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Post by Coopsgirl on May 10, 2009 9:59:53 GMT -6
This is my favorite book about Gary and it was written by his daughter Maria. It contains a lot of wonderful candid pictures and gives a very nice glimpse of what it was like to grow up with him as a father. Unlike a lot of Hollywood children, Maria was very close to her parents and very much loved by them as well. It's a beautifully written book and if you don't have it, you should definitely seek out a copy. I was lucky enought to get my copy signed by Maria when I met her at a lecture she gave about Gary in the summer of 2008. As you can guess, it's one of my prize possessions.
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Post by bellapisces on May 27, 2009 1:08:02 GMT -6
I read one review on Amazon lamenting that the family photos showed the strain in the Coopers' marriage, and that he (i.e. Gary Cooper) seemed happier in the photos with his friends. (They also mentioned some of the photos seeming too perfect and too posed; not that candid.) Did you see it like that? Or is it subjective?
Also, lucky you for getting your book signed. So what did she say about him in the lecture?
I'm hoping to get a copy of this book via Amazon. That picture on the cover of him feeding her ice cream? on the set of High Noon melts my heart.
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Post by Coopsgirl on May 29, 2009 19:12:02 GMT -6
There's a good mix between posed photos and candid ones. She also included quite a few sketches Gary did and the overall text of the book itself is very well written. I would say it's a must have for Cooper fans. I love the pic on the cover too, it's so sweet.
The lecture was about an hour long and she showed a lot of pics (posed studio pictures and candid ones as well). She talked about how he played so many real life heroic figures including Alvin York, Billy Mitchell, Lou Gehrig, Dr. Wassell, Wild Bill Hikock, and Marco Polo. She got tickled talking about him playing Marco Polo and said "if you don't have that one don't rush out and buy it". He didn't like that one too much either but I did and afterwards when I got to meet her (I got a personal introduction to her from Meir Ribalow who was moderating the lecture b/c I'm friends with one of his friend and he arranged it) and I told her that I liked that one and she laughed and said she may have to watch it again - ha!. She also talked about how well suited he was at playing those heroic figures b/c he also brought a real humaness to those roles instead of them being overarching characatures. She said too he was very much in real life like the same man he was on the screen.
She signed autographs for a while and I got a chance to get her autograph, get a pic taken with her and have a few minutes to chat with her b/c Meir waited until the crowd had thinned out to introduce me. She was so nice and very down to earth and you could tell how delighted she was at the big turnout and how many people still love her dad.
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Post by bellapisces on Jun 12, 2009 0:56:59 GMT -6
I didn't find it at the used bookstore I go to, unfortunately. [But I will definitely get it from one of those sites you recommended.]
I did find/buy The Films Of Gary Cooper. I also found/bought The Gary Cooper Story [by George Carpozi Jr.; published in 1970]. Do you have that one?
Hee. My problem with The Adventures Of Marco Polo is the same one I have with A Farewell To Arms -- it's the leading lady. I didn't care for Sigrid Gurie or Helen Hayes, so I couldn't get invested in their characters. [On the other hand, I adored Anna Sten (in The Wedding Night), Teresa Wright (in The Pride Of The Yankees and Casanova Brown), and Audrey Hepburn (in Love In The Afternoon). I thought some of his best chemistry was with these actresses.]
Aww. I think it's so nice she still talks so fondly about him, considering he's been gone for over four decades now. That's heartwarming, I gotta say.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 14, 2009 11:52:31 GMT -6
I hope you can find a copy of her book, it's really good. I have heard of that other one but I don't have it. Usually if there's something about one of his films I don't like, it's the leading lady. Gary was always good though .
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Post by bellapisces on Jun 15, 2009 0:17:23 GMT -6
They [i.e. the used bookstore I mentioned] had another biography, but I didn't buy that one. I forget the title, but the sampling of quotes on the back cover [and what I skimmed inside] focused on his so-called womanizing more than anything. I'm not interested in gossipy accounts; the Carpozi Jr. biography seems more well-rounded in its telling of the events of his life and career.
Oh, and his mystery-guest-stint on What's My Line? is mentioned in Carpozi Jr.'s book, which I was reminded of 'cause I just watched the clip of it [that you linked me to over on YouTube a couple of weeks ago]. He says that when 20th Century-Fox's Ira Tulipan asked him if he'd be on the show, Mr. Cooper replied that they'd recognize his voice right away. So Tulipan told him he could change it. This was quite funny to me once I'd seen the clip, 'cause it's obvious he's [adorably] trying to figure out how to disguise his voice at the beginning.
