Editing Gary Cooper (section)

===Hollywood stardom, 1929–1935===
[[File:Gary Cooper and Mary Brian in The Virginian 1929.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Film still of Gary Cooper and Mary Brian|Cooper and [[Mary Brian]] in ''[[The Virginian (1929 film)|The Virginian]]'', 1929]]

Cooper became a major movie star in 1929 playing the lead role in his first talking picture, ''[[The Virginian (1929 film)|The Virginian]]'' (1929), which was directed by [[Victor Fleming]] and co-starred [[Mary Brian]] and [[Walter Huston]]. Based on the popular [[The Virginian (novel)|novel]] by [[Owen Wister]], ''The Virginian'' was one of the first sound films to define the Western code of honor and helped establish many of the conventions of the Western movie genre that persist to the present day.<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 51–52.</ref> According to biographer [[Jeffrey Meyers]], the romantic image of the tall, handsome, and shy cowboy hero who embodied male freedom, courage, and honor was created in large part by Cooper in the film.<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 52–53.</ref> Unlike some silent-film actors who had trouble adapting to the new sound medium, Cooper transitioned naturally, with his "deep and clear" and "pleasantly drawling" voice, which perfectly suited the characters he portrayed on screen.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 49.</ref> Looking to capitalize on Cooper's growing popularity, Paramount cast him in several Westerns and [[War film|wartime drama]]s, including ''[[Only the Brave (1930 film)|Only the Brave]]'', ''[[The Texan (1930 film)|The Texan]]'', ''[[Seven Days' Leave (1930 film)|Seven Days' Leave]]'', ''[[A Man from Wyoming]]'', and ''[[The Spoilers (1930 film)|The Spoilers]]'' (all released in 1930).<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 70–84.</ref> [[Norman Rockwell]] depicted Cooper in his role as ''The Texan'' for the cover of ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' on May 24, 1930.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/02/rockwell-hollywood/cover_9300524/|title=cover_9300524: Gary Cooper as "The Texan", Norman Rockwell, May 24, 1930|work=[[Saturday Evening Post]]|date=February 2010|access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Lili Damita-Gary Cooper in Fighting Caravans.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Film still of Lili Damita and Gary Cooper|[[Lili Damita]] and Cooper in ''[[Fighting Caravans]]'', 1931]]

One of the most important performances in Cooper's early career was his portrayal of a sullen [[French Foreign Legion|legionnaire]] in [[Josef von Sternberg]]'s film ''[[Morocco (film)|Morocco]]'' (also 1930)<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 61.</ref> with [[Marlene Dietrich]] in her introduction to American audiences.<ref name="dickens-9">Dickens 1970, p. 9.</ref> During production, von Sternberg focused his energies on Dietrich and treated Cooper dismissively.<ref name="dickens-9" /> Tensions came to a head after von Sternberg yelled directions at Cooper in German. The {{convert|6|ft|3|in|cm|adj=on}} actor approached the {{convert|5|ft|4|in|cm|adj=on}} director, picked him up by the collar, and said, "If you expect to work in this country, you'd better get on to the language we use here."<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 63–64.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 122.</ref> Despite the tensions on the set, Cooper produced "one of his best performances", according to Thornton Delehanty of the ''New York Evening Post''.<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 87.</ref>

After returning to the Western genre in [[Zane Grey]]'s ''[[Fighting Caravans]]'' (1931) with French actress [[Lili Damita]],<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 89–91.</ref> Cooper appeared in the [[Dashiell Hammett]] [[crime film]] ''[[City Streets (1931 film)|City Streets]]'' (also 1931), co-starring [[Sylvia Sidney]] and [[Paul Lukas]], playing a westerner who gets involved with big-city gangsters to save the woman he loves.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 92–93.</ref> Cooper concluded the year with appearances in two unsuccessful films: ''[[I Take This Woman (1931 film)|I Take This Woman]]'' (also 1931) with [[Carole Lombard]], and ''[[His Woman]]'' with [[Claudette Colbert]].<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 95–98.</ref> The demands and pressures of making 10 films in two years left Cooper exhausted and in poor health, suffering from [[anemia]] and [[jaundice]].<ref name="dickens-9" /><ref name="meyers-73">Meyers 1998, p. 73.</ref> He had lost {{convert|30|lb|kg|abbr=on}},<ref name="meyers-73" /><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 129.</ref> and felt lonely, isolated, and depressed by his sudden fame and wealth.<ref name="meyers-75">Meyers 1998, p. 75.</ref><ref>Arce 1979, p. 71.</ref> In May 1931, Cooper left Hollywood and sailed to [[Algiers]] and then Italy, where he lived for the next year.<ref name="meyers-75" />

