Any Gary Cooper Fans?

[coopsgirl]

Well there goes my ability to concentrate for the rest of the day. I?ve never wanted to be a piece of fruit so bad in my entire life :p.

[MissGoddess]

> {quote:title=coopsgirl wrote:}{quote}

> As Frank so thoughtfully pointed out in another thread, Im at 2,000 posts!! I have a long way to go to catch up to April though .

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS, Apple-Angie!! This is a milestone day in Coopland.

[coopsgirl]

Apple-Angie sounds like ?Apple Annie?, the drunk bag lady from *Lady for a Day*. I don?t wanna be an old drunk bag lady!! .

[MissGoddess]

ha! I didn't even think about that character. Great movie.

[CoopsGal]

Theresa & Kim you guys should try to come to NYC for this as well. It would be worth it.

 

I'd give anything to go to NYC and see her, but I'm still paying off my debts from my Texas trip

[CoopsGal]

I won't be able to make to this one as that is the weekend my brother is coming up to visit from Virginia.

 

Well that does it; 5 out of 5 can't make it to this event -- she should postpone. Hopefully she'll have second thoughts and decide to go next month. Throw some 'postpone it' dust her way...

[CoopsGal]

Theresa, guess what!

You know that Lex Barker fellow I was talking about last night?

You won't believe it: he was in "Unconquered" AND "Cloak and Dagger!"

 

He played in 81 movies with an oscar award...and played Tarzan!

 

**Melts**

[coopsgirl]

Don't you be talking about postponin' nothing - ha! I'm seriously planning on going and already bought tickets to the lecture just a few rows back from the stage. Actually I got tickets in row G, that cracked me up b/c I didn't plan it that way, that's just what came up. I wish we could all go, man that would be some kind of fun!!

[coopsgirl]

I had to look this Lex Barker guy up and he is pretty good looking .

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CoopsGal]

He is very good looking. The first time I saw him I thought it was Gary's brother -- ha!

My whole Netflix queue is loaded with his films...

 

I always seem to fall for the brown-hair-blue-eyed-tan guys. **Scoffs** Go figure.

And what a good figure he has, too

[CoopsGal]

Proof this is Gary's brother:

 

 

 

Or else he stole Gary's jacket....

[CoopsGal]

 

 

Lex Barker was born on May 8 (one day after Gary) and died on May 11 (two days before Gary's death).

 

It's so strange how similar these two are.

 

They say he went to Europe to build a career there. I think he stole Gary's movie characters and turned them into German films.

[MissGoddess]

For some reason my office PC won't let me access this website ever, but I'm going to post the link for the rest of you. It's DVDTalk's review of the dvd of "Man of the West." They usually go in depth about the films they review, and I'm hoping they do the same for this one:

 

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/33214/man-of-the-west/

[coopsgirl]

Thanks for posting the review, here?s my take on it.

 

*To have Cooper's Link turn out to be a former bank robber, a ruthless killer (and by implication, a rapist, as well), must have been a shock to audiences, regardless of whether or not those actions happened before the film's story takes place. Perhaps it was this disconnect between Coop's image and his character that caused uneasiness with ticket buyers and critics.*

 

Woah!!! I get that he was a ruthless outlaw but I totally missed the whole ?rapist? thing. Has anybody else picked up on this b/c I sure didn?t. I guess they are just assuming that b/c this new gang wanted to have their way with Billie, that they have probably done that before to other women as well back when Link was still with Tobin. That does make sense and I guess I just never thought of that aspect of it b/c Gary would never do such a thing .

 

The fact that this film didn?t do well on its initial release (and that I never even thought Gary could be a rapist) just further cements the fact that he could never have played a truly bad guy. I absolutely believe he had the acting chops to do it if he had wanted to, but there is no way audiences would have accepted it. However, I do like his later films like *MotW* and *Hanging Tree* where in his past that we don?t actually see, he was a shady character and maybe a full on bad guy. These roles still fit in with his overall image of the all American good guy but they also fit the times as the movies were beginning to show more ambiguous good guy types. They also added a lot of overall depth to his body of work.

 

*Not everything works in Man of the West. There is some fuzziness at the beginning of the film, when we wonder if Link really is all that naive (Coop does indulge in some of his favorite - and obvious - gorping around as he blinks naively at that newfangled train), until we finally guess that it must be a permanent dodge he assumes when he doesn't want people to connect the new reformed Link with the cold-blooded old Link. Potentially worse (and a drag on the picture that unfortunately doesn't go away with repeat viewings) is the serious miscasting of Lee J. Cobb in the pivotal role of Dock Tobin. Cobb, not nearly old enough to be the uncle that raised Link as a boy (Cobb was ten years younger than the 57-year-old Cooper - who looks considerably older than that), hams it up something terrible in Man of the West, which isn't exactly uncharacteristic of the outsized, broad film thesping of this stage-trained actor. Cobb's overacting can be amusing in films, but here, it's a wrong note in an otherwise perfect western. One only wishes someone else could have been cast in the role.*

 

Alright, here we go, more cheap shots at Gary?s looks. To me, in this one he looks like a man in his mid to late 50s which he was. If anybody looks older than their years in this one it?s Cobb, hands down. I bet you could ask a hundred people how old he looked in this movie and I guarantee nobody would say ?47?. Also Cobb?s character doesn?t need to be significantly older than Gary?s character to have raised him. It?s possible Gary could have been late adolescent-early teens and Cobb could have been early 20s or something like that when he took him in. If it was a scenario like that, then there might only be around a 10 year age difference between the two and Cobb definitely looks like he could be at least 10 years older than Gary?s character in this particular film with his white hair and beard and also his overall body language which is that of an older man.

