10 Things I Love About 'To Catch a Thief’ 1955

 

Golden beauty Grace Kelly and darkly handsome Cary Grant make a
sizzling screen team in Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 hit "To Catch a Thief."

I’ve only seen clips of Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief over the years, until I wrote this post. Released in August 1955, the romance heist film seemed fluffy to me, compared to his other '50s classics. Well, I was right… and wrong. 

Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 hit, "To Catch a Thief," was light comedy and suspense, 

with great style and romance.

Hitch’s To Catch a Thief IS total fluff, but it's also stylish, smart, sexy, and totally FUN fluff. Here’s at least 10 reasons why!

Great director, stars, & scenery made '55's "To Catch a Thief" a picnic to film.

Grace Kelly looks ravishing in her Edith Head gowns, as she seduces Cary Grant, 

in 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

#1: Grace Kelly as Francie Stevens, a game rich girl on holiday, is a pleasure. Kelly pursues Cary Grant’s reformed thief, and she is confident, bright, funny, and coolly sexy while doing so. Tan and very blonde, Kelly looks stunning in her Edith Head costumes. Like another timeless '50s film icon, Audrey Hepburn, Grace followed her own style sense. Aside from classic clothes, Grace's hair and makeup are subtle. No stiff, matronly hairdos or stenciled, overstated makeup, which was so common in post-war Hollywood films, even with young actresses. Grace's golden locks aren't brassy, like the other blonde bombshells. Kelly's gowns are stellar and her '50s casual wear is fun, not frumpy or fugly. In a word, Grace looks magnificent. Kelly is also fun and relaxed, classy but not pretentious, and she and Cary Grant have a great rapport and chemistry.

Cary Grant as suspected jewel burglar John Robie, in Hitchcock's 1955 hit,
 "To Catch a Thief."

 Grace Kelly gowned by Edith Head & Cary Grant looking handsome in a tux.
 Hitchcock's 1955 hit, "To Catch a Thief."

#2: Cary Grant at 50 is at the very peak of his leading man persona in To Catch a Thief, as one-time jewel thief John Robie. Cary's charm was contrasted with his enigmatic side, used well by Hitchcock, especially in darker roles, such as Notorious and North by Northwest. Here, Hitch and Cary play the Grant-type character mostly for light humor. And Cary's gift for physical comedy is on display, like the chase scene through a farmer’s market floral display. Grant is effortlessly bemused and amusing, as the former thief suspected by everyone as up to his old tricks again. Cary's fit, graceful, and super-stylish. Cary looks like a million and has a deep tan that George Hamilton would kill for! Grant had impeccable taste and Hitchcock was fine with him selecting is own wardrobe.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 hit, "To Catch a Thief."

#3: In To Catch a Thief, actually filmed the summer of '54, Alfred Hitchcock's storytelling was tight, the mix of exterior and interior filming seamless, the notion that a blonde actress could be sexy and smart was fresh, and escapist romance didn't have to be mindless. Hitchcock was quoted as saying that he didn't make films that were a slice of life, but piece of cake. To Catch a Thief is one tasty slice of cinematic cake.

Cary Grant's suspected thief escapes by bus, only to end up seated next to 

director Alfred Hitchcock,  in 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

I think Alfred Hitchcock was at his very peak in the first half of the 1950s. Films like Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Dial ‘M’ for Murder, and To Catch a Thief were all precise and taut storytelling. Hitch had some big hits after Thief , but they became longer and eventually more repetitive and belabored—Marnie is the perfect example of what torpedoed his film director standing. The notable exception was 1960's Psycho, which was Hitchcock's rebuttal to critics that he could indeed make down and dirty thrillers, with just as much directorial style. Then it was right back to leisurely suspense films, while trying to create a new Hitchcock blonde—all of which was swiftly becoming passé.

Grace looking chic in Edith Head fashions, in Hitchcock's stylish
1955 hit "To Catch a Thief."

#4: Edith Head designs some gorgeous gowns for Grace Kelly, and assembles some classic day looks as well. Head was at her zenith in the 1950s, dressing seemingly every star, but notably three top young actresses: Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Grace Kelly in a gown fit for a future princess and Jessie Royce Landis
as her outspoken mother, in 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

Head gets dinged by some critics as a prolific rather than inspired designer. I think she walked the fine line of pleasing her studios (Paramount and then Universal), directors, and stars very well, while developing an enduring reputation. Head's career lasted 5 decades and won her 8 Oscars, which should speak for itself.  Hitchcock loved Head because she understood what he wanted. Edith liked working with Hitch because he trusted her to do her job. 

