Fred Astaire vs Cary Grant

[Matt Deckard]

Donald Duck Versus Daffy Duck
Ghengis Khan Versus Napoleon Bonaparte
Yogi Bear Versus Gumbi

This debate isn't a debate It's a rediculous arguement. Lincoln and Washington are both icons and one got the quarter and the other the penny.

I think the thinking of the whole discussion is flawed.

They both had "It". They both knew how to use it and they both grew into it and never let it go... It's todays stars that haven't got it and i think we should be looking for the ones that do.

I hate it when people fight over who's more stylish when they both made the scene and owned their own looks.

 

[jake431]

Donald Duck Versus Daffy Duck
Ghengis Khan Versus Napoleon Bonaparte
Yogi Bear Versus Gumbi

This debate isn't a debate It's a rediculous arguement. Lincoln and Washington are both icons and one got the quarter and the other the penny.

I think the thinking of the whole discussion is flawed.

They both had "It". They both knew how to use it and they both grew into it and never let it go... It's todays stars that haven't got it and i think we should be looking for the ones that do.

I hate it when people fight over who's more stylish when they both made the scene and owned their own looks.

I didn't want to start an argument - and certainly they both had "It" - I thought the Sartorialist made an interesting point, one which I agree with - that Astaire, due not being as handsome physically, as Grant, was comparitavely more of an everyman, and it caused his style choices to perhaps stand out more against a plainer canvas.

Ultimately, I think this is a discussion over which looks one prefers personally, which I don't think is so terribly contentious, no?

-Jake

 

[Prairie Dog]

Are we talking about their 'acting', 'style', 'charisma', or 'over-all talent'??

Grant for 'acting' and 'charisma'.

Astaire for 'over-all talent'.

For 'style' it's a tie. They each had a unique classic style of their own.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

nope, just how they looked.

Cooper's still top, in my book.

bk

 

[Tomasso]

Cooper's still top, in my book.

I once saw a spectacular photo of a sun drenched Coop on holiday, bounding down the staircase of a hotel (in Spain or the south of France) wearing a linen suit, linen shirt sans tie and espadrilles sans socks. He was around 35 and in his prime. The image, which appeared in either a book or magazine, is etched into my mind. I've been searching for that photo for well over a decade to no avail.

 

[cookie]

Cary Grant - YouTube link to a few scenes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W5v8qvyPmg

 

[Empyrium]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Wpwp_B-is

Astaire on TOP. Cooper was a good looking man but Astaire's style is the best in my point of view. More stylish.

 

[Tomasso]

Tell me about Menjou...I do not know anything about him...

My uncle, himself a golden age clotheshorse, considered Adolph Menjou the best dressed man in Hollywood. He was perennially at the top of the best dressed lists. His autobiography was entitled It Took Nine Tailors.

 

[Jovan]

I'm a fan of Cary... the monochromatic look is my thing I guess.

 

[vonwotan]

I've been debating and still can't come to a decision. I read a comment somewhere that Cary Grant was the perfect manequin - tall, broad shouldered and quite fit. As the old saw goes, I guess I might want to be Cary Grant, but fate and genetics decided otherwise. I am built more like Astaire so I would have to say I look to him more for style...

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Adolph Menjou . . . His autobiography was entitled It Took Nine Tailors.

That's an interesting choice of title.

I have a lot of thinking to do about that.

Really.

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

bk

 

[Fast]

Astair Vs. Grant

I'll take grant. Astair hais good footwork, but grant has size, reach, and weight advantages. I give the whole thing 4 rounds max.

Sorry. . .

Grant. The guy could wear anything. The guy still looked great at I think it was eighty something. This is a good match. Both had an apparent, and probably studied ease.

Carpe Diem
Fast

 

[ClayBob]

Cary Grant !

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Grant books

CG: A Celebration of Style is the best book on Grant I've ever read. It has not left my nightstand since it arrived.

DO NOT bother with Marc Elliot's Grant bio. It is filled with errors and mistakes.

Anyone know about this Grant book?? I just saw it on Amazon.com:

Cary Grant: The Wizard of Beverly Grove (Hardcover)
by Bill Royce (Author), Maureen Donaldson (Photographer)

I read Donaldson gossipy account of her time with Grant. Royce worked for Grant. It looks a bit trashy though it has some good reader reviews.

 

[Raider]

CG gets my vote, although I really like FA.

 

[The Private Eye]

Fred Astaire. Look at the man ! Elegance and grace. Perfect !

[video=dailymotion;x76s9h]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x76s9h_fred-astaire-smooth-criminal_music[/video]

 

[Flipped Lid]

Astaire and Grant were both men of great style. I wouldn't choose one over the other. Both of them were in their prime well before I was old enough take notice of their style. It is difficult for me to identify with either one since I don't wear vintage clothes. The first contemporary to make a real impression on me as far as his style goes was Johnny Carson. He was always impeccably dressed and groomed and was unfailingly polite to his guests on The Tonight Show. His humor, while pointed at times, never crossed into the realm of mean-spiritedness, something that Leno, Letterman, et. al. could take a lesson from. Anyway, he is probably the person that, back in my early teens, inspired me to develop my own sense of style although I'm certainly no Astaire, Grant, or even Carson. I even bought a Johnny Carson signature suit when I was in my early twenties. It was a great suit and I wore it for many years.

The other person who influenced my personal style to a great degree was Ronald Reagan. Like the three gentlemen discussed above, Reagan was always nattily attired and I recall him being frequently lauded for his taste in clothing. Reagan always maintained his sense of humor, a rare quality among politicians in general and Presidents in particular. Undoubtedly, my political beliefs (and no, I'm not starting a political discussion) played a major role in choosing Reagan as a role model, but I hope even his detractors were able to appreciate that he was a man with great sense of style.

 

[TCMfan25]

Astaire definately.

But what about David Niven?

 

[Flipped Lid]

But what about David Niven?

That changes the entire debate for me. As a dyed-in-the-wool Anglophile, I'd take Niven, the consummate Englishman in my mind, in a heartbeat. I'm not certain, given the opportunity to be reincarnated as anyone I wanted to be in whatever era I chose, that I wouldn't choose Niven. He'd definitely be in the running.