THE PHILADELPHIA STORY! Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart
THE QUESTION...WHO WOULD KATE HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF CHOOSING IN REAL LIFE?
MOVIE
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
THE PLOT
George Cukor’s 1940’s comedy of marriage, divorce, scandalous behavior and a wedding dress that looks like it was borrowed from Scarlet O’Hara! (No kidding…see photo below) Starring Katherine Hepburn as an outspoken socialite trying to decide which man and path in life will make her happy. Well this one could officially be called a romantic quadrangle with Cary Grant as her ex-husband, Jimmy Stewart as a reporter sent to get the story on her family, and John Howard as the man she's supposed to be marrying. But for this Dallen Triangle we choose to compare the Hepburn, Grant, and Stewart Scenario.
A SIDE OF ATTITUDE
On a personal note after watching the movie and reviewing all of the men in her life I would say she should have chosen none of them. Her cheating father blames her independence for his infidelity…ridiculous. Her uncle is a drunken pervert. Grant pretty much punches her in the face in the first scene. John Howard is only marrying her to advance his political career. Stewart flaunts his dalliance with Kate in front of the women he has been leading on for years. So for me she should keep looking… but lucky for us we are not basing our results on their movie characters but on their real lives.
LET’S GET STARTED! So in real life who would Kate been better off choosing?
Make sure to add your comments below! As with all my posts I look forward to you agreeing with me 100%. LOL!! Ok bring on the heat! I want to hear your thoughts and who knows...you might be able to change my mind...Maybe!!
Lets break down Kate’s men in real life. Keep in mind both these men are considered Hollywood Royalty so could Kate really lose? Hmmm Maybe???
THE BASICS
Cary Grant
Born January 18, 1904 in Horfield, Bristol, England, UK
Died November 29, 1986 in Davenport, Iowa
Birth Name Archibald Alec Leach
Height 6' 1½" (1.87 m)
Jimmy Stewart
Born May 20, 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
Died July 2, 1997 in Los Angeles, California
Birth Name James Maitland Stewart
Nickname Jimmy
Height 6' 3" (1.91 m)
APPEARANCE
Both tall good-looking leading men with endless star power. You would think that Stewart’s home-grown charm would make him an easy win in this category but our Dallen report gives this one to Grant for his Sophisticated swagger and Hollywood debonair style.
NET WORTH
Grant- $10 Million Dollars (approx.)
Stewart $30 Million Dollars (approx.)
Either way this is a win… but more is more! Go Stewart!
FIDELITY
-Stewart remained faithful to his wife Gloria Stewart throughout their marriage of 35 years. They had 2 children. As we have seen over and over again it is extremely rare in Hollywood for stars to stay devoted to their partners. Many of Stewart’s colleagues, such as Gary Cooper, John Wayne, and his friend Henry Fonda, had a series of infidelities. Stewart made it work!
Grant on the other hand was married five times. Ready for Drama???
-He wed Virginia Cherrill on February 9, 1934. Following charges that Grant had hit her. She divorced him on March 26, 1935.
-On July 8, 1942 he married Barbara Hutton, one of the wealthiest women in the world following a $50 million inheritance from her grandfather, Frank Winfield Woolworth. The couple was derisively nicknamed "Cash and Cary", they divorced in 1945.
-On December 25, 1949, Grant married Betsy Drake, the co-star of two of his films. This would prove to be his longest marriage, ending on August 14, 1962.
-Grant married Dyan Cannon on July 22, 1965 and divorced in March 1968. They had a daughter.
-On April 11, 1981, Grant married Barbara Harris, a British hotel public relations agent who was 47 years his junior. Friends of Grant considered her to have had an extremely positive impact on Grant, and Prince Rainier of Monaco remarked that he had never been happier.
We have to give this one to Stewart. Although Grant offered a whirlwind of glamour and excitement, Stewart offered the same Hollywood notoriety but he was there for better and for worse and was not nearly as high maintenance.
LONGEVITY
Grant- Passed away at age 82
Stewart Passed at age 89
CAREER POWER
Jimmy Stewart acted in an endless list of memorable movies such as Rear Window, Harvey, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, and Vertigo. But he will always be remembered for a film that remains maybe even more important today then when it was originally released “It’s a Wonderful Life.” A Holiday classic that has become an iconic part of American life for decades. Granted (no pun intended) he was contemplating suicide in the movie, the overall positive message is of celebrating what’s really important in life…friends and family. It should also be noted that Stewart one the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Philadelphia Story.
Grant has been in an endless list of amazing movies such as Charade, Notorious, Bringing Up Baby, and Suspician. As a top movie pick we are going with the Hitchcock Classic North by Northwest. Part of me wanted to go with Arsenic and Old Lace just for the fun of it but let’s stick with the Hitchcock classic.
So our choice for career power… this is a tough one! Let’s be honest they both have made kick ass movies and both men were stars of Hitchcock movies…Maybe Hitch couldn’t decide either! LOL But for starring in a holiday classic that will outlive all of us we are going with Stewart. Like I said, it’s tough decision! I believe Grant has made more powerful movies and perhaps even taken on more challenging roles, but that one Holiday movie offers inspiration and true staying power that will live on for generations to come.
I have to give this one to Stewart... Ok start hating me now!
THE LOVE TRINGLE GOES TO???
Stewart offers a long life of fidelity, wealth, charm, and a lot less drama than Grant. Since Katherine also preferred a quiet life at her family home on the water in CT we believe they would have had a strong relationship based on love and friendship.