Dallas(1950).

Dallas(1950). Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Payton and Raymond Massey.

Gary Cooper, pretends to be a U.S. Marshal dressed in a fancy coat and hat to track down the bad guys who burned down his Georgia plantation and killed his wife and son. Turning him into a  man with a price on his head.

The film begins with the Marlow boys rustling cattle from rancher Don Felipe. Marlow doesn't understand how stealing cattle will help his older brother, get the money back that he has loaned Don Felipe. "I don't buy mortgages to get paid back. I buy them to foreclose." Will Marlow tells his brothers, Bryant and Cullen.

Don Felipe, accuses Will and his brothers of rustling his cattle. Will, is shocked by Don Felipe's, accusations.  Luis sees through Will's double-talk. Bryant and Cullen hide out close by and Cullen shoots Luis in the thigh against Will's orders. Don Felipe, warns Will that his lawless day are numbered because a U.S. Marshal is on his way.

Martin Weatherby,  the new marshal, is hopelessly out of place in the West, dressed as a dandy. Weatherby finds himself caught in the middle of a shoot-out between Blayde Holliste and the famous Wild Bill Hickox that leaves Blayde in the dust. As we find out later, Blayde and Wild Bill staged the duel so that Blayde doesn't have to worry about bounty hunters. Blayde accompanies Weatherby to Dallas, but he swaps clothes with him so he can pretend to be him. No sooner than he rides into Dallas, Blayde blows holes in Cullen and takes up with, Tonia Robles, who doesn't quite understand what is going on.

Martin receives a pardon, but he slow to give it to Blayde since he is stealing his girl away from him. Blayde's real identity slips out when a former member of his Georgia regiment comes to Dallas. Marlow take off on horseback to Forth Worth and Blayde is not far behind. Marlow reaches Forth Worth first and convinces the authorities to arrest Blayde. Blayde starts fire to get out of jail and chase Marlow. Will Blayde ever get his revenge on Will Marlow ?

Cooper seems to be having fun impersonating Martin Weatherby and making a fool out of the Marlows. One of my favorite scene is when Copper uses the bad guys horse to lead him to their secret hideout.

Raymond Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983). His first movie role was in, High Treason(1927).  He played Sherlock Holmes in, The Speckled Band(1931), the first sound film version of the story. He went on to perform in the film, The Scarlet Pimpernel(1934) and, he also starred in, Things to Come(1936). Despite being Canadian, Massey became famous for his American roles such as John Brown in, Santa Fe Trail(1940) and again as John Brown in the film, Seven Angry Men.(1955).

He received great reviews on Broadway in Robert E. Sherwood's play, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, and repeated his role in the 1940 film version (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor). Massey again portrayed Lincoln in the 1956 production of, The Day Lincoln Was Shot on Ford Star Jubilee and in the film, How the West Was Won (1962).

 Massey starred in, The Doctor's Dilemma(1941), opposite Katharine Cornell, opening just one week before Pearl Harbor. During the war, he teamed up with Cornell and other leading actors in a revival of Shaw's Candida to benefit the Army Emergency Fund and the Navy Relief Society.

Massey portrayed the character of "Jonathan Brewster" in the film version of, Arsenic and Old Lace. The character had originally been played by Boris Karloff for the stage version and the character was written to resemble Karloff (an ongoing joke in the play and film). Massey and Karloff, performed together in the suspense film, The Old Dark House(1932).

He rejoined the Canadian Army for World War II, though he would eventually be released from service and return to acting work.

Following the war, he became an American citizen. His most memorable film roles include: Possessed(1947) and The Fountainhead(1949), opposite Gary Cooper.

Massey became well-known on television in the 1950s and 1960s, especially as Doctor Gillespie in the popular series Dr. Kildare. He and his son, Daniel, were cast as father and son in, The Queen's Guards(1961). Massey played a Canadian on screen only once in, 49th Parallel (1941).

