Not all leading men were as debonair or as gentlemanly as Cary Grant. In such a provocative situation as this, many in Hollywood (especially producers) overstepped the mark, with actresses eager for further their careers on the notorious "casting couch".
Therein hangs the tale. It has come back to hit men hard in recent years; with certainly more harm and detriment to their careers than women. One such offender, actor Kevin Spacey, found himself completely removed from a film that had been finished because of his alleged misdemeanours off camera, that were next to nothing to do with his performance on screen. Should we now remove other famous leading men from films for fathering illegitimate children? For raping young wannabes (male or female) who were also big fans? Or for having illicit sex with other famous women who were possibly thrilled and secretly flattered that they were having an affair with such a big star.
In the present climate, women are rightly striking back, but the general state is a perilous one, as it has generally been for some time, little by little - so well emphasised in The Full Monty, the quintessence of male insecurity; losing it all, literally and metaphorically. It is likely that, regardless of who is really winning the Battle of the Sexes, the Men were always destined to lose it.
It is also a sphere of global impeachment and world scandal that has unfortunately also produced its victims: Guilty until proven Innocent, and immediately tarnished by the mere allegation in the eyes of a reactionary Media in the instant access culture. Even some noted female actresses have expressed their concern at how the whole thing has snowballed too far, and how the whole art of flirtation and courtship and seduction may be destroyed as a result. So redress has to be made, both for the Men as well as the Women.
So here's to the male species, in its flawed and imperfect and self-confident way - still essential to sustain life on this planet. Ultimately they all aspire to be like Cary Grant.
