The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) - film review

When Mary Smith, the daughter of an aspiring Presidential candidate, is caught in a raid on a dance club, she is sent off to Palm Beach to avoid bringing her father into disrepute.  There, she wastes no time in following the advice of her Uncle Hannibal and hooks up with a handsome cowboy, Stretch Willoughby.  Realising that Stretch regards society women with contempt, Mary convinces him that she is a maid, and within no time at all the two are wed.  But then Mary receives a letter notifying her that her father is coming down to Palm Beach to host a dinner with the man who could secure him the Presidential nomination.  Realising she has no choice but to join her father, Mary leaves Stretch, promising that she will return...

The Cowboy and the Lady established Gary Cooper in the role he was destined to play and is best remembered for, that of the quiet cowboy, outwardly tough and emotionally restrained, but inwardly fragile and incurably romantic.  Cooper was a real-life cowboy before he turned to acting in his early twenties, something that adds authenticity to his performance and made him one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of screen cowboys. 

Although the film does feel a little dated, The Cowboy and the Lady still retains much of its appeal, mainly because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  Much of the comedy now feels rather clunky, but there are one or two good laughs to be had (Cooper throwing Oberon into a swimming pool being the comedic highlight).   What makes the film worth watching is Gary Cooper’s movingly understated portrayal of a man who thinks he has found the right girl, only to realise that he may not have done.  Not a masterpiece, but an engaging little film with a generous offering of charm, humour and pathos.

© filmsdefrance.com 2009

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