melissad75's review
4.0
A loving, kindhearted remembrance of Gary Cooper written by his daughter, Maria. It's full of gorgeous photos of Cooper at work and at play, with family, friends and colleagues. A very sweet, enjoyable book for Cooper fans.
glowe2's review
informative
medium-paced
3.5
The book was written by Gary Cooper's daughter, Maria Janis, and consists primarily of family life pictures with captions and short narratives at the beginning of each chapter. Tom Hanks provides the introduction. This is not a tell-all story with insider gossip or the downsides of being the daughter of a celebrity. Overall, an enjoyable trip down memory lane if you grew up during this era or enjoy old movies.
Cooper's career started with silent pictures in the 1920's and he was one of the few movie stars able to the transition to the sound era. Pictures show Cooper in family settings, on vacation and at various parties and provide a non-celebrity side of life. One of the biggest movie stars of his time, he is probably best known today for his portrayal of Will Kane in High Noon. Cooper was a conservative Republican but was outspoken on how Native American had been treated. He also supported writer Carl Foreman who had written High Noon and was being blacklisted by the Hollywood studio bosses for refusing to provide names to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Maria Janis found her father to be a kind and generous man to his family, colleagues and private citizens. She does briefly mention her parent's separation which lasted several years but she expresses no negative thoughts or emotions she had during this period. The book does have some interesting aspects of his life such as his friendship with Hemingway or his meeting with the real Sergeant York before portraying him in the movie which bears his name.
Cooper's career started with silent pictures in the 1920's and he was one of the few movie stars able to the transition to the sound era. Pictures show Cooper in family settings, on vacation and at various parties and provide a non-celebrity side of life. One of the biggest movie stars of his time, he is probably best known today for his portrayal of Will Kane in High Noon. Cooper was a conservative Republican but was outspoken on how Native American had been treated. He also supported writer Carl Foreman who had written High Noon and was being blacklisted by the Hollywood studio bosses for refusing to provide names to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Maria Janis found her father to be a kind and generous man to his family, colleagues and private citizens. She does briefly mention her parent's separation which lasted several years but she expresses no negative thoughts or emotions she had during this period. The book does have some interesting aspects of his life such as his friendship with Hemingway or his meeting with the real Sergeant York before portraying him in the movie which bears his name.
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