Any Gary Cooper Fans?

[butterscotchgreer]

i think im gonna watch The Naked edge tonight, i have been watching my three new movies with greer i hadnt seen before and relishing it with joy!!!! heehee! now i can go back to gary. heehee!

[coopsgirl]

Kim you are cracking me up!!!

 

*He's just that kind of a man. Exciting, sexy, strong and romantic -- for the young girls. And charming, dashing, sweet, courageous and handsome for the older women.*

 

Another perfect description of our guy.

[butterscotchgreer]

well at least we all agree on that.

[FrankGrimes]

I'm actually from "over the mountain." I prefer imperfect women, women with faults. I'm just not into "too perfect." It's one of the reasons why many of Grace Kelly's characters don't always work with me. The reason why I do love Grace is her beauty. She's perfect in that regard.

 

Boy, it's been awhile since I've showed my face around here. Put... the wet noodles... down. I've got a lot of catching up to do. A lot of catching up. I'm gonna try to get the one Gary Cooper box set this weekend. The Fox Horror box is ahead of it on my hit list, though. Hey, I'm a sucker for Linda Darnell. Madeleine Carroll is helluva drawing card, too, though.

[CoopfanDan]

I've been a Gary Cooper fan for many many years about 30 or so before ever coming to this board. Since buying my first computer back in 1996 and getting on the internet, I have looked every single week on amazon and other places for movies coming out on Gary Cooper. Actually I think DVD's came out in 1999 or somewhere around there, so it was probably around then that I started looking for dvd's on Gary. My very first dvd was in fact High Noon and Mr Deeds goes to town. Back then it was slim pickings for Gary on DVD. In all this time though I never knew before coming here that Gary was a sex symbol and so popular with the women for his looks. As a born again Christian for 20 years now, I don't think I have ever liked women on film that were flaunting with their looks or were trying to convey sexiness on screen. Women parts such as Jean Harlow in Red Headed woman are as low as they go for me. Now I am a romantic and the whole love element in romantic stories very much appeals to me but prefer when the sexiness is kept to a minimum and the in love element is expanded. I don't think I look at Gary as a father figure as he hardly ever played that kind of role, but think my main attractivness to him is his supreme goodness that I don't know that any others from back then or today ever completly revealed as did Gary on film. This along with his less is more approach to acting are probably the two biggest reasons I am a Gary Cooper fan above all others.

 

I am finding for father figures that Spencer Tracy might fill that bill for me as I am becoming very much interested in his movies right now where he was the father figure in his movies. I am not as keen on his romantic movies with Hepburn and think that I only like watching him as a father figure or a person in authority of which I think he was at his best.

 

I am not sure Frank if you will like many of Gary's movies. It seems that we are fans of classic movies for reasons that are polor opposites which of course there is nothing wrong with this but I personally would be shocked if you enjoyed Gary's movies from the Universial set. I also would be quite shocked if movies like Sergeant York, Meet John Doe, Mr Deeds and others ever became favorites of yours. I think I only like Cooper's later slighly darker movies like Man of the West because I am such a big fan of his earlier movies. In fact those movies made me such a big fan of his that I doubt that he could do any type of movie that I would not like. His presence in the movie is enough for me to enjoy watching the movie in all cases. I am sure that this may be the case with your likeness of James Stewart in movies. I often find myself watching Stewart movies and thinking to myself how much better Gary would have been in the part as he would be able to take away that crankiness and harshness that James Stewart presented in the part and make the character a much more likeable character. I am sure that this thought may come to mind for you in some of Gary's movies going the other way as I know you like those more harsh and edgy characters. I am much more into the nice guy character which no other person was capable of playing as well as Gary Cooper. This is exactly what I find myself liking in female characters in all cases. If a female is likable or a nice girl and plays this kind of part in nearly every movie they make, such as Greer Garson, I find them quickly going up to the top of my list. I don't like sexy women such as May West, Jean Harlow and many others. They are a turn off for me big time.

 

I think I will be taking a break from posting here and all other places for a while. I simply don't feel that I have anything else to add to any of the conversations here or elsewhere and I can not comment on any of the conversations on Gary's looks as I just don't see him as a sex symbol and never will. I will still pop in from time to time and make comments on information on Cooper dvd releases and such but think that my time will be cut back a great deal on here and elsewhere. It was very nice talking to you all about Gary Cooper and others over the last year and hope to talk to you all again someday down the road hopefully concerning Gary Cooper new dvd releases such as the rumored Universial and WB Box Vol 2 box sets next spring. I think I just want to be a movie watcher right now as I have a huge back catalog of classic movies to get through this winter.

 

I guess that you know you are a fanatical fan on someone when the very first thing that you do every single time the computer is turned on is go to your booked marked amazon Gary Cooper new releases page and visit it before doing anything else. This is an ever single day occurance for me since about 1999. Actually I have this bookmark on about 5 different online sites just in case there is one that posts details before another.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st/102-9081449-3462506?keywords=%22GaryCooper%22&rs=404276&page=1&rh=n%3A404276%2Ck%3A%22GaryCooper%22&sort=-releasedate

 

http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v5_search_item.asp?userid=99365655069385&pp=&view=0&string=%22Gary+Cooper%22&search_refined=0&include_desc=&used=0&site_id=4&site_media_id=0&sort=3

[CoopfanDan]

Actually, I would like to make one more comment here. I think that Gary Cooper even in his harsher parts such as Man of the West, The Hanging Tree and others still conveyed a goodness about him that was inescapable for him because these were parts of his real life person that simply could not be eliminated. If there was ever a weakness to Gary Cooper as an actor, he could not play a character that was a complainer or cranky or just plain mean or bad very good. There were parts of his supreme goodness as a person in real life that limited his range as an actor. He could not be a villian in a movie ever in my opinion. This was not just a very wise decision by the movie studios not to cast him in such a part but I think that if he would have tried to play a true cut-throat villian in a movie that audiances would have still rooted for him and liked him. After all he was the most liked person in real life as a person that ever came out of hollywood. There are no stories floating around on him that came out after his death about him being anything other than the most liked person ever. It would seem that he was so well liked that women could not resist him, which goes so much futher than just his good looks but by his inward character. I think many women may have been initually attacted to him by his looks but chose to have affairs with him because of who he was as person, which was an irresistible force for any actress that worked with him on any movie. It takes more than good looks in most cases to have someone fall in love with you and this is exactly what these women were doing. He was perhaps more beautiful on the inside than on the out to them and they could not help themselves but to fall hopelessly in love with him.

