Any Gary Cooper Fans?

[FrankGrimes]

Dan -- 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.

 

No need to be embarrassed. I've never been in love. My heart has been buried for quite awhile.

 

By the way, I think you should free some of your pent-up emotional hurt. It's very human of you to say that you are hurting. Yes, even for men.

 

I hope you'll peek in once in awhile, Dan. I'm betting you will. I will be returning to this thread with some of the serious stuff again. You can take me to task then, if you wish. I'm thinking there's a better chance we will be on the same page a little more than you think.

 

Mrs. C(owell) -- 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 that I could possibly find that isn't repulsively perverted? He's out there someplace -- as the girl for you is, Dan.

 

As much as I fawn over Grace Kelly, Gene Tierney, Gloria Grahame, and other lovely women, I never once consider them to be women I'll find in my life.

 

Men are not looking for a Grace Kelly, they are looking for their Grace Kelly.

 

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'.

 

Ohh, and I will. So Simon rocks your world, Mrs. C.? Interesting.

 

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.

 

More laughing from me. Forget the curtains, shave the dog.

 

You and my grandma would get along... until you strangled each other over who's curtain eye is "right."

[CoopfanDan]

Frank, all I will say at this point is that when you see Peter Ibbetson and Random Harvest, you will know why I have such a tremendous liking for these two movies. They are the kind of love stories that deal with the seperated love over years an years that I live with on a daily basis and which is why I love them both more than any other romantic tales. If anyone else knows of any more love stories similar to these, I am more than up for watching a hundred more that are like these two movies. Neither one of these romantic love stories is like any other that I have ever seen. Casablanca deals with a similar seperated love at the end and I am also very fond of that movie. A great many of our personal tastes in classic movies must be based on what we go through in our own lives. I know that being a war verteran, Christian and having a tremendous unfulfilled seperated love interest are major factors in what I consider to be great movies. Having a sad personal life as I do, also means that I can not handle movies that are not uplifting at the end. I am sure you will find much to like in "In a Lonely Place". I watched it as I have nearly all of Bogart's movies and found that I was deeply effected for days after watching it. It was a great movie in every catagory except for me it did not have an uplifting ending of which I nearly always require in a movie. A movie that left me depressed for longer after watching it was the Jimmy Stewart movie Vertigo. I will never watch that movie ever again even though I consider it a masterpiece and one of Hichcock's best as the ending was so sad in that movie, it took me over a week to get over it and I don't even like to think about the ending of that movie even now. I have seen the movie only once back when I was 17 and remember every single detail about it even now but can not bring myself to watch it again. All I can think of even now is poor Jimmy standing in that bell tower looking on as the credits came up. I have watched rear window many times since then and it is also a great Hitchcock movie.

[CoopsGal]

Ohh, and I will. So Simon rocks your world, Mrs. C.? Interesting.

 

 

I may reconstruct that compliment I gave you earlier, Mr. Grimes. Watch it

 

 

You and my grandma would get along... until you strangled each other over who's curtain eye is "right."

 

 

Curtain eye? Sounds just as funny -- if not funnier -- than Golden Eye. (These idiots who name these movies should be tickled to death. I hear some of them are very sensitive).

 

 

I bet his house is full of gold curtains, too. His mother's nickname was Periwinkle Eye and his grandfather...Wandering Eye.

 

 

Ba-da-CH!

 

 

...I am so tired right now.

[CoopfanDan]

Also Frank there is one Gary Cooper western that I can watch over and over and over again and it ranks in my top five all time Gary Cooper movies. It is the westerner directed by William Wyler. I believe it is a better movie than Man of the West, High Noon, The Hanging Tree and all of Gary's other true westerns. I think it would rank number 4 with only Sergeant York, Peter Ibbetson and perhaps Freindly Persuastion (another William Wyler classic) being more favored by me. I just thought I would mention this little detail as I do have one true western on the very top of my Gary Cooper favorite movies list.

[CoopsGal]

Okay, I have to set the record straight, for any of those passerbyers. I don't idolize Simon.

 

 

I have become absolutely addicted to this show:

 

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1309592375126136503&q=solitary+2.0&total=15&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

 

 

We'll get back on topic when I regain my full mental capacity (don't wait on it, folks.)

[FrankGrimes]

Dan -- Frank, all I will say at this point is that when you see Peter Ibbetson and Random Harvest, you will know why I have such a tremendous liking for these two movies. They are the kind of love stories that deal with the seperated love over years an years that I live with on a daily basis and which is why I love them both more than any other romantic tales. If anyone else knows of any more love stories similar to these, I am more than up for watching a hundred more that are like these two movies.

