Customer Reviews

Gary Cooper: American Hero

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This is a unimpressive and down-right sloppy book on one of the movies' greatest stars and actors. How could you write a blah book on Gary Cooper? The author seems to recycle too much "information" from previous books on Cooper or other stars, and is most outrageous in his passing on the lurid gossip from Jane Ellen Wayne's trashy fantasy COOPER'S WOMEN. Does Meyers REALLY believe Clara Bow in the 1930's talked to a "shocked but riveted public" about Cooper's penis size and sexual ability?? Where the heck does he believe such an interview would have been published in the 1930's!!! He further illustrates his lack of second-sourcing his information in the very same paragraph by claiming Cooper didn't have to worry about "knocking her up" since Bow couldn't have children - apparently quite oblivious to the fact that Bow gave birth to two sons several years after the Cooper affair in her marriage to actor Rex Bell!!!! The book concludes with Meyers listing Cooper's films as "best films", "important", "seeable" and a surprisingly large "poor" list including some popular favorites like IF I HAD A MILLION, THE PLAINSMAN, SOULS AT SEA, NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE, and CASANOVA BROWN. At least we know THESE are original opinions! Of note the back cover includes a very favorable comment on the book by Bill Clinton. Bill dude, you must have inhaled this time!!!

Jeffrey Meyers is laboring under the misapprehension that people picking up Gary Cooper: American Hero are simply falling all over themselves to hear his, Meyers', opinions on Cooper's films, the Method, William Wyler's talent as a director, and myriad other subjects.

I may be the first to correct Mr. Meyers' assumption, but here goes. I bought Gary Cooper: American Hero because I wanted to learn about Gary Cooper, not Jeffrey Meyers. Cooper was an extraordinarily complex man; one who loved his family but chased every girl with whom he came in contact. A man who testified as a friendly witness with HUAC but publicly supported Carl Foreman during the making of High Noon. This is the man about whom I wanted to learn, and I certainly didn't learn anything here.

I did not buy the book so that I could read long-winded, self-important, spoiler-filled critiques of Cooper's films (one memorable quote, regarding Friendly Persuasion, is "nobody can persuade me to be friendly to this film.") Mr. Meyers, nobody cares whether you're "friendly" (inanely "cute" pun noted) to the film. Your job is provide a SHORT plot synopsis (preferably spoiler-free), include some background information on the making of the film, and share what the critics and audiences at the time thought of it. In noting that Friendly Persuasion won an award at Cannes, Meyers comments that the jury must have been temporarily insane. Objectivity must be a skill that was taught on a day that Mr. Meyers was absent from Biography 101. Actually, in fairness to Biographers the world over, I think Meyers missed the entire course.

Add to this a spectacularly useless "filmography" which consists not of Cooper's films in chronological order, but four categories graded by Meyers as Best, Important, Seeable and Poor films, and you have the makings of a truly terrible book. The sad thing is that if Meyers knew how to be a good biographer, if he were objective, willing to go to primary sources rather than lazily re-printing old information, and were able to check simple facts such as the glaring error regarding Clara Bow "not being able to have children" (her two sons must have been surprised to know this), he might have been able to give us an interesting book, as he is able to string sentences together in an occasionally readable way.

If the book were entitled "My View: Jeffrey Meyers Offers His Opinion on Gary Cooper's Films (with Fanciful Asides Regarding his Personal Life)" at least readers would know what they were getting. Gary Cooper: American Hero is a disservice to the man and his stellar film career.

There's nothing new here. Old facts, little analysis, a boring narrative. More of a fan magazine profile than an in-depth biography. Very poorly done.

Though still seen today on cable Gary Cooper's movies only tell part of the story. A man that never said 2 words when one would do or even one when a look would do. The book helps us all to understand this Legend of the screen better. Little known facts about his childhood and extensive education are revealed. Proving that images of silence often conceal greater intelligence than the ramblings of the self absorbed.