Michelle Auber as the French girt with an eye for Cary Grant's "The Cat,"
in 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

#5: The supporting cast is all in great form: Jessie Royce Landis as Kelly’s blunt mother; John Williams as the insurance detective; and Brigitte Auber, who played tomboyish Danielle, is still alive at 101! The international cast mixes well with the American and British stars.

The beautiful scenery and stars were a huge part of Hitchcock's 1955 smash hit, 

"To Catch a Thief."

#6: The French locales, selected from various parts of the southern France coast, are breathtaking. One of the reasons that some of the location shooting was so eye-catching is that To Catch a Thief was one of the first films to use a helicopter for filming. Most of the interiors were shot back on Paramount's lot. The sets are gorgeous and they are seamlessly woven with the location outdoor shots.

"It's true, Cary. Fireworks are '50s film symbolism for sex!"

#7: The cinematography, the score, and all the production values are top notch. Paramount’s color in Vista Vision is lovely and superior to the color films of mid-century MGM and WB. Hitch was now working with some of his favorite people, in front of and behind the camera. And the final results showed onscreen.

#8: Thief’s script by John Michael Hayes is witty and fun. Some risqué lines and the lovers acting like grownups are refreshing to see in a mid-1950s film are refreshing. 

To wake up in this French villa every day with Cary Grant would be heavenly!

 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

#9: The home of Grant's reformed burglar is most impressive, inside and out. I imagined living there while watching To Catch a Thief!

Grace Kelly's rich girl embraces the splendors around her: the Riviera, Cary
 Grant, and her Sunbeam Alpine sports car! From 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

#10: Kelly’s rich girl’s car is a gunmetal blue Sunbeam Alpine that would pair perfectly with John Robie’s villa.

Grace Kelly wet and wonderful here as the rich girl who is after Cary Grant's
 smooth ex-criminal, in 1955's "Too Catch a Thief."

Some things that I didn’t love about To Catch a Thief are minor quibbles: Grant trying to pass himself as a business man from Oregon—seriously! Or Hitch trying to palm Auber off as younger than Kelly. She's 3 years older and looks even more so! Grace’s Francie treated as an old maid and handed off to a stranger 25 years her senior by mother Landis was patently ridiculous—though he WAS played by Cary Grant. And though Kelly herself found older men attractive off-camera—but that's another story! Finally, this gorgeous movie begins with a huge close-up of a frumpy matron in the morning, hairnet and all, shrieking that her jewels are gone, is so repulsive. An example of Hitch's perverse sense of humor?

Cary Grant at 50 was in fine form, in 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

To Catch a Thief may not be the most suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock film, but it's one of his most stylish, a perfect light entertainment. Enjoy!

Grace Kelly gets the last word, but Cary Grant gives the final reaction, 
in 1955's "To Catch a Thief."

North by Northwest 1959

The Alfred Hitchcock catch me if you can classic, North by Northwest, was the film forerunner to the modern summer blockbuster. My take: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/08/north-by-northwest-1959.html

Rear Window 1954

Rear Window remains one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best Technicolor blockbusters. My take:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/06/hitchcocks-rear-window-still-thrills.html

Kate Hepburn’s Signature Role: Tracy Lord in ‘The Philadelphia Story’

 

Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Samantha Lord in her 1940 comeback,
MGM's "The Philadelphia Story."

I am not a great Katharine Hepburn fan, though I have admired aspects of her life and career. Aside from being slightly allergic to The Great Kate, I am also not a fan of drawing room comedies. I just watched 1940’s The Philadelphia Story for the first time. As I approach 66 years, I’m trying to make up for missing many classic movies, despite considering myself a life-long film fan.

So I watched The Philadelphia Story mainly out of curiosity, since this was hailed as Kate's great comeback. I can now see why. Katharine Hepburn arguably played her greatest role as Tracy Lord. It is the perfect distillation of the Katharine Hepburn persona, sparkling as the champagne Tracy imbibes too much of the night before her wedding.

Katharine Hepburn with frequent collaborator, director George Cukor, on the set
of MGM's "The Philadelphia Story."