During his time abroad, Cooper stayed with the Countess Dorothy [[House of Dentice|di Frasso]], the former Dorothy Cadwell Taylor, at the [[Villa Madama]] in Rome, where she taught him about good food and vintage wines, how to read Italian and French menus, and how to socialize among Europe's nobility and upper classes.<ref name="meyers-77">Meyers 1998, p. 77.</ref> After guiding him through the great art museums and galleries of Italy,<ref name="meyers-77" /> she accompanied him on a 10-week [[big-game hunting]] safari on the slopes of [[Mount Kenya]] in East Africa,<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 137.</ref> where he was credited with more than 60 kills, including two lions, a rhinoceros, and various antelopes.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 138.</ref><ref name="meyers-79">Meyers 1998, p. 79.</ref> His safari experience in Africa had a profound influence on Cooper and intensified his love of the wilderness.<ref name="meyers-79" /> After returning to Europe, the countess and he set off on a Mediterranean cruise of the [[Italian Riviera|Italian]] and [[French Riviera]]s.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 139.</ref> Rested and rejuvenated by his year-long exile, a healthy Cooper returned to Hollywood in April 1932<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 82.</ref> and negotiated a new contract with Paramount for two films per year, a salary of $4,000 a week, and director and script approval.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 142.</ref>
[[File:Gary Cooper-Helen Hayes in A Farewell to Arms.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Film still of Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes|Cooper and [[Helen Hayes]] in ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1932 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'', 1932]]

In 1932, after completing ''[[Devil and the Deep]]'' with [[Tallulah Bankhead]] to fulfill his old contract,<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 143</ref> Cooper appeared in ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1932 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'',<ref name="dickens-106-108">Dickens 1970, pp. 106–108.</ref> the first film adaptation of an [[Ernest Hemingway]] novel.<ref>Baker 1969, p. 235</ref> Co-starring [[Helen Hayes]], a leading New York theatre star and Academy Award winner,<ref name="meyers-89">Meyers 1998, p. 89.</ref> and [[Adolphe Menjou]], the film presented Cooper with one of his most ambitious and challenging dramatic roles,<ref name="meyers-89" /> playing an American ambulance driver wounded in Italy, who falls in love with an English nurse during World War I.<ref name="dickens-106-108" /> Critics praised his highly intense and emotional performance,<ref>Arce 1979, p. 95.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 152.</ref> and the film became one of the year's most commercially successful pictures.<ref name="meyers-89" /> In 1933, after making ''[[Today We Live]]'' with [[Joan Crawford]] and ''[[One Sunday Afternoon (1933 film)|One Sunday Afternoon]]'' with Fay Wray, Cooper appeared in the [[Ernst Lubitsch]] [[comedy film]] ''[[Design for Living (film)|Design for Living]]'', based on the successful [[Noël Coward]] play.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 95.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 163.</ref> Co-starring [[Miriam Hopkins]] and [[Fredric March]], the film was a box-office success,<ref>{{cite news|last=Churchill|first=Douglas W.|date=December 30, 1934|title=The Year in Hollywood: 1934 May Be Remembered as the Beginning of the Sweetness-and-Light Era|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/12/30/archives/the-year-in-hollywood-1984-may-be-remembered-as-the-beginning-of.html|work=New York Times|page=X5}}</ref> ranking as one of the top-10 highest-grossing films of 1933. All three of the lead actors{{snd}}March, Cooper, and Hopkins{{snd}}received attention from this film, as they were all at the peak of their careers. Cooper's performance, as an American artist in Europe competing with his playwright friend for the affections of a beautiful woman, was singled out for its versatility<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 96.</ref> and revealed his genuine ability to do light comedy.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 165.</ref> Cooper changed his name legally to "Gary Cooper" in August 1933.<ref>Arce 1979, p. 126.</ref>
[[File:Gary Cooper and Anna Sten in The Wedding Night 1935.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=Photo of Gary Cooper and Anna Sten embracing|[[Anna Sten]] and Cooper in ''[[The Wedding Night]]'', 1935]]