[coopsgirl]

*I don't think I look at Gary as a father figure as he hardly ever played that kind of role*

 

Even though he didn't play that type of role all that often I can definitely see him as the father figure type. He was wonderful in *Friendly Persuasion* and *Good Sam* and also knowing what a good dad he was to Maria in real life brings that out for me. One of my fave dreams that I had about him was more of a fatherly type dream. I was trying to get home from grad school in London but there were all kinds of problems (which happened to me in real life) and I was just standing in the airport crying when Gary came up to me wearing his *High Noon* duds. He asked me if I needed help and he got everything fixed up for me and gave me a hug before I got on the plane and told me everything would be okay. It was very sweet.

 

I've got a ton of movies backed up too and as sson as the world series is over I'm gonna start watching them. FYI I'm rooting for Rockies/Indians series and hopefully the Rockies will win.

[coopsgirl]

*It takes more than good looks in most cases to have someone fall in love with you and this is exactly what these women were doing. He was perhaps more beautiful on the inside than on the out to them and they could not help themselves but to fall hopelessly in love with him.*

 

If I've said it once I've said it a million times, a pretty face will only get you so far with me. If you're ugly on the inside then you automatically become ugly on the outside. Gary was truly beautiful through and through which to me sets him apart from everyone else.

[FrankGrimes]

Hi, Dan -- In all this time though I never knew before coming here that Gary was a sex symbol and so popular with the women for his looks.

 

That's one of the many reasons why I like a message board like this. You will end up learning people like things and dislike things for reasons you yourself may or may not.

 

I'm glad the Coop girls like Gary for his many great qualities, including his looks. You won't see me knock them for any of that. Tease... well.

 

As a born again Christian for 20 years now, I don't think I have ever liked women on film that were flaunting with their looks or were trying to convey sexiness on screen. Women parts such as Jean Harlow in Red Headed woman are as low as they go for me.

 

You're not going to see me knock you for your likes and dislikes either, Dan. Not my style. I'm a single guy in his 30s and I enjoy watching all kinds of women on film. It's entertaining to me. Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck) in Baby Face is a very interesting character to me. Not because I'd want to meet up with her in real life, though. No way. But in film, she's great fun to watch.

 

Now I am a romantic and the whole love element in romantic stories very much appeals to me but prefer when the sexiness is kept to a minimum and the in love element is expanded.

 

This depends with me. I'm definitely a hopeless romantic, but I also love my sexy femme fatales. I love variety.

 

I don't think I look at Gary as a father figure as he hardly ever played that kind of role, but think my main attractivness to him is his supreme goodness that I don't know that any others from back then or today ever completly revealed as did Gary on film. This along with his less is more approach to acting are probably the two biggest reasons I am a Gary Cooper fan above all others.

 

I haven't seen enough of Gary's films to make any kind of fair judgment on him. I will say that I already believe he's a great actor. Why? Because he uses his eyes, face, and body to act more than words. That's a great actor to me.

 

I'm someone who doesn't like supreme goodness most of the time. Again, I need variety. I don't need to see Gary Cooper as a villain, but I want to see character's with faults. Too much purity just doesn't hold my interest. I get bored with that too quickly. Give me a person with faults and a good heart every time. That's a real person to me.

 

I am not sure Frank if you will like many of Gary's movies. It seems that we are fans of classic movies for reasons that are polor opposites which of course there is nothing wrong with this but I personally would be shocked if you enjoyed Gary's movies from the Universial set. I also would be quite shocked if movies like Sergeant York, Meet John Doe, Mr Deeds and others ever became favorites of yours.

 

Ohhh, you may be very surprised about me. I love Meet John Doe. It's one of the few Coop films I have seen, and I think it's great. Very dark, but very emotional. I'm a very emotional person. Very emotional. I'm talking kindness and love, not anger and hate. I will be moved to tears with some films, and the ending of Meet John Doe is one of those films that gets me. I like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. It's very solid. More on the cute side. Sergeant York does scare me a little, but I'm sure I'll like it on some level. I'm not a big fan of war films unless they are on the cynical level. I'm a peacemaker.

 

My tastes are definitely guy-ish and I prefer darker stories. I know this. But I'm also one of the most open-minded people you are probably going to run into. I want to connect with people, not disconnect. I don't think I have ever said the word "hated" when it comes to a classic film. Again, not my style. I've yet to see a classic film that I didn't like on some sort of level. The only classic films I've seen that still haven't connected with me are The Palm Beach Story and The F.B.I. Story. I did not hate either of them one bit. I will watch both of them again because that's what kind of person I am. No doors are shut with me. The Palm Beach Story has a better shot at connecting with me because I like comedies.

 

The ironic thing about me is that I enjoy when others rip apart my favorites. It makes me smile. Miss Goddess does not like my favorite Hitchcock film of all time, Psycho. I'd never hold that against her. She actually dislikes many films that I like. No problem with me. I don't mind you disliking the classic films that feature "sexy women up to no good." Not your speed. That's no problem with me. I haven't read back on this thread yet, but I'm assuming Coop's Girl still hasn't finished The Fountainhead. I'd love for her to at least finish it, but if she doesn't, no biggie. Grace Kelly was called a terrible actress on one thread. So be it. I'm very comfortable in what I like. I'm not worried if others' tastes are different than mine.