Springfield Rifle(1952)

Springfield Rifle(1952). Directed by Andre de Toth. The film is set during the American Civil War. Cast: Gary Cooper, Phyllis Thaxter and Lon Chaney Jr..



The Union army needs horses and a small group of men from Fort Hedley try and bring in herds, led by Lt. Col. Hudson, but.. raiders sympathetic to the Confederacy manage to steal them right out from under the nose. Col. Sharpe suspects a southern spy is tipping them. Later, another band of Union soldiers led by Major Kearney, along with a herd of horses try and cross a mountain pass once again, only to be headed off by the raiders. Rather than risk the lives of his men, Kearney lets the raiders have the horses and heads back to the fort. Kearney reports to Hudson, they are interrupted by Capt. Tennick, who demands that Kearney be court-marshaled for being a coward. Kearney, even with the support of his men, is found guilty and is dishonorably discharged from the army, has actually volunteered to go undercover to try to prevent raids against shipments of horses to continue. Falling in with the raiders and Confederate soldiers, he gradually gains their trust and soon discovers who has been giving them secret information.

I really enjoyed this movie full of twist and turns and for those of us who like their westerns action filled this film is for you..

Phyllis Thaxter, November 20, 1921, Portland, Maine), was the daughter of Maine Supreme Court Justice Sidney Thaxter, and his wife, a former actress. Her movie debut was opposite Van Johnson in the war-time film, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.

At MGM, she usually played the wife to a number of leading men. She played a cattle owner's daughter alongside Barbara Bel Geddes in, Blood on the Moon (1948).

In(1952)Thaxter performed mostly in character parts in television: Wagon Train(1959) and the The Twilight Zone episode 'Young Man's Fancy'(1962). Thaxter was cast along with Glenn Ford as Ma and Pa Kent in the film, Superman(1978).

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943).

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Cast: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff and Katina Paxinou. This was Ingrid Bergman's first technicolor film. Hemingway handpicked Cooper and Bergman for their roles. The film was adapted for the screen by Dudley Nichols and was directed by Sam Wood. It was also nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning one.

During the Spanish Civil War, Republican soldier Robert Jordan keeps his promise to kill his compatriot Kashkin if he is ever wounded, so that Kashkin will not be captured. Soon after, Robert travels to Madrid, to report to Republican General Golz, who assigns Robert, to blow up a strategic bridge, just before the Republicans surprise air attack. Golz sends Robert, to hide in the mountains with a Spanish guide by the name Anselmo, who leads Robert to a mountain cave, which is a hideout for a small group of guerrilla soldiers and Gypsy refugees. Robert hides the dynamite in the cave and meets his new compatriots, Pablo, Pilar, Rafael, Primitivo, Andres, Fernando and Maria, a young Spanish refugee. Robert needs the gypsies' help to carry out his orders, but, worried about his friends safety Pablo refuses. Late that night, Maria warns Robert to be wary of Pablo, who now is angry because Pilar has taken control of the group. The next morning, Fernando reveals that he had sneaked away from camp and overheard Nationalists discussing rumors of a Republican attack at the bridge. Pilar, can see into the future and talks Maria, into joining Robert for a night under the stars. Excellent performances by Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman in this action packed adventure, love story that you will not soon forget. A Beautiful movie with a good atmospheric score. Cooper is not only handsome, but gives a wonderful performance. It is a "must see" for Cooper and Bergman fans.




Fun Fact:

When Ernest Hemingway told Ingrid Bergman she would have to cut off her hair for the role of Maria, she shot back, "To get that part, I'd cut my head off!" She would rehearse tirelessly until all hours of the night, begging to repeat a scene long after the director was satisfied.

Katina Paxinou (December 17, 1900 – February 22, 1973) was a Greek film and theatre actress.She trained as an opera singer, but changed career and joined the Greek Royal Theater in 1929. When World War II broke out, she was performing in London. Unable to return to Greece, she emigrated to the United States.

