1950s Women’s Fitness, The Cary Grant Suite, and Grace Meets the Prince
Dear Friends & Readers:
Welcome to my latest newsletter, where I share things about John Robie, Francie Stevens, the French Riviera, and my writing journey. I hope you like these insights, and when my book is published, I’m sure you’ll spot each mention.
John Robie’s World
The John Robie character was a cat burglar. As such, he had to scale walls to get to the jewels. So, I put some interesting climbing scenes into my book.
One of my editors questioned whether John Robie could do what I’d written, specifically climb a pipe to get to a room.
Here’s some context. When I was younger, I actually practiced climbing up a pipe at my old grammar school. BTW, that’s not me in the picture below; that’s Emily Browning and Tom Hardy, one of my favorite actors, in a scene from Legend, the 2015 film about the Kray brothers. I couldn’t get that far off the ground because of fear. But I could climb, and I was an amateur.
Imagine what a pro could do, like the guy in this Ronnie Street Stunts video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDVjTco8sc. Watch to the end to see how easily he can climb up a pipe. Impressive, to say the least.
Anyway, I kept the pipe-climbing scene in my book. After all, it’s John Robie we’re talking about.
Francie Steven’s World
The Francie Stevens character was interested in athletics, and I wanted to extend that to general fitness in my book.
There weren’t many women exercise advocates back then, but there was Debbie Drake. She was an amazing woman who knew what she wanted and went after it. Check out this story…https://www.life.com/lifestyle/debbie-drake-americas-first-female-tv-fitness-guru/
It bothers me that Ms. Drake had to package some of her branding in a way that appealed to men, but that didn’t stop her. She was driven to make an impact, and she did. Her fitness show ran on TV for 18 years. Many consider her to be the pioneer of women’s fitness, the person who normalized the concept and drove interest in the idea.
After reading about her, I had to work Debbie Drake into the story.
I also wondered what women would wear back then while exercising. Today, there are so many choices for each activity. In the 50s, not so much. Once again, the inspiration for Francie’s workout outfit came from Debbie Drake…
Riviera Life
The Hotel Carlton, today called the Carlton Cannes Hotel, is one of those legendary places you dream about.
Back in the 1950s, it symbolized wealth and elegance on a grand scale. The property is infused with intrigue and history, too. It was home to royal expats, socialites, actors & actresses, industrialists, and various rogues. Mussolini was once thrown out of the hotel (before he rose to power, of course). During the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier there.
And the facade was apparently inspired by the most sought-after woman in Europe when it was built-- Carolina “La Belle” Otero. More about this intriguing woman here…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Belle_Otero.
Recently, it was restored to be even more impressive…https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/travel/the-reborn-icon-of-the-riviera-introducing-carlton-cannes-a-regent-hotel/
It was also pivotal in the original film -- the stars of To Catch a Thief stayed there during filming. The famous scene where Cary Grant kisses Grace Kelly (remember those fireworks in the background?) was filmed on the 6th floor of the hotel, in the room now called The Alfred Hitchcock Suite. There’s also a Cary Grant Suite and a Grace Kelly suite. Imagine that!
In addition, this magnificent hotel has also been the scene of high-profile jewelry thefts. I never would have guessed.
The Carlton Cannes Hotel has history, elegance, intrigue, and more. After learning all that, I had to put it in my book. How could I not?
My World
My daughter is one of my editorial readers, and she’s greatly influenced my writing.
The original To Catch a Thief, as well as my book, both take place in the early 1950s. Those were different times, especially in the presentation of women. When I started writing my book, I was too true to the times, and my daughter called me out.
That led to an interesting dilemma. Do I stay immersed in the 1950s or write something more relevant for today’s readers? I thought about it; both approaches had their pros and cons. I love the 1950s, but many of the social mores from that era are outdated. On the other hand, making the story more current can increase familiarity for today’s reader, but if you overdo it, there will be a disconnect between the times and the behaviors.
So, where did I land? A blend, of course. I hope I struck the right balance, but that’s up to you to decide.
One more thing my daughter said to me -- ‘No damsels in distress, right? Men don’t save women.”
I couldn’t agree with her more!