroughly enjoyed it – Saw Betsy + Cary Grant and Ava in Madrid – Ran into Frank briefly in a restaurant and I don't think he likes Spain very much – But the others all seem well and happy – 

Your records arrived yesterday and we are thrilled to have them as it is impossible to get them here – many many thanks – 

What a pity to hear of all the bad luck on those two big pictures – and I am very sorry to learn of Louis Calhern’s death*– 

And Monty Cliff [sic] who hasn’t worked in such a long time the moment he starts something happens*–

Sydney is here and is coming for tea with me this afternoon –  so I will get some more news from him –

Morgan I can't thank you enough for all you did for me through a very trying period – You were just wonderful – 

Please send me any reviews of The Swan +  High Society as I would love to see them – am delighted that the previews went so well – 

I still don’t know how the press was reacting during the week of the wedding – Do you think it was alright – and was anyone in particular offended? 

I learned on our return that Nadia intends to write a book – Which came as a great shock to me since she never mentioned a thing to me – I am not surprised really as she was such a disappointment to me when I really needed her – She was too busy minding other people’s business + having a good time to do anything I asked her – I guess she just felt as she was leaving me anyway so why bother? – But I was very hurt + disturbed by her attitude in N.Y. + on the boat –

Give my best to everyone + please keep me posted on all the news –

Affectionately

Grace –

*Note

On 12 May 1956, Louis Calhern (Grace's High Society co-star) suddenly died of a heart attack at age 61. On the same day, Montgomery Clift had a near-fatal accident after his car crashed into a telephone pole. At the time Clift was filming  Raintree County (1957), his first film after From Here to Eternity (1953).

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier boarding the Deo Juvante II for their honeymoon

Grace photographed by her new husband aboard the yacht

Grace talking to the press with Morgan Hudgins on the left

You have upset me so that I could die

Before Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956, she was romantically involved with famed couturier Oleg Cassini and was also said to have been engaged to him. Cassini, who was once married to Gene Tierney (from 1941 to 1952), was responsible for creating the famous Grace Kelly look. The fashion designer said that Grace dressed "like a school teacher" when they first met, so he encouraged her to "put a little sex in her clothes". 

Since Grace's strict Catholic parents didn't consider Cassini a suitable match for their daughter (being a playboy and a divorced man), the relationship between the two eventually fell apart and not long thereafter Grace got engaged to Prince Rainier. About her break-up with Cassini Grace was later quoted as saying: "Do you realise if my mother hadn’t been so difficult about Oleg Cassini, I probably would have married him? How many wonderful roles I might have played by now? How might my life have turned out? That one decision changed my entire future.” 

During their relationship Grace wrote several (love) letters to Cassini, two of which are seen below. The letters were written in 1954 when the actress was staying at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles while promoting her latest film The Country Girl (for which she would later win her only Oscar). The second letter is especially interesting, with Grace reprimanding Cassini for being jealous of Bing Crosby, her co-star in The Country Girl and later High Society (1956). Grace told Cassini that Crosby was just a good friend, so there was no reason for him to be jealous. It has often been said that Grace and Crosby did have an affair during production of The Country Girl and that he even proposed marriage. (If this were true, Grace naturally wouldn't confess to it in her letter to Cassini.) Incidentally, Crosby was dating Kathryn Grant at the time, whom he eventually married in 1957.

Transcript:

Thursday Night

Darling- 

How lovely it was to come home and find your flowers. We are watching Charles Boyer on television - and as much as I love him I can only think of you - I don't understand how such a thing could happen —

The last few days have been so hectic at the studio that I haven't been able to write all the things I have wanted to tell you — and even if I could it would be impossible as I think of you constantly -

The few minutes we speak each night are so wonderful for me - but I'm sorry I sound like an idiot - 

Had lunch with [producer William] Perlberg and most of his crew- He was telling me about the two previews of Country Girl  - apparently they were most successful and we all came off very well - I should be able to see it in a couple of weeks —

There are so many words for tomorrow that I will say good-night in order to be able to get a few of them right -

I think I'd rather have a ring instead of an automobile.

