Screenland (Nov 1934-Apr 1935)

65 Cinematic Life-Story Continued from page 1 5 Gary Cooper in his first important screen role, above, with Ronald Colman in a scene from "The Winning of Barbara Worth." Ronnie was a star then, but "Coop" was just a young extra getting a "break" in an important film at a salary of seventy-five dollars a week. for April 19 35 but Cooper was unable to afford such a luxury. Therefore, on the eve of first day of production, Dick vofunteered to take Gary to the flying field the next morning. Nine o'clock came, but no Cooper arrived at the designated meeting place. Halfangry, half-anxious, Arlen hurried to his new friend's hotel room — and found Gary still in bed. Enroute to location, Arlen stopped at a sandwich stand. Gary amazed Dick by ordering a bottle of near-beer and pretzels. "Is that all you intend to eat?" Dick demanded. "I reckon this is enough," Cooper opined. "I got some eatin' to do in the picture." It later developed that his "eatin' to do" consisted of munching one bar of chocolate. After "Wings," Cooper enacted a role opposite Clara Bow in "It." During this picture, he also suffered his first contact with Hollywood gossip — he and Clara were rumored "in love." Stories emblazoning their "romance" smashed magazines and newspapers everywhere — but there was no more romance than there are watermelons on apple trees. Gary's answer to all queries about his "love for Clara" became historic. "She's a fine actress," he invariably replied. Today, years after their alleged romance and years since they have worked in a picture together, Cooper credits Miss Bow with having helped him over the rough spots and having "taught him about acting." "Children of Divorce" was the next step in the screenlife of Cooper. This picture gave him the toughest bump of his career. The director, Frank Lloyd, had from the first professed considerable faith in Gary's talents. But at the end of two days, Cooper was informed that he was so bad, he was being removed from the cast. Heart-sick over this seeming collapse of his dreams, Gary climbed into his car and headed for the Mojave Desert, there to "think things out." It is a habit of Cooper to dash to the desert when he wants to do some "serious thinking." Himself a slow, lonely man, his mind works best when the sky is his roof and the desert sands his bed. He returned to Hollywood the following day, still undecided about his career, but no longer confused in his own mind. He went at once to Henry's, a then-popular eating place on the boulevard, and ran headlong into the open arms of Director Lloyd. The rushes of the second day's work had shown such a marked improvement that the studio had decided that no one else could play the part ! Cooper returned to work imbued with new confidence, and no longer halting and awkward. In fact, his improvement was so marked that he went directly from "Children of Divorce" to stardom in "Arizona Bound," the first of a long series of Westerns. In rapid succession he starred in "Nevada," "Beau Sabreur," "Legion of the Condemned," "Doomsday," "Lilac Time," "Half a Bride," "The First Kiss," "Shopworn Angel," and "Wolf Song," during which he met Lupe Velez. He played her lover in the picture, and soon the diametrically opposed Lupe and Gary were centered in a mad romance that was hearsay in the farthest corners of the world. They were seen everywhere together, from brilliant social functions of Hollywood to prize fights at the Legion Stadium on Friday nights. They were as inseparable as clouds and rain. During this period of his life Cooper fought clear of dress clothes. He was rarely seen in any garb other than sweaters and leather jackets: in fact, he made fa mous this type of dressing long before Jack Oakie and his sweat-shirts came into prominence. Cooper's first talking picture, "The Virginian," found Gary and his old friend, Arlen, re-united. The first day of production, Cooper was to have called for Arlen at nine o'clock for a long ride to location. He arrived at four o'clock in the afternoon, mumbling his apologies. Then followed the wildest ride of Aden's life. They raced pell-mell across country, collecting four speed tickets on the way. Incidentally, they collected three more on the return trip — that's how anxious Cooper was to return to Lupe. Dead for lack of rest and at best never a fast thinker, Cooper had difficulty learning his lines. Arlen had heard that if one relaxed in a hot bath, he could study and learn more quickly. So Dick put Gary in a hot bath at the hotel. Cooper promptly went to sleep. The next day Gary again failed to remember his lines, so Arlen once more put him into a hot bath. "Coop" again went to sleep. Arlen gave up this plan. However, he discovered that Cooper could easily remember individual lines or "sides," but he couldn't remember where each such piece of dialogue occurred. So during the filming of subsequent sequences, with Gary and Mary Brian. Arlen climbed into nearby trees, and from these perches he signaled the proper lines to Gary. The scheme worked fine except that Gary had to act with one eye on Mary and the other on Arlen. Following "The Virginian," Cooper's popularity increased unbelievably. His next succession of pictures included "Seven Days' Leave," "Only the Brave," "The Texan," "Man From Wyoming," "Morocco," "The Spoilers," "Fighting Caravans," "City Streets," "I Take This Woman" and "His Woman." At this point of his career, ill health, made more acute by his historic quarrel with Lupe, forced him to take a leave of absence. He went to Africa to hunt big game. He sailed during October, 1931 — still a bachelor interested only in his career. Although his pictures had been highly successful before, Cooper returned from Africa to give the screen his finest performances in "Devil in the Deep" and "Farewell to Arms." After the latter picture he was, at least temporarily, the most sought-after actor in Hollywood. At the height of his popularity he went to MetroGoldwyn-Mayer studio on loan, to play opposite Joan Crawford in "Today We Live." He next returned to his own studio to star in "One Sunday Afternoon" and "Design For Living." It was during the filming of this second picture that Cooper, interviewed on the subject of love and marriage, denied any and all heart interest, and maintained that he would not marry for at least three or four years. A few weeks later, he became the husband of Veronica Balfe, professionally known as Sandra Shaw. The wedding took place in New York, and only members of the bride's family were present. They immediately returned to the West, stopping in Arizona for a two week's honeymoon. After that Gary resumed his career, appearing in "Alice in Wonderland." His White Knight characterization practically stole that picture. Then he was "borrowed" by M-G-M to appear opposite Marion Davies in "Operator 13." Next came "Now and Forever," and this was followed by the picture that Paramount claims is its greatest production of all time — '"Lives of a Bengal Lancer." At this writing, Cooper is literally "back where he started." He is again working for Samuel Goldwyn. This time he is costarring with Anna Sten in "The Wedding Night." His salary has increased, during the intervening ten years, ten thousand per cent — from seventy-five dollars a week to seventy-five hundred dollars a week ! In looking back over his career, Cooper staunchly refuses to select a favorite leading lady, although he talks more at length about Marion Davies than any other