Gary Cooper: Enduring Style Book Review – Mesmerizing Images, Unique Stories, A Must Have (Pictures)
- Details
- Category: Books
- Published on Tuesday, 26 December 2023 13:15
- Written by Janet Walker
Gary Cooper: Enduring Style, from Powerhouse Books, presents a mesmerizing pictorial of Hollywood's Golden Age, with an introduction by fashion icon Ralph Lauren, stories from Cooper's life, loves, and friends, this book is a must have for cinephiles.
One can flip through the image heavy tome and discover the lifestyle of the Hollywood leading man in the Golden Age. Skiing with Clark Gable, hunting with Hemingway, parties with Jimmy Stewart, globetrotting jet setters, home in the Hamptons, and Los Angeles, Gary Cooper: Enduring Style allows cinephiles a peak into Hollywood history vault.
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Told in three sections "The Man from Montana," "The Actor" and "The Homes" readers are treated to a behind the scenes look at the man who exemplified elegance, panache, and polish and spawned generations of leading men would seek to emulate for his style.
More, of course, is told with the images, as the adage, "a picture is worth 1000 words" holds true as we thumb through the personal treasure trove of images that reveal the depth of devotion to his wife, Veronica, known as Rocky, and his deep friendships with Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart.
Image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
For storytellers, the book is inspirational, especially the image of New Year's Eve 1957 at Romanoff's in Beverly Hills, as Cooper, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and Van Heflin, gather for a celebratory toast. It is an image that can spawn a thousand stories of days, times, seasons, and events.
Image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
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Rarely are men permitted to show the depth of friendship that these images of Cooper and Gable present or devotion as Cooper and Rocky clearly embodied.
The introduction presented by iconic classic Americana fashion designer Ralph Lauren, "he had a timeless aesthetic we can't help but appreciate . . . men and women alike loved him because he was rugged and charming at the same time."
Image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
From the beginning we learn that this humble, unassuming man from Montana had a destiny. As an adolescent in 1909, Cooper was sent to study in England and over the next three years he was transformed from a lanky cowboy to a proper gentleman. Educated and intelligent, his English education expanded his world, to visualize continents seen only in stories to experiences of travel to Africa and later, after his star was rising to other exotic locales.
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His roots, as a westerner and lanky cowboy would "looked good on a horse" ushered him into the movie industry as an extra. Between 1926 and March 1931, Cooper made 28 feature films. Bitten by the travel bug and the taste of elegance and society, Cooper returned to Europe and entered society.
Image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
By 1933 he met Veronica Balfe, a woman who had a pedigree that included both Hollywood royalty and Wall Street money. Rocky as Veronica was known, by her own admission was not a talented actress, as we read, she and Cooper meshed, in intelligence, society and sports. Enduring Style is filled with images of the pair sailing, swimming, shooting, skiing, and horseback riding as well as visiting Pablo Picasso, sailing with Jack Warner on the RSS Queen Mary.
Image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
"The Actor" chapter dissects a select group of Cooper's films, and the chapter introduces Cooper through the words of legendary directors and through acting teacher Lee Strasberg who considered Cooper "his first method actor."
"The Homes," showcase Cooper and Rocky's exquisite taste, life away from the camera, and includes other equally famous superstars of the day, Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr., attending parties at their homes, in Holmby Hills, Southampton, Brentwood, and Sun Valley, Idaho.
Image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
Gary Cooper: Enduring Style opens the vault of one of Hollywood's most enduring legends and allows readers a glimpse into the life of Hollywood's Golden Era. It is a must have for cinephiles, entertainment and Hollywood historians.
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Title: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style.
Author: G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
Publisher: Powerhouse Press.
Image/Photography: G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
Length: 192 pages, Hardcover.
ISBN: 978-1-64823-035-6.
MSRP: $50.00 (U.S.), $70.00 (CAN.).
Book cover image courtesy: Gary Cooper: Enduring Style by G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis.
