ICONS Magazine/Radio programs

[coopfan]

I received a surprise special edition of the ICONS magazine in the mail today. This is a very big surprise as I cancelled the subscription for that magazine after too long of a wait and was refunded for it several months ago. I will post some photos of it when I get some time. It has a special collector’s star on the front cover with Stephen Bogart’s signature on it and there was a bookmark in it. When I opened it up, there was a long inscription in it from John stating Hi Dan from one coop fan to another and some other stuff that I can’t remember right now.

[Sugarpuss]

Thanks, Dan, great reading!

[coopfan]

[coopfan]

[coopfan]

[coopfan]

ICONS Top 50 Grossing Films prior to 1960. Figures reveal Box Office earnings based on ticket sales adjusted for inflation.

1. Gone With The Wind 1.3 billion dollars
2. The Ten Commandments 717.9 million dollars
3. Ben Hur 628.9 million dollars
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 610.5 million dollars
5. Fantasia 465.0 million dollars
6. Sleeping Beauty 406.9 million dollars
7. Bambi 394.2 million dollars
8. The Robe 366.5 million dollars
9. Around the World In Eighty Days 357.8 million dollars
10. Pinocchio 337.5 million dollars
11. The Greatest Show On Earth 336.0 million dollars
12. This Is The Army 330.9 million dollars
13. The Best Years of our lives 330.5 million dollars
14. Quo Vadis? 317.0 million dollars
15. Lady and the Tramp 312.0 million dollars
16. From Here To Eternity 310.5 million dollars
17. For Whom The Bell Tolls 302.1 million dollars
18. Bridge on the River Kwai 300.8 million dollars
19. The Bells of St Mary's298.5 million dollars
20. Samson & Delilah 291.0 million dollars
21. The Song of the South 288.6 million dollars
22. Duel In the Sun 285.6 million dollars
23. South Pacific 285.1 million dollars
24. Giant 274.9 million dollars
25. The Wizard of Oz 272.0 million dollars
26. Sergeant York 269.4 million dollars
27. The Jolson Story 266.1 million dollars
28. Rear Window 264.6 million dollars
29. Going My Way 260.8 million dollars
30. Peter Pan 255.5 million dollars
31. Mrs. Miniver 243.6 million dollars
32. Spartacus 243.5 million dollars
33. House of Wax 242.4 million dollars
34. Sayonara 237.5 million dollars
35. The Cain Mutiny 221.9 million dollars
36. Mister Roberts 215.9 million dollars
37. Some Like It Hot 215.4 million dollars
38. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 214.5 million dollars
39. Yankee Doodle Dandy 213.1 million dollars
40. Swiss Family Robinson 212.9 million dollars
41. The Song of Bernadette 212.2 million dollars
42. The King And I 209.2 million dollars
43. Welcome Stranger 208.9 million dollars
44. Leave Her To Heaven 208.8 million dollars
45. Meet Me In St Louis 204.8 million dollars
46. Auntie Mame 203.6 million dollars
47. Shane 203.6 million dollars
48. Blue Skies 202.2 million dollars
49. The Shaggy Dog 202.2 million dollars
50. Operation Petticoat 200.7 million dollars

Some interesting observations is that Sergeant York is ranked number 25. Also, while I am not a John Wayne or John Ford expert or even a fan, I don't think there are any of their movies on this list, but I could be wrong on this point. I know that Gary Cooper was never in a John Ford movie and I won't be buying the just announced 21 disc collection of his that will be coming out. It is interesting that so many critics and modern day people don't look at Sergeant York as one of the greatest movies ever made. In fact one person posted when the signature collection came out some stupid remarks that they wondered why Sergeant York got the the double disc treatment while their superior Fountainhead movie only got one disc. I don't see the Fountainhead on this list and doubt that I would see it in the top 1000 top grossing movie list prior to 1960. I guess that many of the critics and modern day viewers are athiests and don't like the religious story. Casablanca did not make this list and that God aweful Orson Wells movie Citizen Kane thankfully is not on the list. I guess those movies are reserved for movie film critics to designate them as the two greatest movies ever made.

[*~Mrs. Cooper ~*]

Ahhhh!! You got it signed?!!?!

Dan, you are the luckiest human being I've ever met. Is he this nice to everyone or are you, like, his long lost brother?
Confess, Dan, I know you're keeping something from us all. lol

[*~Mrs. Cooper ~*]

In fact one person posted when the signature collection came out some stupid remarks that they wondered why Sergeant York got the the double disc treatment while their superior Fountainhead movie only got one disc.

The Fountainhead, as I've stated before (and I'll go on the record for stating it again and again) is my least favorite movie. It's Gary to the complete opposite. This movie was 7 years before 'Friendly Persuasion', and he looked more worn out than I'd ever seen him before in the 40's/and early 50's!! My point is that it looked like Gary didn't even want to make this film--it showed. Sergeant York is a million times better than that film in every possible aspect. I'm not saying I disliked Gary in it, I'm just trying to explain that he was so much better than to stoop so low; it was a ladder-step down from what he's capable of. So no wonder Sergeant York won the double-disk treatment; at least these folks who put the set together had common sense!