 

Also I think Cobb was perfect in this role and I couldn?t picture it being played any other way. Usually I hate hammy performances but I think it fits in this role. At first I thought he was a little over the top but after watching it the first couple times I changed my mind. He was a rowdy outlaw who over time became larger than life even though in reality he was slowing down and has outlived his time as Gary tells him near the end. Also I think the overplaying of the part by Cobb and Gary?s usual stoic, underplaying are a great combo showing how different they are as Gary is now a good guy. Akim Tamiroff, who I have dubbed ?the ham? overacted in his roles opposite Gary to try and outdo him but it comes off bad and hammy (hence the nickname). Cobb however doesn?t seem to be trying to out act Gary and I think that?s why this over the top performance doesn?t bother me.

 

*Brutal, raw, deceptively simple but in reality powerfully layered and complex, Man of the West is flat-out one of the best American westerns ever made. Period. Gary Cooper gives one of his finest, most surprising performances, and director Anthony Mann draws up the blueprint for all future "adult" westerns. It's still a hammer-blow experience, fifty years later.*

 

Now I definitely agree with this. Seriously though, this was a good review and I?m so excited to watch this one again if it ever gets here. I still haven?t gotten any of the three films that just came out and they all should have been delivered by now. I don?t think I?m gonna opt for the free shipping anymore with deepdiscount. I?ve never really had any problems with them though until now.

[MissGoddess]

Thanks for posting all that, Angie, and your comments. I never considered the "rapist" angle before and I'm not sure I think it's fair. Not every crook was a rapist though in the movie they seem to make it out that way.

 

I also have never had a problem with the colorful Lee J. Cobb. He is a BIG actor but also a very competent one who does in fact know when to reign it in, it's just that when he's loud he's REALY loud and it can overshadow his subtler moments (you have to see the "Screaming Lee J Cobb X-Mas Tree" video at YouTube---it's surreal, LOL).

 

I think he definitely looked old enough to be Coop's Uncle. People love to carp on younger actors playing old. That is a standard practice as old as the profession itself. That is why it is called ACTING. You don't hire a doctor to play a doctor, you hire an Actor. A classic example is Jessie Royce Landis who was in fact younger than Cary Grant yet played his mother. She looked old enough to be his mother and he looked so great for his age that I totally accepted it!

 

Anyway, I'm glad that the author concluded it was one of the best westerns, because it is and I still maintain it's Mann's best western for certain.

[MissGoddess]

Angie---this is also the first time I have not received a pre-ordered dvd on or before the release date from Deepdiscount. They even say on their website that pre-orders are supposed to arrive by that time. I hope it comes today.

[CoopsGal]

I didn't gather any hints of Gary being a rapist in Man of the West. They must have him mistaken for Carl Malden in Hanging Tree. Although, how could anybody confuse the two??

[CoopsGal]

I thought this trailer for the real west was great:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV92AsYTpJI

 

They mention They Came to Cordura!

[coopsgirl]

Youtube is blocked at work but as soon as I get home I gotta check that out. It sounds crazy ? ha!

 

I?m glad I?m not the only one who missed the ?rapist? thing. I?m usually pretty good about recognizing symbolism and implied characterstics or things like that but this one just went totally over my head. I can imagine that he killed a lot of people in cold blood and possibly even tortured them before they died like Cobb describes when he and Link first meet up again, but that?s about as far as I can take it ? ha!

 

You?re example with Landis is a good one. If you look the part that?s all that really matters. Now if she was noticeably younger than him then yeah, it wouldn?t work. Cary Grant did age incredibly well. I think he, Jean Arthur, and Barbara Stanwyck are some actors that just aged amazingly well. Now that?s not a knock against Gary , it?s just when he got into his 50s he started to look his actual age where as up until then he had always looked a little bit younger than he really was. Those three however consistently looked younger than their years practically their whole careers. Jean Arthur especially; man what I would give for bone structure like that . Take movies like *Talk of the Town* and *The More the Merrier* for instance. She?s in her early 40s in those films and could still pass as early 30s easily. *Mr. Deeds* is another good example of both Jean and Gary (35 and 34 respectively when it was filmed) playing characters in their 20s and it?s totally believable. Quite often Jean was older than her leading men which was definitely not the norm and still isn?t today but she could get away with it.

