Grace Kelly
Australian freecard by AvantCard postcard, no. 16219. Photo: Philippe Halsman. This card promoted the exhibition 'Grace Kelly - Style Icon' in the Bendigo Art Gallery in 2012.
American actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) had a brief but very successful Hollywood career. She was the sparkling, elegant heroine in three classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers. Her talents rivalled her beauty, winning her the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl in 1954. After marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956, she became Princess of Monaco and retired from the cinema.
Grace Patricia Kelly was born in 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Margaret Katherine Majer, who had taught physical education at the University of Pennsylvania, and John Brendan Kelly, Sr., who owned a successful brickwork contracting company and was a three-time Olympic Gold winner for rowing. Her uncle was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright George Kelly. At an early age, Grace decided to become an actress. After her high school graduation in 1947, she struck out on her own, heading to New York. Despite her parents' disapproval, she attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She worked as a model and in 1949, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of August Strindberg's The Father alongside Raymond Massey. At 19, her graduation performance was as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story. Grace also made a foray into the infant medium of television and appeared in 60 live drama productions between 1950 and 1953. Her success on television brought her a role in a major motion picture. Her first film was Fourteen Hours (Henry Hathaway, 1951) when she was 22. It was a small part, but a start nonetheless. The following year, she landed the role of Amy Kane in the now-classic Western High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), opposite starring Gary Cooper. The film turned out to be very popular. Curiously, however, she did not benefit from the film's success, and no other offers were immediately forthcoming. In 1953, Grace appeared in only one film, the popular jungle drama Mogambo (John Ford, 1953). She played Linda Nordley next to Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. Director Ford said that she showed "breeding, quality and class." Her role won her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1954. Both films had got her noticed and Grace signed a seven-year contract with MGM.
It was master director Alfred Hitchcock who turned Grace Kelly into a major star. She was the perfect blonde he had been seeking throughout his career. Her first film for him was Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954), the screen adaptation of Frederick Knott's Broadway hit. Then, her standout performance as elegant socialite Lisa Fremont in the brilliant Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) brought her to prominence. She was cast opposite James Stewart, who played a photographer who witnesses a murder in an apartment across the courtyard while convalescing in a wheelchair. TCM: “The dazzlingly designed Hitchcock classic would showcase Kelly's beauty and her true personality.” In 1954 Kelly appeared in five films. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin, the wife of a washed-up crooner (Bing Crosby) in The Country Girl (George Seaton, 1954) a film version of Clifford Odets' Broadway hit. William Holden played a director of a Broadway play, who falls for Kelly's character after casting her depressed and alcoholic husband, - an uncomfortable love triangle that mirrored real life. Reportedly Kelly had affairs with both Holden and Crosby. In 1955, Grace teamed for the third and final time with Hitchcock on To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955), co-starring Cary Grant. Hal Erickson at AllMovie: “To Catch a Thief is as enjoyable and engaging now as it was 40 years ago. Though the Riviera location photography is pleasing, our favourite scene takes place in a Paramount Studios mockup of a luxury hotel suite, where Grant and Kelly make love while a fireworks display orgasmically erupts outside their window.” In 1956, she played Tracy Lord in the musical comedy High Society (Charles Walters, 1956), which was based on the Oscar-winning comedy The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940). The whimsical tale ended with her re-marrying her former husband, played by Bing Crosby. The film was well-received but turned out to be her final acting performance.
In 1955, Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier III of Monaco during the Cannes Film Festival. She broke off her affair with fashion designer Oleg Cassini to marry the Prince. News of the engagement was a sensation. The lavish wedding in 1956 was estimated to have been watched by over 30 million viewers on live television. Grace and Rainier had three children: Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957), Prince Albert of Monaco (1958), and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (1965). Reportedly, Grace hoped to return to acting in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), but Monaco's citizens were outraged about the idea of their princess playing a kleptomaniac and kissing Sean Connery. So, Marnie premiered in 1964 with Tippi Hedren in Kelly's role. Prince Rainier later dismissed director Herbert Ross's entreaties for Grace to star in his drama The Turning Point (1977). For the rest of her life, she was to remain in the news with her marriage and her three children. As Princess of Monaco, Grace retained her American roots, maintaining dual U.S. and Monégasque citizenship. In 1982, Grace died in Monaco, a day after suffering a stroke while driving, causing her to crash. She was 52. An estimated 100 million people viewed her funeral on TV. Rainier, who never remarried, was buried alongside her following his death in 2005.
