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CNN Larry King Live
A panel of Friends and Family Members Remember Princess Grace of Monaco
Aired September 03, 2003 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, a rare, intimate, exclusive look inside the legend of Princess Grace. From Hollywood to royalty, Grace Kelly's classic beauty made her a queen of the silver screen, but she gave up movie stardom to become a real-life princess. And then tragedy, her fairy-tale life cut short 21 years ago this month by a car crash.
Tonight, exclusive, Princess Grace's sister, Lizanne Le Vine; Princess Grace's cousin, John Lehman; her nephew, John Kelly; and her close friend, Hollywood roommate and bridesmaid, actress Rita Gam; and Christopher Le Vine, nephew of Princess Grace. And they're all next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Liz Le Vine and her son are with us from their area of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. And we're all -- the rest of us are in New York.
And John Lehman, before you go on, I remember you as secretary of the Navy. How -- I didn't know you were a cousin of Princess Grace.
JOHN LEHMAN, JR., PRINCESS GRACE'S COUSIN: Yes. In fact, I started my Navy career in Philadelphia, really, in the skookle (ph) Navy coached by J.B.'s...
KING: Father, Jack.
LEHMAN: ... father, Grace's brother, Jack.
KING: So you're a cousin how?
LEHMAN: My mother and Grace were first cousins. And my grandmother and Grace's father were brother and sister.
KING: This for all of you. We'll start with her sister, Lizanne. Why do you think Grace Kelly still fascinates us, as the public?
LIZANNE LE VINE, PRINCESS GRACE'S YOUNGER SISTER: Well, I think because she was such an outstanding girl and outstanding actress. And she was just -- then she became a princess. And so not very many people do that.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Why do you think, John? JOHN KELLY, PRINCESS GRACE'S NEPHEW: I think her genuineness comes through whenever she was with people that she really cared for. And so not only was she a great person on the screen, when people met her, she was just a beautiful person to them in person, as well.
KING: And this idea of being a star and a queen ain't bad in one lifetime, right?
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: Exactly.
KING: Chris, why -- do you have some thoughts as to why she sort of still remains an icon? Hadn't made a movie in 50 years.
CHRIS LE VINE, PRINCESS GRACE'S NEPHEW: It is incredible that we're here tonight talking about Aunt Grace, who is 21 years gone, and a movie 50 years ago. But I think her sincerity in her roles and her sincerity in her role as princess is what really shows through and a significant reason why we're here.
KING: In other words, the public just liked her. Rita, why do you think?
RITA GAM, GRACE'S FRIEND, HOLLYWOOD ROOMMATE, BRIDESMAID: Well, I think we need our myths, and we don't have any others, except the great movie actresses or the wives of presidents. And Grace was the perfect goddess, and she gave us all glamour. And I know that I miss it.
KING: John?
LEHMAN: Well, she was a unique blend of a superbly focused discipline in developing her talents. They didn't just come automatically. And she wanted to bring the best of what she could. And yet she didn't become hardened by the striving for achievement.
KING: She was ambitious without being tough?
LEHMAN: Exactly. She was ambitious in the nicest possible way. She wanted to really achieve everything she could, yet she really wanted to give back. It sounds like a cliche, but her beauty was really an inner beauty. I mean, the outward face that we all know just reflected someone that -- I've never run across anyone like her before.
KING: What was she like, Liz, as a big sister?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, we got along pretty well, although we did fight quite a lot when we were little.
(LAUGHTER)
LIZANNE LE VINE: We argued and we fought. And -- well, I mean, like sisters would. And one time, I locked her in a closet, and I didn't tell anybody about it for a long, long time. And mother finally asked...
KING: Many little sisters have wanted to do that.
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes. And I said it was such a relief. But you know what? It wasn't such a good thing anyway because she had so much fun in that closet.
(LAUGHTER)
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, she found a book and she found some jacks and she -- and she just didn't want to come out!
KING: Resourceful. Let's ask where each of you when you learned that she had passed. John, how did you hear about it? Where were you?
KELLY: Well, I was at work. I just started my first job right after college and the...
KING: And you were close with your aunt?
KELLY: Yes, I think, for (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 3,000 miles away. She was very active with the family. I think she spoke to Lizanne and Peggy (ph) every day and...
KING: And your dad. She was close to your...
KELLY: And to Cal (ph), as well. And she was...
KING: How did you hear about it?
KELLY: Well, the chairman of the bank's secretary came down to tell me that there had been an accident. And at that point, I started listening to the news and headed home. And it was a great shock. And then shortly after that, we got a call from Caroline, I guess, the next day or two, because my fiancee and I were scheduled to be married the next week. And so they asked us to postpone the wedding, so...
KING: Which you did?
KELLY: Which we did.
KING: Rita, how did you hear?
GAM: Well, I was in the middle of moving, and I was packing my 46th box. And my son called me and he said, Turn on the radio. I think you should know what's happened. And I did. And then we started talking to Grace's other bridesmaids and friends in California and Boston. And three of us decided to go on over.
KING: You were a bridesmaid.
GAM: Yes.
KING: Where were you, John? LEHMAN: I was in the Pentagon. I remember it very well because it was my birthday. And we were in the command center because there were certain Libyan operations going on. And the head of the command center came running in and said, There's been a terrible accident. And so I -- you know, I remember every second of that -- and I -- you know, I went...
KING: Shocked.
LEHMAN: I was just totally shocked.
KING: You went with the first lady, Nancy Reagan, to the funeral, did you not?
LEHMAN: Yes. We were the -- we led the official delegation to the funeral. And it was...
KING: It was something. We'll talk about that in a while.
LEHMAN: ... the saddest affair ever.
KING: Chris, where were you?
CHRIS LE VINE: I was here in Philadelphia. And I recall the news of the accident kind of trickled in. And I went over to Mother's, and we -- I remember being very frustrated to hear the different accounts and we didn't get enough information. And the palace was obviously, you know, trying to field a lot of inquiries. So I remember a very trying time just trying to get the right story, and obviously, devastating when it became true.
KING: And Lizanne, where were you?
LIZANNE LE VINE: I was near my husband. Don answered the phone, and it was someone from Monaco. And I don't know really who it was he was talking to. And they told us about the accident, and they would tell us she -- they -- at first, I thought she was dead. But she didn't die until a day later, but...
KING: We'll pick this up in a moment. Hold it right there, Liz. We'll continue with Liz and more of our panel. We'll also be including your phone calls. As we go to break on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE, here's Grace Kelly in a scene from the famous "To Catch a Thief."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "TO CATCH A THIEF")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE KELLY: You're leaving fingerprints on my arm.
CARY GRANT: I am not John Roby (ph), the cat.
GRACE KELLY: Why are the police following you? Show me that real estate list. That villa we went to isn't for rent, and you know it. The Sanfords have owned it for years, and I'm going to a party there in a week. You've a very strong grip, kind of (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - NOVEMBER 26, 1998)
KING: Mothers don't die young. They're going to die (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Do you remember how you reacted?
HSH PRINCE ALBERT, MONACO: It was shock and, you know, disbelief at first. And then, you know, the reality of it all slowly sinks in. But those first few hours or few days, you don't want to accept it. And then, you know, time tells you otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We certainly appreciate the family members appearing with us tonight. They do not often do this, and we are in their debt.
All right, Lizanne, you were telling us how you learned of the death. What did you -- did you go over to Monaco right away?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes. Johnny Lehman had -- thank you, Johnny, again -- he had a plane pick us up and take us over there.
KING: That had to be a sad trip.
LIZANNE LE VINE: It wasn't good. But my sister, Peggy, was there, and she added always a lot of life and fun.
KING: Rita Gam, what do you make...
LIZANNE LE VINE: And I think...
KING: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Lizanne, finish.
LIZANNE LE VINE: No, I'm not -- I'm finished.
KING: What do you make of the controversy? An article by Judy Bachrach (ph) in the October "Vanity Fair" says there are still many people who believe it was Princess Stephanie and not Grace driving.
GAM: I think that's just literary nonsense. Really. I mean, those stories are going to continue and continue and continue as long as the myth goes on. That's what people do. It's not true.
KING: What happened on that turn? Do we know, John? I just drove by that place.
LEHMAN: Yes, it's a tough road, but...
