It was on this day back in 1982 that Grace Kelly, Hollywood icon and Princess consort of Monaco, died when she lost control of her vehicle and drove off the road and crashed. I've never considered myself a huge Kelly fan, but I've enjoyed several of her movies, particularly To Catch a Thief, and have always appreciated her class and stunning beauty.
Grace was recently reintroduced to me through a Vanity Fair article which discussed he fashion sense (which I have always adored), and touched briefly on her life which, subsequently, stirred some interest in me to seek out a biography to get a more thorough picture of her, and her time in Hollywood. In the process, I ran across High Society by Donald Spoto, which seems to be pretty good so far and also subscribes to the same sort of interviewing and biography ethos I personally follow. There's a great deal of respect for the subject, and that's something I like to see. Torrid tell-alls are not mu cup of tea.
From what I've seen so far in Spoto's book, Grace was a genuinely nice, generous and real person, despite her status and fame; another thing I like in my celebrities.
I'll also never forget Lauren Bacall tweeting from the Oscars when she referenced the young girls there who all had beautiful gowns but also terrible posture and little refinement. She said Grace would be rolling in her grave.
So there it is, my odd little tribute to Grace Kelly. Maybe I'll watch TCaT again tonight. Or grab one I haven't seen. Either way, I'm gonna squeeze a little Grace into my day.
Later!
mike
