Editing Gary Cooper (section)

===American folk hero, 1936–1943===
====From ''Mr. Deeds'' to ''The Real Glory'', 1936–1939====
[[File:Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town trailer.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Screen capture of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur|Cooper and [[Jean Arthur]] in ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'', 1936]]

Cooper's career took an important turn in 1936.<ref name="meyers-116">Meyers 1998, p. 116.</ref> After making [[Frank Borzage]]'s [[romantic comedy]] film ''[[Desire (1936 film)|Desire]]'' with Marlene Dietrich at Paramount, in which he delivered a performance considered by some contemporary critics as one of his finest,<ref name="meyers-116" /> Cooper returned to Poverty Row for the first time since his early silent-film days to make [[Frank Capra]]'s ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'' with [[Jean Arthur]] for [[Columbia Pictures]].<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 188.</ref> In the film, Cooper plays Longfellow Deeds, a quiet, innocent writer of greeting cards who inherits a fortune, leaves behind his idyllic life in Vermont, and travels to New York City, where he faces a world of corruption and deceit.<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 140.</ref> Capra and screenwriter [[Robert Riskin]] were able to use Cooper's well-established screen persona as the "quintessential American hero"<ref name="meyers-116" />{{snd}}a symbol of honesty, courage, and goodness<ref name="meyers-119">Meyers 1998, p. 119.</ref><ref name="swindell-192">Swindell 1980, p. 192.</ref><ref>Kaminsky 1979, p. 78.</ref>{{snd}}to create a new type of "[[folk hero]]" for the common man.<ref name="meyers-116" /><ref>Arce 1979, p. 144.</ref> Commenting on Cooper's impact on the character and the film, Capra observed:<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 190.</ref>
{{Blockquote|As soon as I thought of Gary Cooper, it wasn't possible to conceive anyone else in the role. He could not have been any closer to my idea of Longfellow Deeds, and as soon as he could think in terms of Cooper, Bob Riskin found it easier to develop the Deeds character in terms of dialogue. So it just had to be Cooper. Every line in his face spelled honesty. Our Mr. Deeds had to symbolize incorruptibility, and in my mind Gary Cooper was that symbol.}}

Both ''Desire'' and ''Mr. Deeds'' opened in April 1936 to critical praise and were major box-office successes.<ref name="meyers-121">Meyers 1998, p. 121.</ref> In his review in ''The New York Times'', [[Frank Nugent]] wrote that Cooper was "proving himself one of the best light comedians in Hollywood".<ref name="nytimes-deeds" /> For his performance in ''Mr. Deeds'', Cooper received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.<ref name="oscars-1937" />
[[File:Gary Cooper in The Plainsman 1936.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=Screen capture of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur|Cooper and [[Jean Arthur]] in ''[[The Plainsman]]'', 1936]]

Cooper appeared in two other Paramount films in 1936. In [[Lewis Milestone]]'s adventure film ''[[The General Died at Dawn]]'' with [[Madeleine Carroll]], he plays an American soldier of fortune in China who helps the peasants defend themselves against the oppression of a cruel [[warlord]].<ref name="dickens-144-146">Dickens 1970, pp. 144–46.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 203.</ref> Written by playwright [[Clifford Odets]], the film was a critical and commercial success.<ref name="dickens-144-146" /><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 202.</ref>

In [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s sprawling frontier epic ''[[The Plainsman]]'', his first of four films with the director, Cooper portrays [[Wild Bill Hickok]] in a highly fictionalized version of the opening of the American western frontier.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 147–49.</ref> The film was an even greater box-office hit than its predecessor,<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 124.</ref> due in large part to Jean Arthur's definitive depiction of [[Calamity Jane]] and Cooper's inspired portrayal of Hickok as an enigmatic figure of "deepening mythic substance".<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 204.</ref> That year, Cooper appeared for the first time on the ''[[Motion Picture Herald]]'' exhibitor's poll of top-10 film personalities, where he remained for the next 23 years.<ref name="arce-147" />

In late 1936, Paramount was preparing a new contract for Cooper that would raise his salary to $8,000 a week,<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 200.</ref> when Cooper signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn for six films over six years with a minimum guarantee of $150,000 per picture.<ref name="meyers-126">Meyers 1998, p. 126.</ref> Paramount brought suit against Goldwyn and Cooper, and the court ruled that Cooper's new Goldwyn contract afforded the actor sufficient time to also honor his Paramount agreement.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 201.</ref> Cooper continued to make films with both studios, and by 1939, the [[United States Treasury]] reported that Cooper was the country's highest wage earner, at $482,819 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|0.482819|1939|r=2}}{{spaces}}million in {{Inflation-year|US}}).<ref name="meyers-126" /><ref>Dickens 1970, p. 13.</ref><ref>Arce 1979, p. 161.</ref>