 

I'm not just a Hitchcock/Lang/noir guy. I like films such as The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Stage Door, Holiday, The Lady Eve, Ball of Fire, A Letter to Three Wives, and His Girl Friday, to name a few. Only Angels Have Wings is a big favorite of mine. I tear up at the end. Why? Because Geoff loves Bonnie. I have the Carole Lombard box set and I'm guessing I'm gonna like the films. Why? Because of Carole. She seems like my kinda of actress and woman.

 

I think I only like Cooper's later slighly darker movies like Man of the West because I am such a big fan of his earlier movies. In fact those movies made me such a big fan of his that I doubt that he could do any type of movie that I would not like. His presence in the movie is enough for me to enjoy watching the movie in all cases. I am sure that this may be the case with your likeness of James Stewart in movies. I often find myself watching Stewart movies and thinking to myself how much better Gary would have been in the part as he would be able to take away that crankiness and harshness that James Stewart presented in the part and make the character a much more likeable character. I am sure that this thought may come to mind for you in some of Gary's movies going the other way as I know you like those more harsh and edgy characters.

 

Actually, no. Jimmy is my favorite and I do like most of his films and performances, but he doesn't get a free pass with me. The F.B.I. Story is a very below-average Jimmy film for me. I love the romance in the film, but the film was too hodge-podge for me. I haven't watched a few Jimmy films that I'm a little worried about. The Glenn Miller Story is one I'm not sure I'll like because I'm not into bio pics that much. There are others, too.

 

I rarely think, "Jimmy would be better than so and so in this film." I pretty much take the films and performances as is unless I know of some backstory about an actor or actress being offered the part. On another board (SSO), a person said they would have preferred Jimmy to Coop in Man of the West. Not me. I thought Coop's "silent" approach was best for the film. Stewart couldn't pull that off. That's not Jimmy.

 

I'd also like to point out that I spoke of my disappointment of Fritz Lang's (my second favorite director) Beyond a Reasonable Doubt a few months ago. I think it's one of his worst films. I say this being a huge Lang fan, a big Dana Andrews fan, and a fan of the cast. The story and direction was weak to me. I adore Gene Tierney but I didn't like The Razor's Edge that much. I thought Gene was spectacular in the film and I enjoyed many, many aspects of the film, but as a whole, it fell short for me. Whirlpool is another Gene film that hasn't fully connected with me. I love Lang and Gene, but it doesn't mean that all of their films are great. Not with me.

 

I do admit, I enjoy harsh, edgier characters. They add so much life to a film. I love it when Gene Tierney plays the spoiled woman up to no good. She's a doggone treat to watch. What a doll! One of my favorite actors is Robert Ryan. He's right behind Stewart, Grant, and Mitchum for me. Big company. In real life, Ryan was one of the most kind-hearted persons around. A peace-loving family man. Those are my personal ideals. I see a lot of Ryan in me. The characters Robert played on film where quite often the exact opposite of him. They were selfish, evil people. That's why he's one helluva an actor. He was a phenomenal talent. My tastes in film are on the dark side, but that's not who I am in real life. I'm like Ryan that way. I guess sometimes people think that if you like film noirs or sexuality in film that you are an awful person. I assure you, I'm actually a very nice, kindhearted person who cares for his fellow humans more than most. I'm very protective of women and children. And, yes, I can do all of this while also enjoying films like Baby Face, Cape Fear, and The Wild Bunch.

 

I am much more into the nice guy character which no other person was capable of playing as well as Gary Cooper. This is exactly what I find myself liking in female characters in all cases. If a female is likable or a nice girl and plays this kind of part in nearly every movie they make, such as Greer Garson, I find them quickly going up to the top of my list. I don't like sexy women such as May West, Jean Harlow and many others. They are a turn off for me big time.

 

Again, you're not going to see me knock your tastes. In fact, I'm one who would support them.

 

I love Gloria Grahame's naughtiness, I love Barbara Stanwyck's toughness, I love Gene Tierney's petulence, I love Carole Lombard's brashness, I love Linda Darnell's sexiness, I love Grace Kelly's elegance, I love Madeleine Carroll's coolness, I love Ava Gardner's aura, I love Thelma Ritter's humor, I love Jean Arthur's cuteness. As you can see, I love all types of women for all types of reasons. It often depends on their characters they play, too. Gene Tierney's "Ellen Berent" does one thing for me and her "Lucia Muir" does another. I roll with the roles. No, I'm not a broad-brusher... pardon the pun.

 

I think I will be taking a break from posting here and all other places for a while. I simply don't feel that I have anything else to add to any of the conversations here or elsewhere and I can not comment on any of the conversations on Gary's looks as I just don't see him as a sex symbol and never will.

 

I'm sorry to hear that, but you have to do what you feel is best for you. I've been in a very playful, terrific mood for a few weeks and I've chosen to spend a lot of my time messing around on the board. I'm having fun. I will mix in my serious film discussion soon enough. The "Vertigo" thread is where it will start for me. That's owed. But I will return to this thread with real film discussion, too. If I can track down the Coop set this weekend, I will surely post my thoughts on the films I watch here. Peter Ibbetson will be first. I've got The Fountainhead (can't wait), They Came to Cordura (it looks to be one of my favorite Coop films from the parts I saw, Coop and Rita are great in the film), and Return to Paradise (I actually like these kind of films) on tape.

 

As for the sex symbol stuff, I always find it to be cute. Like I said before, I will look to connect with people however I can.

