Picture this: two women from completely different worlds, yet they formed a bond so strong that it lasted for decades. For years, Ava Gardner, the sultry Hollywood star, would receive a bottle of champagne from Princess Grace of Monaco every year on her birthday. In her memoir, Ava: My Story, she fondly recalls, "She never forgot, and every year at Christmas, she sent a handwritten card. She was a great lady, and also great fun." It’s like they were soulmates, even though their lives were worlds apart.
Hollywood is no stranger to stories of stars who can't stand each other off-screen. But Ava and Grace? They were the exception to the rule. Their friendship began on the set of 1953’s Mogambo, and it blossomed into one of the most cherished friendships of Hollywood's Golden Age. Dean Sidden, a board member at the Ava Gardner Museum, shares, "They wrote letters and would send gifts to each other. They remained close friends regardless of the physical distance between them." It's a testament to the kind of bond they shared.
Had they not both been actresses, Ava and Grace might never have crossed paths. Ava Gardner, born in 1922, grew up in North Carolina as the daughter of farmers. Her childhood was simple—barefoot summers, climbing trees, and running around with the boys. Meanwhile, Grace Kelly was born into a well-to-do family in Philadelphia. Despite her parents' objections, she pursued theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and eventually found her way to Hollywood in the early '50s.
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Their paths crossed when director John Ford noticed Grace in one of her early films and cast her in Mogambo, a remake of the 1932 classic Red Dust. Clark Gable reprised his role from the original, this time caught in a love triangle with Grace and Ava, replacing Mary Astor and Jean Harlow. Ava recalled, "Instead of being shot on the Metro back lot, it was truly going to be photographed where it was supposed to take place." This meant filming on location in Kenya, Uganda, and other parts of Africa.
The Mogambo shoot was no walk in the park. The production faced challenges, including an uprising that led to hiring armed guards to protect the cast and crew in Kenya. The weather was unpredictable, with sweltering heat, torrential rains, mudslides, and poor road conditions. Grace wrote to a friend, "It’s hot as it can be during the day. I was in the sun a lot today, and my poor nose is like a red light." Despite the tough conditions, they managed to bond over the shared experience.
Frank Sinatra made a special trip to visit Ava on set, and romantic sparks flew between Grace and Clark Gable. But the most enduring relationship that came out of Mogambo was between Ava and Grace. Ava reminisced, "I remember on Gracie’s birthday we got a bottle of champagne from some bootlegger, and she, Clark, [director John] Ford, and I had a little party out in the tent. Later, we did the same thing for mine." Grace wasn’t much of a drinker, but she tried her best to keep up with the group.
Ava always kept an eye on Grace, especially when Grace had a little too much to drink. "I’d go off and find her and bring her back before the lions ate her," Ava joked. Their camaraderie was evident even in the smallest moments.
Grace’s romance with Clark didn’t last beyond the wrap party of Mogambo, but her friendship with Ava endured until Ava's untimely death in a 1982 car accident. Bill Turnage, another board member of the Ava Gardner Museum, says, "To be a friend of Ava, you had to be ferociously loyal. Ava was devastated to lose her." Their friendship was a testament to the power of genuine connections, transcending the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