In contrast to his output the previous year, Cooper appeared in only one picture in 1937, Henry Hathaway's adventure film ''[[Souls at Sea]]''.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 150–52.</ref> A critical and box-office failure,<ref name="swindell-205">Swindell 1980, p. 205.</ref> Cooper referred to it as his "almost picture", saying, "It was almost exciting, and almost interesting. And I was almost good."<ref name="swindell-205" /> In 1938, he appeared in [[Archie Mayo]]'s biographical film ''[[The Adventures of Marco Polo]]''.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 153–55.</ref> Plagued by production problems and a weak screenplay,<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 131.</ref> the film became Goldwyn's biggest failure to date, losing $700,000.<ref name="meyers-132">Meyers 1998, p. 132.</ref> During this period, Cooper turned down several important roles,<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 208.</ref> including the role of [[Rhett Butler]] in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.<ref name="selznick-172-173">Selznick 2000, pp. 172–73.</ref> Cooper was producer [[David O. Selznick]]'s first choice for the part.<ref name="selznick-172-173" /> He made several overtures to the actor,<ref name="swindell-209-210">Swindell 1980, pp. 209–10.</ref> but Cooper had doubts about the project,<ref name="swindell-209-210" /> and did not feel suited to the role.<ref name="arce-147">Arce 1979, p. 147.</ref> Cooper later admitted, "It was one of the best roles ever offered in Hollywood{{spaces}}... But I said no. I didn't see myself as quite that dashing, and later, when I saw Clark Gable play the role to perfection, I knew I was right."<ref name="arce-147" />{{refn|Cooper also turned down the leading roles in John Ford's ''[[Stagecoach (1939 film)|Stagecoach]]'' (1939)<ref>Kaminsky 1979, p. 99.</ref> and Alfred Hitchcock's ''[[Foreign Correspondent (film)|Foreign Correspondent]]'' (1940).<ref>McGilligan 2003, p. 259.</ref>|group=Note}}
[[File:Bluebeards-eighth-wife.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert|Cooper and [[Claudette Colbert]] in ''[[Bluebeard's Eighth Wife]]'', 1938]]

Back at Paramount, Cooper returned to a more comfortable genre in [[Ernst Lubitsch]]'s romantic comedy ''[[Bluebeard's Eighth Wife]]'' (1938) with Claudette Colbert.<ref name="meyers-132" /><ref name="dickens-156-158">Dickens 1970, pp. 156–58.</ref> In the film, Cooper plays a wealthy American businessman in France who falls in love with an impoverished aristocrat's daughter and persuades her to become his eighth wife.<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 157.</ref> Despite the clever screenplay by [[Charles Brackett]] and [[Billy Wilder]],<ref name="arce-154">Arce 1979, p. 154.</ref> and solid performances by Cooper and Colbert,<ref name="dickens-156-158" /> American audiences had trouble accepting Cooper in the role of a shallow philanderer. It succeeded only at the European box-office market.<ref name="arce-154" />

In the fall of 1938, Cooper appeared in [[H. C. Potter]]'s romantic comedy ''[[The Cowboy and the Lady (1938 film)|The Cowboy and the Lady]]'' with [[Merle Oberon]], about a sweet-natured rodeo cowboy who falls in love with the wealthy daughter of a presidential hopeful, believing her to be a poor, hard-working lady's maid.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 159–61.</ref> The efforts of three directors and several eminent screenwriters could not salvage what could have been a fine vehicle for Cooper.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 134.</ref> While more successful than its predecessor, the film was Cooper's fourth consecutive box-office failure in the American market.<ref name="meyers-135">Meyers 1998, p. 135.</ref>

