Every year, one of the most anticipated events are the OSCARS, when the Academy Awards celebrates Hollywood with its most influential, most prestigious, and famous of film awards. The night that all the stars come out leaves indelible memories imprinted for generations to come. Some of these Oscar moments are public, and some remain more private thoughts.
“The Oscar Letters” by Shaun Considine preserves golden age memories of Hollywood as celebrities recall the OSCARS in their own words . The premise was a simple one… letters were sent out conveying admiration for their work and asking for their help in writing about their Oscar victory. He enclosed a list of questions, which they could answer at their convenience, through an interview, by phone, or if they preferred, by writing their recollections.
However, none of this may have come to fruition were it not for Grace Kelly – then Princess Grace of Monaco:
In New York during February of 1963, captivated by what is known in Hollywood as “Oscar Fever” I went in search of a book on the subject and found there weren’t any. Hence, passionately and boldly, without professional credits or skill, except for letters dispatched frequently to my parents in Ireland, I decided to write one, from the perspective of the actors who won. Almost immediately a formidable problem presented itself. Although the names of the winners were easily available, I did not know where to locate them. But then I thought of one whose address I knew. Grace Kelly, honoured in 1955 for The Country Girl, now known as Princess Grace, was living at The Palace, Monaco. So I decided to write to her there.
Between you and me, composing that letter wasn’t an arduous task, since I knew practically every millimetre of Grace Kelly’s films. In lieu of studying Science and taking exams at the University of Galway, I was sitting blissfully through double features of Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, the latter featuring one of the most seductive, non-verbal scenes in film history. Wherein Kelly, as the stunning but glacial American heiress, Frances Stevens, upon being escorted to her hotel room by an equally gorgeous and teasingly confident stranger John Robie, AKA “Le Chat” (Cary Grant), allows him to open the door to her suite. Stepping inside, she turns, locks eyes with the bemused tuxedoed hunk, glides forward, slips her elegant hand around his upper back, and kisses him, solidly, on the mouth. Then she shuts the door, leaving the suspected jewel thief with a look on his face that suggested, as another besotted viewer later stated, she had just unzipped the fly to his pants.
In the letter I expressed my enthusiasm for The Country Girl, and the Princess’s other films, and asked if she would assist me in writing her part of the book. Three weeks later a reply arrived from Monaco, from the Princess’s private secretary, which, once my unstable heart was retrieved from the floor, read in part: “Her Highness appreciates your interest and asks that you contact her directly at her home address in Philadelphia… in order to arrange for a possible interview… in New York City.”
I did as instructed, contacted Her Serene Highness in Philadelphia and left my New York telephone number. Her secretary called and an appointment was made. On the afternoon of May 23 1963, looking every inch the goddess I fantasised about during recent college days, the Princess, wearing a light blue Chanel suit, a single strand of cultured pearls, and her shimmering ash blonde hair in a chignon, met with me in her suite at the Regency Hotel in Manhattan. Both The Country Girl and the Oscars were rollercoaster experiences, she said, starting at the top with Paramount Pictures, who asked her to play the coveted role of the embittered alcoholic’s wife. The lows began when (a), Bing Crosby, the star of the film, did not want her as his co-star, and (b), her home studio, MGM, refused to loan her out. With Celtic resolve and talent, Kelly overcame both. Nominated for Best Actress she was euphoric – until days later, MGM, angered by her continued refusals to work in its sub-par films, sent a telegram to the nominated actress, suspending her.
With the golden glow of time spent with Grace Kelly urging me on, I was able to tackle the challenge of locating the other winners.
Replies began to arrive from all over the world. William Holden in Malaysia; Anna Magnani and Sophia Loren from Italy; Laurence Olivier in London; Judy Holliday, New York; and from Hollywood – Joan Crawford, Ray Milland, Bing Crosby, and more to come. Some agreed to be interviewed, many preferred to write their recollections, which varied in length, from two to three to eight pages (Loretta Young), or with short terse replies (Frank Sinatra, George Sanders). Tropes and hieroglyphics, as it were, to be decoded and interpreted, befitting the complex personas each talented performer possessed.
Here are some snippets from Grace Kelly in “The Oscar Letters”:
How did you spend the day of the Awards?
“I was still on suspension from MGM, so I had to go to Paramount to prepare and get dressed. Edith Head was a strong ally and helped enormously. She had chosen two of her designs. One was the Grecian draped blue chiffon, from the opening scene of To Catch a Thief. But since the movie was not yet released, Mr Hitchcock requested that we did not use that dress. So we decided on the blue satin gown, which I had worn to the opening of the film in New York a few months before.”
Do you recall your acceptance speech?
“I managed to thank everyone who had made that moment possible. Then I had the good sense to leave the stage as my composure was beginning to waver.”
See Grace Kelly Speech and more on her legacy to the Academy Awards
Books still provide treasures of memories … like “My Days with Princess Grace of Monaco” a true insider’s account providing insights into the real relationship between Princess Grace and Prince Rainier who would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2016.
Shaun Considine shared that it was a tremendous coup getting to interview Princess Grace. She was the first Oscar winner who agreed to participate, and she and her press agent, Rupert Allan, were enormously supportive and helped getting some of the others – David Niven, Frank Sinatra, Alec Guinness and William Holden – to contribute. More about the author of The Oscar Letters
See more on Grace Kelly and the Academy Awards Oscars
