Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
We also mentioned that Kelly’s mother was a teacher, but she was
actually the first woman to coach women’s athletics at the University
of Pennsylvania. In this family snap from 1947, a still brunette Grace
Kelly poses arm in arm with her father and brother on Southampton
pier.
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Talent Ran in the Family
Yes, the Kellys boasted a gold medal-winning Olympian and a female
athletics coach, but that didn’t mean they were a family of jocks.
Rather, the extended Kelly family also possessed a significant amount
of artistic talent.
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These efforts paid off, and Kelly made her Broadway debut in the
1949 production of The Father. In her graduation performance, Kelly
was Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, a role she would later return
to.
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Describing it, Spada writes, “So Grace developed this almost British
way of speaking...very measured, the vowels very well rounded.” This
accent is known as Mid-Atlantic or Transatlantic, and is a combination
of neutral British and American accents.
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After the film was released, the Grace Kelly Fan Club was created and
started to attract significant numbers. When asked about her
burgeoning following, the actress commented that her fan club was
“terrifically amusing.”
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Not only was Richardson one of Kelly’s teachers, but he was also
previously married (and not yet divorced), older, and wasn't Catholic.
Reportedly, when Grace brought Richardson to meet her family, it was
“a disaster.”
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Though the movie took home four Academy Awards, critics were
unexcited by Kelly’s performance. Famed director Alfred Hitchcock
even referred to the actress’s turn in the film as “rather mousy.”
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Grace Kelly was a classic Hitchcock icy blonde and starred in three of
the director’s movies. Apparently, while making Dial M for Murder,
Hitchcock constantly discussed Rear Window with Kelly, even though
she hadn’t agreed to star in it yet. In this picture, the pair enjoy tea on
set.
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James Stewart Was Excited
The wonderful James Stewart was very excited to work with Grace
Kelly in Rear Window, and the pair went on to be close friends.
Speaking about her acting style, Stewart remarked, “You can see her
thinking the way she’s supposed to think in the role. You know she’s
listening, and not just for cues.”
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James Stewart Was Excited
While making The Country Girl, Kelly was cozy with Bing Crosby, but
reportedly, the actor walked in on Kelly in bed with Marlon Brando.
Phew!
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In 1955, the actress attended the Cannes Film Festival and was asked
to be in a photo session at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. There, she
would meet the strong man she was looking for — Prince Rainier III.
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When she was filming High Society, Rainier presented the actress
with a second engagement ring to wear during production. The
second ring has an emerald-cut diamond with diamond baguettes.
This picture is a photo-op with the actress’s parents, taken in 1956.
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Rainier was also the head of the House Grimaldi, the Duke of
Valentinois, the Duke of Estouteville, and the Marquis of Baux. Kelly
acquired all of these titles and eventually passed them on to her
children, too. After their wedding, the newlyweds took a seven-week
honeymoon on Rainier’s yacht.
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Grace Kelly made a deal with MGM to be released from her contract
in exchange for them broadcasting the wedding ceremonies.
Eventually, there was so much anticipation for the event that French
riot police were called in.
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Interestingly, Oleg Cassini takes credit for Kelly’s iconic fashion sense,
telling People magazine, “I created the Grace Kelly look.” The
designer did indeed go on to dress Jacqueline Kennedy.
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Additionally, a species of hybrid tea rose was named after Grace Kelly
— the Rose Princesse de Monaco. Other memorials for the Princess
include a statue made of roses in the rose garden, as well as the
Princess Grace Irish Library.
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Princess Grace would often film her family life in Monaco, and also
took her camera on film shoots. In 1955, Kelly met photographer
Howell Conant who went on to become the unofficial photographer of
the House of Grimaldi.
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With her fresh-faced beauty and classic style, Grace Kelly was a
departure from her Hollywood bombshell peers. Mad Men’s ice queen
housewife, Betty Draper, was based on the actress and is compared
with her directly in the show.
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According to Vanity Fair, the princess hoped that she could return to
the big screen, but her husband wasn’t interested — the roles were
problematic and her royal schedule was all-consuming.
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