 

Coop's Girl and I are very similar in many areas. She likes baseball, MST3K, and ZAZ films. She's also near my age. I can connect with her pretty easily if I make any kind of effort. She's worth the effort.

 

ButterscotchGreer is someone who I have finally become comfortable with. Why did it take so long? Different tastes. Her tastes in film are different than mine. However, I'm now learning she does like some films that I like. She made my heart go pitter-patter when she said she thought of me while watching Nightmare Alley. That's one of the nicest things anyone has said to me. Yes, it does pay to connect with people. The personal compliment is beautiful enough, but I couldn't believe she actually took the time to watch the film (a noir) and she did so with her grandma. What a grandma... and what a girl!

 

I'm still in the process of connecting with Mrs. Cooper, but she's already got my attention with her willingness to watch film noir. I hope she speaks her mind on the films she watches, too. She doesn't need to walk on eggshells around me with her opinions. I prefer honest emotions and opinions more than anything. I'm man enough to take it... and she's funny enough to make me laugh throughout the process.

 

I could spend an entire year writing about Miss Goddess' wonderful qualities and I wouldn't come close to scratching the surface. I've been up and down this board a few times since I've been here and nobody matches her great taste in film. I like to tease her about everything, but the truth is, she's everything.

 

I joined the board looking to discuss Hitchcock films and film noir while also looking to learn about classic film in general. I've received far more in return. Far more. Just as I do with classic film, I search for something good or enjoyable in most every person on this board. That's who I am. I think you may end up being very surprised by what kind of film watcher and person I really am, Dan.

[CoopfanDan]

Well Frank I had no idea that you saw and liked Meet John Doe and Mr Deeds goes to town. You may very well like Gary's earlier movies. I do like a great deal of variety in my movie watching as well. As a Gary Cooper fan It may be strange to say but westerns are one of my least favorite types of movies. I don't hardly like any westerns that Gary Cooper is not in (3:10 to Yuma original is and exception). There are also many westerns where you have supreme good guys and cut throat villians and I for the most part don't like 90 percent of all westerns from back then. I greatly dislike people like Randolph Scott and many others in that catagory. In fact I would say that there are only three people from back then that I can stand to watch in westerns and they are Gary Cooper, James Stewart and to a severly smaller degree Audie Murphy and even with that I would take war movies, romantic stories, comedies, and Hitchcock type suspense movies over westerns every time. I have seen High Noon 4 or 5 times in 30 years of watching Cooper and have no current plans to watch it again. It was a great movie and all that but can not watch it over and over again which can be said about his other westerns. I watched Man of the West twice now and will watch it again if it ever comes out on region 1 dvd. Freindly Persuasion and They Came to Cordura are different though as they have the war element in the picture and I can and have watched those movies 50 to 100 times each. War movies by Cooper and a select few others I can watch many many times being a war vetern myself. I particularly like WW1 war movies of all kinds and never tire of watching all the one's that Gary was in. All Quiet on the Western Front was a none Gary ww1 movie that I have only ever seen just this year for the first time and have watched it 5 times already. To me there just isn't anything better than a good ww1 war movie.

 

As for Sergeant York, you may like this movie if you like Meet John Doe and Mr Deeds. It gives a character in the real Sergeant York that was in my opinion the greatest multi-dimensional character performance ever done. You have the young Alivn York and then the Christian Alvin York followed by the war vetern Sergeant York. Without wanting to give out any details on the movie I will simply say that it is very well filmed movie. It has great camera angles and did win the academy award for best film editing. The movie has everything in it. It is a comedy in parts, a romance story, a movie about country people living in the mountains, a christian movie, and of coruse a war movie. It has tremendous dialogue in it. It took twice as long to shoot as Howard Hawks the perfectionist was directing it. It is really almost two stories in one. The entire first half of the movie bears no resemblance at all to a war movie and then you have the second half which is very much a war movie. The character actors in this movie are also the best there are in Walter Brennan, George Tobias (comical element if you are familar with his roles in movies), Margaret Wycherly as Alvin's mother and of course Joan Leslie co-stars in which she gave the performance of the ages as Alvin's girlfriend/wife. She is in fact the ideal of which I measure all other women. If I were to go out looking for the female version of Gary Cooper's goodness in movies, it would be Joan Leslie as Gracie York. I am not a real big fan of bio epics either but Sergeant York and Pride of the Yankees are the exception to this. They are far more than bio movies but are movie masterpeices in film making in every phase that can be examined.

 

Gary Cooper pretty much has a free pass with every single movie that he did and even when the story is not the greatest I still like the movie for him being in it. For James Stewart, I very much disliked the FBI story but then I am not a fan of the FBI to begin with and Hoover is on my least favorite people of all time list right along side Adolf Hitler and the rest. The Glen Miller Story is one of my favorites of Stewarts along with It's a Wonderful Life and the 4 Hitchcock movies that he did. I very much dislike the storyline of Mr Smith Goes to Washington and am very glad that Gary turned down that part. I just didn't think that movie was all that good and can not see why all the people make a fuss over it.

 

I think I mentioned this before but I work in Indianna County PA and live about 45 minutes from where Stewart was born. He has been spoon fed to me since I was old enough to remember but chose Gary Cooper as my favorite. An interesting story is that a lady I work with who is 43 never heard of the movie It's A Wonderful Life. She actually lives about 15 min from Indianna PA. I asked her about it and told her that the movie was the biggest Christmas movie that there ever was and she started describing the Christmas story to me. I said no that is not the movie and loaned her It's A Wonderful Life. She came back to work ringing a bell and asking me what that meant. She loved the movie but for 43 years somehow never saw this movie. She also loved Peter Ibbetson, Sergeant York and Random Harvest. It is pretty much a conditional element that anyone that works for me has to watch Peter Ibbetson and Sergeant York as a bare minimum. I remember thinking to myself when I loaned her It's A Wonderful Life that I really hoped she did not like Jimmy Stewart more than Gary Cooper. I asked her but she stated that she really liked them both as actors and would not choose. She is also now a very big Greer Garson fan and made the comment that she never seen anyone on screen as beautiful as Greer in Random Harvest.