KING: It is.
LEHMAN: But there was a truck driver following, and he reported that it just seemed as if she just wasn't conscious, that she just drove straight off. And there wasn't any loss of control or whatever. And there were some indications that she may have had an embolism. That would not have been unprecedented. It would not have been fatal. But...
KING: Your father died of a sudden heart attack, her brother, at a young age.
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes, and my mother...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Liz.
LIZANNE LE VINE: My mother died of a stroke. And I think she must have had -- been dead when she went off the cliff.
LEHMAN: Yes.
KING: Chris, what was the funeral...
LIZANNE LE VINE: Not quite dead.
KING: Chris, what was the funeral like?
CHRIS LE VINE: Well, as somber a few days as I can ever imagine. The outpouring of emotion in Monaco by the Monagasts and everyone, the scene in the cathedral was just not to be believed, just a very emotional, heart-felt feeling from around the world and just something I'll never forget.
KING: John, you didn't attend the funeral, right? Any reason?
KELLY: I don't actually remember why I didn't. But no, I didn't make the trip.
KING: Rita, what was it like?
GAM: It was extraordinary. I mean, for me to see all the royalty in black, with diamond crosses, mourning in a very deep and human and real way...
KING: Was it in the same place they were married?
GAM: Yes, and that was the saddest moment I think I've...
KING: Same cathedral?
GAM: Yes, walking in for the marriage, and then 26 years later, walking into this bleak and different cathedral. I mean, there was a different light. It was very sad.
KING: John?
LEHMAN: Well, it struck me -- I mean, in the deepest of tragic senses, but the grace under pressure that the family achieved under...
KING: Both families?
LEHMAN: Yes. I mean, they -- there was never any loss of control, although all you have to do is look at Prince Rainier's face, the very picture of deep grief, yet never missed a step. The entire family, with all the burden that they had of the shock and grief, behaved with true majesty. And that was very -- it helped everybody else get through what was a terrible, terrible few days.
LIZANNE LE VINE: Stephanie was remarkable, and so was Albert. They really held Rainier up. And they held the whole Monaco up, really, by their strength and by their clarity.
KING: How difficult was it for you, Lizanne?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, it was very difficult. But as those two people have just said, it was Rainier and the kids were great for what I thought might be a complete wash. I mean, I didn't think there was going to be -- the eyes were going to be floating out of the heads. But it was very good, I mean, for such a sad affair.
KING: He was -- he is some kind of gentleman, is he not, the prince?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes, he certainly is.
KING: All right. What about -- when you heard, J.B., that your aunt was going to marry a prince, what did you think?
KELLY: I wasn't around at that time.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Oh, that's right. Lost some time there. And neither were you, Chris, were you?
CHRIS LE VINE: No, I was not. No.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What did you think -- that was funny! What did you think in your crib? What did you think, Rita?
GAM: Well, Grace said, Oh, I'm going to give a cocktail party. I want you to meet my prince. And I thought she was talking about Oleg Cassini.
KING: Really?
(LAUGHTER)
GAM: When somebody says, My prince, it's the guy in their life. So when I met him, I said, Oh, my God, he really is a prince, thank you very much! That's terrific.
KING: Were you shocked?
GAM: No, I wasn't shocked. I was just delighted.
KING: I mean shocked that they would get married?
GAM: No.
KING: That she would give up Hollywood and give up America.
GAM: She didn't know she was giving up Hollywood. That was just life's afterthought. I mean, she just really thought that she would be able to continue acting.
KING: Really?
GAM: Absolutely. Nobody said to her, You're going to have to give up acting until, you know, it came down to it, when she was offered a part, and she said -- well, everyone -- you know that whole big story about...
KING: What happened?
GAM: Well, Rainier said yes to "Marnie" when Hitchcock offered her...
KING: She was going to do "Marnie."
GAM: ... the part. And then there was such a hullabaloo in Monaco that Grace decided...
KING: You mean, they didn't want her to...
GAM: Oh, absolutely. And to have their princess being kissed by, you know, a strange man? Unthinkable. So Grace herself...
KING: Didn't know that.
GAM: ... withdrew because of the opinion of the...
KING: And never acted again.
GAM: Well, she did at the end of her life. From '76 on, she really did some wonderful acting in the poetry readings.
KING: Oh, in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) But no films?
GAM: And that was acting. No more films.
KING: We'll take a break and be back with more. And at the bottom of the hour, we'll be including your phone calls, as we remember Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly. You're watching LARRY KING LIVE. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - NOVEMBER 26, 1998)
KING: There were stories all along about your mother and other men, your father and other men, drinking and the like. Did you ever see any instance...
PRINCE ALBERT: No.
KING: ... of family problems? You just -- none.
PRINCE ALBERT: None whatsoever. In fact, I never understood why these -- well, I understood why they came out with these books, but it was pure fabrication, pure innuendo. And we -- you know, you shouldn't even really look at these stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: During a break, John Lehman said it was the saddest funeral he ever attended.
LEHMAN: Well, it was an ordeal because it was -- it was the counterpoint to the very beauty and grace of this person. And she had affected so many people so deeply, that her loss on the negative side took them much deeper into grief and despond, I think, than anybody had ever experienced.
KING: When she said she was going to marry a prince, what was your reaction?
LEHMAN: Oh, I'll never forget it. It was -- we were all brushed up and I was put in a new suit because we were invited over to Uncle Jack's and Aunt Margaret's house to be introduced. I was 12 years old, and it was only about the second time I wore a suit, I guess. But we were all nervous. And we were coached in how to say "Your highness" and so forth. And of course, it was so far beyond what our -- you know...
KING: Rational thinking.
LEHMAN: ... any American. But he was so great. I'll never forget, when I was introduced to him and I was so nervous, and he said, Well, what did you think about the Yankees game today? And right away, I -- we started talking baseball because I was very into baseball at that time. I was playing Little League, and I knew every Phillies player. And he knew as much or more than I did. So he was OK.
KING: Liz, what was it like when she told you she was going to marry royalty?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, it was quite a shock, I think. She had told me that she had met him when she was in Cannes for the film festival. And then she said, Well, I think he's very nice. And then all of a sudden, she -- it was Christmastime when he came over and visited Mother and Dad, and Grace was there. And so it was then that he gave her a ring. And so that afternoon, she called me up and told me about it.
I was married, and I lived in an apartment not too far away. So I said, Grace, bring Rainier over for dinner. So he came -- the two of them came over for dinner. And after dinner, he jumps up and picks up the cups and the saucers and the plates and comes in the kitchen. And Don, my husband, almost had a heart attack. What are you doing, Rainier? Don't do that! Put them down.
KING: Chris, everybody liked him, right? Chris, you liked the prince?
CHRIS LE VINE: Oh, absolutely. Uncle Rainier is, you know, a tremendous gentleman and just very gracious. He just is -- I can remember growing up -- and he had a stern side to him, as well. You never wanted to, you know, take a bad step. But he had a wonderful sense of humor. And you know, we've had a lot of fun down in Ocean City when they came over. And so he's -- he's a tremendous jokester as well, so...
KING: You like him as well, John?
KELLY: Absolutely. And similar memories, although mine were up in New Hampshire. They took a summer, visiting for the whole summer, actually, in New Hampshire, across the lake where Albert and I were at summer camp together. And we got permission to go visit every Sunday. And I had a marvelous time. And you know, he'd get on the floor and wrestle with us. And it was great fun when I visited with my family a few years ago, and Uncle Rainier -- I turned around, he's on the floor with Cole (ph), wrestling around. So he really is, you know, in some ways, you know, a kid at heart and has great fun. But as Chris mentioned, he's also, you know...
KING: Stern, too.
KELLY: Stern. Well, a great leader and with -- I think must be -- and John, you can probably speak to it better than I can -- probably one of the greatest political minds or political acumen to have led...
LEHMAN: That's absolutely right...
(CROSSTALK)
KELLY: ... for his country to survive, this tiny little country. It's due to his credit.
(CROSSTALK)
LEHMAN: He really is an instinctive leader and a very astute in intelligence one. But as a naval person, he's a hero to the 6th Fleet and the sailors of the cold war because you recall, when De Gaulle kicked us out of France and withdrew from NATO and closed all the French ports to the U.S. Navy, Rainier defied France and went out of his way to roll out the red carpet to the 6th Fleet. So every time I was there, when I was a student, there were three or four destroyers and submarines, and so forth. And Rainier and Grace had them up to the palace, the crews. And you can't find a salt from the cold war who hasn't been to the palace, practically.