I love you -

Transcript:

Sunday -

Darling -

You have upset me so that I could die — I just don't understand your attitude -

It is incredible to me that having dinner with Lizanne [Grace's younger sister] and the Crosbys can make you behave like a schoolboy - If I went out with Bing alone you would be absolutely right - and I would never do that to begin with - Because I have no interest in anyone but you - but this I shouldn't have to explain -

Bing is a wonderful person and a very dear friend. I have great respect for him and I hope he will be our friend for many years -

I told you he said that he was in love with me- but there are many people that he feels that way about - and after the emotional strain of playing Country Girl - this was only natural - But Bing would never try to do anything about it - unless he thought I wanted it that way -

I have very few friends here - please don't ask me to give up their friendships -

Source of both letters: Harper's Bazaar

Above: 1954, on the set of The Country Girl Crosby signs a record for Grace. Below: 1955, Bing Crosby visits Grace on the set of The Swan.

Grace Kelly's letter from the set of "Mogambo"

In November 1952, location shooting started on John Ford's Mogambo (1953). Cast and crew members flew to Africa, where in the ensuing months scenes were filmed in Tanganyika, Uganda, Belgian Congo and Kenya. The shoot was not without problems, though. With the Mau Mau Uprising taking place in Kenya, MGM had hired armed guards to protect the cast and crew in case of an attack. For extra security everyone was given a weapon, so they could also defend themselves. Apart from the tense situation with the Mau Mau, production was plagued by rain and mud and bad quality roads. As a result, three of the crew members were killed in road accidents, among them assistant director John Hancock.

There were also things happening on a more personal level. Leading lady Ava Gardner had learned that she was pregnant —at the time her marriage to Frank Sinatra was on shaky ground— and took a break from filming to return to London, reportedly to receive medical treatment for a tropical illness but in reality she had an abortion. The film's male lead Clark Gable got sick some time later, having developed a gum infection and briefly left Africa to see his own dentist in Los Angeles. And there was also a romance going on behind the scenes between Grace Kelly (Mogambo's second female lead) and Gable, which ended shortly after production had moved from Africa to the MGM studios in London. 

So it was a turbulent production, yet ultimately with positive results. Mogambo became a huge commercial hit and received generally good reviews. Both Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly were nominated for Oscars (resp. for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress), and Grace also won a Golden Globe.

Above: Grace Kelly knitting on the set of Mogambo while co-star Clark Gable looks on. After the shooting had moved from Africa to London, Grace's mother flew to London and started chaperoning the couple; the affair ended not long thereafter. Below: Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner on the set in Africa; the women became good friends and remained friends until Grace's untimely death in 1982.

Grace Kelly and her friend Prudy Wise

While in Africa on location, Grace Kelly wrote several letters to Prudence Wise, her close friend and personal secretary. Here is one of those letters, written just before Christmas in December 1952. 

Source: icollector.com

Transcript:

Dear Prudy, 

Ava just arrived in camp and with her came your letter- I’m sorry I haven’t written very much - but mother told me she was sending you that letter so I didn’t want to send more of the same news- The other letter I wrote - I sent to Florida - I hope your mother will forward it - Oh God! I just this very minute thought - How dumb can I be? I sent the other letter to Mallory St. - Anyway all I said in it was to tell John when you want to come back to the apt. after Christmas - 

This is the first day off we’ve had in a long time. It’s about 4 o'clock and Gable and I are sitting in front of my tent sipping warm beer - It’s a disgrace how fat I’m getting - The food is so starchy and I am always so hungry - Haven’t heard from Phillippe - but then of course I haven’t written -

Excuse the horrible writing but am leaning on my knees and the wind is blowing - 

Ava just came into my tent and she + Clark are running a scene they are going shoot tomorrow - so it’s hard to concentrate. There really isn’t too much news we’ve been working hard- It’s hot as can be during the day - I miss New York so much this time of year - I imagine the stores are so beautiful - Please give my love to everybody and apologize to them all for my not writing - My baby giraffe - the one named after me - arrives in camp tomorrow she is so sweet - I’ll send pictures as soon as I get them - 

