The above guys are pure awesomeness, in my opinion. :) Just look at them! These are talented actors that I almost always enjoy seeing in movies, for one reason or another. Here's my list...
1. Cary Grant. First of all, at the risk of sounding really superficial, Cary Grant is ridiculously handsome. :) But the best thing about him is this: There is only one Cary Grant. No one can ever truly be like him, and he's just in a class of his own. He had a distinctive voice and style and quirky mannerisms. But he could be anything. He could be a debonair millionaire, a loveable ex-husband (but he never really stayed the ex-husband for long, did he? :), a fast-talking newspaper man, a nerdy professor and a former jewel thief. And he was all of those brilliantly. He could be hilarious and swoon-worthy within the same five minutes of a film. I really like Cary Grant, could you tell? :)
Favorites: The Awful Truth, His Girl Friday, The Talk of the Town, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Charade.
2. Gene Kelly. I saw Gene Kelly in of the first musicals I ever watched, Singin' in the Rain, and it was one of my most memorable classic movie experiences. Gene Kelly can dance (boy, can he dance!), act, and sing, and he's amazing at all three! The first thing I noticed about him was how enthusiastic he was while dancing, and how it was obvious he really, really loved what he was doing. Gene Kelly was my introduction to real dancing (I'm a child of the 90s and the only dancing I had ever seen was the synchronized moves of popular boy bands). And his smile is really contagious. I also love to hear him sing...I read once that his singing voice was an extension of his speaking voice, and it's so true. It sounds so natural.
Favorites: For Me and My Gal, Anchors Aweigh, On the Town, Summer Stock, and Singin' in the Rain.
3. James Stewart. Jimmy Stewart could be your next door neighbor. He's so likeable, earnest, unassuming, and good. He seems easy-going and familiar, but he could definitely surprise you with emotional scenes. In one case, there was even a murderer hidden behind that nice guy façade! :) I don't really know what else to say about him...I mean, he's Jimmy Stewart.
Favorites: You Can't Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Shop Around the Corner, Harvey, The Glenn Miller Story, and Rear Window.
4. Humphrey Bogart. He didn't have the attractive looks of other actors like Cary Grant or Gregory Peck (strangely enough, he always reminded me of a mouse. Very weird, I know, but I think it was how he sometimes talked with his teeth bared :) but Humphrey Bogart was incredibly talented. Sometimes he played characters that were genuinely rough and rotten to the core. But quite often he just seemed to be putting on a tough guy act to hide the fact that he was actually a nice guy. :) And he was perfect with Lauren Bacall- it's like she smoothed out his rough edges.
Favorites: Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, Key Largo, The African Queen, and Sabrina.
5. Gregory Peck. After you've fallen in love with Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday, there's really no turning back. :) I haven't seen as many of his films as I'd like to, because I'm generally not a fan of Westerns. He's tall, dark, and handsome, and even better, he seems like such a nice guy. He also has a perfect voice. And could anyone have ever been a better Atticus Finch? I think not.
Favorites: Spellbound, Roman Holiday, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
So...who are your favorite leading men from classic films? Let me know in the comments or link up your post below!
Until next time,
Great picks! Okay I love love LOVE Cary Grant and I have to ask, have you seen North by Northwest or To Catch a Thief? I think you would particularly like the latter. :) And Gene Kelly! Makes me happy. Also, one more rec...I am not a big western film fan either, but one western worth checking out of his is The Big Country...LOVE that movie. Other great films of his are Captain Horatio Hornblower, Arabesque (very similar vibe to Charade...same director if I'm not mistaken), The World in His Arms, and Mirage.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've seen North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief! I love both of them, and while I think Cary Grant was still super handsome and charming in his later films, I still seem to prefer the earlier black and white ones. :) I do love those two, though!
DeleteI've had The Big Country in my Netflix queue for months now...maybe I should bump it up? I'll have to check out those others, too! Thanks for the recommendations. :)
I'd have to say that Gene Kelly is my favorite Classic actor! I absolutely love Singin' in the Rain and On the Town! Cary Grant is also a good one!
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely some of my favorite classic actors, too!
ReplyDeleteI linked up!
Thank you so much for hosting this party, Kristin! :)
I liked Gene Kelly TREMENDOUSLY...until I did some reading up on him and found out what self-centered, conceited prat he was! *sniff sniff* Ever since then, he's never quite shown as brightly in my mind. But yes, there's NO denying his dancing abilities! I pretty much go into a trance when I watch Singing in the Rain! :D
ReplyDeleteI've read such things, too, but I tune them out. :) Gene Kelly comes across as so likable in his films that I pretend that's how he must have been in real life. Ha. :) Most of my favorite people from classic films has personal issues...I get some strange pleasure from reading their biographies and/or memoirs but then continuing to imagine them differently!
DeleteOooo! OOO! Ronald Coleman (he was marvelous in The Prisoner of Zenda!) and Cary Grant (Charade is one of my all-time favorite old films. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Paris pretty much spells perfection! It was the film that first introduced me to him.)!
ReplyDelete