Looking for Archie: A walking tour of Cary Grant's Bristol

Crofts, Charlotte

Abstract

The Looking For Archie Walking Tour of Cary Grant's Bristol was first developed in 2017 as part of the Being Human Festival . Cary Grant was born as Archibald Leach in Bristol in 1904, but many Bristolians are unaware that he grew up here and continued an enduring relationship with the city, returning often, well into his seventies. This walking tour retraces Archie’s home town haunts, and uncovers Bristol’s hidden cinema history, in the places where it actually happened.

The project draws on Crofts’ research on screen heritage and place-making which engages with the emerging discipline of New Cinema History, focusing on the socio-cultural history of cinema, including her award-winning Curzon Memories App (Learning on Screen Award 2013) based at the Curzon Community Cinema in Clevedon and The Lost Cinemas of Castle Park App which uncovers Bristol hidden city centre cinemas - a project which emerged out of an AHRC REACT Heritage Sandbox.

As director of the Cary Comes Home Festival, which aims to celebrate Cary Grant’s Bristol roots, develop new audiences for his films and recreate the golden age of cinema-going, Crofts’ interest in Cary Grant began when she was researching city centre cinemas in Bristol and found out that he had written about his experiences at The Clare Street Picture House, The Metropole, The Empire Theatre and The Bristol Hippodrome in his autobiography.

The tour was accompanied by a physical map (see supporting documentation), the credits for which read: "This walking tour was devised to raise awareness of the pivotal role played by Cary Grant's home town Bristol in his incredible journey from Horfield to Hollywood. Born Archibald Alec Leach in 1904, at 15 Hughenden Road in Horfield to Elsie and Elias Leach, Archie's early life was shaped by his cinema-going experience, his love of theatre and music hall and Bristol's vibrant floating harbour. 'I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me' (Cary Grant)."

Devised by Charlotte Crofts, Associate Professor Filmmaking (UWE Bristol) and director of the Cary Grant Comes home for the Weekend Festival. Supported by UWE Bristol and developed as part of the Being Human Festival, the UK's only festival of the Humanities., led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British academy.

The map was designed by UWE Graphic Design student, Eleanor Elliott-Rathbone. Photographs were supplied by Bristol Post and Bristol Archive.

The walk has subsequently taken place during the 2018 Cary Comes Home Festival, in partnership with SAGA and Bristol WalkFest (May 2019).

• Physical Artefact Type: Other
• Publication Date: Nov 18, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jan 18, 2021
• Keywords: Cinema, Film, Cary Grant, Bristol, Walk, Screen Heritage, Cinema History, Archie Leach
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/6993516