KING: We're remembering Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly. We're going to go to your phone calls, and we'll reintroduce your panel. And as we go to break, a scene from "To Catch a Thief." (sic)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "REAR WINDOW")
GRACE KELLY: How's your leg?
JIMMY STEWART: It hurts a little.
GRACE KELLY: And your stomach?
STEWART: Empty as a football.
GRACE KELLY: And your love life?
STEWART: Not too active.
GRACE KELLY: Anything else bothering you?
STEWART: Uh-huh. Who are you?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Growing up, ever look at her movies?
PRINCE ALBERT, MONACO: Yes. I haven't seen all of them.
KING: Did she look at them?
PRINCE ALBERT: We occasionally looked at them with her.
KING: Did she ever say she missed that life of making films?
PRINCE ALBERT: Occasionally she would come out and say, Yes, it's a shame I didn't get to do that part, or that kind of movie or -- so --- she did -- and I -- I asked her a few questions. I was interested in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I erred when I said "To Catch a Thief." That scene we broke out of the last segment to, of course, was "Rear Window."
I don't ever -- the last time I erred, I think, was 1949, 50.
In Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is Lizanne Le Vine, the younger sister of Princess Grace. What a joy to have her with us.
In New York, is John Lehman Jr., the cousin of Princess Grace, the chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation, the former United States secretary of the Navy. And by the way, a member of the 9/11 Commission.
Also in New York is John "J.B." Kelly, nephew of Princess Grace. His father was Jack Kelly, Princess Grace's brother.
Here in New York is Rita Gam, friend and roommate of Grace Kelly in Hollywood. The former actress is a bridesmaid -- was a bridesmaid at the wedding. And is executive producer and host of "The World of Beauty" series on PBS.
And in Bryn Mawr, Chris Le Vine. He's the nephew of Princess Grace and the son of Lizanne.
We go to calls. Grand Forks, North Dakota, hello.
CALLER: Hello.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Hi. I wanted to say to the family and Rita that I thought -- I think that Grace was the epitome of elegance and beauty and you must miss her very much.
My question to you is I finished reading the new biography "Once Upon a Time" this summer and it portrayed Grace as kind of unhappy in her life as a royal and within her marriage. I was wondering how accurate that was, if it was exaggerated, or if she did have troubles.
KING: Let's go around. Liz, was that book true?
L. LE VINE: No, I don't think so. I think it was exaggerated quite a bit. And...
KING: Rita, to your knowledge was she happily married?
GAM: She had a real marriage. She had good moments, she had bad moments. But the sum total of it was really solid and wonderful marriage.
KING: Did she ever respect -- expect -- express regret to you, John?
LEHMAN: Never. No. I think she was very happy in the choices she made. And obviously she had all of the -- all of the turmoils that go with raising three kids. But she was very happy. And these -- these books that try to portray otherwise are -- have no real evidence.
KING: Did she like being royalty, do you think, J.B.? That can be a tough life.
KELLY: Oh, I think it would be a very tough life. I know Albert better than I knew Grace, because we're peers and age group. And I think it must be a very tough life watching what he has to go through. And, you know, despite the glamour and the money, it's -- and he doesn't really have a choice about what he's going to be
KING: I know. You don't choose your life.
KELLY: No. It's... KING: Chris, do you think she was happy?
C. LE VINE: Well, you know, as a nephew, and -- she really didn't consult me that -- too often, I have to admit, on those issues. But it was, as Rita says, a real family. And there was no -- never, ever any doubt, she was stern with the kids now and then, and -- but there was never any mystery to her motive. It was always because Aunt Grace, you know, loved us and cared and that sort of thing. So, you know, I don't detect any kind of things from the books.
KING: Rockford, Illinois, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: "Rear Window" was one of my very favorite films.
KING: Mine, too.
CALLER: And I just wondered if anybody on the panel had any behind-the-scenes stories?
KING: Rita Gam is blushing.
GAM: Well, Grace and I shared an apartment while she was making "Rear Window."
KING: Really? You were roommates?
GAM: Yes. Yes. Yes. And we were two girls who -- we were girls at that point -- 24.
KING: Two girls who what, Rita?
GAM: Who were in Wolftown. I mean, it was Hollywood. we were from New York. We were from the East. And it was sort of a mutual protection.
KING: Lot of dates?
GAM: And Grace had a great -- no. No, Who had time for dates? I mean, we had to get up at 5:00 in the morning and shoot. And I was doing some big old epic...
KING: You did epic movies. You did "King of Kings", right?
GAM: Well, they used to paint me brown and send me out there as Atilla the Hun's daughter.
KING: Did she get along with Jimmy Stewart?
GAM: Yes, she adored Jimmy Stewart. I mean, she really did.
KING: Did she have a favorite film, Lizanne? L. LE VINE: Well, I loved "Rear Window," because I was out there for the whole film. That, and "To Catch a Thief," I was out there. So I used to go out in the summertime when I was out of school. And she made most of her pictures in the summertime. So mother used to send me out to do the driving.
And I should have been there. I should have been when she went over the cliff, because I know she -- well, Grace never was a good driver. She liked to drive.
KING: You're very refreshingly honest, Lizanne.
L. LE VINE: Yes, I am.
KING: Cincinnati, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry, how are you?
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Love the show. I'd like to ask the panel, did at any time in her life -- did Princess Grace want to return, have the desire to return to Hollywood and to acting and everything, if the children were raised? You know, did she ever have any desire to return to acting?
KING: Rita, do you think?
GAM: Yes, I think she missed acting very much. I think that was a whole blackhole in her life. She was an actress. And she wanted to be an actress when she was a little girl, and she developed skill, talent, knowledge. And she missed it. Because she wasn't challenged enough in other ways, although she did pick up and do all sorts of creative things, like...
KING: She did -- the poetry.
GAM: Poety.
KING: She did an amazing amount of good films. You know, her films...
GAM: For the short time, yes.
KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). The other things she did with Crosby and William Holden, where she's married to Crosby and Holden is...
GAM: Bridge of a...
KING: No, Holden is directing a play that Crosby is in, and Crosby is out to...
GAM: Oh, "Country Girl."
KING: "Country Girl."
GAM: She won the Academy Award for it.
KING: She was amazing in "Country Girl."
GAM: Yes. Yes.
KING: Do you think she wanted to act, John?
LEHMAN: Oh, yes. Yes. She loved the profession. And she always had pangs of wanting to go back. And I think had she lived, I think she was headed that way. That's my guess.
KING: You do?
LEHMAN: Because she was increasingly, as Rita said, doing poetry readings and making public appearances here in the U.S. and in Europe. And I think had the right dignified role that would not have compromised and upset the principality, I think Ranier would have agreed to it and she would have done it.
KING: You were telling me, Rita, that Nancy Reagan at the funeral was eloquent in talking about Princess Grace.
GAM: She was very, very personal. She didn't talk about her as the princess. We spoke during the reception after the funeral in St. Nicholas's Cathedral, and she said, "Do you remember when you and Grace and I were old girls together at MGM we'd sit in the commissary and gossip." And she was just, you know, very, very warm. She really loved Grace as a girl, as a girlfriend.
KING: Yes. St. Paul, Minnesota, hello.
CALLER: Yes. Hi, Larry.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Thanks for taking my call.
KING: Sure.
CALLER: Has anyone on the panel kept in touch with Princess Grace's children or her -- or Prince Ranier?
KING: Do you, J.B.?
KELLY: Yes, we keep in pretty good touch with them. In fact, Albert's coming over to row with us in the head of the Skookle (ph), a family boat. You have to be a blood cousin to get into the boat and...
KING: You're a rower?
C. LE VINE: You have to be an oarsman to be a cousin.
KING: Do you keep in touch, Chris?
C. LE VINE: Absolutely. Quite often I get over to Monaco a few times. And Albert is really taking up the mantle. And been very involved in the U.N. And Monaco's role in the U.N.
