First Orlando sends me a gorgeous photo of Gary Cooper from his Hollywoodland collection, then I read a post about The Great Man in my new fave blog by Sheila O'Malley, which send me scurrying over to YouTube to check out his Big Break Movie.
The film's called Wings and won an Oscar for best picture the first year of the Academy Awards, 1927.
Sheila tells us "In Wings Cooper had only one major scene. "I played the veteran flyer," he explained. "Dick and Buddy were cadets. The camera picked me up munching on a chocolate bar in their tent. I kinda salute, throw the half-eaten candy aside, and take off for some test flying. I'm killed, but all you see is the shadow of my plane. Then the camera focuses on the unfinished chocolate. I always give credit to Arlen and Rogers for their swell reaction to my death. They made me a hero."" If you want the rest of the story about how Clara Bow, Cooper's current lover (apparently, he had a few), landed him the role you can read it in the rest of Sheila's post.
I was startled to see it was a silent movie. It started me thinking about technology moving fast - people at the beginning of the last century must have had the same buzz of excitement as we feel now as media moved from silent to talkies to colour and then TV. Imagine seeing movies in your own living room for the first time...I'll bet it felt every bit as exciting as taking your iphone out of your pocket and watching your favourite TV show while waiting in line...
Enough musing.
Enjoy.
"The general consensus seems to be that I don't act at all. " Gary Cooper
I think I might start giving you a new movie kiss every day :)
1928
In Sergeant York
3 comments:
Congratulations for your complete and educational post
who is the artist of these pictures (preferably the one with the man and woman)?
Darling, I have no idea. But you're a sweetheart for caring.
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