In the next two years, Cooper was more discerning about the roles he accepted and made four successful large-scale adventure and cowboy films.<ref name="meyers-135" /> In [[William A. Wellman]]'s adventure film ''[[Beau Geste (1939 film)|Beau Geste]]'' (1939), he plays one of three daring English brothers who join the French Foreign Legion in the [[Sahara]] to fight local tribes.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 162–165.</ref> Filmed in the same [[Mojave Desert]] locations as the original [[Beau Geste (1926 film)|1926 version]] with Ronald Colman,<ref name="meyers-135" /><ref name="swindell-220">Swindell 1980, p. 220.</ref> ''Beau Geste'' provided Cooper with magnificent sets, exotic settings, high-spirited action, and a role tailored to his personality and screen persona.<ref name="dickens-164">Dickens 1970, p. 164.</ref> This was the last film in Cooper's contract with Paramount.<ref name="dickens-164" />

In Henry Hathaway's ''[[The Real Glory]]'' (1939), he plays a military doctor who accompanies a small group of American Army officers to the Philippines to help the Christian Filipinos defend themselves against Muslim radicals.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 166–68.</ref> Many film critics praised Cooper's performance, including author and film critic [[Graham Greene]], who recognized that he "never acted better".<ref name="meyers-138">Meyers 1998, p. 138.</ref>

====From ''The Westerner'' to ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'', 1940–1943====
Cooper returned to the Western genre in [[William Wyler]]'s ''[[The Westerner (1940 film)|The Westerner]]'' (1940) with [[Walter Brennan]] and [[Doris Davenport]], about a drifting cowboy who defends homesteaders against [[Roy Bean]], a corrupt judge known as the "law west of the [[Pecos River|Pecos]]".<ref name="meyers-138" /><ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 169–73.</ref> Screenwriter [[Niven Busch]] relied on Cooper's extensive knowledge of [[American frontier|Western]] history while working on the script.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 139.</ref> The film received positive reviews and did well at the box office,<ref name="swindell-226">Swindell 1980, p. 226.</ref> with reviewers praising the performances of the two lead actors.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 172–73.</ref> That same year, Cooper appeared in his first all-[[Technicolor]] feature,<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 227.</ref> Cecil B. DeMille's adventure film ''[[North West Mounted Police (film)|North West Mounted Police]]'' (1940).<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 174–77.</ref>{{refn|Cooper previously appeared in the all-star feature ''[[Paramount on Parade]]'' (1930), which included scenes in [[Technicolor#Process 3|two-color Technicolor]], including his "Let Us Drink to the Girl of My Dreams" sequence.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 8, 73–74.</ref> He also appeared as himself in the Technicolor [[short film]]s ''Star Night at the Coconut Grove'' (1935) and ''[[La Fiesta de Santa Barbara]]'' (1936).<ref name="dickens-23-24" />|group=Note}} In the film, Cooper plays a [[Texas Ranger Division|Texas Ranger]] who pursues an outlaw into western Canada, where he joins forces with the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] who are after the same man, a leader of the [[North-West Rebellion]].<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 141–42.</ref> While not as popular with critics as its predecessor,<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 140.</ref> the film was another box-office success, the sixth-highest grossing film of 1940.<ref name="swindell-226" /><ref>Arce 1979, p. 163.</ref>
[[File:Meet John Doe 1941 (3).jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=Film still of Edward Arnold, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, and Walter Brennan|[[Edward Arnold (actor)|Edward Arnold]], [[Barbara Stanwyck]], Cooper, and [[Walter Brennan]] in ''[[Meet John Doe]]'', 1941]]

The early 1940s were Cooper's prime years as an actor.<ref name="dickens-14">Dickens 1970, p. 14.</ref> In a relatively short period, he appeared in five critically successful and popular films that produced some of his finest performances.<ref name="dickens-14" /> When Frank Capra offered him the lead role in ''[[Meet John Doe]]'' before [[Robert Riskin]] even developed the script, Cooper accepted his friend's offer, saying, "It's okay, Frank, I don't need a script."<ref name="meyers-144">Meyers 1998, p. 144.</ref> In the film, Cooper plays Long John Willoughby, a down-and-out bush-league pitcher hired by a newspaper to pretend to be a man who promises to commit suicide on Christmas Eve to protest all the hypocrisy and corruption in the country.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 178–180.</ref> Considered by some critics to be Capra's best film at the time,<ref name="swindell-230">Swindell 1980, p. 230.</ref> ''Meet John Doe'' was received as a "national event"<ref name="swindell-230" /> with Cooper appearing on the front cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' on March 3, 1941.<ref name="meyers-146-147">Meyers 1998, pp. 146–147.</ref> In his review in the ''New York Herald Tribune'', Howard Barnes called Cooper's performance a "splendid and utterly persuasive portrayal"<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 180.</ref> and praised his "utterly realistic acting which comes through with such authority".<ref name="meyers-146-147" /> [[Bosley Crowther]], in ''The New York Times'', wrote, "Gary Cooper, of course, is 'John Doe' to the life and in the whole{{snd}}shy, bewildered, nonaggressive, but a veritable tiger when aroused."<ref name="nytimes-meet" />
[[File:Joan Fontaine and Gary Cooper.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of Joan Fontaine and Gary Cooper at the Academy Awards holding their Oscars|[[Joan Fontaine]] and Cooper at the Academy Awards, 1942]]

