CELEBS « In Which All Of Grace Kelly's Looks Were Too Sad »
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 10:47AM 
Amazing Grace
by ALMIE ROSE
I just found out that Grace Kelly was a slut and this has to mean something.
Maybe I should clarify (or not, it’s Manhattan, who gives a fuck): I had heard the old Hollywood rumors that Grace Kelly was not as pristine as her cool Hitchcockian image would have one believe. But the recent biography True Grace is quite revealing.
Grace Kelly would sleep with a guy on the first date. I find this shocking considering the era. And also considering that in those times, dates were dates. You wouldn’t spend the evening “watching a movie” on some guy’s couch; you’d get dressed up and go dancing at the Stork Club. You’d sit at a table in front of Bobby Darin while he sang about love and later he’d try to grab your ass but that would be OK. These were simpler times. But for all the decadence and politeness people still did it, and sometimes that’s easy to forget, which is why it’s so surprising to hear that Grace Kelly put out on the first date or Peggy on Mad Men asking her date, “Do you have a Trojan?”
One of Kelly’s signature moves was to emerge totally naked. I don’t mean at Bergdorf’s or on the street, I mean after she was alone with her date. She would excuse herself into the bathroom and come back naked, or if he went to the bathroom he would come back to find her naked. I can see her doing this but only posing as though she were a store mannequin, one perfectly manicured hand on her hip, the other lifted into the air as if to say, “Why not take a gander at my vagina?”
According to Leigh, the night Kelly won the Academy Award (for The Country Girl) she also won Marlon Brando, taking him back to her place, where their adult plans were interrupted by a scathing phone call from Judy Garland shouting, “This is Judy Garland, Judy Fucking Garland. You bitch! You took what was rightfully mine. [Garland was also nominated for “Best Actress” for her work in A Star Is Born, and favored to win.] Tonight was my last chance for the Oscar. You’ll have many more chances in your future. This was it for me. I’ll never forgive you.” Or in other words, “What don’t you fucking understand? You and me are done professionally.” In this way, Garland was clearly the Christian Bale of her time.
But as it would turn out, Kelly did not have “many more chances”; not long after she married the Prince of Monaco in a move that made her family and contemporaries say, “WTF LOL WHUT.” Prince Rainier was a far cry from Marlon Brando or John F. Kennedy, who Kelly also “dated” (and by dated I mostly mean slept with.) And Kelly’s father literally bought Grace the title, with a dowry of $2,000,000.
Maybe Kelly was sick of falling for married co-stars and wanted a real Prince and not a man like Bing Crosby, who appeared princely on the screen, but in real life broke Kelly’s heart after changing his mind about leaving his wife and beat his children with sweet Valenica oranges. I know, right, Bing Crosby? What on earth is sexy about Bing Crosby? Grace Kelly had a thing for older men. Unresolved Daddy issues? You bet. Her father often said that his youngest daughter was his favorite and was openly vocal about this and his surprise in that Grace amounted to anything other than a housewife. So Grace Kelly found her solace in old grizzled men like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Jimmy Stewart.
A lot of people think of Gwyneth Paltrow as the modern day Grace Kelly, but the truth is, it’s more like Sienna Miller.
She was known for having affairs with all of her costars and didn’t let a marriage stop her, though Jimmy Stewart is apparently the only married co-star she didn’t sleep with, maybe because Stewart’s wife, knowing about Kelly’s reputation, visited the set every day. Kelly would move from man to man holding her steel-cut jaw high, rarely getting heartbroken, with the exception of Gable, who she practically had to beg to sleep with her, because Gable was more interested in Ava Gardner, but didn’t care to cross Sinatra. Kelly was clingy around Gable and desperate to capture his attention and hold onto it. Hey, we’ve all been there, right? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve romanced an old Hollywood legend only to think, "Does he really like me for me or for the publicity?" You know, that age-old dilemma.
My point though is not to shun Kelly for her wanton ways. But rather instead I’m suggesting that we step a little further from our romantic notions of old Hollywood and see that era for what it really was. Just because couples didn’t sleep in the same bed in film or television in those times doesn’t mean that they weren’t screwing like mad. Also, that bitch Grace Kelly got everything she ever wanted through family connections, money, and impeccable features. Fuck her and the pristine horse she rode in on.
Almie Rose is the senior contributor to This Recording. She writes here.
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Reader Comments (65)
I'm glad to know she was actually human since I have worshipped her since I was a lad.
This was fun; I enjoyed this; thank you. Also, according to Kitty Kelley, Nancy Reagan: famous in Hollywood for the oral sex. FYI.