And interestingly enough, he's proposing a -- an Olympic truce to the U.N., Monaco and a number of other countries, of course, Greece are presenting this to the U.N. To hold an Olympic truce during the games. Hopefully that will...
KING: Good idea.
C. LE VINE: ...hopefully it will be endorsed. But Albert is actually involved in sports. He's a five-time Olympian. And I know we're all envious of his athletic career. But he's doing very well. And we keep in close touch.
KING: Still an eligible bachelor, too, isn't he. Lizanne, do you keep in touch with your nephew and niece?
L. LE VINE: Well, yes, I do. Don and I were over there a couple of years ago. And we had -- it was the first time I saw all the little children. They've grown. They've multiplied since I've been there. You know, years ago.
KING: They have a way of doing that. We're going to take a break. We'll come back with our outstanding panel and more of your phone calls on this tribute to the late Princess Grace of Monaco. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Before we take our next call John, your chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation. What does it do?
LEHMAN: Well, when Grace died, it was discovered that she had been, for many years, supporting, financially, young aspiring artists, very quietly, but this was her philanthropy and she wanted to help kids who had the talent and the drive but didn't have the advantages
KING: In all forms of the arts?
LEHMAN: The performing arts.
KING: Dance?
LEHMAN: Dance.
KING: Theater?
LEHMAN: Theater. The movies. And so Prince Rainier decided the best monument he could think of for her best memorial would be to continue her philanthropies in an institutionalized place. So he set of the foundation in Monaco, The Princess Grace Foundation Monaco and The Princess Grace Foundation USA. And for 21 years now, we have been provided assisted scholarships and recognition to young, aspiring artists.
KING: And you chair the U.S.A? LEHMAN: I do. And we have 300 alumni, including people like Tony Kushner, Ethan Stephal (ph), Steven Hillenburg of "Sponge Bob Squarepants" fame and many others that have really influenced our culture.
KING: That's terrific. Julien, North Carolina, Hello.
CALLER: Hi. My name is Ashley. I'm 17-years-old and I'm a big Grace Kelly fan and I just wanted to know what other Hollywood actresses, if any, inspired her as a performer.
KING: Rita. Who did she like?
GAM: I think she liked Katherine Hepburn, if I remember correctly. Katherine Hepburn was her idol.
KING: Lizanne, do you know any others that she was inspired by?
L. LE VINE: Well, she loved -- we all loved the movies and she loved all the movie stars. She -- Katherine Hepburn and -- well there were quite a few of them. But she really loved movies.
KING: Wilkesburg, Pennsylvania, hello.
CALLER: Good evening, Larry and to your panel.
KING: Sure.
CALLER: My question is for Liz?
KING: Yes, go ahead.
CALLER: Or Rita. If your sister did not marry Prince Rainier, do you think she would have married Oleg Cassini. Thank you.
L. LE VINE: To be perfectly frank, I don't think so. My father and my mother were very much against it at the time because he was married and divorced. And we are Catholic, but that doesn't -- if she really wanted to, I don't think you could talk her out of it, but...
KING: She didn't want to?
L. LE VINE: She really didn't want to.
GAM: No, she didn't want to.
KING: She did not want to.
GAM: No. I think the relationship she had with Oleg was well over by the time she was on to other things. Actually she was just on to acting -- the relationship Oleg ended when she said, no she didn't want to marry him.
KING: Did she ever fall in love with any of her leading men?
GAM: Oh, boy, you'll have to read those books to find out. L. LE VINE: All of them.
KING: Baltimore, hello.
CALLER: Hello, Larry.
KING: Hello.
CALLER: I just wanted to let you know that if it wasn't for LARRY KING LIVE I would not have cable TV. I like for your panel to please refresh my memory. Was Grace Kelly ever nominated for an Academy award? Did she ever win? And really, as big and genuine a heart she had, what was some of her favorite charities?
KING: Well, we just discussed the one of helping young artists, but she won an Academy award for...
GAM: She won the Academy award for rear -- for "Country Girl". But the "Red Cross" is the big charity in Monaco so....
KING: Oh, that's big in Monaco.
GAM: Yes, and then before that, in America. She did multiple sclerosis, all the telethons. She was...
KING: She got around.
L. LE VINE: She did Women's Medical College and hospital in Germantown, East Falls. We used to steal flowers and sell them to the neighbors.
KING: Elorjay (ph), Georgia, hello.
CALLER: Larry, very inspiring program. I'd like to ask your wonderful panel, would they have wished that sometimes ever wished she had every wished in America and not gone to Monaco so they could have seen her more?
LEHMAN: Well, I think all of us -- the family tends to be a traveling family and I don't think a year has gone by the we weren't over there for some part of the year. But she came over here quite a bit. She was on the 20th Century Fox board. And she came to my wedding, she came...
KING: She was not a stranger right?
LEHMAN: She came. She travelled back here a lot. So she was a presence. So it really didn't make much difference.
KING: Let me get a break and we'll be back with our remaining segment. Get to some more phone calls. As we go to break another one of my favorite films and I really was fooled by how they did this at the end. "Dial M For Murder."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "DIAL M FOR MURDER")
GRACE KELLY: Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: She's buried in Monaco?
PRINCE ALBERT OF MONACO: Yes.
KING: Do you ever go to the grave?
ALBERT: Yes, we go there once a year.
KING: Her presence still felt. She was such a commanding person.
ALBERT: Yes. I mean, obviously. And it's incredible to see how she touched the lives of so many people.
KING: They loved her in Monaco.
ALBERT: They loved her in Monaco, but they loved her around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I had no idea that Grace Kelly was involved in the life of Josephine Baker, the famed star who had that historic incident of not being served in the Stork Club. She was black.
Grace Kelly, did what?
LEHMAN: Grace, was there when it happened. And she took her whole entourage and stormed out and said she would never return. And she never did. And she made it very clear about her views of Walter Winchell (ph), and Billingsley, the guy who ran the Stork Club. And then after that became friends with Josephine Baker. And later on when Josephine Baker had a lot of abuse problems and was on the skids, Grace supported her financially. And she had -- you may recall she had an orphanage of some 24 Rainbow Coalition Children. And Grace was one of the most significant benefactors, or supporters of it. And then coached her back for a great triumphant return to the stage. It was all Grace who did it.
KING: You ought to be very proud of her, J.B.
KELLY: Absolutely.
KING: You, too, Chris, aren't you proud of your aunt?
C. LE VINE: Absolutely. It's a wonderful opportunity to be part of the family, really.
KING: Victoria, British Columbia. Hello. (CROSSTALK)
CALLER: Hello, Larry. We're real honored to speak to you. I loved Princess Grace, she was a real actress. I wanted to ask the family, did Princess Grace have to learn to speak French? And what about her children learning French? I would appreciate them answers. Thank you so much.
KING: Did Lizanne learn French?
L. LE VINE: Well, Grace knew a little bit about French, because she had it in school. We went to Raven Hill Academy, and we had to take French. And nuns would speak French to you.
KING: And her children speak French?
L. LE VINE: Well, they were born there.
KING: Yes. So they naturally grew up with it. I can't thank you all enough. I salute you, Rita Gam for coming with us, and I look forward to seeing more of your series as you host "World of Beauty" on PBS.
John, I want to have back one to talk to more about the 9/11 commission. They're still working right?
LEHMAN: Yes, very much so.
KING: Our panel has been Lizanne Le Vine, the young sister of Princess Grace coming to us from Pennsylvania.
John Lehman, Jr., the former secretary of the navy, the cousin of Princess Grace.
John J.b. Kelly, the nephew. His father was the great Jack Kelly, what a man he was.
Rita Gam, the friend and roommate and bridesmaid and Chris Le Vine, the son of Lizanne, and the nephew of Princess Grace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Princess Grace was a hugely popular figure in Monaco. And today the principality was stunned by her sudden death. From early morning crowds began to gather outside the Royal Grimaldi Palace. A book of condolence was opened and hundreds queued to sign it. Business closed out of respect for the princess. everywhere flags were at half staff. And a rare stillness settled over a place normally bustling with wealthy visitors and holiday makers. Shops were shot, cafes empty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tomorrow an incredible story of a women in prison for life for killing her father who she said abused. She'll be on from prison, so will the prosecutors, so will members of the family. That's tomorrow night. We are in New York. We will be here the rest of this week and all of next week.