Like a lot of classic stars, I first saw Katharine Hepburn in latter day movies in my younger years of the '70s and '80s. Hepburn did some fine work later in Suddenly, Last Summer, Long Day's Journey into Night, and The Lion in Winter; with her other films, I was averse to the sentimental Kate of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, On Golden Pond, and those last TV movies where she played her persona self to the point of self-parody. Most of her '30s work I find unwatchable, though she was great in Alice Adams, Stage Door, and a few others. Katharine Hepburn was often badly cast or chose badly. No surprise that she was among the film stars labeled box office poison in 1938.

On Broadway, Katharine Hepburn got BIG top billing
in "The Philadelphia Story."

For Katharine Hepburn's film comeback, she got second billing
in 1940's "The Philadelphia Story."

The oft-told backstory in a nutshell: after a string of bombs and even a couple of last films that got good reviews, the public and critics finally had their fill of a flighty/eccentric/haughty Hepburn. Kate was in dire need a comeback. So, Hepburn hired Philip Barry to write a play for her. Based on an incident involving a socialite friend of Barry’s, with Hepburn’s prodding, the character became more like Kate! She found the backing to get Barry’s The Philadelphia Story on Broadway and it was a hit, with future film stars Joseph Cotten and Van Heflin. Kate got Howard Hughes to buy the film rights for her so she could take it to MGM, with herself as part of the package. The result was a smash for film version of The Philadelphia Story, followed up by a studio contract for Hepburn.

After a string of film flops, Kate Hepburn was among the stars labelled "box office poison." Kate was down but not out, when she came back in "The Philadelphia Story."

The big question was why didn't this commercial and critical hit get Kate a second Oscar? Well, the competition was tough that year, with Bette Davis in The Letter and Joan Fontaine’s breakthrough in Rebecca. Yet, it was Ginger Rogers who won for Kitty Foyle. At the time, Rogers was very popular with fans and the industry, making a smooth transition from musical to comedy/dramatic star. Kate was making a comeback from Siberia. However, I think Katharine Hepburn's vehicle holds up much better and is better-remembered today. 

The MGM production is top-drawer: George Cukor directing, Joseph L. Mankiewicz producing, script by Donald Ogden Stewart, a snazzy score by Franz Waxman, with Kate radiantly photographed by Joseph Ruttenberg, in gowns by Adrian, and hair styled by Sydney Guilaroff. Oh—and Cary Grant and James Stewart as Hepburn’s leading men. Plus, a great supporting cast, including Ruth Hussey. The resulting film of The Philadelphia Story is studio era style at its finest.

It didn't hurt that Katharine Hepburn had two popular new stars in Cary Grant
& James Stewart as her leading men, in her comeback, "The Philadelphia Story."

Katharine Hepburn’s comeback was the greatest of those stars fighting the “box office poison” label. Joan Crawford countered hers by taking on the smaller, but juicy villain role in The Women. Marlene Dietrich took a break from moody fashion plate posturing to perform in the raucous western Destry Rides Again. With Katharine Hepburn, she stepped down her pedestal to become the more accessible Kate. But really, the change was not all that drastic from her previous ‘30s persona, just recalibrated to be more generally appealing. It reminds me of how Doris Day’s image makeover in Pillow Talk was considered such a departure for her. Except for the emphasis on glamour and sexuality, Pillow Talk wasn’t that much different than the previous year’s Teacher’s Pet.

With Katharine Hepburn’s Tracy, she is essentially a heroine, but a judgmental one. And on the eve of her wedding to a respectable dullard, some champagne and flirtatious frivolity makes her realize that she’s only human, too.

Cary Grant and James Stewart do fine work, despite Kate's first preferences for Metro’s kings, Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Grant had polished his persona as “Cary Grant” perfectly by this time and it plays wonderfully in this romantic comedy, as C.K. Dexter Haven. Though Dexter has a drinking problem, he scolds Tracy for not being more understanding. That attitude obviously doesn’t play well today. Ironically, Hepburn would soon be an understanding companion to alcoholic Spencer Tracy! Aside from needling Kate’s Tracy to come off her pedestal, Cary’s Dexter obviously still adores her. Their banter is razor sharp and witty.

Cary Grant as C.K. Dexter Haven in 1940's "The Philadelphia Story."

Stewart, after his breakout year in 1939, entered the ‘40s as a boyish leading man with great appeal. As down to earth reporter Mike Connor, who becomes enchanted by Tracy, James Stewart is just fine. He’s charmingly skeptical and goofily besotted by champagne and this society girl. I do think his Oscar win for The Philadelphia Story is a makeup award for missing out for ‘39s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, as did Jimmy himself. But hey, Clark lost that year for his signature role, Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind!

