Bogie or Archie?
Cary Grant's name came up during the group lunch following softball. I asked the question that I have been puzzling over ever since seeing the results of AFI's 100 Years. . . 100 Stars. Who is the bigger star: Humphrey Bogart or Grant? The AFI gave Bogie the nod. Grant was the unanimous choice at the lunch table, mainly because those voting were women. Looks and panache trump grit. For me, the call is tougher.
Bogart and Grant are both incomparably accomplished actors. Their careers spanned decades, beginning in the 1930s and ending for Bogart in the 1950s while continuing for Grant into the 1960s. They were the most bankable leading men of their day and displayed tremendous range in a wide variety of roles.
Based soley on acting talent alone, my choice would be Bogart. He played a broader range of roles than Grant and was superb no matter the part. His most common type was the heroic but down-and-out rogue, Rick in Casablanca or "Steve" in To Have and To Have Not. He went against type in such stellar movies as The Caine Mutiny, where he played the paranoid and high-handed Philip Queeg, and The Treasure of The Sierra Madre, in which he played a raging lunatic. He was believable and splendid in both roles. Grant, on the other hand, wasn't quite as versatile. To be sure, he could handle drama and comedy equally as well and is the best comedic actor of all time. Ultimately, however, he always played the same role: the smooth-talking and likable charmer. He simply didn't venture as far afield as Bogart.
Adding other factors into the mix tilts the balance back toward Grant. He was more dashing than Bogart and had immense personal appeal. Not that Bogart didn't - he was still likable as a thief in High Sierra - but not quite to the extent that Grant did. Grant was the embodiment of charm. That's where I run into problems, however, because Bogart was as charming, only in a different way. In the end, while Grant is my personal favorite, I have to go with the AFI on Bogart, since he was the better actor. Who's your choice or do you prefer Jimmy Stewart or Marlon Brando, who were third and fourth on the list?
Comments
Oh feh. Of course it's Cary Grant. He's the gold standard for men.
Posted by: Lesley | August 28, 2005 11:11 PM
Says a woman.
Posted by: Jon | August 29, 2005 07:54 AM
"Oh feh" yourself, toots.
Bogie rules.
Posted by: TC | August 29, 2005 09:35 AM
I think Grant was a bit of a victim of his good looks from a casting point of view. I have no doubt he could have done other roles but the studio system was in full swing and actors had much less control in those days. But that is speculative at best.
As for Stewart vs. Brando? Brando, hands down. Stewart was a great star without a doubt and played a broad range of parts, but Stewart's appeal for me was that no matter what part he played he was always Jimmy Stewart. Brando had a range that very few Actors ever achieve and, in my opinion should be at the top of the heap. He was also a pretty good looking guy in his younger days (see A Streetcar Named Desire in the torn shirt scene).
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Posted by: Rick DeMent | August 29, 2005 03:39 PM
Brando in the torn shirt scene? YES!!
Posted by: Mom | August 29, 2005 05:09 PM