That same year, Cooper made two films with director and good friend [[Howard Hawks]].<ref name="meyers-153">Meyers 1998, p. 153.</ref> In the biographical film ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]'', Cooper portrays war hero [[Alvin C. York]],<ref name="swindell-231">Swindell 1980, p. 231.</ref> one of the most decorated American soldiers in World War{{spaces}}I.<ref>Owens 2004, pp. 97–98.</ref> The film chronicles York's early backwoods days in [[Tennessee]], his religious conversion and subsequent piety, his stand as a conscientious objector, and finally his heroic actions at the [[Meuse-Argonne Offensive|Battle of the Argonne Forest]], which earned him the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref name="swindell-231" /><ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 181–83.</ref> Initially, Cooper was nervous and uncertain about playing a living hero, so he traveled to Tennessee to visit York at his home, and the two quiet men established an immediate rapport and discovered they had much in common.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 152.</ref> Inspired by York's encouragement, Cooper delivered a performance that Howard Barnes of the ''New York Herald Tribune'' called "one of extraordinary conviction and versatility", and that Archer Winston of the ''New York Post'' called "one of his best".<ref name="dickens-182">Dickens 1970, p. 183.</ref> After the film's release, Cooper was awarded the Distinguished Citizenship Medal by the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]] for his "powerful contribution to the promotion of patriotism and loyalty".<ref name="arce-177">Arce 1979, p. 177.</ref> York admired Cooper's performance and helped promote the film for [[Warner Bros.]]<ref name="meyers-156" /> ''Sergeant York'' became the top-grossing film of the year and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards.<ref name="arce-177" /><ref name="meyers-157">Meyers 1998, p. 157.</ref> Accepting his first Academy Award for Best Actor from his friend [[James Stewart]], Cooper said, "It was Sergeant Alvin York who won this award. Shucks, I've been in the business 16 years and sometimes dreamed I might get one of these. That's all I can say{{spaces}}... Funny when I was dreaming I always made a better speech."<ref name="meyers-157" />
[[File:Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper in Ball of Fire trailer 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=Screen capture of Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper|[[Barbara Stanwyck]] and Cooper in ''[[Ball of Fire]]'', 1941]]

Cooper concluded the year back at Goldwyn with Howard Hawks to make the romantic comedy ''[[Ball of Fire]]'' with [[Barbara Stanwyck]].<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 184–86.</ref> In the film, Cooper plays a shy linguistics professor who leads a team of seven scholars who are writing an encyclopedia. While researching slang, he meets Stanwyck's flirtatious burlesque stripper Sugarpuss O'Shea who blows the dust off their staid life of books.<ref name="meyers-161">Meyers 1998, p. 161.</ref> The screenplay by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder provided Cooper the opportunity to exercise the full range of his light comedy skills.<ref name="meyers-161" /> In his review for the ''New York Herald Tribune'', Howard Barnes wrote that Cooper handled the role with "great skill and comic emphasis" and that his performance was "utterly delightful".<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 185–86.</ref> Though small in scale, ''Ball of Fire'' was one of the top-grossing films of the year<ref name="arce-179">Arce 1979, p. 179.</ref> and Cooper's fourth consecutive picture to make the top 20.<ref name="arce-179" />

Cooper's only film appearance in 1942 was also his last under his Goldwyn contract.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 237.</ref> In [[Sam Wood]]'s biographical film ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'',<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 187–189.</ref> Cooper portrays baseball star [[Lou Gehrig]], who established a record with the [[New York Yankees]] for playing in 2,130 consecutive games.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 162.</ref> Cooper was reluctant to play the seven-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], who had died only the previous year from [[ALS]] (now commonly called "Lou Gehrig's disease").<ref name="meyers-163">Meyers 1998, p. 163.</ref> Beyond the challenges of effectively portraying such a popular and nationally recognized figure, Cooper knew very little about baseball<ref name="swindell-238">Swindell 1980, p. 238.</ref> and was not left-handed like Gehrig.<ref name="meyers-163" />

