14 May 2012

The Ameriphile by David James Frost Mellor


I love America - Or, rather, I love the best of America.

I love what America symbolised to me growing up as a kid in London. America meant choices and options. America meant possibilities. America meant a bigger world with a greater embrace of style - I'd seen the films...I knew America had style.

America blended formality with casualness - America had Cary Grant! Had Cary 'Carried On' like Cary back in his native Bristol, UK, he would have been floating down the Docks within minutes ! And that's another American freedom I love. Showbiz is allowed !

Today I live in Bristol., By The Harbourside which used to be the Docks and to go into town I have to walk past a certain statue which means a lot to me:


Archie Leach in bronze carrying the script from 'To Catch A Thief.'

It's always lovely to see him....

Archie - We remember all the impossible possibilities you offered us all in terms of style and class. And we love you for that. And we know that if we were ever to say this to your face that you would just raise an eyebrow and say "Oh, come on..."



We'd expect nothing less.


To you, Sir.
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11 comments:

  1. The View from The Back14 May, 2012 08:31

    Whenever my brother has a difficult situation I always tell him "Be Cary Grant", our secret code for carry yourself with style even if you're paralyzed with fear....it works every time. Just ask Archie Leach.

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  2. Dallas14 May, 2012 17:59

    America meant you didn't have to grow up speaking German.

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  3. Jonathan Lally14 May, 2012 19:05

    A sweet and sincere tribute from DJFM - thank you.

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  4. Anonymous14 May, 2012 19:51

    "Everyone wants to be Cary Grant — even I want to be Cary Grant," -Cary Grant

    -DB

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  5. ThatGuy16 May, 2012 08:41

    Great piece. I watched 'To Catch A Thief' last night. :)

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  6. TRVS16 May, 2012 14:26

    I thought you were a New Yorker...or do just cross the pond at your leisure?

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  7. Anonymous17 May, 2012 05:23

    Jimmy here (DJFM) - Thank you to all for the kind comments. Writing this for John was a real pleasure.
    TRVS - I'm a London lad and it was from the American clothing scene in London centred around John Simons that I later explored the US.
    Best Wishes -

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  8. tintin17 May, 2012 13:46

    Jimmy, Thanks for sorting that out with TRVS. Jimmy, aka, Russell Street, and I are kicking around some ideas for the British take on Ivy. It's something I saw a lot of in London around the late '80s and early '90s.

    Not so much a Robt Elms, The Way We Wore, kinda thing but a simpler and shorter explanation of Ivy's British origins as well as how American Ivy influences UK Ivy today.

    Maybe we could try something like this...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGt21q1AjuI

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  9. TRVS17 May, 2012 16:54

    Just chalk it up to yet another dumb blonde moment...Mr. Grant would forgive me. ;)
    ~M.

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  10. Anonymous18 May, 2012 03:34

    Tintin - All good ideas. Always a pleasure working with you. Jimmy/Russell Street.

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  11. Brummagem Joe18 May, 2012 09:35

    Yep I'm a fan too. It was that grey suit in North by Northwest that first sparked my interest in stylish dressing. Never met Eve Marie Saint in a transcontinental sleeper though.

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