 

Yes, it's all clear now. You are quite an interesting guy. Far deeper than I ever anticipated. You are understandably hurting and I think you are doing damage to yourself by seeking out these tortured romances, Dan. I'm not saying you shouldn't like these kind of films, but I'm hoping you start to seek out more realized love films. Definitely mix it up.

 

You should never abandon love. See, I can use the word "never," too. I also believe you should never forget your past loves. They are a part of you forever. Everyone has a "past."

 

I'm pretty confident that a woman will enter your life and change your thinking right quick. It may not happen right away, but it will happen.

 

Vertigo is a "tortured romance" film to be sure. It's one of my favorite films. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Portrait of Jennie are also "tortured romances" that I enjoy. One is from a woman's point of view and the other is from a male's point of view.

 

Also Frank there is one Gary Cooper western that I can watch over and over and over again and it ranks in my top five all time Gary Cooper movies. It is the westerner directed by William Wyler. I believe it is a better movie than Man of the West, High Noon, The Hanging Tree and all of Gary's other true westerns. I think it would rank number 4 with only Sergeant York, Peter Ibbetson and perhaps Freindly Persuastion (another William Wyler classic) being more favored by me. I just thought I would mention this little detail as I do have one true western on the very top of my Gary Cooper favorite movies list.

 

I have The Westerner on tape. I'm not sure it's going to be my speed or not, but I will surely give it a look. So are you trying to push me in a Coop direction again? You Coop folks are pretty sneaky. And what are you still doing here? You just can't resist Mrs. Cooper's company, can you? Me, either. Did you take notice of the guy she likes on that reality show? That bearded fella? Interesting.

[CoopsGal]

Did you take notice of the guy she likes on that reality show? That bearded fella? Interesting.

 

 

Compliment update: We only appreciate HALF the comments Mr. Grimes contributes to this thread.

[FrankGrimes]

Uh-oh. I guess it's curtains for me... Mrs. Curtains. By the way, I see that you are sporting those ever-stylish Marlene eyebrows again. Very nice.

[CoopsGal]

Care to bring it down to 25%, Mr. SmartyPants?

[FrankGrimes]

So does Coop know you are running around behind his back? I see that you were out partying in another part of town tonight. It's a part of town where good girls go to be bad. You are in deeeeeep trouble.

[CoopsGal]

You're riding very close to the edge, Mr. Grimes. I'm tempted to delete the post entirely.

[CoopsGal]

P.S. If you're referring to the noir board then yes, I was there.

[FrankGrimes]

P.S. If you're referring to the noir board then yes, I was there.

 

Uh-huh. That's the bad part of town I'm talking about. You better not delete that post because you gave Fritz Lang a nice compliment. I like my compliment way more, though, Mrs. C. Don't worry, I won't tell Coop, but you better watch your words around the other Coop girls. Well, at least two of them. The other one is a sexy torch singer in noir town. You should see her "fishing outfit." Magnifique!

[CoopsGal]

I would never delete that post, nor the one in Noir City. Just like you, I tease the people I like. And you, Mr. Grimes, I've taken a special liking to. Make fun of me all you'd like, but that compliment is staying there for a very long time.

[FrankGrimes]

I've taken a special liking to. Make fun of me all you'd like, but that compliment is staying there for a very long time.

 

Oh, it's like that now. You're in ButterscotchGreer country with sweet words like that.

 

Okay, so should I watch The Fountainhead or Peter Ibbetson first? Don't worry about my tastes, which film do you want to see me talk about first?

[CoopfanDan]

If you watch the Fountainhead first you might not ever get around to watching Peter Ibbetson as that movie has the potential to turn away potential Gary Cooper fans by the boat load. The fountainhead is an alright movie but then again you are talking to someone that thinks that all of Gary's movies are alright movies.

 

I am done talking publically on my personal life. I just sent a pm to Kim that covered my whole life story. The complicated life of a born again charasmatic christian who is die hard liberal demacratrat who thinks that Bill Clinton ranks as one of best presidents since Theadore Rosevelt is yet more complicaticated aspects of my life that I did not cover though in the pm or on here yet. Well I just covered it now I guess and I will leave it at that for my last private life comment to talk about publically here in the public forums.

[FrankGrimes]

Dan -- Do you know what time it is in the Keystone State right now, mister? Oh, yeah, so do I.

 

If you watch the Fountainhead first you might not ever get around to watching Peter Ibbetson as that movie has the potential to turn away potential Gary Cooper fans by the boat load. The fountainhead is an alright movie but then again you are talking to someone that thinks that all of Gary's movies are alright movies.