Clark + I went shooting the other day - shot game for the natives and a guinea hen - we ate for dinner - It was simply delicious - 

Later - 

It is now 7:30 am waiting for Gable to have his bath and pick me up for dinner - he got rather high cocktailing with old Ava next door - about 6 o'clock we all went out in the wagon with Bunny Allen - a divine looking guy - who is the white-hunter in charge of the camp - We went to see the lion down the road - a lioness + her two grown sons - they were just beautiful - we were able to get quite close to them - They put out game every few days for them to feed - in order to tame them a bit - I took pictures with the movie camera - so I hope they turn out - but it was rather dark - 

Got a letter from Sherman today as well as old John Foreman - Was in the sun a lot today and my poor nose is like a red light - 

Am sitting by a kerosene lamp as I write this being eaten by mosquitos. The hippos are starting their series of evening grunts + Gable should be along any minute so I will sign off - 

with love - 

Gracie

Above: Frank Sinatra had accompanied his wife Ava Gardner to the set of Mogambo in Africa, the two photographed here at Nairobi airport with Grace Kelly. Sinatra was in between acting jobs and during production flew back to Hollywood to do a screen test for the role of Maggio in From Here To Eternity (1953), eventually landing the role and winning the Oscar. Below: The Christmas holidays took place during the Mogambo shoot and thanks to Sinatra the cast and crew could still enjoy Christmas. In the photo Ava Gardner is seen with some of the Christmas decorations Sinatra had brought back from Nairobi. (Watch Grace Kelly in this lovely clip tell the story of how Sinatra had saved their Christmas.)

Grace Kelly's favourite teenage books

In April 1966, Evelyn Byrne (Faculty Advisor at the Elizabeth Barrett Browning High School in New York City) wrote Grace Kelly a letter on behalf of her students, asking her for a list of her favourite teenage books. Grace, who had been Princess of Monaco since 1956, was busy at the time with the Monte-Carlo Centenary and through her secretary initially rejected the school's request. Eventually, a year or so later, Grace did comply, giving Miss Byrne the information she had asked for. 

Below you'll find Grace's letter with her favourite teen books, showing that apart from poetry she seemed to have favoured adventure books. 

Grace reads The Silent World, a 1953 book co-written by Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Frédéric Dumas. 

Source: liveauctioneers

Transcript:

Among my favorite books as a teenager were, "The Call of the Wild", "Typhoon" and, of course, "Black Beauty". Since I was a teenager during World War II, I was also very impressed with books like "The Raft" and "The White Cliffs of Dover". 

I was very fond of poetry, such as "Evangeline", and among my favorite poets are Wordsworth, Keats and Shelley.  

(signed 'Grace de Monaco')

Princess Grace of Monaco 

Note:

In case you're not familiar with the books in question, here are the authors:

The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)

Typhoon by Joseph Conrad (1902)

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (1877)

The Raft by Robert Trumbull (1942)

The White Cliffs by Alice Duer Miller (1940), poem

Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1847), poem

Longing to do "Giant"

On 7 March 1955, Grace Kelly was put on suspension by MGM after she had refused to play in Jeremy Rodock opposite Spencer Tracy. Grace didn't like the film's script, and besides she was anxious to play the female lead in Giant for Warner Brothers. Her wish to do Giant, however, would not be granted; the role eventually went to Elizabeth Taylor after Rock Hudson had chosen her over Grace. Meanwhile, MGM wanted Grace for another project, The Barretts of Wimpole Street, a remake of MGM's own 1934 version. But again Grace refused, feeling she was too young to play the role of forty-something Elizabeth Barrett (unlike many fellow actors, Grace could afford to be without salary while on suspension).

