The Cowboy and the Lady

Director: H.C. Potter H.C. Potter

Overview

After an eccentric young woman (Merle Oberon) is left on her father's estate to keep her from spoiling his Presidential bid, she attends a rodeo and falls in love with a cowboy (Gary Cooper). They marry soon after, and must confront the furious father.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/09/2016
UPC:	0888574378653
Original Release:	1938
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	31,658

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gary Cooper	Stretch Willoughby
Merle Oberon	Mary Smith
Patsy Kelly	Katie Callahan
Walter Brennan	Sugar
Fuzzy Knight	Buzz
Mabel Todd	Elly
Henry Kolker	Mr. Smith
Harry Davenport	Uncle Hannibal Smith
Emma Dunn	Ma Hawkins
Walter Walker	Ames
Berton Churchill	Henderson
Charles Richman	Dillon
Fredrik Vogeding	Captain
Arthur Hoyt	Valet
Irving Bacon	Actor
Mabel Colcord	Old Woman
Billy Wayne	Rodeo Rider
Ernie Adams	Rodeo Rider,Rodeo Rider
Russ Powell	Rodeo Rider,Rodeo Rider
Jack Baxley	Rodeo Rider
John Judd	Rodeo Rider
Hank Worden	Cowhand
Alfred Newman	Composer

Technical Credits

S.N. Behrman

Sonya Levien

H.C. Potter	Director
S.N. Behrman	Screenwriter
Sonya Levien	Screenwriter
Samuel Goldwyn	Producer
Paul Neal	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A middling little comedy Western, The Cowboy and the Lady is probably more well known for how it came to be -- Leo McCarey's performance during a pitch story was so convincing and entertaining that it was only after the property was bought that producer Samuel Goldwyn realized he had purchased little more than a title. Certainly, it's not because it's a great movie. As a matter of fact, the clumsy, often unbelievable screenplay reveals its slapdash origins and the fact that scads of writers tried their hand at making McCarey's pitch into something filmable. But despite their best efforts, the screenplay is flat and predictable, with bits and pieces lifted shamelessly from other, better pictures. Gary Cooper's big "you're all snobs" monologue is positively painful; it shows what happens when someone tries to write a Frank Capra-styled "all men are equal" speech without Capra's conviction -- and without setting it up properly. Fortunately, Cowboy has Cooper and the incredibly lovely Merle Oberon on hand. They're not turning in their greatest performances, but they work well together and their star-power carries the film over its many weak parts. They get fine assistance from the likes of Patsy Kelly, Walter Brennan, and especially Harry Davenport, but it's the stars that manage to give The Cowboy and the Lady some luster.