 

Here?s a cute pic from *The More the Merrier*.

 

[coopsgirl]

I was listening to my oldies mix this morning and this song came up from Wilson Pickett and it?s absolutely begging for a Gary slideshow. I'll have to check and make sure it's one I can download and it if it is I'll make one for it.

 

*A Man and a Half*

 

Let me tell you baby, I sure know how to please a woman, yes I do now

Now I can make you feel better than you've ever felt before, yes I can now

Now when I start lovin', women hate for me to stop

A whole lot of men envy me for what I've got

Ow! I'm a man & a half; that's what I am, a man & a half

 

Now look here

When I walk, the birds & the bees stop lovin' & look at me now, look here

When I talk, the whole wide world listen to my words,

I'm a man like any other man, I say without a doubt

Wow, what makes me different is the hand that knocks women out

I'm a man & a half; I'm two wrapped up in one; no brash, just facts

 

Only once in a lifetime a man like me comes along

Shakespeare wrote poems about me even before I was born

Thunder gave me a lift & lightnin' knocked on your door

Your chance in a lifetime, woman, might not happen no more

To be loved by a man and a half, hey that's what I am, look here

Me and a camel went across the desert & there was no water in sight

Let me tell y'all one thing: the camel died tryin'

But your man & a half is here lovin' you tonight

Good God, I'm a man & a half, a man

 

[CoopfanDan]

I watched Friendly Persuasion last night on my new Panasonic HD 42 inch TV. It had wonderful picture after I changed some settings. The colors were two harsh until I got it switched to Cinema mode. There is a big difference with settings on that TV with different viewing modes. I think you stated that some of Gary's movies had too much noise in the picture when upscaled, but did see on my player that switching to progressive instead of interlaced softened the picture as well as going with cinema mode. There is also a noise reduction setting but couldn't see much of a difference with that. Right now I have the picture looking better than I have ever seen it. I did buy a good 50 dollar HDMI cable before I attempted to upconvert the picture. There probably wouldn't be any difference in upscaling the picture using an S-Video cable or componet Video cables.

 

I just got my order from deepdiscount, but have to send back both compies of the Fox western set. Garden of Evil was loose from the spindle in both sets and all scratched up which is unacceptable for two sets. I'm not even puting them in the player to see how they play. They are going straight back to the post office. If it were one of the other movies in the box I would have written it off but I must have a prestine dvd of Garden of Evil, which is why I got two on the buy one get one free deal, and they are both going back for replacement without even putting them in the player.

[coopsgirl]

I?m glad you?re enjoying your new tv . It took me a while to get all the settings adjusted like I wanted. *Friendly Persuasion* is one that looks kinda grainy when I watch it on my blu-ray player. I might need to make some more adjustment though, I don?t know. I?ll have to look into it some more. Panasonic is the same brand I have and I?ve been very happy with it. The thing I like the best is it can stretch out old movies that weren?t filmed in widescreen to now take up the whole screen and there is no distortion the picture. Not all tv?s of that type will do that well, but Panasonic is one of the best for that.

 

That stinks about your movies being scratched. I hope maybe mine will come today and I sure hope they are alright.

[MissGoddess]

Oh, Dan, I hope my *Garden of Evil* disc doesn't arrive like that either! I'll be so mad.

 

I found some stills from *The Winning of Barbara Worth* which may or may

not have already been posted here, as well as a webpage with some interestingly

differing accounts of how Coop supposedly got cast as "Abe":

 

http://www.hbw.addr.com/garycooper.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coop in the doorway

[coopsgirl]

It?s funny how many people claim to have ?discovered? him . I love that second pic of him standing by the wagon. He looks so much like a real cowboy in that one. I can imagine that?s pretty much what he looked like as a teenage working on his dad?s ranch.

[CoopfanDan]

April, Yes it did get me really mad as I was opening them up as I was typing the last post.

 

Man of the West and The Western both arrived with it in prestine condition. It just seems funny that in both Fox western sets the other two movies did not get loose and are prestine and in both sets Garden of Evil was loose. This always results in horrible scratching from all the moving around during shipping. I may just send those both back for refund and see if I can find a copy of it at Walmart or Circuit City. Of course since I got them on a buy two get one free, I will only be refunded for one set but who wants two copies of Garden of Evil sitting around that are all scratched up and more than likely skip on some players.

 

Angie, Friendly Persuastion should look better on your Panasonic plasma with the suggestions I made. There was a tremendous smoothness placed on the picture when I went to progressive over interlaced and the cinema mode looked much better for color. I also used the setting on the TV for darker over lighter in the advanced picture settings as all the movies I looked at did not show true black in the shadows in the lighter setting. My new panasonic dvd player came with the default for showing interlaced video and I had to manually switch it to progressive mode, do I would certainly check into what settings you are running your TV on. I just remembered that I think most of these changes were made on the dvd player settings and not on the TV but can't remember right now which were made with each.

 

Message was edited by: CoopfanDan