The other day I really watched "The Awful Truth" for the first time. I have seen it before but I was always distracted by something either in the movie itself (the clothes) or in the house (kids). "The Awful Truth" has to be Cary Grant at his very best. In this movie Cary is soo funny, so physical, so charming and so stylish. When you watch the whole movie and everything that leads up to that famous scene when he falls backward off his chair, well, it is genius and ,to me, the very essence of the Grant persona.
Surprisingly, even though this is Grant's most stylish feature (just beating "To Catch A Thief") the actual best look of the movie goes to the topcoat and tux Ralph Bellamy is wearing in his introductory scene (below).
Bellamy's topcoat is killer - I love the bit of white shirt cuff showing at the sleeve.
This is not because his arm is bent because it also hangs that way when his arm is straight.
When was the last time you saw some shirt cuff under a coat sleeve?
I see it rarely if at all.
Also notice the white pocket square in Bellamy's coat and compare it to Grant ,below, in a similar look from the same movie.
The pocket square and slimmer fitting coat gives Bellamy's look even more refinement than Grant's. (in this case I do think you see cuff on Grant because his arm is bent)
In comparison I think Grant's coat looks a bit boxy and drab.
I do love that they are both wearing a white scarf. Do you think it was cashmere or silk?
I also think it is a toss up on the hair. The strong side-part is making a major comeback (and it is not due to that Mad Men series)
Bellamy also played a similar character in another extremely stylish Astaire movie called "Carefree"
I never realized that one of the old guys from Trading Places was such a fashion plate in his day.