The Westerner*

The Westerner

Directed by William Wyler. 100 mins. (1940)

Gary Cooper – Cole Harden

A drifting cowboy narrowly escapes hanging at the hands of the eccentric Judge Roy Bean by posing as a friend of the judge’s idol, Lillie Langtry—only to find himself drawn into a dangerous conflict between frontier justice and a community of homesteaders fighting to survive.

Also starring Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport, Forrest Tucker, Chill Wills, Lilian Bond, and Dana Andrews.

Loosely inspired by the legendary Texas judge Roy Bean and his obsession with actress Lillie Langtry. Walter Brennan’s performance as Bean earned him his third and final Academy Award.

Nominated for three Academy Awards, winning Best Supporting Actor (Walter Brennan).

MARIA’S NOTES

One of my father’s favorite directors to work with was William Wyler, from “The  Westerner” in 1940, their first collaboration - to "Friendly Persuasion "in 1956. Both films created an important impact on the film career and character of Gary Cooper.

This unusual story/film- some half-truth and half-fiction was in the beginning a source of tremendous irritation and resentment between my father and producer Samuel Goldwyn’. My father thought that he would be portraying the historical, colorful and infamous Judge Roy Bean. To his shock he discovered that Goldwyn had cast Walter Brennen in that plum part. When Cooper objected strongly, Goldwyn tried to placate him by saying don’t worry we will he will expand your part!

His role in the shooting script did not please my father at all, but he finally agreed to - fulfill his contractual obligations “under a formal written protest”!

It was another one of those tough physical locations in the desert near Tuscan, Arizona with extreme temperature fluctuations endured by the cast and crew.The role GaryCooper inhabited- a character named Cole Harden, has to use his wit, cleverness and devious tendencies in order to save his own skin, when Judge Bean wants to see him DEAD. To avoid being hung, Harden cleverly plays on Bean’s obsession with the real-life famous beauty, singer and entertainer of the day, Lily Langtry, Walter Brennen and my father became buddies while making the film. They joked around with each other with Brennen making phone calls to my father impersonating Sam Goldwyn’s angry diatribes at Cooper!! The screenwriter Niven Bush and my father also became friends as he praised how helped his writing with the factual knowledge of the real was that was so important in developing the story line.

Maria Cooper Janis