Gary Cooper: American Hero (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On screen, Cooper (1901-1961) was the tall, lean AmericanAcowboy, soldier, baseball playerAwho embodied the ideals of duty, honor and integrity in a beguiling natural acting style. Off screen, he was the tall, lean American whose hedonism conflicted with the types of heroic roles that made him famous, most notably Longfellow Deeds in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and Marshall Will Kane in High Noon (1952), for which he won his second Oscar (the first came in 1942 for Sgt. York). In this diligent biography, Meyers (Bogart: A Life in Hollywood) relies heavily on abridging Cooper's films and drawing analogies to his life. (He finds that Love in the Afternoon [1957] "reflected Cooper's relations with his mistresses," for example.) Cooper turned his personal charm, "ravishing androgyny" and riding skills into a film career that spanned more than 30 years, from 1925 to his death. The democratic hero of the movies had a British education; voted Republican; was a "friendly" witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee (though he never named names); and loved the trappings of wealth. But until mid-career, Meyer notes, Cooper was more famous for his tempestuous affairs with stars like Lupe Velez, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly and Patricia Neal for than his acting ability. While Meyers ably assembles these aspects of Cooper's character, his account of the Montana-born icon never quite gets up to a full gallop. 16 pages of b&w photo insert not seen by PW. Reader's Digest book condensation.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Actor Gary Cooper was a dichotomy. He was born and educated in England, yet he was the quintessential screen cowboy, the square-jawed honest symbol of the American West. He usually played laconic, "aw shucks, ma'am" characters, yet he was a sophisticated world traveler and man about town. He was politically conservative and a man's man (Hemingway's best friend), yet he loved women and his love life was tempestuous. This well-researched biography chronicles Cooper's life from his childhood growing up on a ranch in Montana to his stardom during Hollywood's golden age. Meyers (Bogart: A Life in Hollywood, LJ 12/96) had the cooperation of Cooper's daughter as well as his friends, and what emerges is a balanced portrait of the man and his films. Each film is carefully discussed, as is his personal life. Meyers includes extensive notes, a lengthy bibliography and a filmography in which he rates Cooper's films. An outstanding biography of a film icon, who, alas, has probably already been forgotten by today's generation.?Rosellen Brewer, Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Lib. System, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Press; 1st Cooper Square Press ed edition (May 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815411405
• ISBN-13: 978-0815411406
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #631,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nope, November 28, 2005

By	"Tee" (LA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Opinionated and Misguided, December 17, 2008

By	Graceann Macleod "Books Fuel My Life" (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A simple-minded effort, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gary Cooper: An American Hero (Hardcover)

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.