|
Gary Cooper was the only person that Alvin York
trusted to portray his story from the Great War.
York insisted that if Cooper was not part of the
movie he would not authorize the film. Cooper’s 1941
portrayal of the World War I hero is considered one
of his finest – and for his exceptional work he was
awarded his first Academy Award for Best Actor.
The Oscar® that Cooper won for “Sergeant York” will
be on exhibit at the National World War I Museum at
Liberty Memorial through November 29, 2009.
Maria Cooper Janis, the daughter of Gary Cooper,
loaned the National World War I Museum her father’s
Oscar® for the special exhibit. “It is very
meaningful to me to have the story of Sgt. York as
an American hero be honored at this wonderful Museum
dedicated to all the heroes of World War I. To be
able to share the symbol of excellence embodied in
the Oscar® awarded to my father Gary Cooper for his
screen portrayal of Alvin York, makes me very proud
indeed. I hope visitors leave the Museum inspired by
the memories of heroism and courage – and by the
lives lived, on and off the battlefield."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®
enthusiastically approved and supported this special
presentation of Gary Cooper’s Oscar®.
The Oscar® will be presented in the main gallery of
the National World War I Museum. Regular admission
to the Museum ($8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $4
for children) will allow guests to experience the
permanent exhibits, special exhibitions and the
Oscar®. The Museum is free for active duty military
and children under six years of age.
The Gary Cooper Oscar® exhibition is supported by
Buffalo Funds.
In her book “Gary Cooper Off Camera: A Daughter
Remembers,” Maria Cooper Janis said this of her
father’s role as Sergeant York:
"This is the role that won my father his first
Oscar®. As my father once said about this role, “It
took everything I had and I gave it everything I
had.” My father spoke of playing the role of
Sergeant Alvin York in the following way:
“I remember my first big struggle with my
responsibility to the movie-going public. Hal Wallis
showed me a script called Sergeant York, based on
the real-life story of the great hero of World War
I. In screen biographies dealing with remote
historic characters, some romantic leeway is
permissible. But York happened to be very much
alive, his exploits were real, and I felt that I
couldn’t do justice to him. York himself came to
tell me I was his own choice for the role, but I
still felt I couldn’t handle it. Here was a pious,
sincere man, a conscientious objector to war, who,
when called, became a heroic fighter for his
country. He was too big for me. He covered too much
territory.
“To prepare myself for the role, I visited Sergeant
Alvin C. York in his own Tennessee hills and
absorbed from his faith and philosophy. He didn’t
smoke or drink or swear, and he believed that every
man had a right to live in peace. But the more he
prayed for guidance, the clearer it became that
peace could not be preserved by meek surrender to an
aggressor. Once convinced that it was up to the
strong to resist attacks on the weak, he prayed for
strength and became the fightingest soldier in the
AEF.”
During his lifetime, Cooper received five Academy
Award nominations for Best Actor, winning again for
“High Noon.” His career spanned from 1925 until
shortly before his death in 1961, and included more
than 100 films.
Cooper acted in several additional movies about the
Great War. In 1927 he played a supporting role in
“Wings,” the only silent film ever to win an Oscar®
for Best Picture. In “A Farewell to Arms” (1932) he
starred opposite Helen Hayes.
Cooper was born in Montana in 1901 and went to
England with his mother and older brother in 1910.
He attended school at Dunstable but returned home
each summer, and came home in 1915 to live on and
work the family.
The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial
is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. The Museum is closed Mondays, except for
Memorial Day and Labor Day. The Museum is also
closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Last tickets for the Liberty Memorial Tower are sold
at 4:15 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the day of
your visit. The Liberty Memorial is operated in
agreement with the Kansas City, Missouri Board of
Parks and Recreation Commissioners. For more
information call 816-784-1918 or visit
www.theworldwar.org.
100 W. 26th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
816.784.1918
info@theworldwar.org
|
TCM UK
| 
TCM Spain
| 
TCM France
| TCM Latin America
| TCM Asia
| TCM Germany
TCM.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network.
