Cary Grant...
...Turned down the lead in this? And the lead in 1954's "A Star is Born?"
GOOD. He knew his limitations better than anyone. Both Robert Preston
and James Mason could act the pants off of Grant. Thank GOD.
Turned down Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady as well.
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Now THAT I think he would've been good in. Too bad, although
Rex Harrison is marvelous.
Grant said with his accent, he should have played the flower girl.
He also turned down Joe Erin in VERA CRUZ and Cherry Valance in RED RIVER.
"Be sure you're right, then go ahead."
Davy Crockett
I heard that when they asked Cary Grant to play the lead he said that not only would he not play Harold Hill but that if they didn't cast Robert Preston, he wouldn't even see the movie.
Luckily for us, they listened.
Why would ANY producer or director ever have considered Grant for a serious Western? A parody, or spoof, sure, but RED RIVER?
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"
According to Alan Lerner's autobiography, Jack Warner wanted Grant, and Lerner and Lowe told him now way, that although they respected his talent, Grant had an unmistakable Cockney trace to his voice that simply wouldn't work in the part. For a similar reason I do not think Grant would have worked as Harold Hill, there is something inherently American about the character. (This is not to say that the part couldn't be played by an actor of a different nationality if he could master the accent, after all the best non musical Higgins ever was Hungarian born Leslie Howard. But his accent was impeccable.)
I think that Cary Grant was very smart about what parts he could do and what parts he didn't. You almost never see him miscast once he reached the point in his career that he could control his roles.
It is not our abilities that show who we truly are...it is our choices
Rex Harrison was so old in My Fair Lady that he had a dowager's hump. Grant would have been younger looking and being English can pull off a plummy accent.
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