Fond Remembrances of Actor Cary Grant

To my utter astonishment the telephone rang and when I picked it up the voice at the other end sounded vaguely familiar, the slight accent, the smooth voice. The voice asked for me by name, the speaker stating that he was Cary Grant. My first thought was that it sounded just like “Cary Grant,� as if he had a different voice for “real� life as opposed to “reel� life. Although his call surprised me, it was not totally unexpected.

Several years ago, as a young, aspiring screenwriter, I managed to get Cary Grant’s home address. Knowing full well that he was no longer interested in making movies, I, nonetheless, sent him a letter telling him about the perfect part for him in a screenplay of mine. I truly never expected to hear from him as I had sent so many similar letters to other stars who never responded. Therefore, even though I had been half-hoping to hear from Cary Grant in the back of my mind, it was still a shock to hear his voice on the other end of the line.

Naturally, he wasn’t interested in any movie parts, but he thanked me for my interest and we just “schmoozed� for about 10 minutes on various subjects. He left me with a good feeling, a feeling that here, at least, was one star who was just as charming off the screen as on. Thank you, Mr. Grant.

PAUL D. MARKS

Century City