The Cowboy and the Lady (4 stars)

The Cowboy and the Lady, from 1938, is a sweet little romantic comedy starring my beloved Gary Cooper as the cowboy

and Merle Oberon as the lady.

Among others, Harry Davenport, Patsy Kelly, and Walter Brennan, who co-starred with Coop in at least half a dozen films, take on supporting roles here.  It's a very predictable movie...and somewhat corny...but it's totally cute.  Coop fans will definitely enjoy it.

Merle Oberon plays Mary Smith, the daughter of Judge Horace Smith, who happens to have his political aspirations on the Supreme Court. In order to keep his political ambitions alive, Mr. Smith must keep scandal away at all costs, so his daughter barely leaves the house lest she do something which would embarrass him.  One evening, though, Mary goes out, and after a newspaper article about a ruckus at a club is linked with Mary's name, Judge Smith decides that he will send his daughter down to their Palm Beach home for a period of time.

While in Palm Beach, Mary convinces her two maids to allow her to tag along on a date with them.  She ends up meeting rodeo rider Stretch Willoughby (Coop) and very quickly falls for him.  Only problem, she doesn't tell him she is a wealthy socialite...she lets him believe she is a ladies' maid and that she works to support her drunken father and four younger sisters.  After learning that Stretch doesn't think highly of the "snobby" upper class, she is afraid that revealing her true identity will drive him away from her...so she keeps up the pretense.

When Stretch departs for the rodeo's next stop in Galveston, Mary goes to the ship to talk with him.  She ends up being on board when the ship departs, and in typical whirlwind romance fashion, the two decide to have the captain marry them.  Stretch tells Mary that after the Galveston event, he will quit the rodeo and they will go to his ranch in Montana where he expects they will live happily ever after.

Of course, things don't go quite as planned.  Mary's father phones that he is coming down to Palm Beach and bringing with him the man whose support he is seeking.  Therefore, he needs Mary to play hostess at a dinner party...but Mary is in Galveston and on her way to Montana, so how can she do that?

Will Stretch find out Mary's true identity?  Will his opinion of the upper class change?  Will Mary's father get the nomination he seeks?  Will Mary and Stretch live happily ever after?  These are the questions which will play out in the remainder of this film.



The Cowboy and the Lady is corny and totally predictable, but it's adorable...AND it's Gary Cooper!!!  As in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Meet John Doe, and Ball of Fire, Coop's character is a rather sensitive, unworldly man---a man who expects people to be sincere, to be exactly what they appear to be.  It always happens, though, that the gal he falls for is not what she appears to be, and his heart gets broken---for a time.  While I'm not super-familiar with Merle Oberon, I found her to be sweet and lovely in this role; I couldn't help rooting for her to find happiness with Coop.  No, this film isn't the greatest movie ever made, but it is sweet and loads of fun.  And for Coop fans, it will greatly satisfy...he's as handsome and adorable as ever.  The supporting cast is fantastic, with Harry Davenport being particularly delightful.   The acting of everyone involved is solid---they all quite bring their characters to life beautifully  The film is out on DVD, so it should be pretty easy to track down a copy.  It is also available through Net Flix instant viewing.

Happy viewing!!

The Lodger (4 stars)

The Lodger, from 1944, is a suspenseful drama/mystery starring Merle Oberon, George Sanders, and Laird Cregar.  Set in London during the time of the Jack the Ripper killings, this film is perfect for stormy day or Halloween night viewing.  Although not a horror film by any stretch of the imagination, it definitely has that "scary movie" element to it.

Just after another young woman is killed by "The Ripper," an elderly couple rents their attic rooms to a man named Slade (Laird Cregar).  A strange man, Slade tells them he is as a pathologist, with erratic, late-night hours; therefore, he requests that they think of him not as a guest, but merely a lodger.  Upon moving in, Slade removes all the portraits from the walls of his bedroom, for, as he tells his landlords, it was as though the women's eyes were following him constantly.

The couple's niece, Kitty (Merle Oberon), lives with them, and in due time, Slade makes her acquaintance.  An aspiring actress, Kitty is beautiful and charming, and she seems to ignite something in Slade.  He is greatly interested in the fact that Kitty is a "theatre girl," which prompts Kitty to offer to get him tickets to one of her shows.

As the police continue to search for "The Ripper," they realize that the black bag-carrying man seems to target the young women of the theatre.  Eventually, everyone comes to believe that the man in the attic is the killer.  Is he though?  And is Kitty---a showgirl---safe from "The Ripper?"  Or will she be the man's next victim?  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

This movie was entertaining and mildly suspenseful.  As one who absolutely cannot do frightening films, but who does like a small amount of suspense, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lodger.  I can in all honesty say that "we chickens" can watch this film without having to cover our eyes.  Merle Oberon is lovely here...perhaps the loveliest I have ever seen her.  And Laird Cregar...wow!!  He was totally stellar in this role.  Truly, he played his part to absolute perfection.  With his Vincent Price-sounding voice, he was gentle and quiet, yet creepy and menacing all at once.  No one could have played this part better than Mr. Cregar did.  He was Academy Award-worthy here, in my opinion.

This film is out on DVD, so it ought to be fairly easy to track down.  Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for Tuesday, March 13th at 1:30 a.m.  Try to catch it if you can.

Happy viewing!!