Any Gary Cooper Fans?

[coopsgirl]

I read through David Stenn?s reference section pretty carefully and it seems like he did a very thorough job in researching it. I can most definitely recommend that one. In fact, it?s the only one I?ve read about her and I probably won?t read any others b/c I can imagine they would be trashy like the Hollywood Babylon series.

 

Clara was certainly far from being a prim and proper lady, but I don?t know that I would really call her a **** like they did in those books. I would just say she had a healthy sexual appetite (like many other women during the roaring twenties when the focus was on youth and having fun). The only thing is, she wasn?t afraid to talk about it when everyone else tried to hide the fact that they liked sex. She didn?t really sleep around but she did have her fair share of boyfriends like Gilbert Roland (who she actually remained close friends with from the mid-20s through the rest of her life), Victor Fleming, Gary, and a few others who weren?t actors.

 

There are some good Gary books out there and here are my faves.

 

 

*Gary Cooper: An Intimate Biography by Hector Arce*

 

This was the first one I read about him and I really enjoyed it. That was about a year and a half ago so I?m not really sure how accurate it was b/c at the time I didn?t know a whole lot about him. I should re-read it one of these days.

 

*The Films of Gary Cooper by Homer Dickens*

 

This one is a great reference book as it covers all his films in order of their release with each movie getting a few pages. It?s a big book and it has lots of great info and pics.

 

*Gary Cooper Off Camera by Maria Cooper Janis*

 

This is the one his daughter wrote and it?s very sweet and also has lots of great pics. I got her to autograph my copy of it when I met her last month at a lecture she gave about him. It?s one of my prized possessions :x.

 

*Legends: Gary Cooper by Richard Schicklel (don?t think I spelled his last name right)*

 

This one doesn?t have a lot of info about him as it?s mainly a picture book, but hey there?s nothing wrong with that!!

 

Here are a couple I didn?t like.

 

*Coop: The Life and Legend of Gary Cooper by Stuart Kaminsky*

 

I only read about the first 30 pages of this one and gave up. He got many factual things wrong, like how many Oscars he was nominated for and who co-starred with him in certain films and it just seemed poorly done. I think Vera (Senta) liked this one though so maybe you should give it a shot.

 

*The Last Hero by Larry Swindell*

 

I really enjoyed this one until the author got to 1942 and the release of *Pride of the Yankees*. He began taking cheap shots at Gary saying he was too old to play a college age Lou Gehrig. He also called the movie hokey and since it?s one of my faves, I didn?t care for that. After that, the book seemed to take a mean tone as if he was writing it and then all the sudden decided he really didn?t like Gary. It was very strange. I tried to keep reading it but it was pretty offputting so I didn?t finish it. April (Miss G) got farther in this one than I did. I remember her saying the author didn?t have many positive things to say about most of his movies that came out after *High Noon* and that he wrapped up the book pretty quickly after covering *High Noon* even though Gary lived another 9 years.

[Senta]

I agree with you that none of biographies are perfect. But you always find something new even in bad ones. So I try to get all of them and combine impression. Besides almost all of them are pretty cheap on abebooks.

Some more picks from Along come Jones.

[coopsgirl]

You?re right about taking little bits from each book and trying to get a more complete picture of a person that way. Even the bad books usually have some nice pics in them at least. My mom bought me the Hector Arce book not long after I became obsessed, I mean became a fan pretty cheap off ebay. When she got it she looked through it a little bit before she gave it to me and she came across that pic of him sitting in his birthday suit next to the water in *Wolf Song*. When she gave it to me she had it turned to that page and said ?I think you?re gonna like this one? and she was right!

 

More nice pics! Cowboy Gary is my absolute favorite :x.

[Senta]

Hey Angie,

Don't take me wrong. I didn't like Kaminsky book either I give up later then you, but I too don't remember had I finished it or not.

Swindell book was the first that I've read and I like it (I thought I said something positive about his book here not Kaminsky). And it wasn't only first impression I reread parts of it later. But of course I must reread all my Gary books again. I have all from your list exept Legends (it is the first one to order from Abebooks.com when I return from Paris in August (with money in my pocket I hope) and also I want to read Gaposi book.

I also can recommend Mayers book about Gary. It had a mixed impression on me but it worth reading. For the first place the idea of the book was inspired by Maria, but I think she was dissapointed with the result of it. But, but but.... Mayers had many new facts to add, about affair with pat Neal for example.

As for love to Gary. They are authors and critics sitting on their high horses, so they better say something critical, and afraid to be positive all the way as we fans.

