Cannon sums up the relationship she had with Grant by saying, “As much as I loved him then – and how could I not as he was kind and funny and charming – I’d have to say I’d also fallen in love with his image and expected that image to make me happy, which was impossible.”
Following his death, she stated, “I felt so much love for him. I love him more now than when we were together — I understand him much better.”
Chevy Chase Allegations
Grant seemed glib about the rumors regarding his homosexuality, claiming that they actually helped him pick up women who were interested in proving them wrong. However, he was not happy when comedian Chevy chase implied that he was gay during an interview.
It didn’t seem that Chase made the comment with any real intent and that he was just trying to be funny, but Grant wasn’t laughing and sued the comedian for $10 million! They ended up settling out of court and it is believed that Chase paid him a whopping $1 million for his unfortunate joke.
Cannon and Grant - The Musical
Dyan Cannon, who is now in her eighties, is working on a Broadway musical that she will also star in. She has been writing it for years, and it focuses on insatiable cravings. She explains, “It’s about all the things we need in life until we get them and then think, ‘There’s something else I need…’ All those things that we need in life.”
The play has received the support of Tony Award-winning director, John Doyle, and Cannon has written a special part which is based on the life of Cary Grant.
Being Cary Grant
Grant was the perfect leading man and offered audiences an escape from their ordinary lives in the movie theater. However, for years he dealt with inner turmoil and his difficult past. It seems that by the end of his life, he had come to terms with his demons and had found some peace, although he never quite bought the dream he was selling.
He said, “I have spent the greater part of my life fluctuating between Archie Leach and Cary Grant, unsure of each, suspecting each.” When an interviewer once told him, "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant", Grant replied, "So would I."
Still an Icon
Although Grant passed away more than 30 years ago, his status as a movie star has not diminished. He was ranked the #1 Movie Star of All Time by Premiere magazine in 2005. The American Film Institute named him the second Greatest Male Star of All Time of American cinema, after Humphrey Bogart, in 1999.
He was voted the sixth Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly and was chosen by Empire (UK) magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history.