coopsgirl

*maybe you could practice on someone you are just a little attracted to* What about this guy? He?s pretty homely and I bet he?d make good practice . *She probably has to shave her back, too.* That?s just gross!! I agree with you that Babe seems one of more human of all the female reporter characters in the movies and we really get a lot of character development with her and she was just such a great actress that you can?t help but love her characters. I gotta disagree though with her reasons for doing what she did as being better than Ann?s in *Meet John Doe*. Babe wanted to be the best at her job and she went hard after stories. She was also gonna get a month?s paid vacation for getting the goods on Deeds even though she made him look foolish and insane. Ann is the breadwinner of her family and has four people to take care of. She comes up with the John Doe idea and then continues to go along with it to help her family and herself while Babe is only looking out for number one. I do think though that Babe was probably the better overall person. When Norton tells Ann he wants to start a third party and be their presidential candidate, she goes along with it and writes the speech where John will announce this to everyone at the convention. It was only when John confronted the bad guys at Norton?s house did she finally see how wrong it was and change her mind. She was more blinded by the material goods than Babe was but again, she was poorer than Babe and I guess I can see Ann?s side of it too. *I like Jean Arthur very much in Mr. Smith, too. In fact, the two roles seem like two parts of the same whole. And her scenes with Thomas Mitchell are so great.... (my first husband was a lot like "Diz". Unfortunately in real life, a drinking buddy does not make the best husband. They just make a good drinking buddy).* That?s good advice, I guess . She is great in *Mr. Smith* too but I would say she?s a little more hard boiled in that one than in *Mr. Deeds* even though the roles are pretty similar. I love the scene where she and Diz are getting drunk and she tells him her name is Clarissa and she?s afraid he?s gonna hate it. She played a good drunk . I would have loved for Jean and Gary to have done more films together but at least they did a couple. She and Barbara Stanwyck are my fave of his leading ladies. I would put Clara Bow in there but they only really acted together in one film *Children of Divorce* and I?ve never seen it. He was in *Wings* and *It* too but they are never on camera at the same time so I don?t really count those. I do have a clip of them in *Children of Divorce* and when I first saw it I got chills when Clara reached out to hold his hand. It may be silly but I couldn?t help it . Here were two of my fave people actually in the shot at the same time interacting with each other. It was really cool and that film is like my holy grail of movies. I really hope TCM is able to show it one of these years. I wish Clara had been able to do *City Streets* too, then we could have seen them together in a talkie and I would be in movie heaven :x.

Hey Molo, I recorded *John Loves Mary* b/c the clips they showed in Pat?s *Private Screenings* ep looked cute. I hope to get around to watching it soon. I?m also curious to see Reagan in a film as I?ve only seen clips of him in things but never a complete film. He was the first president I was really aware of so that?s just how I?ve always seen him. Edward Arnold is one of my faves and he was great in *Come and Get It*; he had me in tears at the end. I agree too that he was great in *Easy Living*. My fave parts are when he keeps trying to explain to Jean Arthur how interest works but she just doesn?t get it. I work with numbers for a living and it doesn?t make any sense to me either Jean . The first thing I saw him in was *Meet John Doe* when he was a baddie. It?s really something that he could go from bad guy to funny and charming without missing a beat. I?d really like to see another film he and Jean did together from 1935, *Diamond Jim*. Now that I covered all that, here?s what I actually came to talk about . Last night I watched *Every Girl Should be Married* with Cary Grant and Betsy Drake. Betsy sees Cary in a drugstore one day and decides she?s going to marry him. She spies on him for a couple of weeks and gathers all the info she can about him and then with the help of her friend and several others who get dragged in, she goes about trying to land him. I was watching this one with my mom and stepdad and part way through my stepdad said ?Boy I?m sure glad Gary Cooper isn?t still around? and we all busted out laughing as I saw quite a bit of myself in Betsy . So through the rest of the movie they kept picking on me asking me ?are you taking notes?? and stuff like that. To be serious for a minute, stalking is a very bad thing and Betsy is definitely stalking him but she is sane so I guess that makes it alright in the movie at least . It made me think though how we as fans can get so attached to and interested in our favorite actors and actresses; especially us rabid classic movie fans. I just was reading up more on Betsy Drake and I saw that she married Cary Grant the same year this film came out. I guess her character's strategy worked after all - ha! Message was edited by: coopsgirl

I?m not surprised that Frank is related to Dr. Grimes who is a dentist and we all know that is the most sadistic profession on the planet. Dr. Grimes nearly gassed one of his patients to death due to an old grudge and I would bet a wooden nickel that Frank gave him the idea. That is way too cute about the O?s being little hearts! I didn?t even notice it until it was pointed out in the poster thread. Maybe I didn?t notice b/c I just always seem them that way :x.