In 1934, Cooper was lent out to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] for the Civil War [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] ''[[Operator 13]]'' with [[Marion Davies]], about a beautiful Union spy who falls in love with a Confederate soldier.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 119–22.</ref> Despite [[Richard Boleslawski]]'s imaginative direction and [[George J. Folsey]]'s lavish cinematography, the film did poorly at the box office.<ref name="swindell-171">Swindell 1980, p. 171.</ref>

Back at Paramount, Cooper appeared in his first of seven films by director [[Henry Hathaway]],<ref name="meyers-107">Meyers 1998, p. 107.</ref> ''[[Now and Forever (1934 film)|Now and Forever]]'', with Carole Lombard and [[Shirley Temple]].<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 123–25.</ref> In the film, he plays a confidence man who tries to sell his daughter to the relatives who raised her, but is eventually won over by the adorable girl.<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 125.</ref> Impressed by Temple's intelligence and charm, Cooper developed a close rapport with her, both on and off screen.<ref name="meyers-107" />{{refn|Cooper bought the child actress toys and taught her how to draw using colored pencils during setups. He found it mildly irritating to be corrected by the five-year-old, who knew everyone's lines.<ref name="meyers-107" />|group=Note}} The film was a box-office success.<ref name="swindell-171" />

In 1935, Cooper was lent to Samuel Goldwyn Productions to appear in [[King Vidor]]'s [[romance film]] ''[[The Wedding Night]]'' with [[Anna Sten]],<ref name="dickens-126-128">Dickens 1970, pp. 126–28.</ref> who was being groomed as "another [[Greta Garbo|Garbo]]".<ref>Arce 1979, p. 138.</ref><ref>Meyers 1998, p. 112.</ref> In the film, Cooper plays an alcoholic novelist who retreats to his family's New England farm, where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful Polish neighbor.<ref name="dickens-126-128" /> Cooper delivered a performance of surprising range and depth, according to biographer Larry Swindell.<ref name="swindell-179">Swindell 1980, p. 179.</ref> Despite receiving generally favorable reviews,<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 127.</ref> the film was not popular with American audiences, who may have been offended by the film's depiction of an extramarital affair and its tragic ending.<ref name="swindell-179" />

Also in 1935, Cooper appeared in two Henry Hathaway films: the [[melodrama]] ''[[Peter Ibbetson]]'' with [[Ann Harding]], about a man caught up in a dream world created by his love for a childhood sweetheart,<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 132–35.</ref> and the [[adventure film]] ''[[The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (film)|The Lives of a Bengal Lancer]]'', about a daring British officer and his men who defend their stronghold at [[Bengal]] against rebellious local tribes.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 129–31.</ref> While the former, championed by the [[surrealist]]s<ref>Johnson, G. Allen. A young Gary Cooper, the French Surrealists and the ethereal world of ''Peter Ibbetson'' available on Blu-Ray. August 10, 2021, Updated: August 25, 2021, 4:28 pm.</ref> became more successful in Europe than in the United States, the latter was nominated for seven Academy Awards<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 131.</ref> and became one of Cooper's most popular and successful adventure films.<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 130.</ref><ref>Meyers 1998, p. 113.</ref> Hathaway had the highest respect for Cooper's acting ability, calling him "the best actor of all of them".<ref name="meyers-107" />