On the art of graciously telling someone you don’t want their hideous gift:
(In 1958, Art Roth, a publicist for Levi-Strauss, sent four shirts to Cary Grant as a gift, along with a promise, or threat, to send more should Grant find them to his liking)
CARY GRANT
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA
June 6, 1958
Dear Art Roth:
It’s about time you were thanked for those four Western shirts that greeted my return from another recent trip to Europe: if they had not been buried under the usual mess of accumulated trivia that demanded immediate attention, your kindness would have been acknowledged days ago. Still, I am once again grateful to you, as you must know.
The shirts are, for a conservative such as myself, rather, rather….if you dig me….and I’m not at all sure if I can swagger out in gold-threaded finery. I shall await a braver mood.
My temerity is at a low ebb today, but I venture to ask that you let me know if Levi Strauss ever evolve a line of absolutely plain un-checked, un-metal-threaded, absolutely solid-colored shirts…no matter what the colors: I will rush to the nearest shop.
You have my happy and grateful thought, Art Roth; when are you and I going to meet?
(Signed)
Cary Grant.
(scan of original letter here, photo by F.C. Gundlach)
(Source: oldhollywood)
