Gary Cooper: Montana Cowboy (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

[Music] this is the actor and montana cowboy gary cooper gary was born frank james cooper on the 7th of may 1901 in helena montana to charles henry cooper and alice brazier cooper both charles and alice was born and raised in england however they met and married in montana frank or gary had one older brother author leroy born january the 15th 1895 six years older than gary garin arthur's dead charles was a prominent lawyer and rancher their mother alice was a housewife now this is gary at age three in 1906 when gary was five years old charles was a practicing attorney and it made enough money to purchase this 600 acre ranch some 40 miles outside of helena called the seven bar nine the coopers continued to live in helena at 7 30 11th avenue and part time at the ranch that alice had nicknamed sunnyside now this is gary on the left with author and friends swimming in the nearby creek mr cooper built a one-room schoolhouse on the ranch however gear was more interested in playing with the local indians and ranch hands when his mother found out that her youngest son was sometimes swimming naked in a nearby creek with his first little indian girlfriend mary three feet who would patiently sit and wait on the bank for frank to get through swimming alice was horrified eventually taking the boys on an extended vacation back to her family home in england the boys was enrolled at the dunstable grammar school in bedford shower england where they studied latin french and english history under the watchful eye of their grandparents in 1914 as world war 1 was starting alice thought that her boys should be back home in helena they moved in this house at 115 north beady street when frank or gary was 15 years old he was injured in an automobile accident his hip was injured and the doctor recommended horseback riding as therapy now this is gary on the left with the white hat unfortunately the doctor was wrong and gary cooper will walk with a slight gait the rest of his life now by this time his brother arthur had enlisted in the military for world war one gary will start to wesleyan junior college in helena and will eventually end up in grenell college in grenell iowa from 1922 through 1924 now this is gary at grenell second from the left at the top during three seasons of college summer breaks gary worked as a bus driver driving those open yellow top buses as a tour guide at the yellowstone national park while he was at school his parents moved to 712 fifth avenue in helena and his dad judge charles henry cooper in 1919 was elected associate justice of the montana supreme court but in 1924 judge cooper left the montana court and moved with his wife to california to administer the states of two relatives and he also established a law firm and will later become the agent of his son when gary becomes an actor frank as gary was still being called will be in college when his parents moved to california but will leave grenell in november of 1924 and will end up in california with his parents gary's brother arthur remained in montana he had married ethel carpenter in 1920 they had two children howard leroy and georgia may arthur will lose his wife at an early age in 1928. he'll marry emma strayer that same year and remain married until his death on may the 15th 1982 in los angeles at the age of 87. author was a banker when coop as his hollywood friends will later call him arrived in los angeles he had no prospects he originally intended to become a painter and artist his paintings were hanging ever were on the walls of his college dorm his dream was to become a famous painter and artist he is working so he could get enough money to afford art classes now when he met two of his friends from montana who introduced him to j slim tabit a montana rodeo champion talbot took him to a casting director who offered coop five dollars a day as an extra and ten dollars as a rider now that's when you're not saying anything you're just riding a horse along with the gang coop and tablet become close friends and hunting companions and later tablet became gary's stand-in for over three decades cooper will work on and off as stunt rider and extra for almost a year in the trail rider with buck jones it'll be the first time that coop was an unaccredited stunt rider seeing horses and men getting injured doing movie stunts he knew he couldn't afford to re-injure his hip again so in 1925 he befriended another young struggling actor by the name of walter brennan at one point they even appeared as a team in casting offices things didn't work out so well though so coop paid for his own screen test and he hired casting director nan collins to work as his agent now nan suggested that there is already a frank cooper and that he should change his first name to gary after her hometown of gary indiana in 1926 coop will be one of the unaccredited survivors in the johnstown flood that starred george o'brien and janet gainer gary cooper would get his first supporting role in the winning of barbara worth an epic film about the taming of the west that starred ronald coleman gary's real life experience as a cowboy made his performance seem authentic his role was supposed to go to actor money blue who luckily for coop didn't show up on june the first that same year coupe sand was samuel golden productions for fifty dollars a week gary will always say that he owed actress clara beau a big favor because she was responsible for getting him a small part on the first film to win the award for best picture wings cooper and bo became romantically involved before the film even started although it was a silent film it helped to get him noticed and launch his career the next year in 1929 gary cooper was starring his first talk in film the virginian we're a good-natured cowboy coop who's romancing the new school marm and has a problem when he discovers that his best friend is wrestling cattle coop had two famous lions in the virginia if you want to call me that smile and this town ain't big enough for the both of us now the next year in 1930 coop will star with german actress maureen dietrich in morocco it would be her first english speaking film and as gary's custom with his leading ladies they had an off-screen affair now their on-screen affair was between a foreign legion soldier and a crab a race singer