Indiscreet (1958)

     " ...as impeccably tailored and deft with a witty line as ever and looking very little older..."

With Ingrid Bergman.

Indiscreet - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"Indiscreet  is an attempt to revive the kind of urbane romantic comedy that was popular some twenty years ago.  To qualify for this category it was necessary that the leading characters be rich and handsome and spectacularly well dressed and that they behave in the somewhat irresponsible fashion equated in the mind of the average audience with genuine sophistication.  It was also helpful, though not altogether obligatory, to have Cary Grant as the male star.  

Cary Grant, as impeccably tailored and deft with a witty line as ever and looking very little older, is on hand in this new one (in fact, with director Stanley Donen he also co-produced it).  Playing opposite him is a magnificently gowned Ingrid Bergman.  

The film was adapted by Norman Krasna from his play, Kind Sir.  It was not much of a play and the addition of some clever new dialogue does not make the movie version much better.  Even so, the two principals, though a trifle mature for this kind of shenanigans, are thoroughly expert and so are Phyllis Calvert and Cecil Parker.  And an ultra-handsome Technicolor production rounds out what I suppose could be called glamorous escapism."

- Moira Walsh, Catholic World

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number 64 - Indiscreet (Lobby Card Style)

Part Of

For more, see also:

On This Day 20 May 2020

On This Day 19 May 2021

Quote From Today 20 May 2022

Quote From Today... Notorious! (1946)

"Daisies and buttercups, wasn't it?"

With Ingrid Bergman.

Notorious! was Cary Grant's 49th full length feature film.

Devlin: I can't help recalling some of your remarks about being a new woman. Daisies and buttercups, wasn't it?

Alicia: You idiot! What are you sore about, you knew very well what I was doing!

Devlin: Did I?

Alicia: You could have stopped me with one word, but no, you wouldn't. You threw me at him!

Devlin: I threw you at nobody.

Alicia: Didn't you tell me what I had?

Devlin: A man doesn't tell a woman what to do; she tells herself. You almost had me believing in that little hokey-pokey miracle of yours, that a woman like you could change her spots.

Alicia: Oh, you're rotten.

Devlin: That's why I didn't try to stop you. The answer had to come from you.

Alicia: I see. Some kind of love test.

Devlin: That's right.

Quote From Today... Indiscreet (1958)

  "Oh, you'd be surprised."

With Ingrid Bergman.

Indiscreet was Cary Grant's 64th full length feature film.

Anna Kalman : You're the most transparent man I ever saw. I hope NATO isn't trusting you with any secrets.

Philip Adams: Oh, you'd be surprised.

Anna Kalman: Let's hear one.

Philip Adams: Oh, you would be surprised, Mata Hari.

"Lights, Camera...Action!" - The Directors - Part 2

After Howard Hawks' five films with Cary Grant, there were two directors who completed four films each with Grant...Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Donen.

Alfred Hitchcock:

13th August 1899 - 29th April 1990

"Hitch and I had a rapport and understanding deeper than words. He was a very agreeable human being, and we were very compatible. I always went to work whistling when I worked with him because everything on the set was just as you envisioned it would be. Nothing ever went wrong. He was so incredibly well prepared. I never knew anyone as capable. He was a tasteful, intelligent, decent, and patient man who knew the actor's business as well as he knew his own." 

- Grant on Hitchcock

Suspicion (1941)

On set with Joan Fontaine.

His appearance in the film.

Notorious (1946)

Hitchcock's appearance in a scene with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.

To Catch A Thief (1955)

 

On film with Grant.

On set with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.

North By Northwest (1959)

An early appearance in the film.

                                                           

On set and behind the scenes with Cary Grant, Eve Marie Saint and James Mason.

"Cary is marvelous, you see. One doesn't direct Cary Grant, one simply puts him in front of a camera. 

And, you see, he enables the audience to identify with the main character. I mean by that, Cary Grant represents a man we know. He's not a stranger."

- Hitchcock on Grant

To be continued...The Directors - Part 3 - Stanley Donen.

On this Day...Indiscreet (1958)

This was Cary Grant's 64th full length feature film, and his second pairing with Ingrid Bergman.

An adaptation of Norman Krasna's play Kind Sir. A comedy of manners between Grant and Bergman's characters that leads to romance.

The New Republic called it "..a trifle..." but acknowledged Grant and co-star Cecil Parker as "..gifted farceurs".

One of the most memorable scenes is the Eight-some Reel, that shows off Cary Grant's comedic timing!

(See blog: "Oh... we ought to learn that!" under Inspirations label)

Paired together again for the first time since Notorious (1946)

This was the first film by independent production company Grandon Productions, which was setup by Cary Grant and the film's director Stanley Donen.

Directed by Stanley Donen

Produced by Grandon Productions

Running time: 100 minutes

Leading Ladies...Part 2.

So here are the actresses who starred in two films each alongside Cary Grant.

Jean Arthur:

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and Talk Of The Town (1942)

Also appeared in the following radio shows:

Only Angels Have Wings (May 28th, 1939)
Talk Of The Town (May 17th, 1943)

Joan Bennett:

Big Brown Eyes (1936) and Wedding Present (1936)

Ingrid Bergman:

Notorious (1946) and Indiscreet (1958)

"She wears no make-up and has big feet and peasant hips, yet women envy her ability to be herself." 
- Cary Grant

Nancy Carroll:

Hot Saturday (1932) and Woman Accussed (1933)

Betsy Drake:

Every Girl Should Be Married (1948) and Room For One More (1952)

Also appeared in the following radio show:

Every Girl Should Be Married (June 27th, 1949)

"Betsy was a delightful comedienne, but I don't think Hollywood was ever really her milieu. She wanted to help humanity, to help others help themselves." - Cary Grant

Joan Fontaine:

Gunga Din (1939) and Suspicion (1941)

Sophia Loren:

The Pride and the Passion (1957) and Houseboat (1958)

"I was fascinated with him, with his warmth, affection, intelligence, and his wonderfully dry, mischievous sense of humor." - Sophia Loren

Ginger Rogers:

Once Upon A Honeymoon (1942) and Monkey Business (1952)

Ann Sheridan

Enter Madame (1935: as Clara Lou Sheridan) and I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

Mae West:

She Done Him Wrong (1933) and I'm No Angel (1933)

Loretta Young:

Born To Be Bad (1934) and The Bishop's Wife (1947)

"Oh, We Ought to Learn That...!"

In 1918, when Archie Leach joined the Bob Pender Troupe his contract stipulated, not only his weekly salary, along with room and board, but also that he should have training for his profession and dance lessons.

Cary Grant is seen dancing in numerous films with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman and Sophia Loren and others.

Of all the dance sequences, my favourite has to be the Eightsome Reel from the 1958 fim, Indiscreet.
Starring alongside Ingrid Bergman, this dance, shows off Cary Grants natural acrobatic ability and timing.

If you haven't seen it or just want to enjoy it again, use the link below.

Behind the scenes rehearsals, with Ingrid Bergman...You can only imagine the fun!

With Ginger Rogers (Monkey Business 1952)

With Sophia Loren (Houseboat 1958)

With Katharine Hepburn (Holiday 1938)

With Joan Fontaine (Suspicion 1941)