And as for those so-and-so's on Golden Silents: it's just too bad you take such wonderful topics and trash them down with your own idiotic opinions about the greats. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, granted, but when you take it to the extreme to trash everything America stood on to make it a prideful Nation just to back-stab those who you know hold it dear to their hearts...well...shame on ya'!

*A herd of men in white jackets haul Kim away and burn her soap box*
All right, all right, take the soap box from me, but I won't stop telling the truth! Golden Silents is a wickedly terrible place! And I won't s--oooo, purple straightjackets

[coopfan]

I don’t know what is with me and John as I started emailing him and he seems to have befriended me as a fellow Gary Cooper fan. I know he probably has to put up with all those female Coop fans like I do. Lol (just kidding as you are all great even though I am the only guy that seems to post on Gary around here)

I did some checking on the movies that came out in 1941 as compared to 1939 and would agree that 1941 has 1939 beat hands down.

For one thing 1939 only offered one Gary Cooper movie in Beau Geste (not one of my favorites) and it is not as good as any of the three movies he made in 1941. Below is a link to all the movies that came out in 1941 and some of the one’s that stood out for me:

www.myvideostore.com/content/movies/year.html?client=myvideostore&page=1&year=1941

1. Meet John Doe
2. Ball of Fire
3. Sergeant York
4. They Died With their boots on (easily the best movie of the year on any other year except 1941 and 1939.
5. The Maltese Falcon (some claim to be Bogart’s best movie)
6. High Sierra (another Bogart classic)
7. Wagons Roll At Night (haven’t seen it but can’t go wrong with Bogart and Joan Leslie in a movie together.
8. Citizen Kane (don’t like this movie at all but still is considered the best movie that ever was made by the film critics.
9. Men of Boys Town (probably the only Spencer Tracey movie that I have saw and a good one)
10. Buck Privates (many consider to be Abbott and Costello’s best feature movie)
11. Abbot and Costello in the navy
12. Mr and Mrs Smith a Carole Lombard movie I haven’t seen

[*~Mrs. Cooper ~*]

Mr. And Mrs. Smith is cute, I really liked it (when I went through my Robert Montgomery crush).

So he actually responds to the emails? lol, He probably has a female filter; he just won't even bother with us

[coopfan]

So what picture won for 1941 for best picture? Some John Ford movie that I never heard of and more than likely only the truely die hard classic movie fans would even know called "How Green is my Valley". It's not one of the top 50 highest grossing movies of all time.

Here's a link to all the awards for 1941:

www.filmsite.org/aa41.html

[Sugarpuss]

A female filter? Wonder where I can get one of those...

[*~Mrs. Cooper ~*]

Wow, never heard of it. Guess I'm not the die hard fan I thought I was

Thanks for the information and links, Dan!

[coopfan]

The whole point of my last couple of post was in response to am image I posted on the last page of the ICONS magazine where they show all the movies from 1939 and then state "often hailed as the greatest year in movie history" and then at the bottom "Or Was it?" "Ever consider 1941?" See Next month.

[coopfan]

1941 may be the only year where both Cooper and Bogart both starred in 3 movies each that were all classics and Joan Leslie was in three of them.

[coopfan]

I'm really not sure why John would not have emailed you back. Perhaps he does have a female filter. He is a very nice man and world's leading expert on everything Gary Cooper. He actually makes me look a great deal more knowlegable on Cooper simply by re-posting his emails to me. I think he has convinced me to re-subscribe to the magazine as I don't think I'll be getting freebies sent my way each month and I simply have to see the special next month on the 1941 year of movies.

[coopsgirl]

Thanks for all that wonderful info Dan and the pics from the mag. That is so cool that he sent you that b/c you are always so great about sending us stuff. One good turn deserves another I always say A lot of great movies came out in '39 but for a Coop fan '41 is like Heaven Meet John Doe, Sgt. York, and Ball of Fire are in my top 5 faves of his and pretty much all time faves. I can watch them over and over and get just as much enjoyment out of them as the first time I saw them. And then you have Pride of the Yankees in '42 and it just doesn't get much better. How wonderful it would have been to be alive then if only to see those 4 movies in their original release.

You know I whole heartedly agree with you Kim that The Fountainhead is my least fave of his movies and I haven't even been able to get all the way through that one. I know some people like it but it's poorly scripted, none of the characters are likeable and sympathetic and they are constantly contradicting themselves by the actions and words. It's just not a good movie and not even Gary can save it. The only thing worth watching that one for in my opinion is the quarry scene and the bedroom scene b/c he is smoking hot

[coopfan]

I would like to start a vote or something on who has heard of "How Green is my Valley" that won for best picture in 1941. I have never heard of the actors or actresses and never once have I heard anyone mention this movie on any message board. I guess the world was a messed up place even back then when it came to academy awards for best picture. I would have voted for Gary Cooper every year I think.