dietrich performed one of her most noted numbers dressed in a man's coat and tails by 1931 coop had done 10 films within two years causing tremendous strain he had lost thirty pounds on his six foot three inch frame he was suffering from anemia jaundice and depression at this point he wanted to leave it all and for the next year he lived abroad drinking dining and romancing accounties at her villa in rome in 1932 gary returned home to negotiate a contract with paramount pictures he was to receive four thousand dollars per week for doing two films a year coop hit the ground running with a novel turned movie written by ernest hemingway a farewell to arms his co-star was actress helen hayes where an american ambulance driver and an english nurse fall in love in italy during world war one in 1933 coop med actress sandra shaw whose real name was veronica bath who had been a new york debate she was called rocky by friends she had a few unaccredited roles in king kong bloody money and no other woman all in 1933 they met when coop went to a party given by her uncle art director cedric gibbons at the end of the year in december 15 1933 frank james gary cooper married veronica madeleine rocky baff at her mother's home at 778 park avenue new york the wedding was planned to be held at the waldorf astoria but was changed to avoid the public rocky was 20 and coupe was 32. after the wedding the two brought a 10 acre ranch in encino california veronica loved the ranch she was an avid sports woman and even won the california woman's skeet shooting competition although she didn't love to hunt as coop did in 1935 gary starred with franco tone and richard crumwell in the lives of the bengal lancer about three british soldiers on the northwest frontier of india struggling against the enemy in 1936 he'll be in mr d's goes to town with gene arthur a long felonies played by cooper was a small town man that inherited massive fortune and is immediately hounded by all those who wish to take advantage of him for his role as long fellow deeds gary cooper will receive his first nomination for the academy award also in 1936 cooper will star again with gene arthur in the plainsman taking the role of wild bill hecock and trying to stop an indian uprising that was started by white gun runners by this time gary cooper ranked in the top 10 box office attractions in hollywood gary and rocky begin building a large bermuda georgian home in brinkwood after moving to brentwood within a year gary and veronica will have a daughter maria veronica baff cooper born on september the 15th 1937 maria will grow up to become an artist the love of which she inherited from her dead in 1966 she'll marry renowned worldwide pianist brian janice with whom she will raise a family in 1939 two years after maria was born the u.s treasury listed gary cooper as the highest paid man in the country from making movies like this one bo jest with ray milan and robert preston and susan hayward as a love interest when three adopted brothers joined a foreign legion and battled sadistic sergeants in 1940 gary cooper will star with walter brennan an old friend from the early days in the westerner brennan played judge roy bean and cooper a drifting cowboy who's charged falsely with horse stealing to keep from being hung by the judge cooper's character cole harden pretends to know the famous british actress and singer lily langtry whom judge bean was crazy about also in 1940 cooper will meet writer ernest hemingway for the first time although he had already starred in one of hemingway's movies back in 1932 a farewell to arms he heard that hemingway was writing another book that would probably be made into a movie entitled for whom the bell tolls they met in their favorite place sun valley ski resort hemingway said that he was glad that coop liked the script because he had actually wrote it with him in mind the two men became lifelong friends they both loved hunting and fishing and hemingway and wife spent a few days with the coopers before traveling overseas in 1941. that same year gary cooper will give an award-winning performance in sergeant york directed by howard hawks it'll be the highest grossing film in 1941. the movie is based on the diary of world war one medal of honor winner sergeant alvin c york now this is gary with the real alvin york when cooper accepted the oscar for sergeant york he said it was sergeant york that really won this award because to the best of my ability i tried to become alvin york shulks i've been in this business for 16 years he said and i always dreamed that i might get one of these awards now that's all i can think to say it's funny when i was dreaming i always made a good speech now a close friend joel mccray said coop never fought never got mad enough to never told anybody off that i know of and everyone that worked with him liked him now the next year in 1942 the second world war was going on although coop was too old for the military he went to the south pacific entertained and eat and shared with the troops their worst conditions he said it was the greatest emotional experience of his life now back home the studio was trying to get him to take the part of baseball great lou gehrig in a film called pride of the yankees coop didn't want to part he wasn't a baseball fan and the truth is he had never even seen a game it was only after miseries gary approached him and said that he was the only one who could play her husband he agreed and started learning how to swing a bat for his portrayal of lou gehrig gary cooper was nominated for the academy award for the fourth time the very next year in 1943 coop will be nominated again for the academy award for the fifth time for whom the bell tolls wrote especially for him in mind by his longtime friend ernest hemingway cooper played an american fighting in the spanish civil war and while undertaking a mission to blow up a bridge he falls in love with a young woman gorilla fighter ingrid bergman along came jones is a 1945 american western comedy that starred coop and loretta young jones is the only film produced by cooper during his career the next year gary's dead judge charles henry cooper passed away on september the 17th 1946 at the age of 81. he's buried at the farce lawn memorial park in glendale california on october the 23rd 1947 gary was subpoenaed to testify before the house on the unamerican activities