Marty and Cindy cover a hidden favorite with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, 1963 Charade

Charade - Production & Development

• Original script (The Unsuspecting Wife) was rejected by seven studios before Peter Stone serialized it in Redbook—then all wanted it.

• Cary Grant initially declined; Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood were considered before Grant returned.

• Filming began Oct 1962 in Paris; ski scenes shot Jan 1963 in Megève, French Alps.

• Grant (59) objected to the age gap; script revised so Hepburn’s character pursues him.

• Peter Joshua was named after director Stanley Donen’s sons.

• Shot alongside Paris When It Sizzles (1964) using many of the same locations.

Cast Connections & Trivia

• Grant hoped to work with Audrey Hepburn again, but never did.

• Hepburn and Grant were both heavy smokers; Grant quit in 1957.

• Cast includes four Oscar winners: Hepburn, Matthau, Kennedy, Coburn; Grant never won.

• Matthau, Kennedy, and Stone later collaborated on Mirage (1965).

• Screenwriter Peter Stone cameoed (embassy elevator voice by Donen).

• Grant and Matthau both played Walter Burns in separate The Front Page films.

• Grant (Archie Leach) once toured with the Marx Brothers; his film reference is layered.

• Ice-cream scene came from a real Hepburn mishap with Grant’s suit.

• Child actor Thomas Chelimsky later became a physician.

Hitchcock Echoes

• Often called “the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made.”

Opening spiral credits echo Vertigo (1958).

• Shower, rooftop, and chase scenes mirror North by Northwest (1959).

• Boat-kiss-to-darkness recalls Hitchcock’s tunnel ending symbolism.

• “Thief” line nods to To Catch a Thief (1955).

• Several actors overlap with Hitchcock films.

Paris Locations

• Showcases 1963 Paris: Champs-Élysées, Les Halles, Palais-Royal, Comédie-Française.

• American Express office (Rue Scribe) and Les Halles no longer exist as filmed.

• Puppet theater: Théâtre Vrai Guignolet (since 1818).

• Metro scenes shot on Line 1 (later extended to La Défense).

• Château de Chillon painting foreshadows Hepburn’s Swiss home purchase.

Stamps, Score & Style

• The $250,000 MacGuffin is rare stamps hidden on an envelope.

• Includes Monaco Princess Grace stamps (Grace Kelly co-starred with Grant).

• Henry Mancini’s score later influenced/plagiarized internationally.

• Funeral cue previews Two for the Road (1967).

• Hepburn’s wardrobe (Givenchy) exceeds what her luggage suggests.

• Credits by Maurice Binder (later James Bond fame).

Release, Legacy & Public Domain

• Film entered public domain due to missing copyright notice.

• Result: many poor-quality prints; best versions come from restored releases.

• Included in the Criterion Collection.

• Selected for the National Film Registry (2022).

• John F. Kennedy screened and praised it in 1963.

• Dialogue was altered post-assassination; later restored.

• Grant referenced the theme in his final film (Walk, Don’t Run, 1966).

• Appeared across multiple AFI nominee lists (comedy, thrills, romance, score).

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