Is James Stewart wishing for his Oscar in "The Philadelphia Story?"

Ruth Hussey is a sardonic delight as photographer Liz Imbrie, who accompanies Stewart’s reporter to cover the society wedding of the year. Hussey is expert with the comic lines, but also imbues certain lines about Stewart’s Mike that are touchingly wistful.  She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her intelligent, modern style and holding her own with star Hepburn.

Ruth Hussey was Oscar-nominated & James Stewart won the Oscar, as visiting magazine media, to cover the society wedding of the year,
in 1940's "The Philadelphia Story."

There are a number of clever, fun touches in The Philadelphia Story, thanks to screenwriter Stewart’s script and George Cukor’s smart, stylish directing. An example is that brilliant and brief setup, where Tracy and Dexter split up in the film’s opening scene on their front steps.

Love the opening scene of 1940's "The Philadelphia Story!"

Tracy Lord became a basic boilerplate of the type of women Hepburn would play in her best mid-career vehicles. Kate would play strong-minded women who by the finale, were softened by love. This was much like the character arc Rosalind Russell would play in her career woman roles. This would satisfy most mainstream audiences and the audiences who loved such spirited female stars could believe that transformation was just to appease her leading man’s character. Such was life on film in Hollywood’s golden age!

There’s a lot to like about the film adaptation of The Philadelphia Story, but you will love Katharine Hepburn at her leading lady best, adored by three co-stars!

I love this romantic shot of Grant's Dexter finding Hepburn's Tracy asleep in the car, after imbibing too much champagne, in 1940's "The Philadelphia Story."

Here’s Kate in her second outing with Spencer Tracy in a suspense drama, 1942’s Keeper of the Flame:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2025/05/tracy-hepburn-team-in-rare-drama-keeper.html

And here is my look at Katharine Hepburn in her only villainous role, as Aunt Violet in Tennessee Williams’1959 Suddenly, Last Summer, with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/03/suddenly-last-summer-1959.html

 

Cary & Audrey Bring Charisma to “Charade” 1963

 

Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn charm in 1963's suspense-comedy "Charade."

 The Stanley Donen comedy-suspense film Charade was filmed late ‘62/ early ‘63, and released for 1963's Christmas holidays. At age 65, my first time watching Charade was during 2024’s Christmas holidays, and I’ve been watching classic movies since I was in my early teens!

My impression had always been that Charade was a bland version of Alfred Hitchcock, so I'd just watch North by Northwest for the millionth time. This is especially inexplicable even to me, because I enjoy Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn a great deal. I’m so glad I corrected my Charade situation.

Once again, Cary Grant is the charming stranger, in 1963's "Charade."
Should Audrey Hepburn's heroine trust him?

Charade really is like Hitchcock’s more mainstream works because there are none of the emotional undercurrents that often suffuse Hitch's more serious work. I’d compare the mix of suspense, romance, and comedy along the lines of Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest. Likewise, Charade is smart entertainment. Much of this is due to director Stanley Donen, one of the best for grown-up entertainment. Donen’s humor and intelligence made him versatile in musicals, comedy, and drama. In Charade, Donen brings all the ingredients of this cinematic confection together beautifully. Peter Stone got his first screenwriter credit at 33 from his own story, and it’s quite smart, leading to an association with director Donen. Also, Stone had a solid career in film, on television and stage, winning an Oscar, Emmy, and two Tony awards.

Here's a Hitchcock-esque shot from Stanley Donen's 1963's "Charade." Definitely in
 the Hitch style, Donen does a fine job mixing suspense, comedy, and romance.

I knew right from the start I should have watched Charade eons ago. The opening titles are by Maurice Binder, famed for his 16 opening titles for the James Bond film series, starting with the first, Doctor No. The colorful graphics would make Hitch fave Saul Bass green with envy. The insinuating score is by Henry Mancini, a subtle contrast to Bernard Herrmann’s booming scores for Hitch. 18-time Oscar nominee Charles Lang supplies the glamorous cinematography of the stars and locales.

I love this romantic shot of Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn in 1963's "Charade."