he was classified as a friendly witness coop said that he believed some scripts that he had read had some communist propaganda in him but he never accepted such roles later when he was asked to name these writers so that they could be blacklisted from being able to work he refused and even helped a friend who was on the list fine work the next year in 1948 gary and veronica purchased 15 acres of land in aspen colorado and built a four bedroom home in 1949 gary will star with patricia neal and raymond massey in the fountain head about an idolistic architect that battles corrupt business interest at first coop was not impressed with neil but during filming of fountainhead they fell deeply in love this was no one-night stand after filming they tried to hide their romance from the public and his wife when veronica confronted gary about patricia neal he not only admitted the affair but confessed his love for her it'll be may the 16th 1951 when coop and rocky will separate and he'll move out although they will not divorce while separated from rocky coupe will appear in his most famous film high noon he will win his second academy award for his part as marshall will kane in the small town of hadleyville new mexico marsha kane will have to fight a gang of outlaws whose leaders he had put in the pen he had to face the gang without the help of any townsfolk on his wedding day his bride amy was played by 22 year old grace kelly coop felt that kelly was too young for the part of his wife as he was 52 at the time when gary won the oscar he was working out of the country and asked john wayne to accept it for him john said i am glad to see they are giving this to a man that is not only most deserving but has conducted himself throughout the years in our business in a manner that we all can be proud of coop and i have been friends hunting and fishing for more years than i like to remember he's one of the nicest fellas i know i don't know anybody any nicer wayne tried to get coop not to take the part of will kane actually he didn't like the part of dropping the badge in the dirt at the end of the movie he thought it was disrespect to law enforcement gary became friends with high noon screenwriter carl foreman who was a member of the communist party now when producer stanley cramer threatened to take foreman's name off the film credits cooper threatened to walk off the set putting his own career at stake others threatened to have coop blacklisted also cooper said that if a man writes a screenplay he should get the credit for it he also said i have turned down several scripts because they were too left-wing for my preference now the american film institute ranked high noon as one of the 100th greatest films ever made around this time gary moved back home and reconciled with his wife he had planned on getting a divorce and married patricia neal but he said i could not leave my daughter maria although coop loved neil he could no longer hurt his daughter he said after their breakup neil had a nervous breakdown and permanently left hollywood when patricia neal first met coop she was 21 years old and he was 47. when koop moved back and reconciled with his wife veronica they moved to humbly hills and built a 6 000 square foot mansion they will remain here until his death in 1958 cooper will star with julie london in one of his last westerns man of the west some say that this movie could serve as coop's epitaph the next year cooper will be in two major pictures the hanging tree with carl malden and george c scott it'll be scott's debut film and mauldin said that cooper was a famously generous man the studio had mauldin's name below cooper's until coop demanded that mauldin be equal to his his next film was the wreck of the married deer charlton heston already a major star was willing to play a supporting role to cooper but he didn't mind because of all cooper had meant to him even as a child he said he was impressed with cooper doing his own stunts and being underwater for long periods of time at the age of 58. in the spring of 1960 gary cooper traveled to england to perform in his last film the naked edge with deborah carr he had not been feeling good so when he returned from england his doctor discovered cancer and scheduled prostate surgery at the massachusetts general hospital in boston in may the following month cooper went back for what was reported to be a minor intestinal surgery at cedars of lebanon hospital in los angeles where a cancerous portion of his colon was removed seven months later on the 27th of december 1960 doctors informed rocky that cooper's cancer was fatal she decided to keep the news from him two weeks later on january the 9th 1961 coop will attend a dinner given in his honor by frank sinatra and dean martin at the friars club coop in his speech said the only achievement that i am proud of is the friends that i've made in this community a week later on january the 15th gary cooper took his family on their last vacation to sun valley where he met his friend ernest hemingway they will walk through the snow for the last time together one month later on february the 27th 1961 gary cooper learned that he was dying on april the 17th 1961 gary cooper will receive his third academy award it'll be for his many career achievements coop was too sick to attend and he asked his close friend jimmy stewart to accept his reward the public was still not aware of how sick he really was at the ceremony when jimmy began speaking of his friend he began crying and left the stage with tears it was apparent then how serious gary cooper's condition was less than a month after the award on may the 13th 1961 at 12 27 pm in the bedroom of his home with his family frank james cooper the montana cowboy and gary cooper the academy award-winning actor passed away at the age of 60. his final resting place will be at sacred heart ceremony in southampton new york one month after coop's death his friend ernest hemingway will take his own life five years after the death of gary cooper he'll be inducted into the national cowboy and western heritage museum in oklahoma city oklahoma [Music] 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Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 51,276

Rating: 4.9441676 out of 5

Keywords: Gary Cooper

Id: dc-nu4lqArY

Length: 28min 2sec (1682 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 13 2020