 

One person that I seldom mention is that another one of my favorites is the supremely good Errol Flynn and I don't see too many Cary Grant movies that I don't like. By the end of December I will have 57 of his movies recorded and don't have as many movies on anyone else in my colleciton other than Gary Cooper of which I have over 80 films.

 

Screwball comedies are what I am concentrating on now with people like William Powell and myna Loy and a few others. I do like screwball comedies better than westerns and do think I still have tremendous variety in my movie watching even excluding film noirs and musicals from my film watching.

 

This will be my last post for a while I think unless I am drawn back in like I was with Frank's post.

[CoopsGal]

I'm a single guy in his 30s

 

 

Little by little the image of you forms together in my mind -- like somewhat of a puzzle, Mr. Grimes.

 

 

I could have sworn you were at least 50. Now before you gasp and take a double take at that little comment, I want to add: it's because of your strong intellect and sharp sense of humor that makes me think so highly of you and what you say. You voice your opinions well, yet you abstain from making harsh judgements toward others on their opinions. Your willingness to actually listen and take what's being said to heart only makes me want to listen to your views all the more. You hear all sides and hold up for fascinating and very exciting debates. I always look forward to reading from you, Mr. Grimes. And I appreciate all of your posts here in the Gary thread -- as I'm sure many others do as well.

[CoopsGal]

I think that Gary Cooper even in his harsher parts such as Man of the West, The Hanging Tree and others still conveyed a goodness about him that was inescapable for him because these were parts of his real life person that simply could not be eliminated. If there was ever a weakness to Gary Cooper as an actor, he could not play a character that was a complainer or cranky or just plain mean or bad very good. There were parts of his supreme goodness as a person in real life that limited his range as an actor. He could not be a villian in a movie ever in my opinion. This was not just a very wise decision by the movie studios not to cast him in such a part but I think that if he would have tried to play a true cut-throat villian in a movie that audiances would have still rooted for him and liked him. After all he was the most liked person in real life as a person that ever came out of hollywood. There are no stories floating around on him that came out after his death about him being anything other than the most liked person ever. It would seem that he was so well liked that women could not resist him, which goes so much futher than just his good looks but by his inward character. I think many women may have been initually attacted to him by his looks but chose to have affairs with him because of who he was as person, which was an irresistible force for any actress that worked with him on any movie. It takes more than good looks in most cases to have someone fall in love with you and this is exactly what these women were doing. He was perhaps more beautiful on the inside than on the out to them and they could not help themselves but to fall hopelessly in love with him.

 

 

Rightly said, Dan -- all of it. I agree on what you said about women being -- first -- drawn to him by his looks and charm, then reeled in and captivated by his personality and character. As I've said many, many, many...few more times around the wagon: I find what's most attractive about him: his personality; caring, gentle and shy, yet strong, bold and tenacious to see that justice and honor prevails in the end. It's what made him such an amazing actor -- it's what made him even more an amazing man.

[CoopfanDan]

Well, I have decided that I probably won't be able to leave the boards any time soon and all my Gary Cooper friends. I'll probably be addicted to posting on these boards when I am 80 years old. I will just have to stay away from my acceptance of colorization of old movies since my eyes only probably see half the color as all the women that post here. I do truely believe from my biology days that women see twice as many colors as men and thus see all the less pleasing elements of shades of colors in these colorized movies that many men including myself can not see. I assume that the people that do the colorization of movies are more than likely men like me and don't see the less pleasing fake shades of colors. I am also not very good with my hearing perception and can not tell the difference even if played a million times with head phones on with the region 2 speed up issue. I guess these are two out of many areas where women are superiour to tone deaf, color limited guys like myself.

 

I'm also going to keep away from my views on other actors some of which I very much dislike when comparing them to Gary Cooper. It is quite obvous that as a supreme Gary Cooper fanatic that no other actor will measure up to him and if you don't have anything good to say about someone, it is often best to not say anything at all about them. This is seldom the case though as I do find a great deal of good to talk about with other actors. Why I'm even becoming a Spencer Tracy fan and William Powel and Myna Loy are awesome. I guess with some people that act in movies with many faults, I have always looked at this as a weakness when comparing them to the supremely good Gary Cooper, but will have to look at this as just their acting style and the type of movies they did. Actors that play characters with many faults are probably not weaker actors than Gary Cooper, but I do prefer the more heroic one's and will always have a bias for that type of actor. Even with heavily faulted characters, I do like them to rise above these weaknesses and overcome these faults to do the heroic thing at the end. Jimmy Stewart was very good at this. He perhaps played the most complaining annoying character in the history of movies in Flight of the Phenix but did eventually rise above the million or so faults in his character to finally fliy the plane away at the end. It is the movies where the faults are never corrected and no one rises above them that I have a real problem with in movies which is the case in most film noir I guess. Likewise Bogart rose above his faulted characters in many of his movies like Casablanca and The Africian Queen to do the right thing. It is the case though I guess with me if the main character is faulted thoughout he has to redeem himself at the end and become a hero for me to like the movie or the actor in it. The Tressure of Sierra Madre was the worst movie I have ever seen. I will not ever discuss what I thought about that movie here or elsewhere. This is the type of movie that I dislike with a passion. The same can be said about In a Lonely Place. Bogart was a women beater and just a horrible person with a bad temper in that movie with no redemption at the end for him. Some of these movies I can watch and enjoy if they are suspencful and have all kinds of twists to the plot but not in these drama types. I come away with a bad feeling sometimes for days after watching moves like In a Lonely Place and I don't like to feel bad at the end of movies for days afterward.