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Grace of Monaco>
Aired September 3, 2003 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, a rare, intimate, exclusive look inside the legend of Princess Grace. From Hollywood to royalty, Grace Kelly's classic beauty made her a queen of the silver screen, but she gave up movie stardom to become a real-life princess. And then tragedy, her fairy-tale life cut short 21 years ago this month by a car crash.
Tonight, exclusive, Princess Grace's sister, Lizanne Le Vine; Princess Grace's cousin, John Lehman; her nephew, John Kelly; and her close friend, Hollywood roommate and bridesmaid, actress Rita Gam; and Christopher Le Vine, nephew of Princess Grace. And they're all next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Liz Le Vine and her son are with us from their area of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. And we're all -- the rest of us are in New York.
And John Lehman, before you go on, I remember you as secretary of the Navy. How -- I didn't know you were a cousin of Princess Grace.
JOHN LEHMAN, JR., PRINCESS GRACE'S COUSIN: Yes. In fact, I started my Navy career in Philadelphia, really, in the skookle (ph) Navy coached by J.B.'s...
KING: Father, Jack.
LEHMAN: ... father, Grace's brother, Jack.
KING: So you're a cousin how?
LEHMAN: My mother and Grace were first cousins. And my grandmother and Grace's father were brother and sister.
KING: This for all of you. We'll start with her sister, Lizanne. Why do you think Grace Kelly still fascinates us, as the public?
LIZANNE LE VINE, PRINCESS GRACE'S YOUNGER SISTER: Well, I think because she was such an outstanding girl and outstanding actress. And she was just -- then she became a princess. And so not very many people do that.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Why do you think, John? JOHN KELLY, PRINCESS GRACE'S NEPHEW: I think her genuineness comes through whenever she was with people that she really cared for. And so not only was she a great person on the screen, when people met her, she was just a beautiful person to them in person, as well.
KING: And this idea of being a star and a queen ain't bad in one lifetime, right?
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: Exactly.
KING: Chris, why -- do you have some thoughts as to why she sort of still remains an icon? Hadn't made a movie in 50 years.
CHRIS LE VINE, PRINCESS GRACE'S NEPHEW: It is incredible that we're here tonight talking about Aunt Grace, who is 21 years gone, and a movie 50 years ago. But I think her sincerity in her roles and her sincerity in her role as princess is what really shows through and a significant reason why we're here.
KING: In other words, the public just liked her. Rita, why do you think?
RITA GAM, GRACE'S FRIEND, HOLLYWOOD ROOMMATE, BRIDESMAID: Well, I think we need our myths, and we don't have any others, except the great movie actresses or the wives of presidents. And Grace was the perfect goddess, and she gave us all glamour. And I know that I miss it.
KING: John?
LEHMAN: Well, she was a unique blend of a superbly focused discipline in developing her talents. They didn't just come automatically. And she wanted to bring the best of what she could. And yet she didn't become hardened by the striving for achievement.
KING: She was ambitious without being tough?
LEHMAN: Exactly. She was ambitious in the nicest possible way. She wanted to really achieve everything she could, yet she really wanted to give back. It sounds like a cliche, but her beauty was really an inner beauty. I mean, the outward face that we all know just reflected someone that -- I've never run across anyone like her before.
KING: What was she like, Liz, as a big sister?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, we got along pretty well, although we did fight quite a lot when we were little.
(LAUGHTER)
LIZANNE LE VINE: We argued and we fought. And -- well, I mean, like sisters would. And one time, I locked her in a closet, and I didn't tell anybody about it for a long, long time. And mother finally asked...
KING: Many little sisters have wanted to do that.
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes. And I said it was such a relief. But you know what? It wasn't such a good thing anyway because she had so much fun in that closet.
(LAUGHTER)
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, she found a book and she found some jacks and she -- and she just didn't want to come out!
KING: Resourceful. Let's ask where each of you when you learned that she had passed. John, how did you hear about it? Where were you?
KELLY: Well, I was at work. I just started my first job right after college and the...
KING: And you were close with your aunt?
KELLY: Yes, I think, for (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 3,000 miles away. She was very active with the family. I think she spoke to Lizanne and Peggy (ph) every day and...
KING: And your dad. She was close to your...
KELLY: And to Cal (ph), as well. And she was...
KING: How did you hear about it?
KELLY: Well, the chairman of the bank's secretary came down to tell me that there had been an accident. And at that point, I started listening to the news and headed home. And it was a great shock. And then shortly after that, we got a call from Caroline, I guess, the next day or two, because my fiancee and I were scheduled to be married the next week. And so they asked us to postpone the wedding, so...
KING: Which you did?
KELLY: Which we did.
KING: Rita, how did you hear?
GAM: Well, I was in the middle of moving, and I was packing my 46th box. And my son called me and he said, Turn on the radio. I think you should know what's happened. And I did. And then we started talking to Grace's other bridesmaids and friends in California and Boston. And three of us decided to go on over.
KING: You were a bridesmaid.
GAM: Yes.
KING: Where were you, John? LEHMAN: I was in the Pentagon. I remember it very well because it was my birthday. And we were in the command center because there were certain Libyan operations going on. And the head of the command center came running in and said, There's been a terrible accident. And so I -- you know, I remember every second of that -- and I -- you know, I went...
KING: Shocked.
LEHMAN: I was just totally shocked.
KING: You went with the first lady, Nancy Reagan, to the funeral, did you not?
LEHMAN: Yes. We were the -- we led the official delegation to the funeral. And it was...
KING: It was something. We'll talk about that in a while.
LEHMAN: ... the saddest affair ever.
KING: Chris, where were you?
CHRIS LE VINE: I was here in Philadelphia. And I recall the news of the accident kind of trickled in. And I went over to Mother's, and we -- I remember being very frustrated to hear the different accounts and we didn't get enough information. And the palace was obviously, you know, trying to field a lot of inquiries. So I remember a very trying time just trying to get the right story, and obviously, devastating when it became true.
KING: And Lizanne, where were you?
LIZANNE LE VINE: I was near my husband. Don answered the phone, and it was someone from Monaco. And I don't know really who it was he was talking to. And they told us about the accident, and they would tell us she -- they -- at first, I thought she was dead. But she didn't die until a day later, but...
KING: We'll pick this up in a moment. Hold it right there, Liz. We'll continue with Liz and more of our panel. We'll also be including your phone calls. As we go to break on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE, here's Grace Kelly in a scene from the famous "To Catch a Thief."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "TO CATCH A THIEF")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE KELLY: You're leaving fingerprints on my arm.
CARY GRANT: I am not John Roby (ph), the cat.
GRACE KELLY: Why are the police following you? Show me that real estate list. That villa we went to isn't for rent, and you know it. The Sanfords have owned it for years, and I'm going to a party there in a week. You've a very strong grip, kind of (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - NOVEMBER 26, 1998)
KING: Mothers don't die young. They're going to die (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Do you remember how you reacted?
HSH PRINCE ALBERT, MONACO: It was shock and, you know, disbelief at first. And then, you know, the reality of it all slowly sinks in. But those first few hours or few days, you don't want to accept it. And then, you know, time tells you otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We certainly appreciate the family members appearing with us tonight. They do not often do this, and we are in their debt.
All right, Lizanne, you were telling us how you learned of the death. What did you -- did you go over to Monaco right away?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes. Johnny Lehman had -- thank you, Johnny, again -- he had a plane pick us up and take us over there.
KING: That had to be a sad trip.
LIZANNE LE VINE: It wasn't good. But my sister, Peggy, was there, and she added always a lot of life and fun.
KING: Rita Gam, what do you make...
LIZANNE LE VINE: And I think...
KING: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Lizanne, finish.
LIZANNE LE VINE: No, I'm not -- I'm finished.
KING: What do you make of the controversy? An article by Judy Bachrach (ph) in the October "Vanity Fair" says there are still many people who believe it was Princess Stephanie and not Grace driving.
GAM: I think that's just literary nonsense. Really. I mean, those stories are going to continue and continue and continue as long as the myth goes on. That's what people do. It's not true.
KING: What happened on that turn? Do we know, John? I just drove by that place.
LEHMAN: Yes, it's a tough road, but...
KING: It is.