I don't know much about other authors, but mayers is prominent one and it is the second book of him I've read (the first one was about Errol Flynn and his son Sean) and he wrote many bios most interesting and well known I guess about Hemingway. That's why Maria came to him at the first place and I wouldn't be surprised if she hired him and paid him for this work.

 

Here is two pics from Texan in rather poor shape but I tresure them anyway because they show the movie I haven't seen.

 

I had a third one cut in two piecies and bigger sise, so I post it in two parts. Not very used to Photoshop.

[Senta]

Cut still from Texan

[Senta]

Speaking more about early Gary's movies. Here is the copy of the still from Man of Wyoming. The copy is not very good but I like the image. Anyway it is better then the picture in the movie we actually have.

[Jennythenipper]

I'm in heaven! More and more and more pics of Along Came Jones! So lovely!

 

I think the reason that particular image is so great, is that it really shows how big Gary was. He's as big as the whole room. Wow.

 

 

 

Three of my favorite Cooper movies are Along Came Jones, The Cowboy and the Lady and The Westerner. I think I like all three of those because they tweak the image of the heroic cowboy. In along came Jones the world of gunfighting has about as much to do with Jones job of moving cattle around as it does with say banking. Loretta Young's character is a nice twist on the Damsel in Distress. It's silly and far-fetched at times, but I can't help but enjoy it. So thanks!

 

**

Thanks also for the list of Cooper bios. I will start with the Arce, book, not least because of the Wolf Song picture.

[Jennythenipper]

I love the Shickle books. For the most part they have great photos (mostly in black and white) and solid information, I think usually culled from Variety. In the Cary Grant book of his that I have, there is a bit of writing about Grant's performances which is the most interesting thing in the book.

 

I'm embarrassed to say the only Cooper book I have read is the wonderfully trashy "Cooper's Women."

[Senta]

Hi Jenny,

I haven't read Gary's Woman. I plan to, is it worth reading?

Thank you for wonderful pics of Along Came Jones. I love this movie too. When I first receive it I was over the fence for a while and watched it several times, almost every day. But what my favorite movies of Coop it is always difficalt question to answer. So many amoung favorites.

Fighting Caravans never was among favorites, but I enjoyed it

 

Here is some pics from it.

[Senta]

I have one more question to all of you.

When I was in France I bought documentary about Gary called Legends of Hollywood Gary Cooper. It was part of the collection of four stars, also Cary Grant, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck. Unfortunatly it is in French. May be you know - was this documentary released in USA.

There is a lot of interview included - with Maria, Patricia Neal, Mayers many costars who worked with him. The whole time is 57 min.

Here is the cover.

[coopsgirl]

Here's a movie review I found from Jan 1929 about Gary's film *Shopworn Angel*.

 

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B06E0DE163EE33ABC4953DFB7668382639EDE

 

Vera,

 

I'm not familiar with that documentary and I don't know if it was ever released in the U.S. or not. I love those pics from *The Texan*. That's the lot I picked to bid on at the live auction at the end of this month. I don't know if I really have a shot to win it or not but I'm gonna try .

 

Jenny,

 

I've seen the Cooper's Women book but I have been avoiding it b/c I figured it was pretty trashy. You might have to share some of the stories with us though .

[movieman1957]

I have a Cooper documentary from 1997 called "Gary Cooper: The Face of A Hero." I taped it off of my local PBS station about two years ago. Is this the one you mean -

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816504/

 

I got a bunch of them in one day. There was Peck, Ingrid Bergman, Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden and I think Grant.

[Senta]

Hi Ang, The link to the page didn't work for me even if I registered there. I shall try again later.

The Texan lot is the one I wanted most, may be Desire too. But right now when I'm at the end of my vacation month it is impossible to afford. If it be at the end of the August. I signed up for two trips to Paris with the Moscow groups so I will be out from 1 until 18. If I find somewhere Internet in the hotels I show up if will not be dead tired. So I truly hope that you will win.

See what they listed on e-bay today. I said wow!

 

[Senta]

Thanks, movieman, for the link. May be it is the same, but the running time is differnt and I must look at the credits - they are not shown at the box - are they the same or not.

[Senta]

Yes, it is 1997 documentary (I've watched it once more) but a good one indeed.

[coopsgirl]

That pic from *Doomsday* is just wonderful!!! That is my favorite scene and I usually just call that one 'the haystack movie' . I think that one is everybody's fave of his silents (and besides *Barbara Worth*, it's in the best shape).

