2009 August, 24th

Phil Butler

Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco would have been 80 this coming November. One of America’s most revered actresses, and arguably the classiest person to come out of tensile town, Princess Grace exemplified what is possible, and the way celebrities should conduct themselves. Her tragic death from injuries suffered in car accident in 1982 shocked the world, but the way she lived left an indelible example for others to follow. Every day we write news, sensational headlines, hot trends that the world seems unable to get enough of. So beginning today, we want to embark on a sort of retro series of stories, a sort of compass for celebrity if you will. The Grace Kelly death is in fact a hot trend on Google today. Why, I can only speculate. But, if the waking world of the Internet somehow stumbled upon this exquisite person, then perhaps Google searchers wanted this door open.

Sometimes, in order to find out where we are, we must look back at where we have been. Looking at people and events from the past gives us perspective, guidance, and in the best case a road map to hope. Over the last several weeks we have tried to give our readers a mix of both what they appear to want, and of news and ideas which might somehow make a difference. The reader may scoff at this idea, or feel ours is an easy task, but it is not. So for a few minutes maybe even young readers can try and be open minded, at least more open minded than we were way back when. If you could be tele-ported back in time, to a place which was not quite so confusing, a place where the air smelled a little bit cleaner, the cars were made of real metal, where “the big Screen” was actually big, would you go? You should say yes you know.

News Flash – No Nude Photos On Google

No nude photos of Grace Kelly would have ever been discovered by Perez Hilton. You see true beauty and stardom have no need for cheap tricks, crass mob sensationalism, pitiful striving to be something that is a lie. Once in a while extraordinary people emerge who are “the real deal”, when will the world understand that princesses are born not made? Grace Kelly was a princess on screen and in real life. Born Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929), the daughter of 2nd generation Irish immigrants in Philadelphia. Grace attended the prestigious Ravenhill Academy, making her way by modeling fashions and later on to a brief stage career. Her first role as a Hollywood actress was in the 1951 film Fourteen Hours, after which she received a telegram from Hollywood producer Stanley Kramer, offering her the starring role in High Noon alongside Gary Cooper. As it is often said, “the rest is history”, but that phrase could not possible encapsulate what anyone would consider an exemplary life.

Perhaps this story can be painted more clearly with a quote from her co-star in High Noon, Gary Cooper. Speaking of Kelly, the Hollywood legend offered this summation of the new actresses’ character so;

“She’s different from all these sexballs we’ve been seeing so much of.”

Leaving something to the imagination

Serenity – A Title of Honor, Respect and Reverence

Different, she certainly was. Kelley starred in some of the most successful and highly acclaimed films ever made, alongside the most renowned and well thought of actors ever to grace the silver screen. From Jimmy Stewart, to Clark Gable, and of course Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”, Kelley not only endeared herself to movie audiences, but she did so with a class and poised very few ever seem able to muster. Grant and Kelley developed a life long friendship and respect for one another during and long after this film was made. An interesting note here is when Cary Grant (possibly film’s all time leading – leading man) was asked who his favorite actress to work alongside was he replied;

“Well, with all due respect to dear Ingrid Bergman, I much preferred Grace. She had serenity.”

Serenity. When was the last time you heard of a Hollywood actress, or any celebrity being described in such a way? Never. It is difficult to revisit such a place in the memory amid so much cheap idolitry these days. I can still do it some days, so I do understand why people who were not witness to any of this might understand. Something my Dad used to say about young girls back in the 70′s has always stuck in my mind. If he saw a young lady in short shorts, or something all too revealing on the street, he would often shake his head and smile. I asked him at length why he always did that and he told me;

“Son, women today do not know how to really be women. They leave nothing to the imagination.”

I guess he must have meant they are not serene? In all the films Grace Kelly did, in every photo I ever saw, throughout all the attempts to paint her as something she was not, she ascended to a place somewhere above it all. Beautiful literally beyond compare to some, sex, vivacious, talented, all the explicative that can be attached to a startlet, and then something more. After winning the 1955 Oscar (left pictured with Audrey Hepburn) for her performance in The Country Girl (released in 1954) over another legend Judy Garland, Grace retired from acting at the age of 26. Another interesting side note which reflects a little of this “serenity” quality came from a situation with none other than Alfred Hitchcock himself. I will just quote this one driectly from Wikipedia, it is a perfect lesson for today’s budding actors, and especially those who believe working with more than you have will make them real stars.

