Cary Grant and Me

Born Archibald Leach, January 18, 1904, in Bristol, England.  Died Cary Grant, November 29, 1986, in Davenport, IA.

I saw Cary Grant in person ... definitely a highlight of my life.  I mean, my wonderful world of classic movies crossed over into reality ... just fantastic.  It was in 1984 or 1985, the memory goes.  Cary had started to do his "A Night with Cary Grant" shows, which consisted of his sitting on a stool by himself on a stage, looking sooooo Cary Grant, followed by a screening of a brief movie bio., and wrapping up with a question/answer session.  I went with a co-worker, it was in Ventura, CA, and I was undoubtedly the youngest person in the smallish, 300-seater max theatre, still having my natural hair color.  I tried to get myself to ask him a question, couldn't do it.  White hair, big black glasses ... but sitting on that stool with the elan of Cary Grant of the 1940s ... my, my.  Whoever set up that stage presentation was a true genius.  Nothing on that stage but an old man on a stool in a spotlight ... Sigh.  The next day our fellow workers gave us a really hard time about getting excited about an 80-year-old man ... they just weren't there ... they definitely did not understand the power and magic of the Golden Age of Movies ...