Grace's suspension was finally lifted on 23 March 1955. A month earlier, she had been nominated for an Oscar for her leading role in Country Girl, and as the Oscar ceremony was approaching (to be held on 30 March) MGM decided to lift the suspension to save embarrassment in case she won. Grace eventually did win, beating the favourite Judy Garland who was nominated for A Star is Born.

The letter for this post was written in March of 1955 by Grace Kelly to Richard Gully, Hollywood insider and friend to the stars. In it, Grace touches upon the subjects mentioned above-- Giant, her Oscar nomination, her suspension and The Barretts of Wimpole Street. Especially noteworthy are her horoscope remarks concerning Giant. Grace was a firm believer in astrology, which was also noted by biographer Sarah Bradford: "She was a very superstitious woman [..], with a deep belief in her destiny as predicted by astrology and in the personal characteristics of her sign Scorpio. Astrologers had told her that she would obtain extreme good fortune through hard work, and that belief sustained her. She retained her interest in astrology to the end of her life [..]" [via].

Source: legendary auctions

Transcript:

Wednesday

Dear Richard-

Enjoyed seeing the cuttings- thank you for sending them to me-

Rushed out to get horoscope and was very disappointed because it really said nothing- was hoping it might have said that it was written in the stars for me to do Giant - But what is is best I guess- But I was longing to play it-

Am arriving about the twenty-eight for two weeks-  the suspense of the awards will have me a nervous wreck by the 30th-

Have no idea what Metro means to do about my suspension- except that they mention "Barretts of Wimpole St" to the newspapers occasionally- But I was talking to Katherine Cornell about it last night and she said that Elizabeth Barrett was forty-three years old - and that is the poignancy of the story- while I'm still young enough for certain parts why age myself unnecessarily- It will happen soon enough--

All my best

Grace (Patricia)

*Note: Katharine Cornell was an actress who played Elizabeth Barrett in the original play by Rudolph Besier.

Grace Kelly and Rock Hudson: their collaboration on "Giant" was not to be.

Dear Grace-Grace

I live in Amsterdam and, apart from the occasional screening of a classic film at a film theatre, there's not much happening here in terms of classic Hollywood films (we don't have a TCM festival, unfortunately). So a few days ago I was quite excited to go to Apeldoorn (East Netherlands) to see the exhibition Grace Kelly, Princess and Style Icon. The exhibition had been travelling the world since 2007 and the beautiful Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn was its final stop. Displayed at the exhibit were quite a few dresses worn by Grace Kelly as well as accessories (like the famous Hermès bag), photographs, film clips, the actual Oscar Grace had won for Country Girl and some of her personal correspondence. It was really great to see the original dresses she had worn in films like To Catch a Thief and High Society (although the blue dress from High Society had faded significantly, see image below), and to see an original Oscar up close was pretty cool too. 

The focus of the exhibition was Grace Kelly's wardrobe. One of the dresses on show was her famous wedding dress (unfortunately not the original one but a replica). All photos by Menno Mulder Photography/ Het Loo Palace.

Naturally, I was quite anxious to check out Grace's personal correspondence, and to see if there was anything I might be able to use for this blog. There were several letters on show, amongst them love letters from prince Rainier, correspondence from royals like our former queen Beatrix and princess Diana, and a great letter from director Jean Negulesco regarding rules and dress code for the 1955 Oscar Ceremony. I would have liked to use Negulesco's letter for this post, but photography was not allowed (there was a permanent guard near the display case keeping me from sneakily taking photos). But, of course I wouldn't be writing this post if I didn't have a letter to show you. Searching the net I found a wonderful letter that was not on display in Apeldoorn, but had been on show at the McCord Museum in Montreal in 2013. The letter was presumably written by John Springer (Grace Kelly's press agent) warning Grace about Jack Nicholson who wanted to have "a closer-than-fan relationship" with her. 

Via: cityowls

Transcript:

May 23

Dear Grace-Grace,

As your Defender here in America, I must warn you that you are about to hear from Jack Nicholson. Nicholson insists on having a closer-than-fan relationship with you and hopes that you have seen some of his pictures.. which might give him an opportunity to write this personal note he has in mind.