 

It's such a cute movie and Gary and Florence had great chemistry. Their kissing/romantic scenes are some of the most realistic I have seen in movies that old. He's so sweet to her in the beginning and then he does such a good job and being angry at her once she decides to marry that older rich man instead.

[Jennythenipper]

I can't wait to see Fighting Caravans. The photos have been gorgeous. Thanks! I've ordered the DVD.

 

What I love about the old westerns was how grungy and real his costume was. His costume in The Cowboy and the Lady is almost a parody of a cowboy costume. Also it's nice to see the open neck. The man could rock a neckerchief like nobody's business, but it's still better to see his neck.

 

I liked Coop's Women, though it s trashy and gossipy. I think you have to bare in mind that much of what is said about his exploits with women is made up or exaggerated. If you do so, it's as good a treatise as any on Gary the Lover.

[coopsgirl]

*The man could rock a neckerchief like nobody's business, but it's still better to see his neck.*

 

I find myself fussing at him when he has a neckerchief on b/c I want to see that beautiful neck. I tell him to take it off, but he never listens .

 

Here are some good shots of his neck :x.

 

 

*This is one of my absolute faves of his from Barbara Worth*

 

 

 

 

Woo! It?s really getting hot in here!! I will probably give in and read the Cooper?s Women book at some point . I?m sure some of it is exaggerated but he must have been doing something right to have as many women as he did after him and many of them were repeat customers .

[JackFavell]

Over at the Silent Film Gallery, there are a couple of pretty nice pics of Gary with Fay Wray from The First Kiss...... just thought I'd let you know.....

 

http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=131223

[coopsgirl]

Hey Jackie,

I posted those *First Kiss* pics and they are gorgeous, I?m glad you like them. I own the still of them on the boat and I frequently drool over it . It?s funny b/c I love pics of him the best from the 20s and 30s but I like him in the movies better when he was in his 40s and 50s. Oh well, either way, I?ve got him covered .

[Senta]

Your First kiss is beautiful indeed. I'm too love pictures from 20-30, but I can't say that I'm collecting them on purpose. From his silents I have only one still from Doomsday. And I can't fix either on one particular movie (it is true that most big number of stills I have from Love in the Afternoon, because it ine of my favorite movies). I know the person - John Wayne fun who is collecting stills from one particular movie - True Grit and she has over 100 of them. I was alwys guessing at that point how many stills did studios print with the movie?

I just love the image itself. Before I've bought a lot of copies even poor ones just because I liked the images and they came chep, but now I deside to fix up most on original photos which truly represent photographic art even if I can afford very few of them.

Here is some more images.

Plainsman

Some photos from the set.

 

Very poor copy of beutiful image from Desire

 

And this one is the best of all - captured my heart. I truly haven't seen much other beautiful photos from Man of the West.

[Jennythenipper]

Coops girl, I heart you!

 

Neck pic spam: you are there for my every whim.

 

I loooooove that Barbara Worth (I typed Mary Worth the first time, LOL) photo. If I had a 70s van, I would totally airbrush that on the side with some cheezy title like "The Love Wagon."

 

LOL at repeat cusotmers. One of things in Coops women is the fact that Carole Lombard is reported as saying that Gary was much better in bed than Clark Gable. Funny, she choose Clark anyway. Maybe he improved over time.

[MissGoddess]

I must say that is the loveliest picture I've seen for *Desire* --- not only does

Coop look good but La Dietrich looks smashing and very relaxed.

 

I treasure any pictures from *Man of the West* and the *Hanging Tree* because

they are my favorites of his westerns.

 

I still haven't received my "first" Gary picture, there was a delay, but I went ahead

and ordered a different one as well, the classic one from The Westerner.

 

You were right, this is addictive. I now have _four_ framed still photos on my walls

where I once had none (I did have framed charicatures, though). The other pix

I have I must find an album for, which won't be easy as they are 8 x 10 or larger.

[Jennythenipper]

"And this one is the best of all - captured my heart. I truly haven't seen much other beautiful photos from Man of the West."

 

It is beautiful. It looks like he is checking out her cleavage. To quote Seinfeld, "it's like looking at the sun, just get a sense of it and look away!" I like Man of the West. Is there any actress who doesn't have great chemistry with Gary? They pretty much smoke up the screen in this.

 

To completely change the subject, I was looking at Cooper's filmography and I was wondering what films of his are "unobtainable." I have some sources that I've used in the past to find hard to find or unobtainable films. I'm not promising anything, but if I could compile a list, I would be able to check up on it.

[JackFavell]

Oh well, either way, I?ve got him covered

 

I think I prefer him uncovered- re: neck and Wolf Song photos......