Charade’s opening scene shows a dead body dispatched from a moving train. That would be Charles Lampert, estranged husband of Audrey Hepburn’s “Reggie.” When we first meet her at a ski resort, she doesn't know yet. What Reggie does know is that her marriage is over. She meets cute with mystery man Cary Grant, who introduces himself as Peter Joshua. Not so cute is when Reggie returns home and finds it emptied of all belongings. Then Cary shows up again, very much the Hitchcock mystery man, who finds her a modest hotel. And there are three men also in residence, who feel she has money from her hubby that is due to them. And they aren't nice about it: Ned Glass is Gideon; James Coburn is Tex; and George Kennedy plays Scobie. They are former WWII soldiers, who want their share of money from absconded war time gold that Charles cheated from them. A fourth man, Carson Dyle, was wounded and left for dead at the time. Soon after, Walter Matthau is introduced as a CIA administrator, who also wants the money, as it belonged to the US OSS.

James Coburn, as bad guy Tex, who just has a revelation, in 1963's "Charade."

Walter Matthau with the CIA? In "Charade," most of the characters don't even know
 what the agency stands for. Such innocent times!

Reggie doesn't have the money, but the thugs don't believe her. Cary's character’s identity changes practically scene by scene, and Audrey’s widow doesn't know whether to believe him or not. There are a number of alternately thrilling scenes and amusing moments, which leads to a genuinely suspenseful climax. The real villain is no surprise, but that's not Charade is really about—it’s the ride, not the destination.

Audrey Hepburn's widow gets an eyeful about her husband's past,
in 1963's "Charade."

Audrey Hepburn is most endearing as the beleaguered heroine. Audrey is amusing in her exaggerated reactions to the extreme situations, warm in her attraction to Grant’s mysterious stranger, and natural in her dramatic moments. It takes subtle skills to go from the various moods this type of movie offers. Hepburn also embodies flawless early ‘60s style here: stylized hair and makeup, plus simply chic clothes by Hubert de Givenchy. The look is ultimately timeless and Audrey puts the glamour girls of today in the shade. A running gag in Charade is when famously thin Audrey’s heroine is anxious, she starts eating! Hepburn would reunite with director Donen in one of their best films, 1967’s Two for the Road.

Audrey Hepburn's look is timeless in 1963's "Charade."

There are moments that foreshadow Hepburn’s 1967’s Wait Until Dark. Like when the thugs torment her, especially James Coburn’s Tex, as he accosts her with lit matches in a phone booth. Or characters who misrepresent themselves to Audrey’s trusting character. Reggie drolly wonders if her husband’s tooth powder is actually heroin, a substance that was a strong plot point in Dark.

Audrey Hepburn gets a rehearsal for the torment to come, in 1967's "Wait Until Dark."
Here, James Coburn is the villain terrorizing Hepburn, in 1963's "Charade."

There’s been criticism of Cary Grant as too old for the role opposite Audrey. Well, 60 at Charade's release, he was. But he was also perhaps the best preserved male star of his era. Grant's tan, lean, and stylish. Look at the three big male stars that have just passed 60 in recent years: Depp, Cruise, and Pitt. Cary Grant is in better form than any of them, in my opinion. I think that Cary Grant has great chemistry with Audrey Hepburn in Charade. Cary had more in common with Audrey than he did with Doris Day in the previous year’s That Touch of Mink. Grant’s role in Charade is as perfectly tailored to his persona as his suits. Grant is most cool and charming. But the role also gives him some humorous moments to off-set Cary’s aloofness.

To me, Cary Grant looks like a million at 60, when 1963's "Charade" was released.

It's interesting that James Coburn, Arthur Kennedy, and Walter Matthau play supporting roles here. They are all quite good, no doubt. And soon movie stars like Grant and Hepburn would be obsolete; Cary and Audrey would soon retire. And realistic actors like the first three would become big stars—for a while. Of the trio, Walter would retain his star status. Coburn would later play villains, and Kennedy character roles, after the “realistic” trend of late ‘60s and early ‘70s played out.

George Kennedy & Cary Grant: '60s realism meets 60-year-old classic leading man.
1963's "Charade."

Charade is like a snapshot of an era, when “Camelot” at its peak, with some shots of stars Grant and Hepburn giving off a Jack and Jackie Kennedy vibe. Actually, the film icons made their style imprint first. Anyway, after 1963, life and movies became increasingly realistic and less romantic than the charming Charade.

Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn give off a JFK & Jackie vibe here, stylish & classy,
in 1963's romantic suspense comedy, "Charade."

Here’s Cary Grant, in one of his and Hitchcock’s best, my take on 1959’s North by Northwest: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/08/north-by-northwest-1959.html

And here’s one of Audrey Hepburn’s latter day best, my look at 1967’s Wait Until Dark: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2022/10/wait-until-dark-slick-thrills-stellar.html