While promoting the British show Archie, a four-part limited series about Archie Leach (a.k.a. Cary Grant), Grant’s fourth wife, actress and author Dyan Cannon, addressed some of the longstanding rumors surrounding her late ex-husband’s sexuality.
“I heard rumors about Cary being gay before we married,” she admitted to uInterview. “I never saw any indication of that. Once, on a ship liner on the way to England, I saw him be very cozy, flirty with the captain. But other than that, I never saw anything.”
“If he did have relationships with men, it was before I knew him—but I never saw any indication of that,” she continued. “Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered to me. What mattered to me was the connection between us, and I must tell you that it was undeniably real, in the beginning.”
One of the men Grant was romantically linked to during his lifetime was fellow actor Randolph (Randy) Scott. The two met on the set of Hot Saturday in 1932 and shared a Malibu home together, which the press dubbed “Bachelor Hall.”
Grant’s daughter, Jennifer, previously dismissed rumors of her father’s queerness in her memoir Good Stuff: A Reminiscence Of My Father, Cary Grant, but more recently changed her tune:
“I never saw a hint of that,” she told The Guardian. “I think I would have picked up on it—not that I would’ve cared… Perhaps earlier in his life he had an affair [with a man]. I’ll never know, but if he did, fantastic. I hope he enjoyed it.”
Archie, which stars Calam Lynch as young Cary Grant and Dan Partridge as Randy Scott, is available to stream in the U.S. via Britbox. Click through for pictures of Grant and Scott over the years…
Covid Hermit
IF Grant and Scott had a relationship that was “more than friends”, it sure makes the scene in “My Favorite Wife” where Cary Grant’s character is obsessing over the athletic prowess of Scott (a suitor for his wife’s affections) much more interesting and puts a queer spin on a classic screwball comedy.
Jim
As I believe this movie shows. Carey Grant was a creation of Archie Leach. And Archie created a string man.
Any questions?
gaym50ish
In his book “Full Service,” Scotty Bowers talks of Carey Grant and Randolph Scott as “lovers” who shared a beach house in Malibu, and his own sexual experiences with them. In the documentary about Bowers’ life in Hollywood, he said, “I’ve been with them individually, and both of them, what you call a three-way, and I’ve also brought another buddy for them where there were four of us. You know, two and two.”
Man About Town
I allowed myself the tortuous experience of reading Bowers’ book, and throughout, I kept thinking of Mary McCarthy’s comment about Lillian Hellman: “Everything she says is a lie, including the words ‘and’ and ‘the.'”
cuteguy
Jennifer Grant is a failed actress who couldn’t nepo baby her career even though her mom is Dyan Cannon and her father was the legend Cary Grant. Her memoir was a failure and homophobic but now she “changed her tune” to try to be relevant. Her only acting credit was playing loser Steve’s doormat on 90210. Nobody in the lgbt community want or need her approval. Her daddy was bi, but she needs to go BYE
bachy
Regardless of whether they were butt-buddies or not, they certainly appear to have had a lot of affection for each other, and took great pleasure in their friendship. It makes me happy to see love between men.
jp47
At the very least Grant was bisexual in his younger days. I’ve read many sources speaking of it. In Bower’s book as mentioned above, as well as an unpublished memoir by Hollywood costume designer Orry Kelly who knew him in their early days in New York and speaks of their sexual relationship. Grant does not come off well where Kelly describes him as an opportunist and cheapskate. I’ve also read that even in his older years he would meet Scott at one of the restaurants (Polo Lounge?) at the Beverly Hills Hotel for lunch and they would hold hands under the table.
Joshooeerr
Dyan Cannon was married to Cary Grant for a minute and a half (less than two years). All of Grant’s marriages to women were over just as quickly. His relationship with Randolph Scott lasted 12 years, longer than all his marriages combined. Multiple contemporary guests at their home have confirmed that they were a couple, not merely housemates. If Cannon was clueless enough to marry a man whose previous three marriages tanked and ignore that pretty much all of Hollywood knew he was gay, then why would you buy anything she has to say about his sexuality?
Man About Town
Yeah, but I'[ll always love what the press called his marriage to Barbara Hutton: “Cash & Cary!”
dbmcvey
Yeah, for people to act like she was his one true love is pretty ridiculous. That marriage was arranged just like all of them were.
dbmcvey
And she was no naif. She’d been around the business.