[FrankGrimes]

Hey, Dan -- We definitely have different tastes in film, but we are by no means "polar opposites." I think my "polar opposite" are the musical and so-called women picture fans. That's a universe that's reeeeally foreign to me.

 

Well Frank I had no idea that you saw and liked Meet John Doe and Mr Deeds goes to town. You may very well like Gary's earlier movies.

 

I don't think I'm as easy to predict as you may think. I believe you and others (Miss G for sure) understand my likes but my dislikes are pretty hard to pin down. Like I mentioned in my prior post, I'm pretty darn open-minded. I'll sit and watch anything... the whole way through. Sorry, I couldn't resist a friendly poke at a couple of the "Gary is hot" crowd.

 

As a Gary Cooper fan It may be strange to say but westerns are one of my least favorite types of movies.

 

I did know this. I like to mentally file away little things about each board member so that I can speak to them in the future.

 

I'm a fan of westerns, but I prefer the westerns of the 50s and 60s. Why? You guessed it. They are dark and far more psychological. I like characters with great depth and inner conflict. This is why I'm truly drawn to darker films. I find them to be much deeper than the lighter films. Not across the board, mind you. Just in general.

 

I will eventually wander into John Ford country when the time suits. I think it's a mortal lock that I will like Ford. As much as Hitchcock or Lang? I highly doubt that. But I'm sure I will like him... a lot.

 

I have seen High Noon 4 or 5 times in 30 years of watching Cooper and have no current plans to watch it again. It was a great movie and all that but can not watch it over and over again which can be said about his other westerns.

 

I've said on this thread before, I doubt any of Coop's other films will top High Noon for me, but we will see. Man of the West comes very close. I was amazed by that film's power. I thank all of you who recommended it to me. You nailed that one with me.

 

I watched Man of the West twice now and will watch it again if it ever comes out on region 1 dvd.

 

I would definitely own the DVD if it were available. I sure hope it does get to R1.

 

By the way, I'm not sure anyone else is like this or not, but I actually associate with Link AND Billie in Man of the West. Yes, this straight guy can associate with female characters. "Gwen" in Some Came Running is another that I can associate with. I'm speaking emotionally.

 

It took twice as long to shoot as Howard Hawks the perfectionist was directing it.

 

Howard Hawks is a director I really like. Only Angels Have Wings is my favorite Hawks film thus far, although he has a handful of films that I truly enjoy, including Ball of Fire.

 

Joan Leslie co-stars in which she gave the performance of the ages as Alvin's girlfriend/wife. She is in fact the ideal of which I measure all other women. If I were to go out looking for the female version of Gary Cooper's goodness in movies, it would be Joan Leslie as Gracie York.

 

That's interesting. I'll be sure to keep an eye on her character.

 

I'm not sure if I have an ideal woman. I'm afraid of the word "ideal." It feels like a cage to me. I guess it's because I like taking everyone as they come, faults and all. I end up seeing so many different female qualities that I like in so many different characters. Maybe that's why I'm so very open-minded with classic film. I can't wait to meet the next character, especially women.

 

I very much dislike the storyline of Mr Smith Goes to Washington and am very glad that Gary turned down that part. I just didn't think that movie was all that good and can not see why all the people make a fuss over it.

 

I've only seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington once. I thought it was good more so than great. I loved Jean Arthur in the film, though. She's a doll.

 

What I've noticed on this board is that many women prefer the Stewart of the 40s and the guys like the Stewart of the 50s. I definitely prefer the Stewart of the 50s. He just took off as an actor during that decade. I do like Stewart of the 40s, too, just not as much as the 50s.

 

One person that I seldom mention is that another one of my favorites is the supremely good Errol Flynn and I don't see too many Cary Grant movies that I don't like. By the end of December I will have 57 of his movies recorded and don't have as many movies on anyone else in my colleciton other than Gary Cooper of which I have over 80 films.

 

Flynn is an actor I'm afraid of right now. I'm not sure I'm gonna like his films or not. He's down the road for me. Cary Grant is #2 on my favorite list. Grant is a serious charmer and a major flirt, so of course I'm gonna like him. Yes, I have a man crush on Archie.

 

I have 9 Grant films on DVD, which is 5th on my actor list.

 

1) Jimmy Stewart (18 films on DVD)

2) Robert Ryan (14)

3) Robert Mitchum (13)

4) Henry Fonda (10)

 

Screwball comedies are what I am concentrating on now with people like William Powell and myna Loy and a few others. I do like screwball comedies better than westerns and do think I still have tremendous variety in my movie watching even excluding film noirs and musicals from my film watching.

 

I also enjoy screwball comedies. I like Preston Sturges.

 

This will be my last post for a while I think unless I am drawn back in like I was with Frank's post.

 

I'm sure I could lure you back in, Dan. All I have to do is post my opinions on any Coop film I have just seen for the first time, especially since Peter Ibbetson could be looming. Actually, there are a few people awaiting my first viewing on films here and in the noir forum. It's a matter of me getting off this board and watching the films.

[CoopfanDan]

"I'm a single guy in his 30s"

I am a single guy in my late thirties as well with no plans on ever getting married. I guess I have reaced a point where if you are not married you never do get married and I have reached and gone past that point. I am way to set in my ways at this point to ever get married and don't have and never wanted any children. I have two dogs that fill that bill.

[CoopsGal]

Well, I have decided that I probably won't be able to leave the boards any time soon and all my Gary Cooper friends. I'll probably be addicted to posting on these boards when I am 80 years old.

