Film Friday: To Catch a Thief (1955)
This week on «Film Friday,» I am honouring Grace Kelly's 87th birthday, which is tomorrow, by telling you a little about what is arguably one of her most iconic films. This was also the picture that gave her a first glimpse at her future realm.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, To Catch a Thief (1955) concerns John Robie (Cary Grant), a former world-famous jewel thief known as «The Cat,» who now lives in the French Riviera. Although he insists he is retired, having repented for his crimes during World War II, he becomes the chief suspect when a series of robberies take place. Realizing that the only way to prove his innocence is by catching the thief himself, Robie seeks the help of his old friend, restauranteur Bertani (Charles Vanel), asking him for information about his wealthy customers. Spotted by police detectives as he is leaving the restaurant, Robie manages to escape with the help of Foussard (Jean Martinelli), one of Bertani's workers, and his flirtatious teenage daughter Danielle (Brigitte Auber).
Later, Robie receives a telephone call from Bertani telling him to meet insurance investigator H. H. Hughson (John Williams), who provides him with a list of the most expensive jewellery owners currently on the Riviera. Topping the list are American widow Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis) and her refined daughter Francie (Grace Kelly). Pretending to be an American industrialist, Robie connives to meet them while they are gambling at a casino. At first, Francie seems indifferent to his charms, but a romance soon develops between the two.
Meanwhile, Jessie discovers that her jewels have been stolen and Robie is once again the prime suspect. To catch the new Cat, Robie stakes out the villa where he expects the burglar will be next. As he waits, he is grabbed by two attackers, one of whom falls from a cliff in the ensuing struggle. The dead man happens to be Foussard, who is identified by the police as being The Cat. Robie, however, knows that Foussard cannot be the burglar because he had a wooden leg and could not climb on rooftops. Continuing with his search for the real thief, Robie asks Francie to arrange his attendance at an upcoming masquerade ball, where he believes The Cat will strike again. Without Francie noticing it, Robie sneaks out to the roof and finally catches the thief, who turns out to be Danielle. She confesses to the police that she and her father were involved in the robberies and that Bertani was the leader of the gang. Back in his hilltop villa, Robie is reunited with Francie, who convinces him that she has a place in his life and home. 
A former Certified Public Accountant, David Dodge began his writing career in the mid-1930s as a playwright for an amateur theatre group based in San Francisco, California. After the publication of some of his plays, he made a bet with his wife that he could write a better mystery novel than the ones they had been reading lately. Drawing on his professional experience as an accountant, Dodge developed Death and Taxes, which was published by Macmillan in 1941 and produced three sequels featuring the same protagonist, tax expert and reluctant detective James «Whit» Whitney. Upon being discharged from the U.S. Naval Reserve at the end of World War II, Dodge left San Francisco and set out to Guatemala by car with his wife and five-year-old daughter. Their experiences along the way inspired Dodge to create another series character, Al Colby, an expatriate working as a private detective in Latin America.
Following the release of the last of three Colby novels in 1950, Dodge decided to abandon series characters and shifted his focus from detective mysteries to suspense adventures set in exotic locations around the world. His first effort within this new thematic universe was To Catch a Thief, the story of John «Le Chat» Robie, a retired jewel thief living in a luxurious villa on the French Riviera, whose peace and quiet are disrupted by a copycat burglar. To Catch a Thief was initially serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine in December 1951, and became a great success after its publication in book format by Random House in January 1952.
Meanwhile, British director Alfred Hitchcock signed a three-movie deal with Paramount Pictures. His first film under this new contract was Rear Window (1954), starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, who had previously worked with him in Rope (1948) and Dial M For Murder (1954), respectively. Rear Window was a massive critical and commercial success, earning the director his fourth of five Oscar nominations.
For his second project at Paramount, Hitchcock chose To Catch a Thief, which he had purchased from Dodge for $15,000 right after its publication in Cosmopolitan. In adapting the novel to the screen, Hitchcock collaborated with John Michael Hayes, who had penned Rear Window and would go on to write The Trouble with Harry (1955) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) for the director. Hayes later remarked,
This week on «Film Friday,» I am honouring Grace Kelly's 87th birthday, which is tomorrow, by telling you a little about what is arguably one of her most iconic films. This was also the picture that gave her a first glimpse at her future realm. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, To Catch a Thief (1955) concerns John Robie (Cary Grant), a former world-famous jewel thief known as «The Cat,» who now lives in the French Riviera. Although he insists he is retired, having repented for his crimes during World War II, he becomes the chief suspect when a series of robberies take place. Realizing that the only way to prove his innocence is by catching the thief himself, Robie seeks the help of his old friend, restauranteur Bertani (Charles Vanel), asking him for information about his wealthy customers. Spotted by police detectives as he is leaving the restaurant, Robie manages to escape with the help of Foussard (Jean Martinelli), one of Bertani's workers, and his flirtatious teenage daughter Danielle (Brigitte Auber).
