Princess Grace: Her Tragic Ending (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

this is Grace Kelly movie star and princes James Stewart was once asked if he thought that Princess Grace would ever return to Hollywood and he said why should she we only make-believe but she's the real thing grace Patricia Kelly was born November the 12th 1929 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania to wealthy parents John and Margaret Kelly John B Kelley senior was owner of a multi-million dollar brick worth contracting company John Kelly who was sometimes called Jack by his friends was a triple Olympic gold medal winner in sculling our rowing he won his first medal in 19 and 20 at the Olympics and again in 1924 now this is a monument to Jack Kelly in Fairmont Park in Philadelphia now Margaret Kelly Grace's mother was a great swimmer and she was the first coach of the women's athletic team at the University of Pennsylvania Grace had two older siblings Margaret born in 1925 and John Jr born in 1927 Grace had one younger sister Elizabeth born in 1933 in nineteen and twenty nine the year grace was born her father built this family home at 3901 Henry Avenue in the affluent section of East Falls Philadelphia grace will attend Ravenhill Academy a prestigious Catholic girls school and grace along with her mother and sister sometimes model fashions at the local events the Kelley's thought he was cute that little Grace had such an imagination and she always said when she grew up she was going to be a famous actress however by the time grace graduated from Stephens high school in May of 1947 a socially prominent private Institute in Northwest Philadelphia it was no longer cute mr. Kenney said that being an actress was one step above being a prostitute now during high school grace acted in dance and school plays and her yearbook listed her favorite actors as Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman the prophecy section of her yearbook said miss grace Patricia Kelly a famous star of stage and screen now grace was rejected by the Bennington College in July of 1947 after graduating from high school for low mathematics scores after being turned down at Bennington grace went to New York and attended classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts against her parents will still being the proper young lady she stayed at the Barbizon Hotel for women her parents agreed to pay her first year's tuitions and expenses now while a student she modeled part-time and appeared in an ad for old gold cigarettes to make extra money in nineteen and forty nine after graduating from the Academy grace sought a career on Broadway she found it tough going she had the looks and the style but not the strong voice with the encouragement of her famous uncle George Kelly a Pulitzer prize-winning playwright she decided to try her hand in Hollywood she got a few extra parts but in 1951 she landed a minor role in the movie 14 hours now the only valuable thing that came out of the 14 hours was the fact that Gary Cooper spotted her on a set and was taken with her beauty and graceful manners now when producers Stanley Kramer wanted cami he got no argument from Cooper despite the differences in their ages because Kelly was 22 and Cooper was 50 Grace became Cooper's wife in his next picture that was called high nude she played the wife of marshal will King as Amy Kane a Quaker in pacifist trying to convince her husband to give up his badge and gun before Frank Miller a killer sworn to kill the marshal arrived by train at high noon she didn't know it to time but it will eventually open a door to start him for the 22-year old actress the next year in 1953 Kelly was offered a role with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner in Mogambo film partly on location in Kenya and directed by John Ford Kenny will become involved with Clark Gable off to say it you'll take a hotel away from the rest of the cast so that grace could sink early visit that is until Grace's mother showed up Grace was once asked by reporters if she had had a romance with gable she answered in a joking way if you're in a tent alone in Africa what Clark Gable what else is there to do for her part in Mogambo grace will receive her first nomination for an Academy Award although she won't win the award she did however win the Golden Globe for the Best Supporting Actress she was given a seven-year contract by MGM making 750 dollars per week MGM had a policy of lending their stars out to other studios and if their stars became exceedingly prop lured MGM would reap the benefits so in August of 1953 Kelly was lent to Warner Brothers for an Alfred Hitchcock film dial M from murder it starred Ray Malayan and Robert Cummings Hitchcock first tried to get Deborah Carr for the part of Margo but she was tied up with another picture and then he tried to get Olivia de Havilland but she wanted too much money he finally settled for grace dial M for murder was filmed in 26 days and released in 1954 Grace's next movie was also directed by Alfred Hitchcock rear window with James Stewart released by Paramount and the sent for real window was built on a soundstage and was a exact replica of an actual apartment complex grace was known to be a flirt especially with her leading men even flirting with Jimmy Stewart now Sturtz wife was always close by to see that that was all it was now the crew said that the 50 year old Jimmy Stewart got a real kick out of it