*I would never have thought of you as a cold fish, either...* Inside I feel like a red hot mama but it just doesn?t show on the outside. I totally freeze up around guys I find myself attracted to which doesn?t bode well for an active social life. *And although it sounds impossible, I think I am equal parts of Helen Ramirez and Amy in High Noon.* It?s not impossible; people have many different sides so I can see how you might identify with both characters. Nobody wants to be compared to ?Yucky Amy? though, . One exchange between Helen and Amy that stands out to me is when Amy says she understand how Helen feels being a Mexican woman in that town. Helen says something like ?You do, that?s good. I don?t understand you.? I think she should have said something like ?How can you, you spoiled little white girl!?; then slap her and kick her out of her room . That pick of Grace with her moustache cracks me up every time!! She really should?ve shaved the old soup strainer before that photo shoot. I guess she was too busy fretting over whether she should save her man or not and just didn?t have the time . ?Babe? is a neat character in that she kinda lost her innocence so to speak when she moved to the big city but Longfellow (what an appropriate character name for him!) helped her see there were still good guys out there and that she didn?t have to give up on people b/c they weren?t all bad. We could sure use someone like him around now with all the corruption in government scandals coming out every day it seems.

Good question, is this the real Frank? Okay, here they are in chronological order of film release. 1 - Mary Brian as Barbara Calhoun in *Only the Brave* She's a Southerner who falls for a Union spy (Gary) and it's a real cutsey movie. She's an interesting character who at first starts off more like a Scarlett O'Hara type who just sweet talks her way through her problems but she grows up when she falls for Gary and becomes a strong woman who stands up for her man. 2 - June Collyer as Patricia Hunter in *A Man From Wyoming* Pat is a wealthy girl who joins a Red Cross type group in WWI and decides she's had enough of practicing bandaging the other girls in her unit and she wants to see some action so she wanders off towards the front. Gary's character, who is a Captain, saves her and although they fight at first they end up sneaking away and getting married. Pat is another strong woman who takes care of herself and doesn't shy away from tough situations. 3 - Frances Fuller as Amy Grimes in *One Sunday Afternoon* Amy is very sweet and shy and she falls for the tough guy in town Biff (Gary) even though he loves her friend Virginia (Fay Wray). When Virginia marries another man, Biff marries Amy as a consolation. She loves him very much and is a good and caring wife to him and he eventually sees that and falls in love with her too. I like her b/c she's sweet and also a tragic sort of character b/c she loves a man who for most of their marriage, did not fully love her back but even when he did a short stint in prison, she still stood by him. 4 - Jean Arthur as Babe Bennett in *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* I like Babe b/c she's tough talking but really a softie at heart. She's got a great wardrobe too and an exciting job. 5 - Jean Arthur as Calamity Jane in *The Plainsman* I gotta put Calamity on the list b/c when I was a kid I dressed up like Calamity Jane for Halloween and that was fun. She's a fun character too who's a real tomboy and that just looks like fun. 6 - Merle Oberon as Mary Smith in *The Cowboy and the Lady* She's a "cold fish" as one of the other character's calls her and not real good with men and I can definitely identify with that. She tries her best to flirt with Gary's character but he just doesn't bite until she finally gives him a sob story and tricks him into kissing her. 7 - Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O'Shea in *Ball of Fire* I just can't tell you enough how much I love that dress Sugarpuss has in this one so she gets a lot of points just for that. She's another one similar to Babe Bennett in that she's a tough talking broad but with the right guy, she just melts and the sensitive girl comes out. Also it would be fun to be part of a nightclub act. 8 - Ann Sheridan as Lucille Clayton in *Good Sam* It's funny that Ann Sheridan started her career as a sexpot type but in this one she's an average housewife and mother and she did a great job. She and Gary really seem like a real couple and there's one scene where she gets really cracked up and it's so funny b/c it really seems like she is just laughing her head off. It's fun to daydream too about being a suburban housewife during the late 40s (and also early 50s). 9 - Audrey Hepburn as Ariane Chavasse in *Love in the Afternoon* She's just so naive about men and it's so cute as she tries to save Gary's character from some woman's husband who is gunning for him as he's having an affair with his wife. She tries to make him fall for her by making him think she's just as worldly as he is. He eventually falls for the real her though. 10 - Maria Schell as Elizabeth Mahler in *The Hanging Tree* Elizabeth is another strong character who has come to America (specifically a small mining town in Montana) to start a new life. She's all alone but she toughs it out anyway and doesn't let anyone stop her from reaching her goals. I guess I see myself as a mish-mash of a few of these. I'm like Elizabeth Mahler as I went to grad school in London by myself and was far away from home alone but I got through it. With regards to men, I'm like Mary Smith and Amy Grimes; shy and not a very good flirt. I'm also a little like Pat Hunter in that I'm not afraid to go out and do something if it's something I really want to do (I have no desire to go to the front lines like she did though).

