Marisa
Bit Part Player
Posts: 38
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Post by Marisa on Oct 31, 2009 5:58:45 GMT -6
John Buckledee told me of this picture and said "I bet you would like to see that one". I replied, with a hungry look, a bit like Oliver Twist asking for more, "Yes, please". This was sent by Arthur to the family in Dunstable with a letter saying "look how little Frank has grown". The girl in the middle is unknown. Going to Dunstable to obtain the little bit of information I managed to get, was achieved in meetings with the aforementioned gentlemen, visits to the libraries of Dunstable, Houghton Regis and All Saints Parish Church. On a lighter note, we may have had more if the trip had lasted more than three days and we had not had to fight with unco-operative printers attached to microfilm monitors showing the Dunstable Gazette that ran out of ink and then refused to work with a new cartridge except to produce negatives!. That and encountering, narrow lanes and even narrower bridges with articulated trucks coming to meet us when we had the right of way! Forcing us onto a grass verge the size of a postage stamp! No harm done. [glow=red,2,300]"Forthcoming Events"[/glow] Are you ready for this? In September 2010, from the 18th to the 26th, there will be a 100th anniversary festival celebrating Gary's time in Dunstable. There will be films shown in several local theaters, talks given and items on display over the 8 day period. I will keep you all informed when the itinerary has been completed. It would be wonderful if any of you could make the trip. I now know how hard you have worked, Coopsgirl, on producing this website for us all. I'm also counting the days till september 2010! I hope I can make it and meet all of you Gary's lovers who go to the Festival, specially coopsgirl who has given us the gift of this marvelous site.
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Post by maggiejones on Oct 31, 2009 18:31:36 GMT -6
This is a youtube video clip of still photos put together from the trip to Dunstable. It has also been posted on the Dunstable Old School Boys website. Hope you enjoy it. I'm a bit of a novice compared to Coopsgirls great youtube vid's www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM9Z2vczkfE
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Post by maggiejones on Nov 18, 2009 16:33:52 GMT -6
Photograph taken from Dunstable Old Boys School Association. I suspect the young man top left is Arthur Cooper. The initials show R.G. Cooper and we know he was Arthur Leroy Cooper. I have compared with picture on page 2 of this thread. ( can't quite read the name tag in his shirt ! )
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Post by Coopsgirl on Nov 18, 2009 18:52:37 GMT -6
I found that pic a while back and almost posted it but it was smaller and I couldn't tell if it was Arthur or not. I'm pretty much convinced now seeing this larger version where you can read the last name 'Cooper' that it is him. The year is right and he would be about the same age as this guy. Maybe they just got the initials wrong for some reason. Neat find!
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Post by maggiejones on Jan 2, 2010 19:05:25 GMT -6
Extracts taken from the Dunstable School Old Boys Association guest book, with reference to Gary. Aug 08, 2005 - 00:05 AM Hi. I'm writing a biography of Victorian novelist J E P Muddock. His three sons, were at Ashton Grammar School, Dunstable around 1901, and I wondered if your archives had any information on them. Their names are: Horace Lionel Preston Muddock and Jasper Milton Preston Muddock (twins, aged 12 in 1901) and Edward Reginald Preston Muddock (14 in 1901). I attach the census forms from the school for that year, as a help, and just because they might be of interest. I am also confused - exactly what was the progression from Francis Ashton School to Ashton Grammar, Dunstable Grammar , Ashton Church of England Middle School, Manshead Upper School etc?. I'd appreciate any help you can give. Thanks. Dr Bruce Durie. PS You may want to look at my site www.dickdonovan.com for more detail on the man himself. (And I'm sure you knew that an ex-pupil was Gary Cooper, the American actor famous for Westerns! Cooper's father, Charles Henry, left his native England at 19, became a lawyer and eventually State Supreme Court judge in Montana. In 1906, when Gary was five, his father bought the Seven-Bar-Nine, ranch, originally a 600-acre land grant to the railroad builders in that part of Montana. In 1910, Gary's mother was advised to take a sea voyage for her health. She went to England, taking Gary and his older brother Arthur, and the boys attended the school for seven years, until the United States entered World War I) . Dec 05, 2007 - 1:54 AM Does anyone know the whereabouts of the pen and ink sketch of Gary Cooper that used to hang in the Memorial Library.certainly during my time at DGS 1941-1949. ? Failing that,perhaps someone has a copy of the school magazine in which this sketch was reproduced. I would like to receive a scanned image via e-mail. Sincerely Brian Feb 03, 2008 - 3:54 PM Ref my post on the subject of Gary Cooper OD. Thanks to some excellent sleuthing by Colin, I now have a scanned image of the pen and ink sketch I was seeking. I was quite possibly mistaken in recalling that a framed copy once hang in the Memorial Library. Colin located the identical sketch on page 17 of the DGS 50th Anniversary Book published in 1938. Colin also forwarded a one page summary of the Dunstable connection with Gary Cooper and his family.
