The student becomes the master: when Michael Caine’s star power eclipsed Cary Grant
The biggest and brightest stars transcend generations to become enduring legends, and in the annals of Hollywood history, they don’t come much more iconic than Cary Grant.
One of the defining leading men of his era, the actor was a world famous household name who carved out a remarkable career that saw him effortlessly navigate his way through vaudeville, comedy, drama, and thrills. He worked with many of the greatest names to ever grace Tinseltown, and in the 1960s somebody would have to travel very far and wide to find anyone who didn’t recognise him.
However, it did happen on occasion, and in one instance, Michael Caine was the beneficiary. The two had become friendly with each other, sitting down for dinner together the very first time he ventured out for a meal in Los Angeles. In what sounds like a dinner party for the ages, Shirley MacLaine brought the cockney idol to Danny Kaye’s house to join Grant and Prince Philip for a scran.
This was hot on the heels of Caine earning his first Academy Award nomination when Alfie got him on the ‘Best Actor’ shortlist and helped him crack America, and just a few short years later his star wattage had eclipsed that of even the inimitable Grant.
In fairness, the regular Alfred Hitchcock collaborator was almost 30 years Caine’s senior and may not have carried as much sway among the younger demographic of ardent filmgoers, but he was still Cary Grant at the end of the day. And yet, he was completely overlooked in favour of the bespectacled working class lad done good.
In 1968, Caine and Grant were both staying at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, a famous haunt for A-listers. Hanging out in the lobby, a woman approached them in the hopes of securing an autograph, something the pair of them would have been more than happy to oblige.
Much to the latter’s dismay, not only did she thrust her pen and paper in the direction of Caine and him only, but she even lamented the lack of superstars populating the hotel. “I think it’s shocking that more stars don’t come by,” she told them, per Roger Ebert, before turning to Grant and saying, “Don’t you?”
Caine remembers it as being the only time he ever saw Grant speechless, and with good reason. Even though they were from different eras, a legend is a legend, whichever way the wind blows. Somehow, the person so eager to secure Caine’s signature didn’t even realise they were standing in the midst of an all-time great, with Grant’s bemusement completely understandable when he was brushed off and overlooked in favour of a fellow thespian who hadn’t yet come close to matching his achievements.
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