Cary Grant is coming home for his 120th birthday
Posted on: 25 Jun 2024The sixth edition of Bristol’s biennial Cary Comes Home festival arrives later this year – coinciding with a very special anniversary.
Bristol’s Cary Comes Home festival is a celebration of one of the city’s most beloved home-grown cinematic stars; a weekend of films, talks, walks and events observing all things Cary!
Born in 1904, Cary Grant (real name Archibald Leach) is a Horfield native (have a scroll on our Instagram to find the house where he was born) who had an early life marked by tragedy – from the extreme poverty he grew up in, to the death of his brother, his mother’s committal to Bristol Lunatic Asylum, and his father’s abandonment of the family.
However, things soon began to brighten for young Archie, who joining the Bob Pender Comedy Troupe as an acrobat aged just 14; eventually ending up in the US on tour, and sticking around to give the Hollywood film scene a go – and go he did!
This particular edition of the festival also marks the 120th anniversary of Cary Grant’s birth in the city with a programme looking at how his early years as an acrobat influenced his screen performances and those of his co-stars.
Announcing that the biennialevent’s sixth edition will run from November 29 to 1 December 2024, founder & director Charlotte Crofts said: “Grant is usually best remembered for his style and charm but he started out doing circus tricks with a travelling vaudeville troupe and never lost the ability, or willingness, to pull off risky stunts or teach other actors, including Katharine Hepburn, to tackle them, too”.
The festival’s full line-up is yet to be announced, but will (of course) include films - especially those showcasing Cary’s athleticism, as well as drawing attention to the lifelong inspiration he drew from action adventure and slapstick comedy films. Alongside the films will be talks, and events featuring the circus performers of today! Finally, there will also be special walks as part of the festival - no doubt including the 'Raising Cary Grant' walk, which Show of Strength Theatre are running right now in partnership with the festival.
Cary Comes Home takes place from Friday 29 November to Sunday 1 December. For more information on the festival, head to their Twitter, or their Facebook.