LEHMAN: But there was a truck driver following, and he reported that it just seemed as if she just wasn't conscious, that she just drove straight off. And there wasn't any loss of control or whatever. And there were some indications that she may have had an embolism. That would not have been unprecedented. It would not have been fatal. But...
KING: Your father died of a sudden heart attack, her brother, at a young age.
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes, and my mother...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Liz.
LIZANNE LE VINE: My mother died of a stroke. And I think she must have had -- been dead when she went off the cliff.
LEHMAN: Yes.
KING: Chris, what was the funeral...
LIZANNE LE VINE: Not quite dead.
KING: Chris, what was the funeral like?
CHRIS LE VINE: Well, as somber a few days as I can ever imagine. The outpouring of emotion in Monaco by the Monagasts and everyone, the scene in the cathedral was just not to be believed, just a very emotional, heart-felt feeling from around the world and just something I'll never forget.
KING: John, you didn't attend the funeral, right? Any reason?
KELLY: I don't actually remember why I didn't. But no, I didn't make the trip.
KING: Rita, what was it like?
GAM: It was extraordinary. I mean, for me to see all the royalty in black, with diamond crosses, mourning in a very deep and human and real way...
KING: Was it in the same place they were married?
GAM: Yes, and that was the saddest moment I think I've...
KING: Same cathedral?
GAM: Yes, walking in for the marriage, and then 26 years later, walking into this bleak and different cathedral. I mean, there was a different light. It was very sad.
KING: John?
LEHMAN: Well, it struck me -- I mean, in the deepest of tragic senses, but the grace under pressure that the family achieved under...
KING: Both families?
LEHMAN: Yes. I mean, they -- there was never any loss of control, although all you have to do is look at Prince Rainier's face, the very picture of deep grief, yet never missed a step. The entire family, with all the burden that they had of the shock and grief, behaved with true majesty. And that was very -- it helped everybody else get through what was a terrible, terrible few days.
LIZANNE LE VINE: Stephanie was remarkable, and so was Albert. They really held Rainier up. And they held the whole Monaco up, really, by their strength and by their clarity.
KING: How difficult was it for you, Lizanne?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, it was very difficult. But as those two people have just said, it was Rainier and the kids were great for what I thought might be a complete wash. I mean, I didn't think there was going to be -- the eyes were going to be floating out of the heads. But it was very good, I mean, for such a sad affair.
KING: He was -- he is some kind of gentleman, is he not, the prince?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Yes, he certainly is.
KING: All right. What about -- when you heard, J.B., that your aunt was going to marry a prince, what did you think?
KELLY: I wasn't around at that time.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Oh, that's right. Lost some time there. And neither were you, Chris, were you?
CHRIS LE VINE: No, I was not. No.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What did you think -- that was funny! What did you think in your crib? What did you think, Rita?
GAM: Well, Grace said, Oh, I'm going to give a cocktail party. I want you to meet my prince. And I thought she was talking about Oleg Cassini.
KING: Really?
(LAUGHTER)
GAM: When somebody says, My prince, it's the guy in their life. So when I met him, I said, Oh, my God, he really is a prince, thank you very much! That's terrific.
KING: Were you shocked?
GAM: No, I wasn't shocked. I was just delighted.
KING: I mean shocked that they would get married?
GAM: No.
KING: That she would give up Hollywood and give up America.
GAM: She didn't know she was giving up Hollywood. That was just life's afterthought. I mean, she just really thought that she would be able to continue acting.
KING: Really?
GAM: Absolutely. Nobody said to her, You're going to have to give up acting until, you know, it came down to it, when she was offered a part, and she said -- well, everyone -- you know that whole big story about...
KING: What happened?
GAM: Well, Rainier said yes to "Marnie" when Hitchcock offered her...
KING: She was going to do "Marnie."
GAM: ... the part. And then there was such a hullabaloo in Monaco that Grace decided...
KING: You mean, they didn't want her to...
GAM: Oh, absolutely. And to have their princess being kissed by, you know, a strange man? Unthinkable. So Grace herself...
KING: Didn't know that.
GAM: ... withdrew because of the opinion of the...
KING: And never acted again.
GAM: Well, she did at the end of her life. From '76 on, she really did some wonderful acting in the poetry readings.
KING: Oh, in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) But no films?
GAM: And that was acting. No more films.
KING: We'll take a break and be back with more. And at the bottom of the hour, we'll be including your phone calls, as we remember Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly. You're watching LARRY KING LIVE. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - NOVEMBER 26, 1998)
KING: There were stories all along about your mother and other men, your father and other men, drinking and the like. Did you ever see any instance...
PRINCE ALBERT: No.
KING: ... of family problems? You just -- none.
PRINCE ALBERT: None whatsoever. In fact, I never understood why these -- well, I understood why they came out with these books, but it was pure fabrication, pure innuendo. And we -- you know, you shouldn't even really look at these stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: During a break, John Lehman said it was the saddest funeral he ever attended.
LEHMAN: Well, it was an ordeal because it was -- it was the counterpoint to the very beauty and grace of this person. And she had affected so many people so deeply, that her loss on the negative side took them much deeper into grief and despond, I think, than anybody had ever experienced.
KING: When she said she was going to marry a prince, what was your reaction?
LEHMAN: Oh, I'll never forget it. It was -- we were all brushed up and I was put in a new suit because we were invited over to Uncle Jack's and Aunt Margaret's house to be introduced. I was 12 years old, and it was only about the second time I wore a suit, I guess. But we were all nervous. And we were coached in how to say "Your highness" and so forth. And of course, it was so far beyond what our -- you know...
KING: Rational thinking.
LEHMAN: ... any American. But he was so great. I'll never forget, when I was introduced to him and I was so nervous, and he said, Well, what did you think about the Yankees game today? And right away, I -- we started talking baseball because I was very into baseball at that time. I was playing Little League, and I knew every Phillies player. And he knew as much or more than I did. So he was OK.
KING: Liz, what was it like when she told you she was going to marry royalty?
LIZANNE LE VINE: Well, it was quite a shock, I think. She had told me that she had met him when she was in Cannes for the film festival. And then she said, Well, I think he's very nice. And then all of a sudden, she -- it was Christmastime when he came over and visited Mother and Dad, and Grace was there. And so it was then that he gave her a ring. And so that afternoon, she called me up and told me about it.
I was married, and I lived in an apartment not too far away. So I said, Grace, bring Rainier over for dinner. So he came -- the two of them came over for dinner. And after dinner, he jumps up and picks up the cups and the saucers and the plates and comes in the kitchen. And Don, my husband, almost had a heart attack. What are you doing, Rainier? Don't do that! Put them down.
KING: Chris, everybody liked him, right? Chris, you liked the prince?
CHRIS LE VINE: Oh, absolutely. Uncle Rainier is, you know, a tremendous gentleman and just very gracious. He just is -- I can remember growing up -- and he had a stern side to him, as well. You never wanted to, you know, take a bad step. But he had a wonderful sense of humor. And you know, we've had a lot of fun down in Ocean City when they came over. And so he's -- he's a tremendous jokester as well, so...
KING: You like him as well, John?
KELLY: Absolutely. And similar memories, although mine were up in New Hampshire. They took a summer, visiting for the whole summer, actually, in New Hampshire, across the lake where Albert and I were at summer camp together. And we got permission to go visit every Sunday. And I had a marvelous time. And you know, he'd get on the floor and wrestle with us. And it was great fun when I visited with my family a few years ago, and Uncle Rainier -- I turned around, he's on the floor with Cole (ph), wrestling around. So he really is, you know, in some ways, you know, a kid at heart and has great fun. But as Chris mentioned, he's also, you know...
KING: Stern, too.
KELLY: Stern. Well, a great leader and with -- I think must be -- and John, you can probably speak to it better than I can -- probably one of the greatest political minds or political acumen to have led...
LEHMAN: That's absolutely right...
(CROSSTALK)
KELLY: ... for his country to survive, this tiny little country. It's due to his credit.
(CROSSTALK)
LEHMAN: He really is an instinctive leader and a very astute in intelligence one. But as a naval person, he's a hero to the 6th Fleet and the sailors of the cold war because you recall, when De Gaulle kicked us out of France and withdrew from NATO and closed all the French ports to the U.S. Navy, Rainier defied France and went out of his way to roll out the red carpet to the 6th Fleet. So every time I was there, when I was a student, there were three or four destroyers and submarines, and so forth. And Rainier and Grace had them up to the palace, the crews. And you can't find a salt from the cold war who hasn't been to the palace, practically.