I found a cool thing at Grapevine Video called Hedda Hopper's Hollywood which was a series of shorts where Hedda showed clips of movie stars. It ran from '42-'43 and one of the shorts had some Gary stuff in it. I uploaded it - enjoy!

More Paramount stars like Clara Bow and Fay Wray.

Hey Anita, It's always nice to "meet" a fellow Texan . I have more than my fair share of pics of Gary, but that's not necessarily a bad thing . *High Noon* is one of my faves and overall I like his westerns the best. I never liked westerns before, but his are great and I am warming up to some others that include other actors I love like Barbara Stanwyck who did a ton of westerns. Here's a link to my youtube channel and I have a lot of Gary videos as well as some other of my faves like Clara Bow, Stanwyck and Jean Arthur. I hope you'll like them if you get a chance to watch 'em. http://www.youtube.com/user/coopsgirl07

Thanks Jeff! Great pics of Clara, especially that bottom one; it's too cute.

*Ten North Frederick* *The Virginian* *Friendly Persuasion*

*It's Hitch for me:* *To Catch a Thief* *Rear Window* *Notorious* Ugh, this is why we could never be a couple; too much Grace Kelly .

Unless my valentine wants to get very jealous while he watches me drool over Gary Cooper doing manual labor, he better leave *The Fountainhead* on the shelf . This of course applies to my imaginary valentine, who come to think of it bears a striking resemblance to Gary . A lot of good movies have already been listed but I?ll through in *Midnight*. I just watched that one recently and I can see both sexes enjoying it.

That pic was pretty easy since they aren?t close up .

I tend to like the ones best that are done by family members as they would have had the most access to these people and probably knew them best. I know I?m biased, but the one Maria did for her father Gary Cooper, is my fave b/c I know how close they were and what a good relationship they had. I got the chance to see her speak about him in person this past summer, and you can tell how much she still loves him and misses him. With so many Hollywood children putting out nasty tell all books about their parents (whether it?s true stuff or not), it?s nice to hear from someone who had a happy childhood and was raised by two loving parents. He may not have been the perfect husband, but by all accounts he was one heck of a great father. He said on many occassions, the thing he was most proud of in this world was his daughter, so I think it was a fitting tribute .

Here's a colorized pic I did from *Ball of Fire*.

I would be one of my fave actresses, Barbara Stanwyck, on any day she got to wear this dress while filming *Ball of Fire*. It?s my absolute favorite movie costume and her arm candy ain?t too bad either .

Another Gary Cooper western set in Texas is *Man of the West*. It airs on both TCM and the Encore Westerns channel from time to time and is also available on DVD. Part of *The Cowboy and the Lady* is in Texas too and also stars Gary with Merle Oberon in a romantic comedy with a Western twist.

The movie would have been quite a bit longer if they left everything in that was in the script so I imagine the beginning scenes were cut for length and also they aren't really necessary to the plot. It makes Link seem more mysterious not knowing in the beginning where he's from or what he's doing. Also the fight scene between Link and Coaley was much more violent and graphic in the script. Coaley gouges at one of Link's eyes until it bleeds and Coaley breaks his hand when he misses Link and hits a tree instead. It was also written in there that they should miss a punch of two during the course of the fight to make it seem more realistic. Following along with the script gave me an even better appreciation of how great an actor Gary was. He acts just like the character is described in each scene and really brings him to life. I mean there are the words and actions described on the page and then you see them acted out perfectly; it's really amazing. The whole movie making process seems even more complex when you see just how much work went into the script and that's only a small part of the whole. It's almost a wonder movies ever get made at all .

