To Catch a Thief (1955) was Cary Grant's third of four films with Alfred Hitchcock, (the others being Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1945), and North by Northwest (1959)), and his first with the director in a decade. It was also Grant's first movie since Dream Wife (1953); he was slowing down and toying with the idea of retirement. Grant was pushing fifty and thought the public's fascination with young Method actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean proved his era had passed.

But Grant let his good buddy Hitchcock take him to lunch to discuss this project. The director worked his magic and Grant signed on, putting any retirement plans on hold. In fact, Grant continued acting for eleven more years after To Catch a Thief!

Grace Kelly is Grant's co-star, arguably Hitchcock's favorite actress. To Catch a Thief was Kelly's third film in a row with the director, following Dial M for Murder (1954) and Rear Window (1954). It would be their last collaboration, though if Kelly hadn't become Princess Grace of Monaco in 1956 and retired from movies, they might have made more.

Grant plays John, a reformed (or is he...?) jewel thief who earns a pardon for his criminal acts by working with the Resistance during WWII. He was called 'The Cat' during his thieving days because of his feline grace and skill climbing across rooftops and snatching jewels from impossible locations. As a youth, John toured Europe in an acrobatic troupe, where he honed his cat-like skills; in real life, British-born Cary Grant, then going by his real name Archibald Leach, came to America as part of an English acrobatic troupe, and stayed to become an actor.

John comes under intense suspicion when a cat burglar with his exact M.O. starts swiping priceless gems from hotel rooms and villas along the Riviera. The crimes are the talk of the town and attract the attention of Kelly's character, Francie, an American oil heiress vacationing with her mother, Jessie (Jessie Royce Landis). (Four years later, Landis played Grant's mother in North by Northwest even though she was only six years older than the star.) Francie decides to find the jewel thief herself, and targets the suave John. Fireworks (literally) ensue.

To Catch a Thief is lighter with a more mischievous tone than some of Hitchcock's other thrillers, which isn't surprising. Cat burglars and socialites on the Riviera lend themselves to more humor than flocks of murderous birds or homicidal husbands, after all.


A particularly tongue-in-cheek scene comes when Francie and John enjoy a late supper/seduction in her suite. Fireworks burst across the sky through the open windows as the pair kiss and cuddle. Unsurprisingly, the Production Code Administration was upset about the fireworks symbolism. The PCA told Paramount the love scene had to end as soon as Kelly and Grant lean back into the sofa (which it does), and the fireworks should be cut entirely, as the 'symbolism...is pointed.' Hitchcock refused and won the battle.

Although no one could have guessed it at the time, this movie had strange connections to real life. Partially filmed in Monaco, Kelly saw a walled garden that was part of one of Prince Rainier's estates during production. She wanted to visit, but there wasn't time to arrange a tour. About a year later she could visit it any time she wanted because in 1956 she married the Prince! In 1982 Princess Grace had a stroke while driving and died, apparently very near the spot where she drove her zippy blue convertible in To Catch a Thief, a sadder coincidence.

To Catch a Thief was shot with VistaVision, Paramount's high resolution, widescreen technology they'd first used in White Christmas (1954). It's a stunning Technicolor wonderland of scenery. Frequent Hitchcock collaborator Edith Head designed the costumes, and she dresses Kelly in a dream wardrobe of chiffon frocks and sophisticated daywear capped by a magnificent gold ball gown. Hitchcock was very invested in characterization and symbolism through costuming, and he worked with Head closely on his movies. Head's costumes received an Oscar nomination.

To Catch a Thief also garnered Best Art Direction (color) and Best Cinematography (color) nominations, though it only won for Cinematography. (Until 1967, there were separate awards for films in black and white and films in color.) The film was a commercial success, too, though some critics thought it was too bubbly and beautiful, expecting deeper, darker themes from Hitchcock.

If you're looking for a fun thriller with beautiful places, people, and clothes, this is the movie for you. You can't go wrong with Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and Edith Head. Throw them all together on the Riviera, add some obvious fireworks, a costume ball, and a mysterious thief, and you've got a winner!

(P.S. Look for Hitchcock's cameo (he's on the bus) which occurs early in the film. By the time he made this, he'd learned to do his cameo early so audiences wouldn't be distracted searching for him.)

Cameron Howard has loved classic movies since she was a kid checking out VHS tapes from her local library. Today she lives in Durham, NC, and writes about classic Hollywood at The Blonde at the Film.