KING: We're remembering Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly. We're going to go to your phone calls, and we'll reintroduce your panel. And as we go to break, a scene from "To Catch a Thief." (sic)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "REAR WINDOW")
GRACE KELLY: How's your leg?
JIMMY STEWART: It hurts a little.
GRACE KELLY: And your stomach?
STEWART: Empty as a football.
GRACE KELLY: And your love life?
STEWART: Not too active.
GRACE KELLY: Anything else bothering you?
STEWART: Uh-huh. Who are you?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Growing up, ever look at her movies?
PRINCE ALBERT, MONACO: Yes. I haven't seen all of them.
KING: Did she look at them?
PRINCE ALBERT: We occasionally looked at them with her.
KING: Did she ever say she missed that life of making films?
PRINCE ALBERT: Occasionally she would come out and say, Yes, it's a shame I didn't get to do that part, or that kind of movie or -- so --- she did -- and I -- I asked her a few questions. I was interested in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I erred when I said "To Catch a Thief." That scene we broke out of the last segment to, of course, was "Rear Window."
I don't ever -- the last time I erred, I think, was 1949, 50.
In Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is Lizanne Le Vine, the younger sister of Princess Grace. What a joy to have her with us.
In New York, is John Lehman Jr., the cousin of Princess Grace, the chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation, the former United States secretary of the Navy. And by the way, a member of the 9/11 Commission.
Also in New York is John "J.B." Kelly, nephew of Princess Grace. His father was Jack Kelly, Princess Grace's brother.
Here in New York is Rita Gam, friend and roommate of Grace Kelly in Hollywood. The former actress is a bridesmaid -- was a bridesmaid at the wedding. And is executive producer and host of "The World of Beauty" series on PBS.
And in Bryn Mawr, Chris Le Vine. He's the nephew of Princess Grace and the son of Lizanne.
We go to calls. Grand Forks, North Dakota, hello.
CALLER: Hello.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Hi. I wanted to say to the family and Rita that I thought -- I think that Grace was the epitome of elegance and beauty and you must miss her very much.
My question to you is I finished reading the new biography "Once Upon a Time" this summer and it portrayed Grace as kind of unhappy in her life as a royal and within her marriage. I was wondering how accurate that was, if it was exaggerated, or if she did have troubles.
KING: Let's go around. Liz, was that book true?
L. LE VINE: No, I don't think so. I think it was exaggerated quite a bit. And...
KING: Rita, to your knowledge was she happily married?
GAM: She had a real marriage. She had good moments, she had bad moments. But the sum total of it was really solid and wonderful marriage.
KING: Did she ever respect -- expect -- express regret to you, John?
LEHMAN: Never. No. I think she was very happy in the choices she made. And obviously she had all of the -- all of the turmoils that go with raising three kids. But she was very happy. And these -- these books that try to portray otherwise are -- have no real evidence.
KING: Did she like being royalty, do you think, J.B.? That can be a tough life.
KELLY: Oh, I think it would be a very tough life. I know Albert better than I knew Grace, because we're peers and age group. And I think it must be a very tough life watching what he has to go through. And, you know, despite the glamour and the money, it's -- and he doesn't really have a choice about what he's going to be
KING: I know. You don't choose your life.
KELLY: No. It's... KING: Chris, do you think she was happy?
C. LE VINE: Well, you know, as a nephew, and -- she really didn't consult me that -- too often, I have to admit, on those issues. But it was, as Rita says, a real family. And there was no -- never, ever any doubt, she was stern with the kids now and then, and -- but there was never any mystery to her motive. It was always because Aunt Grace, you know, loved us and cared and that sort of thing. So, you know, I don't detect any kind of things from the books.
KING: Rockford, Illinois, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: "Rear Window" was one of my very favorite films.
KING: Mine, too.
CALLER: And I just wondered if anybody on the panel had any behind-the-scenes stories?
KING: Rita Gam is blushing.
GAM: Well, Grace and I shared an apartment while she was making "Rear Window."
KING: Really? You were roommates?
GAM: Yes. Yes. Yes. And we were two girls who -- we were girls at that point -- 24.
KING: Two girls who what, Rita?
GAM: Who were in Wolftown. I mean, it was Hollywood. we were from New York. We were from the East. And it was sort of a mutual protection.
KING: Lot of dates?
GAM: And Grace had a great -- no. No, Who had time for dates? I mean, we had to get up at 5:00 in the morning and shoot. And I was doing some big old epic...
KING: You did epic movies. You did "King of Kings", right?
GAM: Well, they used to paint me brown and send me out there as Atilla the Hun's daughter.
KING: Did she get along with Jimmy Stewart?
GAM: Yes, she adored Jimmy Stewart. I mean, she really did.
KING: Did she have a favorite film, Lizanne? L. LE VINE: Well, I loved "Rear Window," because I was out there for the whole film. That, and "To Catch a Thief," I was out there. So I used to go out in the summertime when I was out of school. And she made most of her pictures in the summertime. So mother used to send me out to do the driving.
And I should have been there. I should have been when she went over the cliff, because I know she -- well, Grace never was a good driver. She liked to drive.
KING: You're very refreshingly honest, Lizanne.
L. LE VINE: Yes, I am.
KING: Cincinnati, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry, how are you?
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Love the show. I'd like to ask the panel, did at any time in her life -- did Princess Grace want to return, have the desire to return to Hollywood and to acting and everything, if the children were raised? You know, did she ever have any desire to return to acting?
KING: Rita, do you think?
GAM: Yes, I think she missed acting very much. I think that was a whole blackhole in her life. She was an actress. And she wanted to be an actress when she was a little girl, and she developed skill, talent, knowledge. And she missed it. Because she wasn't challenged enough in other ways, although she did pick up and do all sorts of creative things, like...
KING: She did -- the poetry.
GAM: Poety.
KING: She did an amazing amount of good films. You know, her films...
GAM: For the short time, yes.
KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). The other things she did with Crosby and William Holden, where she's married to Crosby and Holden is...
GAM: Bridge of a...
KING: No, Holden is directing a play that Crosby is in, and Crosby is out to...
GAM: Oh, "Country Girl."
KING: "Country Girl."
GAM: She won the Academy Award for it.
KING: She was amazing in "Country Girl."
GAM: Yes. Yes.
KING: Do you think she wanted to act, John?
LEHMAN: Oh, yes. Yes. She loved the profession. And she always had pangs of wanting to go back. And I think had she lived, I think she was headed that way. That's my guess.
KING: You do?
LEHMAN: Because she was increasingly, as Rita said, doing poetry readings and making public appearances here in the U.S. and in Europe. And I think had the right dignified role that would not have compromised and upset the principality, I think Ranier would have agreed to it and she would have done it.
KING: You were telling me, Rita, that Nancy Reagan at the funeral was eloquent in talking about Princess Grace.
GAM: She was very, very personal. She didn't talk about her as the princess. We spoke during the reception after the funeral in St. Nicholas's Cathedral, and she said, "Do you remember when you and Grace and I were old girls together at MGM we'd sit in the commissary and gossip." And she was just, you know, very, very warm. She really loved Grace as a girl, as a girlfriend.
KING: Yes. St. Paul, Minnesota, hello.
CALLER: Yes. Hi, Larry.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Thanks for taking my call.
KING: Sure.
CALLER: Has anyone on the panel kept in touch with Princess Grace's children or her -- or Prince Ranier?
KING: Do you, J.B.?
KELLY: Yes, we keep in pretty good touch with them. In fact, Albert's coming over to row with us in the head of the Skookle (ph), a family boat. You have to be a blood cousin to get into the boat and...
KING: You're a rower?
C. LE VINE: You have to be an oarsman to be a cousin.
KING: Do you keep in touch, Chris?
C. LE VINE: Absolutely. Quite often I get over to Monaco a few times. And Albert is really taking up the mantle. And been very involved in the U.N. And Monaco's role in the U.N.