John was cleaning out his office and getting rid of some stuff from some of his finished projects like the Cooper/Hemingway doc and he sent me some of the stuff he gathered when he was making it. One of the most interesting things was a copy of the *Man of the West* script. Yesterday I watched it while I followed along with the script and it was really interesting and fun to see where things were different and then also to see how well (or not so well) the actors followed the notes about their characters. No surprise here, Gary as Link Jones was spot on as to how his character was supposed to behave and carry himself. Arthur O?Connell who played Sam Beasley and Lee J. Cobb who played Dock Tobin were also right on with how their characters were written. Julie London as Billie Ellis however didn?t show quite the range of emotions they had written for her. I think she did a fine job, but if she could have played it like it was written, it would have been a little better. In the beginning she is written as being a woman of the world but also tired of her lonely life on the road as a singer. She doesn?t really get across how tired she is of her lifestyle though as fully as it seems they wanted. The opening scene shows the unfinished school building in the town of Good Hope, Arizona (Link?s hometown). We see people gathered around it working and then it cuts over to Link who is standing with his wife Maria, who is described as a lovely, demure, dark haired woman. Their two sons are also standing with them as one of the townspeople gives Link the money they have raised to hire a school teacher. He kisses Maria goodbye and then shakes his boy?s hands before bending down on his knee to give them a hug. When he gets on his horse and begins to ride away Maria mouths the words ?good luck?. When he arrives in Crosscut to take the train to Fort Worth, there are several scenes of him that are played to comedic effect to show how out of place he is in a bigger city. Good Hope is shown as a small settlement and the bustling streets of Crosscut are far different. He cranes his neck to look up at some of the tall buildings and the people laugh at him and things like that. I?m glad they cut that out as it seemed to paint him as na?ve and foolish and his character is neither of those. I think it was enough to have him react strangely to the train and not be able to fit in the seat to show that he is out of his element. The first big difference with regard to Billie and Link?s relationship is their interaction while they wait for the train. She drops her bag and it gets stuck on the tracks. She asks Link ?if you?re not using your feet for anything special today would you mind giving this thing a kick??. The notes say he is taken aback by such an outspoken woman and by how different she is from his wife. When the train stops for wood, instead of Link getting pistol whipped and knocked out by the bad guys they had him getting shot in the arm. I?m glad they changed that b/c it would have been tough for his character to do all he had to do with only one good arm. After they are left by the train it says Billie?s dress is all ripped up and that she sits down on the tracks and cries but she hides her face in her hands so Link and Sam can?t see her crying. I?m glad they changed that b/c it would have been clich?d for her dress to be torn when it really shouldn?t be. I mean, she got left by a train, not thrown in a wood chipper . Also with the way she is playing the character as being tough (we haven?t seen a vulnerable side yet) it wouldn?t have made sense for her to start blubbering. There is also one thing they changed that I was quite disappointed about. When they inadvertently run into Dock Tobin and his gang and Link and Billie go out to sleep in the barn that night, it says Link hears Dock coming and he rips off his shirt and lays down next to Billie. Dadgummit!!! Why did they change it to him leaving his shirt on?!? Oh well, I digress. Link is far more affectionate towards Billie in the script than in the film. I know we?ve debated on here before about whether they slept together or not and the script is no help on this issue. It?s never explicitly stated or even really implied that they slept together but they do kiss in three different scenes and if not for Link?s wife I imagine they would have. The scene where they are talking the morning after they slept in the barn about Link?s family is written in the script as happening as they are getting ready for bed that night. Link is spreading some hay around for Billie to sleep on as they are talking about it and she also gives her speech about how men only see her as a sex object. She starts to cry and he sits down next to her to comfort her and that?s when they hear Dock coming and he takes his shirt off and they get under the blankets and pretend to be asleep. Since they are on the ground Dock trips over them when he comes in and his speech is delivered as he?s practically laying on top of them. Once they are on their way to Lassoo they stop to make camp and Billie and Link walk off by themselves. Billie tells him she was scared by what Dock said to her on the ride but she doesn?t want to tell Link. Dock told her that before they got to Lassoo, that Link would ?give? Billie to him b/c Dock was in charge and Link always did as he was told. As they talk some more Billie asks him where he?s from and tells him she wants to know everything about him. She eventually tells him what Dock told her and then she tells Link she loves him. This is where she delivers her last speech of the film and since I don?t have the last few pages I don?t know how they had originally scripted the ending. She kisses him and it says at first he doesn?t respond then he slowly puts his arms around her and they continue to kiss until they hear Coaley and the other bad guys clapping b/c they were watching them. The night before they go into Lassoo, Link and Billie are sitting in the wagon and he sits next to her holding her and she gives her line about loving to touch him and that she can?t keep the happiness she?s found with him. He tells her ?If I stay alive, and if I get that money back, I?ll be going home, Billie. Home is all I have. But if I die?you?ll be the last person I ever kissed.? Then it says he gently strokes her hair and kisses her softly on the lips. In the actual scene he moves his hand like he?s going to stroke her hair but then he holds back and doesn?t do it. I like that better. We can see he?s attracted to her and he does want to comfort her but he knows he can?t. The next morning as Link is getting ready to leave for Lassoo he kisses Billie again and then when he gets on his horse and if riding away she mouths ?good luck? just like his wife did at the beginning. Also Link is short for Lincoln and it?s supposed to be set during 1874.