Neither the Brando autobiography nor the Peter Manso Brando biography mention anything about him sleeping with Grace Kelly on the night of his first Oscar win (and both books go into detail about both his sexual conquests and what he did do on that night). I'm not an expert on Grace Kelly but I'd take this obviously sensationalised bio with a grain of salt.
shhh Andy you're ruining the fun.
As a sex positive feminist, I have a serious issue with the use of the word "slut" first and foremost, and then the following negative approach to a woman's choice to engage in casual sex. Sure, you are creating a contrast between her media self and her actual self, but please, leave the sexist baggage behind. You can be ironic without demeaning female sexuality.
wow, um wow
Wow, this is one of the most sexist "reviews" I've ever read. Anyone who knows anything about Grace Kelly knows how sensational and blown out of proportion this biography is, as well as riddled with historical inaccuracies and typos. None of the sleazy gossip included in this tabloid trash has been proven. With that in mind, 1. good job reviewing a "recent" book that is almost three years old 2. read High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto, for actual stories and interviews with Grace Kelly.
in what sense did you feel this piece was stigmatizing sex?
fuck it from now on I'm starting all my sentences with, "As a sex-positive feminist..." love u
Clark Gable strikes me as a huge asshole.
A few word choices seemed particularly odd in this piece ("decadence" in reference to the "politeness" of the era and "grizzled" to describe Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and and Jimmy Stewart), and the phrase "but rather instead" is doubly, if not triply, redundant. The piece read as though it were composed hurriedly and without an editor's input.
who invited the dorks to the party? someone tell them to get the FUCK out.
now.
thanks.
It's sort of sad that none of this - and I mean all of this - shocks me. Wa-wah.
Yeah, she was slutty, but i have to admit that the arguments you were using sounded more like some sexual problem with yourself rather than with her.
This is a little overly critical. I agree with Finneas that it's more likely an issue with the authors sexuality then Grace Kelly's.
I mean c'mon, the writer of the biography gleaned all this from interviews with a bunch of old people who heard gossip rumors from a friend of afriend who's dead. They're NOT facts. I doubt most of it is for real. You can tell it's just gossip rumors because the book is focused solely on her relationships. Who writes a bio focused just on that stuff? I mean really. Think before you accept something as fact. You do it on the internet, so do it with physical books too.
it seems to me that the one who wrote has some troubles his self i mean what do i care if she was naked after she came back from the bathroom in her dates i mean no body really care on these stuff she was a slut well mostly every woman in hollyowod .
The person who wrote this tripe epitomizes what vicious gossip-mongering is all about. Trying to deal with one's own feeling of inadequacy and self-hatred by trying to dicredit another, usually one who is perceived to be a better person than the venom-spewer. Some people will always shine; their truth and goodnes will outlast any envious detractors. Grace Kelly is one of those. Go ahead, try to dirty her up all you want, then go look deep in your eyes in the mirror, and ponder your own filth.
IF - I repeat IF - any of this is true, she's a better actress than I ever imagined and earned her Oscar off-screen too. Perhaps with that beauty and wealth, we'd find ourselves bored and tempted too.
This is merely a vile tirade. I shan't return to this website other by accident.
Shun away, dear girl! The amount of phlegmatic vitriol you throw at Kelly makes it clear what YOUR opinion is!
A very unbalanced piece of editorial comment - bad journalism all around.
Grace Kelly was a cheap, tawdry SLUT. She slept around. She even screwed around with her friends' husbands.
Her whole family was and is pretty dysfunctional and cheap. Plus, she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.
What the hell! A woman that stunningly hot should pass it around.
She was a mixed up slut. She also couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.
I guess it was justice when her ugly, mannish-looking Eurotrash daughter drove her off a cliff. No class.
well obviuosly you are talking about a human not a saint
why does everybody expecting her to remain a nun she was a young beautiful woman
ok she slept with married men and it said that she cheated on her husband but to call her a slut come on why nobody call clark gable or gary cooper a slut they were married men whom cheated their wives with much younger women like grace kelly why no body is calling william holden a whore he was a womainzer and cheated numerous times on his wife and the same to frank sinatra also how anyone can be certain about all this stuff i mean grace is dead all these men are dead now for me now grace was a classy an incredibly beautiful woman talented i enjoy very much her movies and a very kind and warm human being .
One of the first comments in this thread states 'according to Kitty Kelley, Nancy Reagan: famous in Hollywood for the oral sex'... eeeeeeewwwww!! Is that why her eye's always looked twice as big as her head or body? god, it's going to take months to get rid of this image.
I had always heard Grace was a whore-dog like Inger Stevens or Elvis. Oh well, as the 'Skipper' once yelled on Gilligan's Island, "Don't put it in too far Lil' Buddy!!'