 

I won't let one film shut any doors on any performer or filmmaker. I think I'm gonna like The Fountainhead for its visuals and Freudianisms, but the story is something that I'm probably not going to like. And if I were to guess today, I'd say Peter Ibbetson is going to be the better film for me. I do have decent expectations for both films because of the visuals.

 

I am done talking publically on my personal life.

 

Whatever moves you. Some people need to talk things out and others rather not, especially in this kind of setting. I don't judge either way. Everyone is different. You actually gained more respect from me tonight, so no need to feel weird about things with me.

 

I really don't expect people to talk about their personal lives on the board. I was worried about Coop's Girl and ButterscotchGreer posting their photos on the board. Of course my selfish guy wants was happy to see pretty girls, but I was worrying about their safety more than anything. Like I said, I don't want to see anyone get hurt, especially pretty women.

 

By the way, keep in mind what thread you are on. Your words will get buried in a day. Heck, I've got pages upon pages to catch up on around here. I still have to talk to Coop's Girl about a few things.

 

who is die hard liberal demacratrat who thinks that Bill Clinton ranks as one of best presidents since Theadore Rosevelt

 

[coopsgirl]

Wow you sleep for just a few hours and you miss three pages!! I'm not sure where to begin.

 

*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.*

 

That's one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten. I'll also say this is the best message board I've ever been a member of, and I mostly mean this thread since it's where I spend the great majority of my time. The Gary Cooper conversations are always great (even when we digress into a bunch of silly girls swooning over his looks) and the off topic stuff is always interesting too.

 

I certainly don't mind the personal talk either b/c even though I haven't seen most of you face to face, I do consider you friends. I've never been in love with anyone myself and have only had a couple boyfriends. I'm not the type to stay with someone just to be with someone. If I see it's not going anywhere I break it off. I definitely want to get married someday (hopefully not too far off) but until then I have plenty of friends and hobbies to keep me happy.

 

Since I stumbled onto Gary Cooper (sorry Gary didn't mean to kick ya in the ribs there!) it's like I've had a whole 'nuther world of entertainment open to me. I had always liked old movies but never really fully appreciated how great they were. While Gary will always be my fave, I have also discovered many other great actors like Cary Grant (love his comedies), Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Arthur, William Powell, Myrna Loy (man were those two great together!), Clara Bow, Jimmy Stewart, Fay Wray, and great directors and screenwriters like Frank Capra and Robert Riskin. I'm also just completely enamored with the whole story of how movies came to be and then the transition to talkies and color films; very interesting stuff. I'm also totally in love with the music from the 20s-40s (I already loved 50s and 60s) and it's like I've found a little refuge from all of the mess the people in the entertainment industries try to pass off as good today.

 

Back to Gary's movies, I'm so glad you liked *Meet John Doe* and *Mr. Deeds* as they are in my top five of his films and are just two of the best films ever made. *MJD* would be my fave (if I had to pick one which is very hard) and like you I would have been heartbroken if he had died in the end. Every time I watch that one it seems new again and Barbara's pleas to him at the end are so great and full of emotion that I feel like I'm right there with her begging him not to jump. I was absolutely in tears sitting on the edge of my couch the first time I saw it and after that I was hooked and since then my obsession, I mean love for Gary and his films has continued to grow.

 

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on *Peter Ibbetson* and *The Fountainhead* which I may get around to finishing one of these days. It seems strange to have one of his movies and not watch it but man it's a tough one to get through . I think you'll like *Sgt. York* too as it is just a wonderful movie and like Dan said, it's like three movies in one and everyone involved gives phenomenal performances. The first time I saw it was in 6th grade in school and even then I recognized what a great film it was. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize how great Gary was but I guess it's better late than never.

[MissGoddess]

Well, well, well! When the Cat is away look what mouse finally comes out to play! Last night I had one of the most fun evenings I've spent in a long time at the NY Film Festival and when I got in I thought for minute about logging on and immediately posting my impressions of the two films I saw. I rarely resist an impulse and now I see I shouldn't have broken precedent; you all have been having the most interesting conversation we've had here in days!

 

Dan---speaking for myself and maybe that's not much but I will be mighty disappointed if you do turn away from our little Gary Cooper Dovecote. We really do need a man's perspective on things sometimes and since Mr. Grimes is so unpredictable, we depend on you! Personally, I'm always very interested in your opinions on many things, movie and non-movie related and you may not credit it but I have been through something similar and just as wrenching as what you've gone through. I know how a thing like lost love can hang on and how you really do not want to let it go. But this place is at least an escape into a little corner where people do have interests in common with you and who really care. Eliminating myself, you have some really good people here who are very compassionate and I think can stimulate and cheer you if you let it happen.