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Post by maggiejones on Jan 26, 2010 1:25:06 GMT -6
Through the You-Tube clip "Gary Cooper at Dunstable" I have made contact with Brian, who was an old boy at Dunstable Grammar 1941-1949. He has sent me the following for the coopsite. Wetherspoon's Pub in Dunstable, U.K. This is to commemorate the town's association with the one and only GARY COOPER! Unfortunately, this is the only size I can post of this picture. This means that we cannot see the supposed resemblance to our hero, unless it's just how the artist views a cowboy. This statue is situated in The Gary Cooper pub in Dunstable. The plaque shows where Gary lived on High Street North, Dunstable, 1910-1913, whilst attending Dunstable Grammar School Inscription reads: Dunstable Town Council GARY COOPERFILM STARand Dunstable Grammar School Pupil lived here 1910-1913
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Post by maggiejones on May 31, 2010 4:42:29 GMT -6
There has been a mystery about the actual dates Gary & family left England and arrived in America. My friend Geoff on searching for the Moult family came across www.ellisisland.org were he found details of the Ship Manifest which by chance included, Alice, Arthur & Frank Cooper. Departed Liverpool 29/08/1912 on board the "CELTIC" arrived at Ellis Island on 07/09/1912. The original Ship Manifest can be bought and there is a section on the page to add information. One of the original " Big Four" built by Harland & Wolff & launched in 1901. Celtic another one of the unlucky White Star Line Vessels. She ran atlantic crossing service from 1901 - 1907 later served as a WW1 armed merchant cruiser & ran upon a German mine then torpedoed, escaping in both instances. In 1928 she ran aground near Queens town, Island. Unsuccessful salvage attempts were made in 1933 and she was broken apart were she lay for scrap.
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Post by Coopsgirl on May 31, 2010 11:16:02 GMT -6
Good work Maggie!! That's so neat that y'all found that. I went to the Ellis website and through some computer trickery I managed to get an image of the ship's manifest.
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Post by maggiejones on May 31, 2010 11:53:07 GMT -6
Oh! well done you I loved seeing their names on the actual manifest and was disappointed I couldn't copy it to the site. So happy you managed to transfer it with your trickery. ;D
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Post by maggiejones on Jun 11, 2010 9:53:38 GMT -6
New information sent to me by John Buckledee New snippets of information about Gary and Dunstable which I've just been told about: Frank and Arthur's godmother when they were christened at Houghton Regis church was Laura Freeman, their cousin, who became the village schoolmistress. The woman called Daisy in the photo of Gary and his brother sitting on the fence in Houghton Regis was almost certainly Daisy Newland, of Biscot Mill in nearby Luton, who married into the Freeman family. Laura Freeman, who was visited by Gary when he was taking a break from Hollywood, told her family that he had brought some kind of Princess with him. That must have been Countess di Frasso. Miss Freeman, a virtuous maiden lady, was not too impressed. The English branch of the Cooper family say that Gary's first apppearance in the movies was when Siah Freeman, the fun-loving Houghton Regis miller with whom the Cooper brothers spent most week-ends, took the family to a horse-race meeting at Brighton. By chance they were included in a newsreel shot of the crowd. Now that's going to take some tracing!
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Post by maggiejones on Jul 15, 2010 5:30:14 GMT -6
I received an e-mail today with the program for the Gary Cooper festival in Dunstable.
Below are the programmed events for the festival.
* 14th Sept - A talk about Gary & his involvement with the town - hosted by John Buckledee at the Methodist Church, High St South.
* 18th Sept - Screening of High Noon at the Grove Theatre * 21st Sept - Screening of The Fountainhead at The Star & Garter Public House * 23rd Sept - Screening of Sergeant York at the Gary Cooper Public House * 26th Sept - Screening of Love in the Afternoon at The Little Theatre * 29th Sept - Screening of Mr Deeds at The Little Theatre
Photographic Exhibition of Gary Cooper & Dunstable during this period to run throughout September at Priory House & then at a later date (TBC) at Ashton Middle School.
Ashton Middle School is central to this festival and Mr Sharp (Headmaster) has very kindly offered to collaborate with Village Green Cinema and involve the current pupils in the celebration by running a competition to design a commemorative plaque, the winning entry will then be made and displayed within the school. In addition, under the supervision of Mr Mackay (History Teacher) they are going to produce a magazine which will be for sale sometime in the future.
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Post by maggiejones on Aug 15, 2010 15:18:43 GMT -6
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Post by Coopsgirl on Aug 16, 2010 18:11:30 GMT -6
Those posters are really nice. I like the color scheme, it's really stands out. Thanks for posting!
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Post by maggiejones on Sept 9, 2010 12:49:35 GMT -6
Here is a sample of the business card I am taking with me to Dunstable. I will be leaving them in the exhibition.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Sept 9, 2010 16:19:49 GMT -6
That's a great idea and the cards look great! ;D
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