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. This person is extremely small minded.
This is ridiculous. I can't believe people actually stoop so low as to try to smear the name of someone as talented as Grace Kelly. And the fact that people believe this trash and take it as fact without any doubt is just depressing to me. And why is it even important? It's her life to do with it what she will, and I don't think anyone is in any sort of position to be able to judge her on her life choices. I guess that, basically, what I'm saying is that this can't be taken as fact--it's no better than a cheap tabloid story. Yeah, it could catch someone's attention and make them 'tut' at a famous woman, but it's nothing more than words on a page, and words can be spun to say whatever anyone wants about anything. This story just provides people "facts" to make them feel like they're better than someone that's actually privileged or lucky. Overall, this was nothing more than disgusting slander. R.I.P. Grace Kelly
"Clark Gable strikes me as a huge asshole."
I'm sure like all these actors he had his problems but actually was suppose to be the nicest guy in Hollywood and down to earth. Also said "that king of Hollywood stuff is all BS." Had in his contract what time he got off and would intentionally mess up his lines so the extras would get paid for coming in the next day for a couple of minutes. He had remembered when little gigs meant a lot to him.
First of all, it is very sad and objectionable to call Grace Kelly names. From what I have read and heard, she loved to be with men, she needed to fulfill her great hunger for love and sex. So what?
To me she was a real feminist. She lived fully her feminity.
I am sure also that she loved very sincerely her husband and I am very doubtful about what some people suggest out of mean jealousy.
Anyway, what she did as a woman, many men did (and still do) it as men (if not, she wouldn't have partners, even married ones, right?) without getting all these insults and being subjected to misrepresentations. She was extremely feminine, she loved and needed to be loved; and she gave a lot of love to her beloved ones and family. I have seen many of her films and admired her. She is superb. True, I wonder if I could have resisted to her charms for very long, if she would have been interested in me and I would I have been of her generation. So, please; leave her alone. Voila!
So Grace Kelly screwed around. She was single, a movie star, and bedding the world's greatest Hollywood stars. The point is not many women at the time had the opportunity, or the drop dead looks she had, to get away with with it. Life is short and what you do in the privacy of the boudoir
should be a private concern. Besides,can you imagine bedding Gary Cooper? Clara Bow said of him: "He was hung like a horse and could go all night." Ah, to be a starlet like Grace Kelly!
You are the best, plain and simple. I have never laughed so hard at the God's honest truth, in my life.
ANDY, i know this is 2 years 2 late (2 fast 2 furious), but the article says the Kelly/Brandon affair started on the night of HER first Oscar win. Yes, Andy, women can win awards too.
No offense, claudia, but even though the author did not mention that the night Grace Kelly won her (only, not "first," as you implicitly misquote) Academy Award, Marlon Brando also won -- his first -- for "On the Waterfront." A quick reference check would have shown that andy's sources, Brando and his biographer, cannot be refuted or even credibly disputed based on this negligible omission. Again, no offense, even though your last sentence is inane.
You should really stop making articles....People are not perfect and would you like it if someone started to go back into your life and over report things or say every mistake you made or your friend? Everyone has something messed up about them. Or does reading about people doing this stuff make you feel good about yourself? Stop slandering and gossiping about these people just because they are famous. Go on, slander about your pastor or your friend. You know them right? So it should be factual. It's easy to slander the dead or the out of reach. Slander someone who hates your guts. Get courage, be a real writer. If you dish the dirt, you should be able to face it. These people cannot go to you and defend themselves. I write articles to and when I do write about negative things it's based on facts of what they've actually admitted to or their film career or their goodness. YOu're just like one of those fictional reports getting a quick sell with phony headlines. So Liberace or Paul Lynde may have been gay, who cares? It was THEIR personal life and that may have been a reason they didn't share it, because they wanted it under cover usually that means they realize it's a problem. When people don't see things as a problem they talk about it nonchalantly, like you talk about people maliciously, very nonchalantly. Go expose every single thing you've done wrong
Sure, Grace was stunning, but come on, there were thousands of women in Hollywood then who were gorgeous, could sing, could act, blah blah. To say Grace's money and connections didn't help when she had such a bland, boring, "safe" personality says it all. You read the interviews of Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Lauren Bacall, Kate Hepburn, Audrey, etc, etc, and they all had these interesting, scintillating, one-of-a-kind personalities, opinions and life stories. They had GUMPTION. That was a big part of their success. Grace? BOOORING. Always playing it sweet and safe. Not a single interesting idea in her head. Sure, the men were mad about her. But come on! That's supposed to make her extraordinary?? Gimme a break!
