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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