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| Brigitte Auber and Cary Grant as John Robie and Danielle Foussard in To Catch a Thief. |
Meanwhile, Jessie discovers that her jewels have been stolen and Robie is once again the prime suspect. To catch the new Cat, Robie stakes out the villa where he expects the burglar will be next. As he waits, he is grabbed by two attackers, one of whom falls from a cliff in the ensuing struggle. The dead man happens to be Foussard, who is identified by the police as being The Cat. Robie, however, knows that Foussard cannot be the burglar because he had a wooden leg and could not climb on rooftops. Continuing with his search for the real thief, Robie asks Francie to arrange his attendance at an upcoming masquerade ball, where he believes The Cat will strike again. Without Francie noticing it, Robie sneaks out to the roof and finally catches the thief, who turns out to be Danielle. She confesses to the police that she and her father were involved in the robberies and that Bertani was the leader of the gang. Back in his hilltop villa, Robie is reunited with Francie, who convinces him that she has a place in his life and home.
John Robie: You know as well as I do: this necklace is imitation.
Francie Stevens: Well, I'm not.
Following the release of the last of three Colby novels in 1950, Dodge decided to abandon series characters and shifted his focus from detective mysteries to suspense adventures set in exotic locations around the world. His first effort within this new thematic universe was To Catch a Thief, the story of John «Le Chat» Robie, a retired jewel thief living in a luxurious villa on the French Riviera, whose peace and quiet are disrupted by a copycat burglar. To Catch a Thief was initially serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine in December 1951, and became a great success after its publication in book format by Random House in January 1952.
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| Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in publicity stills for To Catch a Thief. |
For his second project at Paramount, Hitchcock chose To Catch a Thief, which he had purchased from Dodge for $15,000 right after its publication in Cosmopolitan. In adapting the novel to the screen, Hitchcock collaborated with John Michael Hayes, who had penned Rear Window and would go on to write The Trouble with Harry (1955) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) for the director. Hayes later remarked,
«On To Catch a Thief he [Hitchcock] got involved in the script work every day, which had not been true of Rear Window. The work was a pleasure for most of the time. What made us a good team was that he had such brilliant technique and knowledge of the visual, and ego and conviction; and I think I was able to bring him a warmth of characterization.»
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| Alfred Hitchcock with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant during the making of To Catch a Thief. |
When time came for casting, there were two people Hitchcock envisioned for the roles of John Robie and his love interest Francie Stevens: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Kelly immediately accepted the offer, but Grant had to be persuaded. Since Dream Wife (1953), Grant had turned down all film offers for the sake of his marriage to actress Betsy Drake, who preferred her husband stay at home with her and explore the adventure of their private life together. However, out of respect and admiration for Hitchcock, who had directed him to great success in Suspicion (1941) and Notorious (1946), Grant agreed to a meeting with the director. Hitchcock outlined the plot for Grant, who agreed to at least read the script, and then he added,
«It might help you as you're reading, Grace Kelly has agreed to play the girl and a good part of the picture will be shot on the Riviera.»
With that, Grant accepted the offer without any more hesitation.
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| Grace Kelly and Cary Grant as Francie and Robie in To Catch a Thief. |
«I think the most memorable and honest actress I've ever worked with was Grace Kelly. Don't misunderstand. I appreciated Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, Irene Dunne, Kate Hepburn, and all the women I worked with. Grace had a kind of serenity, a calmness, that I hadn't arrived at at that point in my life — and perhaps never will for all I know. She was so relaxed in front of the camera that she made it look simple. She made acting look as easy as Frank Sinatra made singing appear. [...] Grace was astonishing. When you played a scene with her, she really listened. She was right there with you. She was Buddha-like in her concentration.»
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| Grace Kelly and Cary Grant as Francie and Robie in To Catch a Thief. |
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| Cary Grant and Grace Kelly on location in Cannes during the making of To Catch a Thief. |
To Catch a Thief did not open for almost a year after shooting was completed, because Hitchcock had to work on his new television series while editing the film. It finally had its «world premiere» at the Paramount Theatre in New York on August 4, 1955.
Despite all the fanfare and promotion, the film received mixed reviews from critics. Variety wrote: «While a suspense thread is present, director Alfred Hitchcock doesn't emphasize it, letting the yarn play lightly for comedy more than thrills.» Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was more favorable: «The script and the actors keep things popping, in a fast, slick, sophisticated vein. [...] To Catch a Thief does nothing but give out a good, exciting time.» In spite of the mixed reviews, the film was a huge commercial success, eventually becoming the biggest hit of the first half of the 1950s. The popularity of To Catch a Thief caught the attention of Queen Elizabeth II, who chose the film for screening at the annual royal command performance in September 1955. Shot in Technicolor and the widescreen process VistaVision, the film won an Oscar for Best Cinematography (Colour) and was nominated for Best Art Direction (Colour) and Best Costume Design (Colour).
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SOURCES:
Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot (Three Rivers Press, 2009)
Grace: A Biography by Thily Wydra (Skyhorse Publishing, 2014)
Hitchcock's Stars: Alfred Hitchcock and the Hollywood Studio System by Lesley L. Coffin (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014)
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