And interestingly enough, he's proposing a -- an Olympic truce to the U.N., Monaco and a number of other countries, of course, Greece are presenting this to the U.N. To hold an Olympic truce during the games. Hopefully that will...
KING: Good idea.
C. LE VINE: ...hopefully it will be endorsed. But Albert is actually involved in sports. He's a five-time Olympian. And I know we're all envious of his athletic career. But he's doing very well. And we keep in close touch.
KING: Still an eligible bachelor, too, isn't he. Lizanne, do you keep in touch with your nephew and niece?
L. LE VINE: Well, yes, I do. Don and I were over there a couple of years ago. And we had -- it was the first time I saw all the little children. They've grown. They've multiplied since I've been there. You know, years ago.
KING: They have a way of doing that. We're going to take a break. We'll come back with our outstanding panel and more of your phone calls on this tribute to the late Princess Grace of Monaco. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Before we take our next call John, your chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation. What does it do?
LEHMAN: Well, when Grace died, it was discovered that she had been, for many years, supporting, financially, young aspiring artists, very quietly, but this was her philanthropy and she wanted to help kids who had the talent and the drive but didn't have the advantages
KING: In all forms of the arts?
LEHMAN: The performing arts.
KING: Dance?
LEHMAN: Dance.
KING: Theater?
LEHMAN: Theater. The movies. And so Prince Rainier decided the best monument he could think of for her best memorial would be to continue her philanthropies in an institutionalized place. So he set of the foundation in Monaco, The Princess Grace Foundation Monaco and The Princess Grace Foundation USA. And for 21 years now, we have been provided assisted scholarships and recognition to young, aspiring artists.
KING: And you chair the U.S.A? LEHMAN: I do. And we have 300 alumni, including people like Tony Kushner, Ethan Stephal (ph), Steven Hillenburg of "Sponge Bob Squarepants" fame and many others that have really influenced our culture.
KING: That's terrific. Julien, North Carolina, Hello.
CALLER: Hi. My name is Ashley. I'm 17-years-old and I'm a big Grace Kelly fan and I just wanted to know what other Hollywood actresses, if any, inspired her as a performer.
KING: Rita. Who did she like?
GAM: I think she liked Katherine Hepburn, if I remember correctly. Katherine Hepburn was her idol.
KING: Lizanne, do you know any others that she was inspired by?
L. LE VINE: Well, she loved -- we all loved the movies and she loved all the movie stars. She -- Katherine Hepburn and -- well there were quite a few of them. But she really loved movies.
KING: Wilkesburg, Pennsylvania, hello.
CALLER: Good evening, Larry and to your panel.
KING: Sure.
CALLER: My question is for Liz?
KING: Yes, go ahead.
CALLER: Or Rita. If your sister did not marry Prince Rainier, do you think she would have married Oleg Cassini. Thank you.
L. LE VINE: To be perfectly frank, I don't think so. My father and my mother were very much against it at the time because he was married and divorced. And we are Catholic, but that doesn't -- if she really wanted to, I don't think you could talk her out of it, but...
KING: She didn't want to?
L. LE VINE: She really didn't want to.
GAM: No, she didn't want to.
KING: She did not want to.
GAM: No. I think the relationship she had with Oleg was well over by the time she was on to other things. Actually she was just on to acting -- the relationship Oleg ended when she said, no she didn't want to marry him.
KING: Did she ever fall in love with any of her leading men?
GAM: Oh, boy, you'll have to read those books to find out. L. LE VINE: All of them.
KING: Baltimore, hello.
CALLER: Hello, Larry.
KING: Hello.
CALLER: I just wanted to let you know that if it wasn't for LARRY KING LIVE I would not have cable TV. I like for your panel to please refresh my memory. Was Grace Kelly ever nominated for an Academy award? Did she ever win? And really, as big and genuine a heart she had, what was some of her favorite charities?
KING: Well, we just discussed the one of helping young artists, but she won an Academy award for...
GAM: She won the Academy award for rear -- for "Country Girl". But the "Red Cross" is the big charity in Monaco so....
KING: Oh, that's big in Monaco.
GAM: Yes, and then before that, in America. She did multiple sclerosis, all the telethons. She was...
KING: She got around.
L. LE VINE: She did Women's Medical College and hospital in Germantown, East Falls. We used to steal flowers and sell them to the neighbors.
KING: Elorjay (ph), Georgia, hello.
CALLER: Larry, very inspiring program. I'd like to ask your wonderful panel, would they have wished that sometimes ever wished she had every wished in America and not gone to Monaco so they could have seen her more?
LEHMAN: Well, I think all of us -- the family tends to be a traveling family and I don't think a year has gone by the we weren't over there for some part of the year. But she came over here quite a bit. She was on the 20th Century Fox board. And she came to my wedding, she came...
KING: She was not a stranger right?
LEHMAN: She came. She travelled back here a lot. So she was a presence. So it really didn't make much difference.
KING: Let me get a break and we'll be back with our remaining segment. Get to some more phone calls. As we go to break another one of my favorite films and I really was fooled by how they did this at the end. "Dial M For Murder."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "DIAL M FOR MURDER")
GRACE KELLY: Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: She's buried in Monaco?
PRINCE ALBERT OF MONACO: Yes.
KING: Do you ever go to the grave?
ALBERT: Yes, we go there once a year.
KING: Her presence still felt. She was such a commanding person.
ALBERT: Yes. I mean, obviously. And it's incredible to see how she touched the lives of so many people.
KING: They loved her in Monaco.
ALBERT: They loved her in Monaco, but they loved her around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I had no idea that Grace Kelly was involved in the life of Josephine Baker, the famed star who had that historic incident of not being served in the Stork Club. She was black.
Grace Kelly, did what?
LEHMAN: Grace, was there when it happened. And she took her whole entourage and stormed out and said she would never return. And she never did. And she made it very clear about her views of Walter Winchell (ph), and Billingsley, the guy who ran the Stork Club. And then after that became friends with Josephine Baker. And later on when Josephine Baker had a lot of abuse problems and was on the skids, Grace supported her financially. And she had -- you may recall she had an orphanage of some 24 Rainbow Coalition Children. And Grace was one of the most significant benefactors, or supporters of it. And then coached her back for a great triumphant return to the stage. It was all Grace who did it.
KING: You ought to be very proud of her, J.B.
KELLY: Absolutely.
KING: You, too, Chris, aren't you proud of your aunt?
C. LE VINE: Absolutely. It's a wonderful opportunity to be part of the family, really.
KING: Victoria, British Columbia. Hello. (CROSSTALK)
CALLER: Hello, Larry. We're real honored to speak to you. I loved Princess Grace, she was a real actress. I wanted to ask the family, did Princess Grace have to learn to speak French? And what about her children learning French? I would appreciate them answers. Thank you so much.
KING: Did Lizanne learn French?
L. LE VINE: Well, Grace knew a little bit about French, because she had it in school. We went to Raven Hill Academy, and we had to take French. And nuns would speak French to you.
KING: And her children speak French?
L. LE VINE: Well, they were born there.
KING: Yes. So they naturally grew up with it. I can't thank you all enough. I salute you, Rita Gam for coming with us, and I look forward to seeing more of your series as you host "World of Beauty" on PBS.
John, I want to have back one to talk to more about the 9/11 commission. They're still working right?
LEHMAN: Yes, very much so.
KING: Our panel has been Lizanne Le Vine, the young sister of Princess Grace coming to us from Pennsylvania.
John Lehman, Jr., the former secretary of the navy, the cousin of Princess Grace.
John J.b. Kelly, the nephew. His father was the great Jack Kelly, what a man he was.
Rita Gam, the friend and roommate and bridesmaid and Chris Le Vine, the son of Lizanne, and the nephew of Princess Grace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Princess Grace was a hugely popular figure in Monaco. And today the principality was stunned by her sudden death. From early morning crowds began to gather outside the Royal Grimaldi Palace. A book of condolence was opened and hundreds queued to sign it. Business closed out of respect for the princess. everywhere flags were at half staff. And a rare stillness settled over a place normally bustling with wealthy visitors and holiday makers. Shops were shot, cafes empty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tomorrow an incredible story of a women in prison for life for killing her father who she said abused. She'll be on from prison, so will the prosecutors, so will members of the family. That's tomorrow night. We are in New York. We will be here the rest of this week and all of next week.
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