 

I love that you are coming to like Spencer Tracy's movies more---he's a great, great favorite of mine. And I am partial to his authority-figure roles, too, though I like him even better when he is romantically entangled---EXCEPT, and here is where you and I really connect, Dan, with Kate Hepburn. I love the two of them together in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and I like them OK in Desk Set, however I find her characters rattle me so in their other movies. I used to think she could do no wrong and that they were the greatest screen team ever, but a few years ago I just got all "chilled" about her in her more strident roles, as she was in Woman of the Year (a movie I love taken only if seen from Spence's perspective---her character however, needs a spanking) and worse still, Adam's Rib (a brilliant screenplay but Kate annoys me to no end). I prefer Spence with other leading ladies.

 

I also love the "happy ending" and I want the hero to LIVE and PROSPER at the end. I made my companion last night laugh at my insistence on these points because, like you, I can get too down if I watch too many tragic endings. That's why I've become such an expert at pressing "stop" before the credits roll. One of my many "faults". That said, it's amazing how many tragic love stories I have in my dvd collection---you name it, I probably have it and love to wallow in it. Very contradictory, I know. But one finds something to identify with in those stories, so I do truly understand where you're coming from. And Frank is right (as usual), you should give a thought to seeking out the other kinds of love stories, just to clear the air. Just to feel better.

 

Mrs C(urtains)---you were really on a roll last night, your quick retorts and comments had me breaking up. I wish I could think of witty things to say as quickly as you do. They only seem to come to me at 3 o'clock in the morning when I sit up and exclaim, "That's what I should have said!" I haven't visited the Noir thread yet but I'm happy to hear you've started to visit there!

 

As for you, Mr Grimes, I hope you make it to the store and get that little long-promised box set and can start sharing your customary perceptive, balanced opinions on Gary's movies. Now I'm off to the post about Ellen and Hank and to see what mischief you've been up to in Noir-land.

[LuckyDan]

>"I see that you were out partying in another part of town tonight. It's a part of town where good girls go to be bad," said Mr. Grimes regarding Noirville.

 

So where do bad girls go to be themselves?

 

Actually, I just popped in to ask a question of the Coop fans. Did Gary ever publicly or privately name a favorite leading lady? I enjoy watching him with Stanwyck most, and I'd like to think it was she.

 

Of course for him to have said such a thing publicly would have been rude to his other ladies, but maybe he confided in someone who let it slip. Just curious.

[coopsgirl]

That's a good question LuckyDan. I don't know that he ever came out and said which leading lady was his fave to work with but I do know he was good friends with Stanwyck and when she and Robert Taylor were married they would go on hunting trips together with Gary and his wife Rocky.

[CoopsGal]

Mrs C(urtains)---you were really on a roll last night, your quick retorts and comments had me breaking up. I wish I could think of witty things to say as quickly as you do. They only seem to come to me at 3 o'clock in the morning when I sit up and exclaim, "That's what I should have said!" I haven't visited the Noir thread yet but I'm happy to hear you've started to visit there!

 

 

Oh, I'm just an idiot humorist. I type what comes to mind because I see it so vividely in my head. That's what started the adventures, you know! LOL

 

 

I have a feeling I'll be visiting the noir threads quite often! It's a whole new world on that side of town -- and it's exciting. I hope to see you around there sometime, April!! Us girls could really turn a place like that upside down

[CoopsGal]

Did Gary ever publicly or privately name a favorite leading lady? I enjoy watching him with Stanwyck most, and I'd like to think it was she.

 

 

I haven't read anything about that, Lucky, sorry. It'd be very interesting to know! But John would be able to answer that -- I'm sure he knows.

[CoopsGal]

You're in ButterscotchGreer country with sweet words like that.

 

 

I learn from the best.

[MissGoddess]

Oh, I'm just an idiot humorist. I type what comes to mind because I see it so vividely in my head. That's what started the adventures, you know! LOL

 

Far from it, Kim---you have a real way with words and I think you could easily make your living at writing, if it ever interested you. I'm glad we have you around here at any rate!

 

I like to post pictures in my little Gallery in the Noir forum, and I have to watch *Tension* with Richard Baseheart today so I'll be posting there about that. I'm glad you like Woman in the Window. I also watched The Locket when I first woke up this morning---it's not a huge favorite but an interesting movie. I just marvel at any girl who can get three men in one lifetime to believe in her like that!

 

Dan---I've never heard or read about Gary's preference among his leading ladies, either, but I'd be interested to know.