She is best known for her performaces in: For Whom the Bell Tolls(1943), winning an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture. Prince of Foxes (1949) and the religious epic, The Miracle(1959).

Along Came Jones (1945).

Along Came Jones(1945). Gary Copper, Lorettea Young, William Demarest and Dan Duryea. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, from the novel Useless Cowboy, by Alan Le May. Directed by Stuart Heisler.

When wounded during a stage robbery, masked bandit Monte Jarrad, drops a rifle engraved with his name. Having only the robber's name the sheriff of Payneville offers a $1,000 reward for his arrest.

When Melody Jones rides into town with the initials "MJ" carved into his saddle, the townsfolk of Payneville believe him to be Monte. Mild-mannered Melody enjoys the attention and begins to swagger like a gunslinger until Cherry De Longpre, warns Melody to ride out of town.

Melody takes her advice and after he leaves, she visits the barn where she is hiding out the wounded Monte. Melody, soon realizes that she has set him up as a decoy and returns to the ranch to confront her. That night, Cherry is shocked to find Melody in her bed and tells him that she wants to help Monte, her childhood friend.

Cherry comes up with a plan.. to send Melody to lure the posse away from the ranch while Monte heads South. But the Melody is in love with Cherry and decides to return to the ranch with plans of his own.

I thought this was a very entertaining western with a wonderful combination of suspense, action, romance and comedy. It also features an interesting cast, Loretta Young gives a wonderful performance as a woman torn between the bandit and the cowboy. Cooper gives one of his funniest performance.

Dan Duryea (January 23, 1907), was an actor of film, stage and television. He made his name on Broadway in the play, Dead End, followed by The Little Foxes. He moved to Hollywood in 1940 toperform in the film version in the same role.

He performed in similar roles as a weak characters in movies such as, The Pride of the Yankees. As his career progressed throughout the 1940s he started to perform as a bad guy in a number of film noirs: Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window, Criss Cross, Black Angel and Too Late for Tears.

From the 1950s, Duryea was more often seen in Westerns, Winchester '73 (1950), Thunder Bay (1953), The Burglar (1957), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), and the primetime soap opera Peyton Place. He also appeared in one of the first Twilight Zone episodes in 1959 as a drunken former gunfighter in "Mr. Denton on Doomsday," written by Rod Serling. He also guest starred on, The Barbara Stanwyck Show. In 1963, Duryea appeared as Dr. Ben Lorrigan in the episode, "Why Am I Grown So Cold , on the show,The Eleventh Hour.

Video: Gary Cooper.

The video below features movie clips of the best cowboy of Hollywood! Gary Cooper.

Plainsman, 1936
Westerner, 1940
North West Mounted Police, 1940
For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1943
Along Came Jones, 1945
Saratoga Trunk , 1945
Dallas, 1950
Distant Drums, 1951

The Virginian(1929).

In 1925 the beginning of Gary Cooper acting career, he found work as an "extra", usually cast as a cowboy. It is reported that he has uncredited role in the Tom Mix Western, Dick Turpin (1925). The following year, he had screen credit in, Lightnin' Wins. After the release of this short film, Cooper accepted a contract with Paramount Pictures. He changed his name to Gary in 1925, following the advice of casting director Nan Collins.

"Coop," went on to perform in over 100 films. He became a major star with his first sound picture, The Virginian(1929). Cast: Gary Cooper, Walter Huston, Richard Arlen, Mary Brian, Chester Conklin and Eugene Pallette. Location: Filmed in City of Sonora, CA .

The film begins when, Virginian a foreman, working on small ranch and his best friend Steve, soon become rivals for a school teacher. Steve joins up with bad guy Trampas and the Virginian catches him cattle rustling. As foreman, he must give the order to hang his friend. Trampas gets away, but .. returns in time for a shootout .

Vera Cruz (1954).

