Golden Age of Hollywood: Films, Books and Stars of Classic Hollywood

Cary Grant in a still from An Affair to Remember (1957)

Star profile / Cary Grant

“He wouldn’t let us”: How Cary Grant died of a stroke in Davenport, Iowa, after refusing the hospital

Cary Grant died of a massive stroke on November 29, 1986, on tour in Davenport, Iowa, after refusing the hospital until a coma ended the argument. Reporters waiting at his hospital got the news from London.

4 min read

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Star profile / Ava Gardner
“Tired of being Ava Gardner”: What happened to the star after she left America for Madrid and London
Ava Gardner did not collapse in Hollywood. She walked away, lived her last 35 years abroad, had a stroke in 1986 and died of pneumonia in her London flat in 1990, after asking her ghostwriter to see her out.
4 min read · 13 Nov 2026
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Star profile / Grace Kelly
What Happened to Grace Kelly: Hollywood, Marriage to Prince Rainier & the 1982 Car Crash
Grace Kelly won an Oscar, gave up acting at 26 to become Princess of Monaco, lost a comeback in Hitchcock’s Marnie, and died at 52 after a cerebral hemorrhage at the wheel in 1982.
6 min read · 12 Nov 2026
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Scandals and rivalries / Frank Sinatra
Yes, Frank Sinatra had mob ties, and one midnight in Trenton he swore he had none
Gangsters were his friends for decades and the FBI’s file ran to 2,403 pages, yet his biographers find admiration on both sides rather than membership. The friendships cost him a president, a casino license and a lot of sworn explanations.
9 min read · 11 Nov 2026
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Where to start / Ava Gardner
The beginner’s guide to Ava Gardner’s six best films
Most of Ava Gardner’s 70-odd movies can wait. Choose by director, start with The Killers, and leave 55 Days at Peking off the list for now.
4 min read · 10 Nov 2026
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Scandals and rivalries / Ava Gardner
Why Ava Gardner and Mickey Rooney Divorced: Gambling, Womanizing & a $25,000 Settlement
Gardner cited mental cruelty in 1943, blamed Rooney’s gambling and womanizing only in private, and settled for $25,000 while his Andy Hardy image stayed intact.
5 min read · 9 Nov 2026
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