“At the rehearsal for the scene in Rear Window when I wore a sheer nightgown, Hitchcock called for Edith Head. He came over here and said, ‘Look, the bosom is not right, we’re going to have to put something in there.’ He was very sweet about it; he didn’t want to upset me, so he spoke quietly to Edith. When we went into my dressing room and Edith said, ‘Mr. Hitchcock is worried because there’s a false pleat here. He wants me to put in falsies.’ Well, I said, ‘You can’t put falsies in this, it’s going to show and I’m not going to wear them.’ And she said, ‘What are we going to do?’ So we quickly took it up here, made some adjustments there, and I just did what I could and stood as straight as possible – without falsies. When I walked out onto the set Hitchcock looked at me and at Edith and said, ‘See what a difference they make?”

So You Want To Be A Princess – Here’s How

While leading the U.S. delegation to the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier III, the soverign of Monaco. Without reliving this era or Grace Kelly’s magical life, suffice it to say the two were stricken with one another. They were later married in what was called “The Wedding of the Century”, in the throne room of Monaco’s Royal Palace, April 18, 1956. Everything from the preparations for the wedding to the event itself was perhaps the biggest media extravaganza anyone had seen to date. But it was not the royal wedding, the glitter or the forthcoming stories which made this a magical moment, or which stamped Grace Kelly as a true princess. The life this couple led after the wedding is probably more indicative of the charm and “serenity” both Kelly and Prince Rainier exemplified.

Kelly was not immune to tabloid character assassination attempts even back in the day. Rumors and scandalous accusations followed her nearly her entire life. She was courted by a virtual “who’s who” of international celebrity, and all to often the subject of “contrived” controversy even over a chaperoned lunch with famed designer Oleg Cassini. But, never, not even once, was any shred of evidence (photographic or otherwise) presented which could have remotely implicated Kelly as being anything but the serene Princess of Monaco, revered and respected not only by that country, but by anyone worth mentioning in the states. The one unfortunate incident in which Grace was “painted” in a bad light, a few dates with actor Ray Milland, was handled by Kelly with truthful calm and that same serenity character. On discovering Milland was in fact married, Grace just help a press conference and told everyone she was under the impression he was separated. As it turned out, and was later revealed, despite the suggested “affair” Kelly actually had no interest what so ever in Milland, she just went a few places with him.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier were married over 25 years when Grace succumb to injuries from a stroke and resultant terrible auto accident she had in 1982. The world mourned a lady in every sense of the word. Prince Rainier never remarried after Grace’s death, and was interned next to her when he passed away in 2005. Perhaps the best picture of this extraordinary lady, and a little better lesson for today’s up and coming stars, comes from the eulogy Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart gave at Princess Grace’s funeral.

“You know, I just love Grace Kelly. Not because she was a princess, not because she was an actress, not because she was my friend, but because she was just about the nicest lady I ever met. Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of its own. No question, I’ll miss her, we’ll all miss her, God bless you, Princess Grace.”

So, for the readers who got this far, maybe Princess Grace’s legacy explains a lot about today’s celebrity. Maybe it explains what half the users on Google are looking for, or at least shows their lack of imagination? Genuine royalty, or excellence of any kind is just not that common. So, in the absence of exquisite personality people will do anything to replace it. Is this a commentary on society as a whole? You bet it is. But, for the beholders and the exhibitors one thing is for certain, you cannot manufacture counterfeit idols that bear any resemblance to the real thing. This is why there is a new “nude photo” search every day on Google. The whole of society is munching on imitation chocolate in the absence of cocoa, across the spectrum. As for those who remember, or care to investigate, perhaps if you are patient and wait long enough, serenity may just come around again. It did for me, maybe that is why I don’t look for nude photos on the Internet.

• 2009/08/26 -- Andy Griffith, at 83, Still Wants to Play the Game
• 2010/08/25 -- Sean Connery Celebrates His 80th Birthday
• 2010/04/02 -- Actor John Forsythe Passes At Age 92
• 2009/08/31 -- Can We Get Sean Connery To Star In “The Quest of Scheherazade”?
• 2009/08/14 -- Michael Douglas Sick Over Son Cameron’s Drug Arrest [video]
• 2009/08/04 -- Tatum O’Neil Hit On By Dad Ryan At Farrah’s Funeral? Classy!
• 2009/07/28 -- Why Bollywood and Actresses Like Katrina Kaif Rule the Web

About the Author

Phil Butler is editor-in-chief of Everything PR and senior partner at Pamil Visions PR. He’s a widely cited authority on beta startups, search engines and public relations issues, and he has covered tech news since 2004. Phil wrote in the past for ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, Profy, SitePoint, Search Engine Journal, AltSearchEngines. Follow Phil on Twitter or send him an email at phil [at] pamil-visions [dot] com.

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