Rest assured I have monitored the contents of the note, and have forbidden him to say anything fresh. If he needs to be chastized when you get the note, let me know and I'll give him sharp cracks across the knuckles.

I experience some twinge of jealousy in this whole affair, but at least he is sincere. 

Much love

John (signed) 

Note: Earlier I posted one of the love letters from Rainier that was displayed at the exhibit in Apeldoorn (read here).

What wonderful news!

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly starred together in only one movie, Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955). Grant loved working with Grace and would state many years later that she was his favourite leading lady of all time ("Well, with all due respect to dear Ingrid Bergman, I much preferred Grace. She had serenity.") But it was not only on the set he got along with Grace, the two stars also enjoyed each other's company outside of work. After Grace had become Princess of Monaco in 1956, they kept in touch and Grant would make occasional visits to Monaco.

On 26 February 1966, Cary Grant became a father for the first and only time (he was 62 years old). With his fourth wife Dyan Cannon, to whom he was married from 1965 till 1968, he had a daughter named Jennifer. Two days after she was born, Grant received a telegram from his friend Grace congratulating him on becoming a father.

Via: telegrams from last century

Transcript

(..) FEB 28 66 (..)

(..) MONTECARLO (..)

MR CARY GRANT

242 NORTH CANNON DR BEVERLY HILLS (CALIF)

THRILLED AND DELIGHTED OVER WONDERFUL NEWS RAINIER JOINS ME IN SENDING CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES LOVE

GRACE

Love letter to Grace Kelly

In May 1955, 25 year-old Grace Kelly was in Cannes for the annual film festival when she was invited for a photo shoot with Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Despite her reluctance to participate in the shoot, Grace accepted the invitation and met the prince at his palace in Monaco. Upon her return to the States, Grace began to work on her new film The Swan (in which she, quite prophetically, portrayed a princess), meanwhile starting a secret correspondence with Rainier. The prince visited the U.S. months later (in December of 1955) and seeing Grace again proposed to her after three days. On 18 and 19 April 1956, "The Wedding of the Century" took place. The private civil ceremony was held on the 18th, followed the next day by the church ceremony, which was watched by more than 30 million people on live television. The wedding was arguably the first modern multi-media press event and Grace Kelly reportedly called it "The Carnival of the Century".

Prince Rainier wrote Grace Kelly the following love letter in early April 1956, just before Grace left the U.S. for Monaco.

Via: grace and family

Transcript:

My darling

This to tell in a very mild way how terribly much I love you. Miss you, need you , and want you near me always. Safe trip my love. Rest relax and think of me burning myself out with this terrible longing of you, for you! I love you so

Greta & Grace

As I've said before, it's great to come across correspondence that is surprising or unexpected. I think this goes for the correspondence I found between Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly. The two actresses never worked together professionally (Greta retired from acting in 1941 when Grace's career hadn't even started), so I never would have guessed they knew each other socially, let alone be friends. The fact that Grace's letter starts with "Dear Miss G.", says something about the level of their friendship. In a Vanity Fair article by William Frye (The Garbo Next Door), Frye says that to her closest friends Greta Garbo was G.G.; if you were on the next level of intimacy, she was Miss G., and everybody else called her Miss Garbo.

Greta Garbo was a very private person. Throughout her Hollywood career, she avoided parties, never came to the Oscar ceremonies, never gave autographs or answered fanmail, and hardly ever gave interviews. In retirement, she avoided being in the public eye altogether. However, contrary to what people believed, she did have many friends and acquaintances she socialised with, Grace Kelly being one of them.

The following letter is from Grace to Greta (with no mention of the year in which she wrote it).

Image letter via: i heart grace kelly

Transcript:

July 28th

Dear Miss G.

I couldn't be here with the Logans- so close- without sending my love-

we miss you & often think of the lovely times in Monaco and Cap d'Ail-

with great affection

Grace Kelly

The second letter is from Greta to Grace. Dated 7 June 1965, this is Greta's reply to an invitation she received from Grace.

Via: i heart grace kelly