 

 

Yippeee! You can't get away from us, Dan. You've tried before but it was all in vain. Besides, you are an amazing contributor to this thread. You can't leave too easily without a (sarcastic) FEW people protesting! Yer' stuck fer' life, pardner. Might as well face yer' destiny.

 

 

I do truely believe from my biology days that women see twice as many colors as men and thus see all the less pleasing elements of shades of colors in these colorized movies that many men including myself can not see. I assume that the people that do the colorization of movies are more than likely men like me and don't see the less pleasing fake shades of colors.

 

 

This just proves my theory that men don't make good interior decorators. If we can bring this before the high-ups on the Designers channel, Dan...we can run Christopher Llowell right out of business! That's a very important goal in my life...

[CoopsGal]

I am way to set in my ways at this point to ever get married and don't have and never wanted any children. I have two dogs that fill that bill.

 

 

Hopefully not too close to the bill, Dan.

[CoopsGal]

I do truely believe from my biology days that women see twice as many colors as men and thus see all the less pleasing elements of shades of colors in these colorized movies that many men including myself can not see. I assume that the people that do the colorization of movies are more than likely men like me and don't see the less pleasing fake shades of colors.

 

 

If I ever marry...I swear, I will walk around the house and go, "Hey, do you like this soft-pink-lightly-dusted-with-periwinkle-orange-tones-that-have-a-little-hint-of-merigold-sunshine curtains? Or look at this mocha-chocolate-darker-hued-cr--"

 

 

"It's pink and brown, you freaky, overly color-sensitive broad! I should have seen this coming when you switched my WHITE suit with the cotton-clouded-daisy-pedal-with-flecks-of-white-snowpuffs-covered-in-off-white-dandruff-flakes suit minutes before our wedding."

[FrankGrimes]

I could have sworn you were at least 50.

 

The irony of this statement is that most people think I'm in my 20s when they see me.

 

Now before you gasp and take a double take at that little comment, I want to add: it's because of your strong intellect and sharp sense of humor that makes me think so highly of you and what you say. You voice your opinions well, yet you abstain from making harsh judgements toward others on their opinions. Your willingness to actually listen and take what's being said to heart only makes me want to listen to your views all the more. You hear all sides and hold up for fascinating and very exciting debates. I always look forward to reading from you, Mr. Grimes. And I appreciate all of your posts here in the Gary thread -- as I'm sure many others do as well.

 

That's about as high a compliment one can pay me, Mrs. Cooper. That was beautifully said and I truly thank you for that. I take pride in everything you said to me.

 

I'm definitely a talker AND a listener. I also like to accumulate tidbits about people that I come in contact with. I may jump to conclusions in my mind, but I don't always voice them immediately. When I do voice something about a conclusion of mine, it's usually because I'm wrong about somebody.

 

There's no reason to tread lightly around me. The worst thing I'll do to you is tease you. I may be relentless in that area, but it's always meant in good fun. And if I'm teasing you, I like you.

 

Whenever I get around to watching these Coop films, feel free to share your thoughts on the film. I haven't heard many of your thoughts on Coop's films yet. I only recently found interest in this thread, so your opinions will be just as new to me as the films will be. No need to hold back, either. If you dislike The Fountainhead, let me know. If you find Grace Kelly to be terrible in High Noon, let me know. You won't hurt my feelings.

 

I hope you do get to noir in the upcoming months. I believe your journey is going to be an interesting one. It's an exciting experiment to me.

 

I also want to tell you that I appreciate your intelligent replies, strong opinions, and wonderful sense of humor. Those are IDEAL qualities to me.

 

If I ever marry...I swear, I will walk around the house and go, "Hey, do you like this soft-pink-lightly-dusted-with-periwinkle-orange-tones-that-have-a-little-hint-of-merigold-sunshine curtains? Or look at this mocha-chocolate-darker-hued-cr--"

 

"It's pink and brown, you freaky, overly color-sensitive broad! I should have seen this coming when you switched my WHITE suit with the cotton-clouded-daisy-pedal-with-flecks-of-white-snowpuffs-covered-in-off-white-dandruff-flakes suit minutes before our wedding."

 

Now that's funny.

 

My grandma (yes, that one again) is an old-fashioned housewife who takes great pride in how clean her house is and she loves curtains. My grandpa used to tease her about her curtains quite a bit. He would tell her that she'd have a house with nothing but windows and that he couldn't ever open them or even look out them. He was right.

[CoopfanDan]

I suppose this is due to the fact that I know that no women could ever feel my Joan Leslie ideal picture of a woman. Seriously though, I have been engaged on two different occasions but always backed out and I have gone steady with at least 5 different women (one from England) all of which for at least a year at a time. Really the one from England was the love of my life and she was 18 years older than me. None of the other women ever measured up to her which was the single biggest reason that none of the other relationships ever worked out. Can you imagine going out with with 4 other people over a ten year span while still being in love with a person 18 years older who you have no idea where she is currently and lives in another country. It reached a point of agony where I just gave up on it all and decided I would remain in love with the lady from England the rest of my life and just would not try any more relationships with anyone else the rest of my life. This is my story and will not repeat this sad state of affairs ever again, which is my life.

 

The two dogs as companions to help with the lonelyness and classic movies really help out with all this. This is the reason that I am such a very big romantic classic movie fan. I live out any romantic needs I have by watching movies like Random Harvest, Casablanca.

[CoopsGal]

I suppose this is due to the fact that I know that no women could ever feel my Joan Leslie ideal picture of a woman.

 

 

It just hit me. We're so in love with people who are no longer living...we forgot how to live (Quote from Deeds, perhaps?) What I mean to say is that I'd been in love with Gary for so long that any man who I'd see...just never interested me. Could it have been because I've saturated my life around all these classic stars -- entranced by their charm, ellegance, grace and gentlemanly (it's 2:30am, I'll make up words if I want) manners that I figured no such person exists? Who could I possibly find that isn't repulsively perverted? He's out there someplace -- just as the girl for you is, Dan.