As for her acting, she was all right, but that's about it. When you basically play the same kind of ice queen role movie-after-movie, acting can't be that hard. She was just OK. And very lucky that Hitchcock had the hots for her. (The classic Hitchcock movies she was in was more a credit to his genius than hers. She just had the looks and could act OK.)
Finally, her marriage to Rainier. That's the biggest joke of all. Let's be honest here. Do you think a woman like Grace Kelly would have given short, dumpy, ugly Rainier the time of day if he hadn't been a Prince?!?! Puh-leaze. She could have had her pick of handsome, famous, millionaires back in Hollywood and would have been perfectly happy staying rich, being a mom AND keeping her career. But instead she married dumpy old Rainier for the title and gave up her career to satisfy her dictatorially ambitious father and family. Rainier, in turn, married her to put Monaco on the map and attract millionaire high rollers to his cash-strapped country. (He openly confessed to these motives. Everyone knows this.) So there was no *True Love* here. Certainly Affection and Lust (mostly on his end). But any guy who insists on receiving a 2 million dollar payout from the Bride's family (which today is like asking for $10 million) is NOT doing it for Real Love. The fact that her family paid him, effectively selling their daughter away, is somewhat sickening. But hey, those were the times. Any woman with real gumption and a personality would have been insulted and stood up to her family's stupid pressures ages ago. But all Grace cared about was pleasing her family, society and acting like the brainwashed 1950s girl she really was. The fact that people still praise her today for her empty-headed decision is a mystery to me. Its not like she lived the fairytale story. Its obvious she wasn't 100% happy in the end, she had been living separately from Rainier for years, her children loved to misbehave and she had no career.
Yet for some reason people love the story of how a beautiful silver-spooned woman cut short a glittering, A-list career in Hollywood at age 25 to become a housewife and trophy wife and princess to a 5-mile wide city-state of rich, gambling tax-evaders. Its really quite pathetic if you think about it. No A-list actress today would ever consider doing the same today. Not for stupid, phony reasons like Grace's, at least. Thank Goodness!
With the increasing relaxation of social norms about male/female behavior (at least in the country/city where I live), I am *mainly* asked out by men who are 20 years younger than I am. It's probably because at that age there are still a lot of single men, whereas the vast majority of guys my age are not. I do look a bit young for my age, but these fellas know that I'm at least 15 years older than they are, and they don't mind that (at least, apparently, for "casual" dating). I don't think it's weird and I don't think they have "mommy issues" or whatever armchair-psychoanalyzing term folks might throw at it. In one's 20s and 30s, it is not a crime to be attracted to someone older who seems mature, experienced, and complex.
About Grace Kelly -- I don't need to put anyone on a pedestal, and I don't mind hearing the truth about people, but there is a feeling here that this article contains some probably-untrue rumours and suppositions. It's unfair and off-putting.
Of course people have always had pre-marital, extra-marital, etc., sex. Of course some people are more needy for affection and attention than others. Of course some people have advantages in life that other people don't - benefits like good looks, money, good education, natural intelligence, talent, etc. It is immature and illogical to hate and slander people for their advantages, and even for using their advantages in mainstream ways to benefit themselves. For a start, one often has no idea what disadvantages the person suffers from (these are usually less easy to spot).
I followed a link to this site from another blog which warned, "sorry for ruining whatever plans you had for the rest of the day", which got me excited about what sort of great content this site must have. I am sure that it's quite interesting - looks diverse and opinionated and well-laid-out. However, I'm glad to have read this article relatively soon after landing here, so I don't have to worry about derailing my Saturday.
Kelly is very much like us all ....not all good , not all bad . Lacey revealed
she was not secure in the love of her family . He father was arrogant , her mother was
cold . Maybe the poor girl was just looking for love in all the wrong places .
What we can say is that she was one of the loveliest women in the world , a very good actress , especially in COUNTRY GIRL with Bing Crosby and William Holden , and she knocked most men off their feet .
Just watching Dial M for Murder tonite ..... still holds up beautifully !
Grace died at 52 , too soon !
What a marvellous post. It sums it all up. Well done. !
Gossip is fun but the reality of poor Grace who had hot pants (and many of us in
the film industry knew it, forever) is that when she married Rainier to become the
"princess" of a place the size of Central Park she ended her freedom, destroyed
her career, (then peaking) and for the most part, closed her access to men.
Imagine going from a whirlwind of parties to a humdrum of phony tea parties?
THAT was her biggest mistake, not dropping her jeans for jelly beans. At the bottom
line, Grace was an equal opportunity employer. The big names we hear about make up
only a small fraction of her industry.