Hitchcock who had had trouble in the past with producer David O Selznick took Raymond burrs character in the movie a murderer now and he made him look just like sales dick some people say that real winter was Hitchcock's Best Picture also released in December 1954 was the bridges of toko REE Kelly played Nancy Pugh Baker wife of Navy pilot hey Brubaker played by William Holden along with Mickey Rooney and Frederick March Grace Kelly will win an Oscar for Best Actress for her next performance in the country girl Kelly would play a long-suffering wife of an alcoholic singer being Crosby MGM would have to loan Kelly to paramount in order for her to get the part they didn't want to so kelly threatened to quit and return to New York if they wouldn't let her MGM gave in after coming off such a successful film as the country girl her next feature was green fire with Stewart Granger it was a disappointment it was filmed in a miserable dirty hut in Columbia she said and part of the crew even got shipwrecked it was filmed in ten days and it was awful grace told Hedda Hopper the next year in 1955 again for the fifth time grace was lent out by MGM to Paramount this will be the film that will change her life she will fly to the French Riviera to star with Cary Grant in to catch a thief grant plays an ex jewel thief trying to catch a thief that uses his methods and during filming Grace and Cary develop a lasting friendship grant will say years later that grace Kinney was his favorite actress to work with she had serenity he said some of the driving seems on the curvy roads above Monte Carlo was close to the same roads taken by Princess Grace that she will years later lose her life grace that same year will attend the Cannes Film Festival in con France there in the festival and while attending a photoshoot at the Royal Palace Grace Kelly will meet Prince Rainier the third for the first time she actually was not interested in meeting the prince but later being with him for a while she decided that indeed the prince was charming when she returned to the United States she began a private correspondence with Rainier ironically at the time she was playing apprentice in the movie The Swan with Alex Guinness and in December of 1955 Prince Rainier will come visit grace at her family home in Philadelphia now this is a Kelly family photo plus Prince Rainier right after the prince s grace to marry him it's been said that Grace's father Jack Kelly told the Prince now we are Americans and we don't go much for that print stuff Grace will finish her last film high society with being Crosby in Frank Sinatra and she will give up her Hollywood career at the age of 26 although Grace Kelly only starred in 11 films and over a period of five years she made more of an impression than stars that had been in Hollywood for years with 50 family members and friends grace left New York and sailed on the SS Constitution on her way to the French Riviera for her wedding it has been reported that the Kelley's paid a dowry of two million dollars before the wedding could proceed over a two-day period grace Patricia Kelly mares Prince Rainier the third on 18 April 1956 the civil ceremony and on the 19th for the religious ceremony MGM will have 30 seams work in three weeks on Grace's gown and MGM will give the gown as a present to the princess Prince Rainier allowed MGM to film the full Grace Kelly wedding for letting grace out of her seven year contract the wedding was viewed by 30 million people on live television the royal couple will leave the same net for a seven week honeymoon on the Mediterranean on Prince Rainiers yacht Grayson Renier son Prince Albert stated that his father and mother told him that they were so tired that first night once they got on the yacht that they both collapsed from exhaustion and it was the next day before they could continue the honeymoon the prince was 33 years old and grace was 26 if the couple did not produce an heir then the Monaco principality would revert back and become a part of France however Lovell trials for princes Caroline will be born nine months and four days later on January the 23rd 1957 and one year in two months after Caroline's birth Prince Albert to second will be born on March 14 1958 grace will allow her children to spend time and visit her parents at the Kenny's family home in Philadelphia now when Prince Albert reaches the age of 47 and becomes the heir of the principality after his father Prince Rainiers death he will purchase the Kelly home in Philadelphia in honor of his mother and make it a museum and open it to the public in July of 2011 Prince Albert will pick his own princess Charlene Wittstock the same as his father had done before it's been reported that Prince Albert is actually one of the wealthiest monarchs in Europe when Albert was two years old John Kelly Grace's father passed away on June 20th 1960 at the age of 70 her mother Margaret will not die until June 6 1990 at the age of 91 through the years Princess Grace will be offered several movie parts but she'll always turn them down but in 1962 her old friend offered Hitchcock offered her 1 million dollars if she would star in Marnie she first said yes to mr. Hitchcock but when the citizens of Monaco objected Princess Grace said she would not disappoint her people and pulled out of the movie grace would say here I have my obligations and duties as the princess and mother the second choice for the part of Marnie will then go to