Cool pic Mongo, thanks for sharing . It sounds like it was a wonderful time and I'm just still so excited for y'all (and quite frankly relieved it wasn't me b/c I imagine I would just freeze up - ha!). TCM is by far the best network on air not only b/c of the wonderful programming but b/c they actually care about their viewership and show it.

Well since somebody already picked Gary , I?ll go with my other main fave. *Clara Bow* *Call Her Savage* (1932) ? She really got to show off her dramatic chops with this one and while the supporting actors often leave a lot to be desired, Clara truly shines as the star she was. *It* (1927) ? Can?t leave this one off the list as it was her biggest hit and one of my overall fave films. A cute romantic comedy about a regular girl who falls for her boss at the department store and ultimately wins him. A great Cinderalla story with a modern (well, modern for the 20s) twist. Also Gary has a cameo as a reporter :x. *Hula* (1927) ? This is one of my faves of hers and it?s a cute story about a girl named Hula (Clara) who lives in Hawaii and falls for Anthony (Clive Brook), the man contracted to irrigate her family?s land. Anthony plays a very straight laced Brit who falls, against his will, for Hula who is carefree and fun loving. There is some drama when Anthony?s estranged wife (who I swear looks like a man in drag) comes to Hawaii and wants him back now that he has gotten a big payday for this job. Hula?s not about to let a little thing like a wife stand in the way though when she sees something she wants and she and Anthony end up together. There is a very cute scene where Hula takes off on her horse so that Anthony will chase her. She falls off and he runs to her to make sure she?s alright. She tells him it hurts her hand and he kisses it so she then points to her eyes and her lips and he kisses them all. It?s pure Clara how she sweetly seduces him and the audience to fall under her spell. In all these films, as in most of her work, she was the embodiement of youth and vitality as well as a representation of the average American girl of the (then) modern era.

I don?t think they could have made five better choices to represent the fans at the boards and what a cool thing for them to do!! I?m so happy and excited for y?all and can?t wait to see y?all do your stuff . I?m especially happy to see my favorite movie *Meet John Doe* made the cut. Thanks for picking it Kyle and I can?t wait to hear your thoughts about it.

I love it when Sugarpuss tells him to "shove it in your clutch" . That one is definitely one of my fave of the screwball comedies. Here's another pic I colorized, this time of Clara Bow. I finally got one of her done that I'm happy with.

That's funny that you picked that one of Clara with the boa b/c I have one from that same photo shoot just from a different angle and I've been trying to colorize it too. What I'm having a hard time with Clara on is her hair. I can't get it a good shade of red. It's either too pink or too brown. I'll keep working on it though.

Thanks! That one came out really well. I?ve got some more b+w pics of her in that dress and I?ll have to do them too. It?s my fave movie costume and I bet she had fun playing around in it. Here it is in real color. It cracked me up b/c when the official dvd of *Ball of Fire* came out they used that exact color of magenta that I had imagined the dress to be. I just assumed that must have been the real color and then later I found this pic of her in it, and I was surprised to see it was gold. I?m gonna keep it that nice magenta color in the other pics I?ll colorize though, but I think I?ll tone it down a little. I?ll send you a copy of that movie too if you want. It?s one of my faves and all the character actors who play the professors just about steal the show from Gary and Babs; and that?s not an easy feat .