 

 

I had a 'crush' on a fella from a reality show, you can tease me later on that, Frank , but I looked at my friend in amazement and gasped. "I like a guy...who's living? Creepiest thing to ever say outloud; and not the safest, lemme tell ya'.

[CoopsGal]

That's about as high a compliment one can pay me, Mrs. Cooper. That was beautifully said and I truly thank you for that. I take pride in everything you said to me.

 

 

I wouldn't say it if you didn't deserve it, Mr. Grimes. It's my sad attempt of a compliment to show my appreciation.

 

 

My grandma (yes, that one again) is an old-fashioned housewife who takes great pride in how clean her house is and she loves curtains. My grandpa used to tease her about her curtains quite a bit. He would tell her that she'd have a house with nothing but windows and that he couldn't ever open them or even look out them. He was right.

 

 

Wow, I used to have a very small bedroom when I was younger and I used to put curtains up all over the place! People would walk in and think my whole room was made of glass. It was fun but not very safe. If I would have ever had a fire I'd burst into flames and disappear within milliseconds. Come to think of it...mother should have shaved the dog, too. Man, I was a flammable-prone child.

[CoopfanDan]

Well now that I have completly embarrassed myself by crossing the line and revealing too much on my sad personal life, I will now state that this will be my last post to you all for a long while. It has been great talking to you all about Gary Cooper and other classic movies and I wish you all the best in what life has to offer you. May the Lord grant you all the desires of your heart.

[FrankGrimes]

I am a single guy in my late thirties as well with no plans on ever getting married. I guess I have reaced a point where if you are not married you never do get married and I have reached and gone past that point. I am way to set in my ways at this point to ever get married and don't have and never wanted any children. I have two dogs that fill that bill.

 

It only takes one woman to change your whole thinking and your entire world, Dan. One is never too old to pack it in on love, and you're far too young to do so. We're gonna have to knock some of that "never" out of you somehow.

 

Seriously though, I have been engaged on two different occasions but always backed out and I have gone steady with at least 5 different women (one from England) all of which for at least a year at a time. Really the one from England was the love of my life and she was 18 years older than me. None of the other women ever measured up to her which was the single biggest reason that none of the other relationships ever worked out. Can you imagine going out with with 4 other people over a ten year span while still being in love with a person 18 years older who you have no idea where she is currently and lives in another country. It reached a point of agony where I just gave up on it all and decided I would remain in love with the lady from England the rest of my life and just would not try any more relationships with anyone else the rest of my life. This is my story and will not repeat this sad state of affairs ever again, which is my life.

 

I've sensed a lot of hurt from you, but I would have never imagined all the love turmoil you have gone through. I think it's only natural to feel sideways with love right now. You need a little time away from the search, but I think you'll return. We all do at some point.

 

It is tough to love something you cannot have. You are also Billie from Man of the West, my friend. You feel like you've met your female "Link" and there will never be another again. I would not lose hope. You just need some time to heal.

 

I guess with some people that act in movies with many faults, I have always looked at this as a weakness when comparing them to the supremely good Gary Cooper, but will have to look at this as just their acting style and the type of movies they did. Actors that play characters with many faults are probably not weaker actors than Gary Cooper, but I do prefer the more heroic one's and will always have a bias for that type of actor. Even with heavily faulted characters, I do like them to rise above these weaknesses and overcome these faults to do the heroic thing at the end.

 

I like seeing all kinds of films with all kinds of characters. The strong and the weak; the falsely strong and the falsely weak. I like it when characters wake up in time and I like it when they don't. It can be all interesting to me. I think noirs can be viewed as lessons. "Don't Do As Dick or Jane Foolish Does." If you do, you may end up in big trouble or worse, dead.

 

But I can see why you and many others don't want to see our hero die in the end. It's only natural to wish for the best outcome. I'll take either outcome as long as it fits the story. I said on this board that I would have died if "Long John" had jumped in Meet John Doe. That would have crushed me. Conversely, I love the ending of Out of the Past (Miss G just growled.)

 

In a Lonely Place is the next noir on the docket for me. It's a film I've been wanting to see for awhile. I'm hoping it's Gloria Grahame's greatest performance. I do like Treasure of the Sierra Madre a lot. Why? Greed and paranoia run amok. I think it's one of Bogie's greatest performances. I say this not to anger you, just to let you know my own feelings about the film. Yes, I do not shy away from saying I like a film or not, I just won't flip out if someone says it's horrible or worthless. I've heard plenty of that language from a certain soapbox lady with a wet noodle. I've got the scars to prove it, too.

[CoopsGal]

Well now that I have completly embarrassed myself by crossing the line and revealing too much on my sad personal life, I will now state that this will be my last post to you all for a long while. It has been great talking to you all about Gary Cooper and other classic movies and I wish you all the best in what life has to offer you. May the Lord grant you all the desires of your heart.

 

 

If you can't share your hurts and troubles with your friends, Dan, who can you share them with? These kinds of feelings aren't meant to be pent up and stored away to be ignored. It'd be pretty shallow of us if all we talked about day in and day out was of Gary and never got to know the people we're conversing with. We care about you, Dan, and I don't think you should be embarrassed by what you said. If you keep all your feelings locked up then don't expect any prayer from people -- you'll just fade into the background. You shared your feelings about your dog and we tried to help as best we could. We were glad you shared a little something about your troubles -- we want to help you.

 

 

If you leave, Dan, I'll be very upset and disappointed in you for retreating into your shell and not sticking here with us. You're a tough guy, and I'm shocked to see that you'd give up so easily on us! Thinking we'd laugh at you because you shared your feelings! Your hero is Gary Cooper -- put up a fight, man!