jacobs-greenwood
Produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and directed by H.C. Potter, with a story by Leo McCarey and Frank Adams, and contributions from several other writers including S.N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, who received the screenplay credits, this average romantic comedy won an Academy Award for its Sound; its title song and Score were Oscar nominated.According to Goldwyn biographer A. Scott Berg, McCarey told a story off the cuff to a bunch of the producer's writers, one evening, who then had to write the screenplay from what they'd heard.It stars Merle Oberon as the sheltered wealthy daughter of a man (Henry Kolker) who's seeking his party's nomination for POTUS. Concerned that her actions, like an appearance at a nightclub which was raided while she was with her fun-loving uncle (Harry Davenport), might jeopardize his standing with an influential power broker (Berton Churchill), her father sends her to their vacation home in Palm Beach, Florida. While she's there, she meets a rodeo cowboy, played by Gary Cooper, and the predictable happens.Oberon plays Mary Smith, daughter of Horace (Kolker) and niece of Hannibal (Davenport). Irving Bacon appears uncredited as Smith's secretary. Bored of being sequestered (e.g. in Florida), she goes with her two servants, Katie (Patsy Kelly) and Elly (Mabel Todd), on a blind date to a rodeo where she awed by the talents of one of the cowboys she later meets, a reluctant 'Stretch' Willoughby (Cooper). Katie's date is another cowboy named Sugar (Walter Brennan) and Elly's is Buzz (Fuzzy Knight). As far as the three cowboys know, the three girls all work for an absent wealthy woman.Inexperienced in dating, Mary follows the other girls' advice and tells an untrue sob story to Stretch about how she's taken care of her four siblings and aging parent. So, he believes he's finally found what he'd always been looking for in a woman, a "workhorse" in lieu of a "show horse", the type of woman he'd always seemed to find in the past. In fact, he thinks Mary is a younger, prettier version of Ma Hawkins (Emma Dunn), the mother figure who takes care of his Montana ranch. Love struck, he asks for her hand. Though she thinks it's all too soon, he tosses her in the swimming pool which (somehow!) convinces her to follow him to the dock where his rodeo show is packed up and ready to leave for Galveston by boat. She impulsively decides to go along, one thing leads to another, and the next thing you know the two of them are saying "I do" in front of the ship's captain (Frederick Vogeding) ... despite the fact that Mary's yet to tell Stretch that she's a "show horse".After a brief "fish out of water" sequence in Galveston, where Mary gets her one dress dirty and torn, she receives a call from Katie who informs her that her father and Oliver Wendell Henderson (Churchill) are coming to Palm Beach for a visit. Though Mary tells Katie she's married Stretch, she asks her to keep it a secret. She then tells Stretch that she's got to return home, to tell her employer et al, and promises to meet him in Montana the following week. Stretch then puts Mary on a bus (driven by Eddie Acuff, uncredited) home. Once there, she tells her uncle everything; he is understanding and tries to help. Her father, of course, is furious but accepts her situation if she promises to help with the Henderson dinner, during which he expects to receive the man's endorsement for the Presidential nomination.Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Stretch is getting everything ready for Mary's arrival. There are two scenes which must have been funnier when McCarey told them than when they were realized on screen: Stretch's playful (endless) pulling of Ma's apron strings, causing it to fall, and his pantomime "dinner", with the other incredulous cowboys as guests, in his to-be-completed house's framing.The Henderson dinner causes Mary to send Stretch her regrets, and promise to come later, but he decides to visit Palm Beach again to find her instead. Naturally, he walks in during the big event, finds out the truth about his wife (e.g. being a "show horse") and, in the film's best scene, ends up giving an everyman speech after being "talked down to" by the upper crusts.But, never fear. Made to feel guilty by his brother Hannibal, Horace makes things better in the end with a surprise visit to Montana. Stretch then witnesses Mary doing domestic chores under Ma's direction, gets slapped on the back by Hannibal, and the movie fades out with the newlyweds kissing in the kitchen.
classicsoncall
If you're a Gary Cooper fan, stick with his more familiar roles portraying Sergeant York, Lou Gehrig or Marshal Will Kane. Cooper seems a bit stiff here, but it was still a few years before those better known and appreciated films. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Stretch (Cooper) and sweetheart Mary (Merle Oberon), and having the relationship seem forced for the purpose of the story is never a good thing.But he was certainly better looking than Walter Brennan. Think about it, what was Katie (Patsy Kelly) thinking when she willingly traded Stretch for Sugar (Brennan) on the triple date? On balance, there was probably a better looking random trio of cowboys (figuring Fuzzy Knight included) at the rodeo the girls might have hooked up with, even with Coop in the mix.You know who the unsung hero of this affair was? How about Harry Davenport as Mary's Uncle Hannibal. That jitterbug routine early in the picture was a hoot, and he had a few more gems along the way serving counterpoint to Mary's presidential hopeful father (Henry Kolker). I would have liked to see more of him in the story.With 'Home on the Range' repeatedly surfacing in the background, "The Cowboy and the Lady" is a mildly entertaining rework of the rich girl/poor boy theme that fans of Cooper and Oberon will be interested in seeing. For the rest, be prepared for some slow filler moments when Mr. Stretch does his pantomime routine and utilizes the apron gimmick on Ma Hawkins (Emma Dunn) an annoying six times. To be fair, there is an instructive moment in which I was happy to learn that work horses are nice people.
lovewenn
I watched this movie for the first time on what used to be a great channel AMC when I was about 10 years old. At the time, I thought old movies were silly especially black and white ones. I had all the stereotypes down and hated westerns most of all. After seeing this movie I was hooked on old movies, and watched AMC religiously, but never saw this one again until last year when TCM premiered it on their channel.Is it the greatest storyline ever told? Umm,no. I think a lot of people miss an important line to make it seem more plausible. Mary Smith grew up on a farm with her father and uncle until her father decided to get into politics for whatever reason. She even makes a comment to him early on that she wished they could go back to those days before she even met Stretch. Thus making it more realistic that she wouldn't miss the rich life.The pantomime scene is the best scene and stuck with me for years. What a man in love will do.
bolangirl
I love this movie for several reasons, the plot, the acting and the beautiful cinematography. There are beach scenes and others that have a dreamlike, gauzy quality that I really love. Gary Cooper is the naive but cute cowboy and Merle as Mary the wealthy socialite who tries to hide it from him. She doesn't mean any harm, she's lonely and isolated and finds herself in an awkard situation that gets worse quickly. Don't miss Walter Brennan as his sidekick (as usual) and the other fun characters throughout this sweet and fun movie.