I'm curious, which of his leading ladies is your favorite? The one you think he had the best chemistry with, that is.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 15, 2009 11:28:36 GMT -6
The gossipy type book you saw might have been Cooper’s Women. That one is supposed to be a little trashy and while I have it, I probably won’t read it.
I started a thread about his leading ladies in the Coop Chat section and we can talk further about them there if you want.
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Post by bellapisces on Jun 15, 2009 19:42:36 GMT -6
Yeah, that was probably it. And while I have no interest in reading it, I do admit I'm curious as to why he cheated on his wife so much. But I suppose that's more of a psychological question. One that could never truly be answered in any biography. There's a section in the Carpozi Jr. book about his conversion to Catholicism; he quotes an interview that Mr. Cooper did with Motion Picture magazine after he became a Catholic. He talks about how he's had plenty of love in his life, mentioning his wife, "...since 1933 I've been married to a wonderful girl whom I love very much." So, did he only realize that after his conversion? Or was the cheating just a macho thing that comes with having your ego blown up as a famous actor? I should probably stop giving this so much thought. Ha.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 16, 2009 12:41:02 GMT -6
Here’s my two cents on the cheating thing. He was pretty shy with women until he went to Los Angeles when he was 23/24 years old. He had a serious girlfriend in college and wanted to marry her but she wanted someone more stable and with a job and she dumped him shortly after he left school to find a job and married another guy. The girls in LA were a lot bolder than in Montana and Iowa (where he went to college) and he had no shortage of “dates”. When he and Clara Bow met in ’27 they became a hot and heavy item (even though it began as a publicity stunt) and I’m sure that was a real boon to a young man’s self-confidence that one of the most popular girls in the country wanted him, especially considering he was nowhere near being a star yet. He had so many women throwing themselves at him (some he did turn down ) for years that by the time he got married, I think it was just too hard a habit to break. He was very caring and respectful towards women so I don’t think it was just a macho thing. I also read in one of the articles I have that he didn’t like routine and I suspect that had played a part too. He did love his wife very much and I think the longer they were together, the more he realized she was really the one for him. Rocky was a very classy lady and she loved him immensely and she also knew that she had to give him a little bit of freedom or she might lose him. She must have had the patience of a saint. She said that the last several years of their marriage (once they got back together after their separation in late ’51) were the happiest of her life. After his conversion to Catholicism, I think he finally saw all that cheating was wrong and he did his best to make it up to her. He was not shy about telling people Rocky was the only woman he ever truly loved (although he did love Patricia Neal too, just not as deeply I guess) and she once told Louella Parsons near the end of Gary’s life that he also told her that quite often and that it meant so much to her.
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Post by bellapisces on Jun 16, 2009 17:30:52 GMT -6
I like your analysis. And it makes sense. [Plus, I don't feel like a total loser for thinking about this. Heh.]
I'm curious, where did you read/hear this? I don't recall Carpozi Jr.'s biography mentioning it. But, then, he tended to skim over some things and delve into others.
Yes, I believe Carpozi Jr. calls her "a remarkable woman". He seemed pretty impressed with the fact that her relationship/marriage with Gary Cooper endured.
Aww. That's beautiful. Where did you read/hear this? I like the fact that even though his life was cut short by cancer, it seemed that he was at peace with his life. Especially when you read something like the way Vivien Leigh's life ended. [Or other actors of that era.]
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 16, 2009 19:47:21 GMT -6
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Post by maggiejones on Jul 24, 2009 16:53:16 GMT -6
Coopsgirl, have you managed to obtain the book, The Gary Cooper Story by Carpozi Jnr. I have a paper back copy I could send you. I already have the hard back copy.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jul 24, 2009 17:50:21 GMT -6
I don't have that one, it's very sweet of you to offer it. I'll send you a PM about it.
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Mary
Bit Part Player
Posts: 4
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Post by Mary on Jan 17, 2011 4:37:18 GMT -6
I've just read this book and it's so so moving! Tears just dwell up in my eyes. I got used to the image of Gary Cooper on the screen and when I read this book, other aspects of him came out. He's a devoted husband, a caring father and simply a wonderful human being. I have known this side of him before, but when I read this book, he becomes even more real. This is an excerpt from a letter written by Gary to Rocky and Maria while he was on filming location. "I miss my dear girls. You seem so far away and it seems so long ago that I saw you both standing in the afternoon sun of Chez Shields and waving good-bye to me. That's the sweetest picture I've ever seen". For those who haven't read it yet, you probably should. I hope you will love it like me.
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Post by mimi on Jan 18, 2011 3:05:33 GMT -6
I have yet to read the book but all copies I've come across were quite pricy...
Great story btw, coopsgirl about you meeting Maria...she sure "brightens" up a room...LOL
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