Cary Grant, the Making of a Hollywood Legend

By: Mark Glancy

Narrated by: Daniel Henning

Archie Leach was a poorly educated, working-class boy from a troubled family living in the backstreets of Bristol. Cary Grant was Hollywood's most debonair film star - the embodiment of worldly sophistication. Cary Grant: The Making of a Hollywood Legend tells the incredible story of how a sad, neglected boy became the suave, glamorous star many know and idolize. The first biography to be based on Grant's own personal papers, this book takes us on a fascinating journey from the actor's difficult childhood through years of struggle in music halls and vaudeville, a hit-and-miss career in Broadway musicals, and three decades of film stardom during Hollywood's golden age.

Leaving no stone unturned, Cary Grant delves into all aspects of Grant's life, from the bitter realities of his impoverished childhood to his trailblazing role in Hollywood as a film star who defied the studio system and took control of his own career. Highlighting Grant's genius as an actor and a filmmaker, author Mark Glancy examines the crucial contributions Grant made to such classic films as Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Notorious (1946), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959), Charade (1963), and Father Goose (1964).

©2020 Mark Glancy (P)2021 Tantor

Interesting but lengthy

There are many interesting things about his life, I found the book a little lengthy and drying some parts, but overall a good book

Excellent Overview of CG Life & Films

Enjoyed learning about the details of many of Grant’s films and his relationships with his parents and his Hollywood friends and costars.

Makes me want to watch his movies again

Very thorough history of Cary Grant and his 72 movies. Very well narrated too. I appreciate that the book was chronological and frequently let the listener know what year it was since I don’t have the book in front of me.

Good writing, wrong narrator.

The book is very well researched and written based, as it is, on Grant’s own papers and memorabilia and relevant interviews and information from primary sources.

But, the narrator. I struggled to get to chapter 19 hoping that I could get used to his voice and amateurish inflections and pronunciations. It’s extremely rare that I give up on a book whose writing I enjoy as much as I do this one.

And I’m not just talking about the usual mispronunciation of place and people’s names. That’s a frustration regular listeners of biographies learn to ignore. It’s the voice itself. It’s completely wrong for this kind of book. There’s absolutely none of the gravitas or even the authority that is required for the subject matter.

Enjoy your day.

Nice Man

Nice story ….throughly enjoyed …..he stands out as a nice man and great sense of humor…