A Final Star for a Hollywood Legend by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

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A phenomenon of the current economic situation is that many who have lost their jobs find themselves in employment they had not intended or expected. In truth, this isn't a new occurrence, but one that's now more frequent. Of course, few end up on a stamp because of it.

About 100 years ago, a young man named Frank Cooper — who had immigrated to the U.S. from England with his brother and parents — experienced similar job seeking frustrations. He attended college at Grinnell in Iowa where he felt his talent for drawing could help him aspire to become a political cartoonist. The family moved to Los Angeles, but as he shopped his cartoons to newspapers, he was rebuffed and couldn't find employment.

In 1920, Frank had been injured in an automobile accident resulting in a fractured hip. As part of his therapy, he took up horseback riding where his natural skill was evident. Still unemployed, he tried a variety of odd jobs including selling curtains. Eventually, a friend told him about a job paying $10 a day to ride horses in motion pictures. He applied and enjoyed regular work. He even got paid more when his falls off of a horse were especially impressive.

Soon, he caught the eye of a casting director who thought he might have a shot at actual acting. The problem was, there were already several men named Frank Cooper in films. He had to change his name. The casting director's hometown was Gary, Ind., so she suggested he change his first name to the name of the city. He did, and Gary Cooper was "born." (Later, Cooper would joke that he was relieved that his mentor hadn't "come from Poughkeepsie.")

Cooper's star status in film began accidentally in 1926. He had been cast for a small role in the film, "The Winning of Barbara Worth." As luck would have it, once filming was scheduled to begin, the actor slated to play the lead became unavailable. Cooper was given the part.

Both critics and filmgoers instantly embraced his impressive persona, and Paramount Pictures signed him for $150 a week. At the same time, numerous Hollywood women were noticing him as well. Soon, Cooper and Clara Bow became a major "item."

Cooper's first major role was in "Arizona Bound." After that, he went on to appear in Paramount's most ambitious project, the film, "Wings" (the first film to win an Academy Award for "Best Picture").

He had only one scene in the movie but, once released, the studio was swamped with letters asking about the dashing actor. After that, his film history speaks for itself.

Over the years, he assumed multiple "the" personas including, "The Texan," "The Virginian," "The Man From Wyoming," "The Westerner" and "The Plainsman." His roles varied dramatically from action/wartime standouts in "A Farewell to Arms," "Beau Geste," "Sergeant York," and "You're In The Navy Now." His breadth was most evident in other movies such as, "For Whom The Bell Tolls," "Alice In Wonderland," and his two pre-eminent films, "Pride of the Yankees" and "High Noon."

Once World War II preoccupied the nation, Cooper joined other Hollywood luminaries who were entertaining troops overseas. Cooper was not a song and dance man, so he was understandably nervous about just what he would perform for the soldiers in the South Pacific. As the story goes, one day, a young soldier asked him to recite the Lou Gerhig farewell speech he spoke in "Pride of the Yankees." He did, and it became his signature performance to crowds of mesmerized GIs.

By 1960, Cooper's health was failing with cancer. He kept his condition from the public, but his fate became known at the Academy Awards in 1961. While accepting an honorary Oscar for Cooper, actor Jimmy Stewart choked up significantly, which tipped off the world that the star was fading. On May 14, 1961, Cooper fell into a coma and died just six days past his 60th birthday.

The just-released 44-cent Gary Cooper postage stamp is the 15th in the "Legends of Hollywood" series. The color portrait image on the stamp is based on a black-and-white photo taken in 1940.

Special first-day-of-issue cancels on the stamp are available to collectors by mail. To obtain one, purchase the stamp at a local post office, affix it to a self- addressed envelope and send that inside of a separate mailing envelope to: Gary Cooper Stamp, 7001 S. Central, Room 338, Los Angeles, CA 90052. All canceled envelopes will be returned via regular mail. There's no charge for the special cancel, but all orders MUST be placed no later than Nov. 11, 2009.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the new Gary Cooper stamp has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.