Vera Cruz (1954). Cast: Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, and Cesar Romero. Director: Robert Aldrich from a story by Borden Chase and considered one of the most influential Western films ever filmed. The film's Mexican setting, and attitude about violence was thought shocking at the time, and changed the future of Westerns such as The Magnificent Seven, The Wild Bunch, and the films of Sergio Leone.

The story begins as the American Civil War is ending, and Mexico is beginning a revolution against Maximilian, some North American ex-soldiers head to Mexico to offer their services to either side. Ben Trane, who was a Confederate major during the Civil War, and Joe Erin, a western outlaw, meet up in Mexico when Ben has to replace his injured horse. Later, in a small pueblo, Ben receives a very cold welcome from other North Americans who, recognizing Joe's horse, assume that Ben has killed him and are about to beat him up when Joe comes forward. Joe then talks Ben into joining his mercenaries, and they meet with the Marquis de Labordere, who represents the emperor and offers to pay them well. When Ben goes to help a young Mexican woman, Nina, he is rewarded with the theft of his wallet. After Gen. Ramirez, tries to force their hand, Ben, Joe and their men join the marquis to Mexico City. There they attend a society ball at the emperor's home. Joe is very much out of place, but he and Ben manage to charm the Countess Marie Duvarre. Maximilian agrees to pay the men fifty thousand dollars in gold to take on the special mission of escorting the countess through Juarista territories to the port of Vera Cruz, where she will leave for France. The marquis and a troop of lancers led by Capt. Danette, will also join them. Ben and Joe soon believe that the coach is carrying more than the countess...

I thought Vera Cruz, was an excellent film, loved the wonderful score by Friedhofer. My favorite scene was in the plaza, with a great gunfight followed with the meetings of the main characters in the plot including hundreds of revolutionaries and Cesar Romero, whose character is the Emperor of Mexico, Maximillian.




Fun Facts:
Produced by Burt Lancaster's production company for $1.7 million, it grossed over $11million.


Burt Lancaster was quite happy to let Gary Cooper have top billing, knowing that he had more box office pull than he did.


Eli Wallach has said that the Mexican government was so upset about the negative portrayal of Mexicans in the film that they insisted that the making of The Magnificent Seven (1960) be monitored by censors.


This film is sometimes called the "first spaghetti western," due to the influence on the Italian directors such as Sergio Leone who popularized the genre.

THE COWBOY AND THE LADY (1938).

The Cowboy and the Lady(1938). Western comedy/romance. Cast: Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon. Director H.C. Potter. Written by S.N. Behrman and Sonya Levien based on a story by Frank R. Adams and veteran film director Leo McCarey. It won an Academy Award for Sound, Recording (Thomas Moulton) and was nominated for two others, Original Score (Alfred Newman) and Original Song ("The Cowboy and the Lady", Lionel Newman and Arthur Quenzer).

Not having any fun, Mary Smith is surrounded by the friends of her father, Judge Horace Smith. Looking for a little excitement, her Uncle Hannibal takes her to a gambling club, which is raided by the police. To keep her name out of the news paper her father decides to send her to Palm Beach to avoid trouble. While there, her two maids, Katie Callahan and Elly, invite her to go on a blind date with them. She develops a crush to rodeo star Stretch Willoughby and to catch his attention, she tells him a hard luck story about supporting her father and sisters while working as a maid. The next day Stretch proposes and she joins him on a boat to Galveston. There they are married by the captain and all seems well, until, Katie calls with the news that Mr. Smith will be in Palm Beach. Mary tries to tell Stretch the truth, but she can't because he does not like the rich. Not knowing what else to do, she tells him that she has to return home because of a family emergency. When she arrives home, her father not happy with her news, asks her to hostess his dinner party. Stretch decides to go to Palm Beach to look for his new wife. Arriving at the Smith home, he walks in on their dinner party and learns of Mary's real identity. When Stretch arrives home in Montana will he have his new bride on his arm?

