American Legends

*Includes pictures of important people, places, and scenes.
*Includes a Bibliography for further reading.
"You know, I just love Grace Kelly. Not because she was a princess, not because she was an actress, not because she was my friend, but because she was just about the nicest lady I ever met. Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of its own." - James Stewart
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
Considering that her film career lasted just six years, it would seem as though the reputation of Grace Kelly far outweighs her actual output. Indeed, from the time of her arrival in Hollywood in 1951 through her final film, High Society, in 1956, Kelly acted in just 11 films, leaving viewers to wonder whether Kelly was still in the beginning of her career or whether High Society was a proper culmination to an extraordinarily brief stay in the film industry? Ultimately, it is might be most accurate to state that Kelly was still in the prime of her career, but it's unclear what direction her career would have taken, as well as who inherited the void she left.
Despite the short resume, Kelly is one of America's most famous actresses, and she left an indelible impact on Hollywood. Kelly brought a well-heeled, almost regal quality that deviated from the film noir roles and musical showgirls who had populated the screen during the 1930s and 1940s, and it is this new identity Kelly brought to the motion picture industry that remains her overriding trademark.
Of course, Kelly is just as well known today for her life outside of Hollywood, but in a sense, her life as Princess of Monaco continued many of the themes she had established while in Hollywood. Princess Grace exuded a regal and stately quality that also managed to keep her considerable sex appeal hidden beneath a layer of female elegance. As an actress and as a Princess, she was an international fashion icon, and her handbag and white glove are still associated with her. More than anything else, her career as an actress gave her the ability to live in the public eye, and in both of her "careers," Kelly was skilled at navigating the media and acting before the camera, whether it was the cinematic camera or the flash bulbs of the paparazzi. Kelly provided women worldwide with a model of female elegance that has perhaps not been equaled in the decades following her premature death in 1982.
American Legends: The Life of Grace Kelly profiles the life and career of the American princess. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Grace Kelly like you never have before, in no time at all.