After Gehrig's widow visited the actor and expressed her desire that he portray her husband,<ref name="meyers-163" /> Cooper accepted the role that covered a 20-year span of Gehrig's life: his early love of baseball, his rise to greatness, his loving marriage, and his struggle with illness, culminating in his farewell speech at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] on July 4, 1939, before 62,000 fans.<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 188–89.</ref> Cooper quickly learned the physical movements of a baseball player and developed a fluid, believable swing.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 164.</ref> The [[handedness]] issue was solved by reversing the print for certain batting scenes.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 239.</ref> The film was one of the year's top-10 pictures<ref name="meyers-167" /> and received 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Cooper's third).<ref name="oscars-1943" />
[[File:For Whom The Bell Tolls trailer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Screen capture of Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper|[[Ingrid Bergman]] and Cooper in ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls (film)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]]'', 1943]]

Soon after the publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls]]'', Paramount paid $150,000 for the film rights with the express intent of casting Cooper in the lead role of Robert Jordan,<ref name="arce-183">Arce 1979, p. 183.</ref> an American explosives expert who fights alongside the [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Republican]] loyalists during the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 180.</ref> The original director, Cecil B. DeMille, was replaced by Sam Wood, who brought in [[Dudley Nichols]] for the screenplay.<ref name="arce-183" /> After the start of principal photography in the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] in late 1942, [[Ingrid Bergman]] was brought in to replace ballerina [[Vera Zorina]] as the female lead, a change supported by Cooper and Hemingway.<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 178–179.</ref> The love scenes between Bergman and Cooper were "rapturous" and passionate.<ref name="meyers-179">Meyers 1998, p. 179.</ref><ref name="swindell-247">Swindell 1980, p. 247.</ref> Howard Barnes in the ''New York Herald Tribune'' wrote that both actors performed with "the true stature and authority of stars".<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 193.</ref> While the film distorted the novel's original political themes and meaning,<ref>Arce 1979, p. 184.</ref><ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 181–182.</ref> ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls (film)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]]'' was a critical and commercial success and received 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Cooper's fourth).<ref name="swindell-247" />

====World War II related activities====
[[File:StateLibQld 1 107016 Asking for Gary Cooper's autograph, November 1943.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=Photo of Gary Cooper signing an autograph|Cooper signing an autograph for a servicewoman in [[Brisbane]] during his tour of the South West Pacific, November 1943]]

Due to his age and health, Cooper did not serve in the military during World War II,<ref name="dickens-14" /> but like many of his colleagues, he got involved in the [[war effort]] by entertaining the troops.<ref name="meyers-167">Meyers 1998, p. 167.</ref> In June 1943, he visited military hospitals in San Diego,<ref name="meyers-167" /> and often appeared at the [[Hollywood Canteen]] serving food to the Servicemen.<ref name="arce-189">Arce 1979, p. 189.</ref> In late 1943, Cooper undertook a {{convert|23000|mi|km|adj=mid}} tour of the [[South West Pacific theatre of World War II|South West Pacific]] with actresses [[Una Merkel]] and [[Phyllis Brooks]] and accordionist Andy Arcari.<ref name="meyers-167" /><ref name="arce-189" /><ref name="swindell-250">Swindell 1980, p. 250.</ref>

Traveling on a [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24A Liberator]] bomber,<ref name="meyers-167" /> the group toured the [[Cook Islands]], [[Fiji]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Queensland]], [[Brisbane]]{{snd}}where General [[Douglas MacArthur]] told Cooper he was watching ''Sergeant York'' in a Manila theater when Japanese bombs began falling<ref name="meyers-167" />{{snd}}[[New Guinea]], [[Jayapura]] then throughout the [[Solomon Islands]].<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 167–68.</ref>

The group often shared the same sparse living conditions and K-rations as the troops.<ref name="meyers-169">Meyers 1998, p. 169.</ref> Cooper met with the servicemen and women, visited military hospitals, introduced his attractive colleagues and participated in occasional skits.<ref name="meyers-169" /> The shows concluded with Cooper's moving recitation of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech.<ref name="meyers-169" /> When he returned to the United States, he visited military hospitals throughout the country.<ref name="meyers-169" /> Cooper later called his time with the troops the "greatest emotional experience" of his life.<ref name="swindell-250" />