The story line is so romantic. When Gary Cooper's character says "When a man feels this way about a woman, it's time to get married" and as the camera fades to the porthole. :::sigh:::

Merle Oberon (18 February 1911 – 23 November 1979), began her film career in British films and the role, Anne Boleyn in the film, The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). Leading roles in such films as: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)  which helped  her career.  She travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel Goldwyn. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in, The Dark Angel (1935). A car accident in 1937 caused facial injuries that almost ended her career, but she soon performed in her best known role, as "Cathy" in Wuthering Heights (1939). Her career continued until the end of the 1940s.

THE WESTERNER (1940)

The Westerner (1940) Director: William Wyler. Writter Niven Busch, Stuart N. Lake, and Jo Swerling. Cast: Gary Cooper, Lilian Bond and Walter Brennan in one of his best performances, as Judge Roy Bean. Which helped him win his record-setting third Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. James Basevi and Stuart N. Lake also received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, black-and-white, and the Academy Award for Best Story.

Drifter Cole Harden, is arrested for stealing a horse and faces hanging. Harden talks his way out of it by claiming to be a friend of stage star Lillie Langtry, with whom the judge is a big fan of. Harden even claims to have a lock of her hair. Things start to go wrong, when Harden comes to the defense of a group of homesteaders, who Judge Bean is trying to drive away. Harden becomes sheriff and issues a warrant for Bean. When Lillie Langtry is to perform in a nearby town, Bean buys up every ticket and waits for her. Will Bean finally meet the woman he is obsessed with, or meet his match?

Everything about this film is perfect, the performances, the photography, the humour. The fight scene between Cooper and Tucker is as very realistic and the scene where Cooper cuts off a lock of Davenports hair is very.. how should I say it.. for lack of a better word, "cute".

Lilian Bond (18 January 1908 – 25 January 19910. She began her film career in the film, No More Children(1929). Between 1929 and 1931 she starred in nine films,best known for her performance in the film, Rider of the Plains(1931) opposite Tom Tyler.

From 1932 to 1953 she would have roles in 39 films, some of which were uncredited, with others having her in the lead role. Bond played Gladys DuCane in, The Old Dark House, a chorus girl who falls in love with Roger Penderel. Possibly her best-known film role was in the film, The Westerner(1940), in which she played legendary stage actress Lillie Langtry. By the 1950s her career had slowed, with her having mostly television series appearances. She retired from acting at the age of 50 in 1958.

Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper, was best known for his quiet acting style and his stoic on screen performance. Which worked out well in his Westerns. In his film career he did more than 100 films. In 1953, Cooper won his second Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Marshal Will Kane in High Noon, thought to be his finest performance. He wasn't well enough to receive his Academy Award. So, he asked John Wayne to accept it for him, a bit of irony in light of Wayne's opinion of the film.

LIST OF GARY COOPER WESTERNS:
The Hanging Tree (1959)
Man of the West (1958)
Blowing Wild (1953)
Springfield Rifle (1952)
High Noon (1952)
It's a Big Country (1951)
Dallas (1950)
Along Came Jones (1945)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
The Westerner (1940)
The Cowboy and the Lady(1938)
The Plainsman (1936)
Fighting Caravans (1931)
A Man from Wyoming(1930)
The Texan (1930)
The Virginian (1929)
The Wolf Song(1929)
Nevada(1927)
The Last Outlaw (1927)
Arizona Bound (1927)

HIGH NOON (1952)

High Noon (1952) Western. Directer Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The screenplay was written by Carl Foreman, based on John W. Cunningham's "The Tin Star."



There are several movie reviews written about High Noon, so.. I will just share why I like the film. For me High Noon, Is a "existential Western", a story about duty and courage.. I love the scenes where the clocks hands are all approaching noon. High Noon shows events as they happen, from 10.35 am until the showdown at noon. All the action happens in the last 10 minutes. The film's drama comes from Kane’s strong character. Another wonderful scene is just before the gunfight, when we see Will standing alone on the street, the entire town has deserted him. or... have they?  I love the ending.