actress Tippi Hedren on the 1st of February 1965 Grace and Rainier will have their third child Princess stéphanie Grace Kelly's time the next few years will be filled with raising her children and her many dears as Princess of Monaco and trying to win the respect and love of her 30,000 citizens the people will soon realize that grace is serious about her responsibility to the people she will win their hearts and respect as easy as she did her many movie fans around the world raising her three children in the spotlight with the entire world looking on and judging their every move was very trained not only for grace but also for her children gossip magazines will have a field day with Caroline's Albert's and Stephanie's many romances and marriages none more bitter than the much speculated about the death of Princess Grace on the morning of September the 13th 1982 British Grace of Monaco and her seventeen-year-old daughter Princess Stephanie were making preparations to leave Rock angel the official family retreat Lowe just inside France and the mountains above Monaco the chauffeur brought the metallic green 1971 Rover 3500 similar to this one to the front of the house the chauffeur stated that grace came out with her arms full of dresses and the maids followed with dresses and head boxes enough to fill up the entire backseat he told her that he could take the traces owned and then return and pick up her and Stephanie because he knew that grace didn't like to drive grace said no it was too much trouble that she would drive her and Stephanie about 10:15 a.m. on the 35 minute trip from Rock Agel to the palace the Rover approached the hill leading down to the hairpin curve known locally as Devils curves according to the driver travelling some 50 yards behind the princes he said that when Grace's car started down the hill it began to swerve from side to side which gave revs to the tabloids that grace might have been drinking or her and Stephanie might have been fighting over Prince's stiffness wanting to marry her boyfriend Paul Belmondo the son of French movie star jean-paul Belmondo the driver behind Princess Grace said that he started blowing his horn several times thinking to wake up a sleeping draught then the car stopped swerving and sped up he also said that he knew at that speed the car could not make the curve no brake lights he said ever come on this substantiative princess Stephanie's account of the accident that shortly after leaving the house grace started complaining with her head hurting it continued to bother Stefan said that while going down the hill grace grabbed her head in pain she seemed to black out for a second and then came to but sped up she did not know if Grace had lost control of her legs or thought that she was pushing the brake instead of the accelerator Stephanie tried to stop the car by pulling up the parking brake and jamming it into park mechanics said that when they checked the car later after the rake the gearbox was in park the rover 3,500 broke through the small rock wall and plunged over a hundred foot high embankment a gardener working nearby said he heard the crash and said that stephanie was crawling out of the driver's side this given rise to the belief that stephanie was driving although witnesses said that they had seen grace under the wheel they were not wearing seatbelts Stephanie said the passenger door was crushed in and she woke up under the gobblox and had to go out the driver's side and her mother was pushed by the steering column into the rear seat she called for help from a local close by said that she told everyone to call the palace for help that her mother was still in the car and it was Princess Grace she said I don't think they believe me finally when help did arrive they removed Grace who was still unconscious both were taken to the hospital in Monaco the hospital that snail named the Princess Grace Center doctors stated that a cat scan showed that Princess Grace had suffered a stroke that it impaired her driving the next day on the 14th of September 1982 around 10:30 p.m. princes Grace Kelly from Aldi Princess of Monaco will pass away at the age of 52 a post-mortem examinations showed that grace had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage Stephanie will suffer numerous injuries and she will not be told of her mother's death until days later Stephanie will refuse to speak about the accident giving rise to speculation of all-time she's finally given details of the accident after several years but will still not say if they were arguing over her boyfriend some papers even hinted that stephanie was partly responsible for a mother's death forgetting that arguments between mother and her 17 year old daughter over a boyfriend is a quite common occurrence but it does not cause a stroke or a massive brain hemorrhage Princess Grace will be buried at the st. Nicholas Cathedral were 26 years earlier she had been married Prince Rainier will not remarry and 22 years after his wife's death the prince will pass away himself on the 6th of April 2005 from heart failure and lung infection he'll be buried at the Grimaldi family fault next to his wife Prince Rainier the third was 81 years old [Music] you [Music] you

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 1,584,481

Rating: 4.7060599 out of 5

Keywords: Grace Kelly, Princess Grace, Monaco

Id: AeZeV2tLIS0

Length: 23min 9sec (1389 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 24 2017