"A lot of teenagers I know are starting to watch movies from the 30s and 40s. Their favorites seem to be Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant."
My new roommate, interestingly, is also mad about these 2 actors.
As far as their interest in the films of the 30s & 40s, I think it has a lot to do with their charm. The actors were classy & elegant. In action and dialogue, they carried a certain grace and decorum. Nowadays, everyone on screen is coarse or inarticulate. (Or PC, of course.)
I just bought an enormous oil painting of Cary Grant in a classic pose from the Bringing Up Baby/Philadelphia Story era. It came from an LA estate sale (just whose estate they wouldn't say) and the artist caught the twinkle in his eye perfectly. While not a fan per se, I enjoy his early films and had wanted a picture of Grant because he epitomizes the wit and class of the movies of that era. (I had wanted an 8x10 glossy and ended up with a 3 by 4 foot painting!)