Biography - Cary Grant: Hollywood's Leading Man [VHS]
Onscreen, Cary Grant evolved into an idealized male, at once virile and elegant, irresistibly handsome yet disarmingly self-deprecating.  From a 1930s approximation of beefcake in early speaking roles opposite Mae West through his revelatory success in screwball comedies and inevitable box-office triumph as a romantic lead, Grant sustained an inner core of good humor and intelligence. If those qualities were authentic, however, this matinee idol's debonair persona was itself an act of dramatic self-invention, as this reliably well-paced, balancedBiographyepisode explains.Grant's air of continental refinement masked his considerably more humble origins as Archie Leach, a Bristol, England, native who entered vaudeville as a teenager and acquired his signature polish through personal ambition rather than social privilege. Traveling to the U.S. to appear onstage in New York, the once and future Grant cast a wistful eye on the burgeoning movie business in Hollywood, then did something about it; given Grant's apprenticeship in vaudeville, it was not surprising that he should transcend his early sell as a boy toy to become a skilled farceur.This profile follows Grant's career triumphs, including his graceful maturation onscreen, as well as his more questing nature offscreen. Early romances, multiple marriages, experimentation with LSD during its clinical therapeutic applications during the 1950s, and Grant's post-Hollywood career as a businessman are all covered.--Sam Sutherland