Sources: Denny Jackson and Dale O'Connor (IMDb), Pedro Borges (IMDb), Jason Ankeny (AllMovie), Hal Erickson (AllMovie), TCM, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Grace Kelly
Australian freecard by AvantCard postcard, no. 16219. Photo: Philippe Halsman. This card promoted the exhibition 'Grace Kelly - Style Icon' in the Bendigo Art Gallery in 2012.
American actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) had a brief but very successful Hollywood career. She was the sparkling, elegant heroine in three classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers. Her talents rivalled her beauty, winning her the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl in 1954. After marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956, she became Princess of Monaco and retired from the cinema.
Grace Patricia Kelly was born in 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Margaret Katherine Majer, who had taught physical education at the University of Pennsylvania, and John Brendan Kelly, Sr., who owned a successful brickwork contracting company and was a three-time Olympic Gold winner for rowing. Her uncle was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright George Kelly. At an early age, Grace decided to become an actress. After her high school graduation in 1947, she struck out on her own, heading to New York. Despite her parents' disapproval, she attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She worked as a model and in 1949, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of August Strindberg's The Father alongside Raymond Massey. At 19, her graduation performance was as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story. Grace also made a foray into the infant medium of television and appeared in 60 live drama productions between 1950 and 1953. Her success on television brought her a role in a major motion picture. Her first film was Fourteen Hours (Henry Hathaway, 1951) when she was 22. It was a small part, but a start nonetheless. The following year, she landed the role of Amy Kane in the now-classic Western High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), opposite starring Gary Cooper. The film turned out to be very popular. Curiously, however, she did not benefit from the film's success, and no other offers were immediately forthcoming. In 1953, Grace appeared in only one film, the popular jungle drama Mogambo (John Ford, 1953). She played Linda Nordley next to Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. Director Ford said that she showed "breeding, quality and class." Her role won her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1954. Both films had got her noticed and Grace signed a seven-year contract with MGM.
It was master director Alfred Hitchcock who turned Grace Kelly into a major star. She was the perfect blonde he had been seeking throughout his career. Her first film for him was Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954), the screen adaptation of Frederick Knott's Broadway hit. Then, her standout performance as elegant socialite Lisa Fremont in the brilliant Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) brought her to prominence. She was cast opposite James Stewart, who played a photographer who witnesses a murder in an apartment across the courtyard while convalescing in a wheelchair. TCM: “The dazzlingly designed Hitchcock classic would showcase Kelly's beauty and her true personality.” In 1954 Kelly appeared in five films. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin, the wife of a washed-up crooner (Bing Crosby) in The Country Girl (George Seaton, 1954) a film version of Clifford Odets' Broadway hit. William Holden played a director of a Broadway play, who falls for Kelly's character after casting her depressed and alcoholic husband, - an uncomfortable love triangle that mirrored real life. Reportedly Kelly had affairs with both Holden and Crosby. In 1955, Grace teamed for the third and final time with Hitchcock on To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955), co-starring Cary Grant. Hal Erickson at AllMovie: “To Catch a Thief is as enjoyable and engaging now as it was 40 years ago. Though the Riviera location photography is pleasing, our favourite scene takes place in a Paramount Studios mockup of a luxury hotel suite, where Grant and Kelly make love while a fireworks display orgasmically erupts outside their window.” In 1956, she played Tracy Lord in the musical comedy High Society (Charles Walters, 1956), which was based on the Oscar-winning comedy The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940). The whimsical tale ended with her re-marrying her former husband, played by Bing Crosby. The film was well-received but turned out to be her final acting performance.
In 1955, Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier III of Monaco during the Cannes Film Festival. She broke off her affair with fashion designer Oleg Cassini to marry the Prince. News of the engagement was a sensation. The lavish wedding in 1956 was estimated to have been watched by over 30 million viewers on live television. Grace and Rainier had three children: Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957), Prince Albert of Monaco (1958), and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (1965). Reportedly, Grace hoped to return to acting in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), but Monaco's citizens were outraged about the idea of their princess playing a kleptomaniac and kissing Sean Connery. So, Marnie premiered in 1964 with Tippi Hedren in Kelly's role. Prince Rainier later dismissed director Herbert Ross's entreaties for Grace to star in his drama The Turning Point (1977). For the rest of her life, she was to remain in the news with her marriage and her three children. As Princess of Monaco, Grace retained her American roots, maintaining dual U.S. and Monégasque citizenship. In 1982, Grace died in Monaco, a day after suffering a stroke while driving, causing her to crash. She was 52. An estimated 100 million people viewed her funeral on TV. Rainier, who never remarried, was buried alongside her following his death in 2005.
Sources: Denny Jackson and Dale O'Connor (IMDb), Pedro Borges (IMDb), Jason Ankeny (AllMovie), Hal Erickson (AllMovie), TCM, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.