Desert Rider on Arte: Gary Cooper Threatened to Be Filmed

The Desert Rider (The Westerner) is a western, directed by William Wyler and featuring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan and Doris Davenport. But behind the scenes nothing was easy because the movie star refused to shoot this feature film which has now become a classic of the genre.

The story goes that Cole Hardin (Cooper) was arrested for stealing a horse that he did not commit. Following a swift trial, he was sentenced to death by Judge Roy Bean (Brennan). He avoids hanging, at least temporarily, by promising to bring him a strand of hair from the beautiful Lily Langtri, whom he claims to know and whom the judge is madly in love with …

Except that Gary Cooper vaguely watches the script, which seems to give a wonderful role to Roy Bean, a character who really existed and whose interpretation the album popularized. Judge By the lucky Luke. Years later he is played by Paul Newman and even Pierre Peret! Cited Gary Cooper, American heroCooper says:

It looked like a movie. The cowboy on horseback arrives, changing a few shots at the judge’s expense, but it really’s a coincidence. I could not understand why Gary Cooper was needed for this role.

The Desert Rider is sponsored by independent producer Samuel Goldwyn, who is quite embarrassed by the situation. The star answers the actor’s questions that his role will be extended and reminds him that he is bound by the contract to shoot the film. After this threat, Cooper writes to him again, goes on to sign:

After careful consideration, I regret to let you know that I feel that Cole Harden’s character is still inadequate and unsatisfactory to me as this story. From the beginning.

Except that Goldwyn has the right to do so and Cooper is obligated to make the film. In 1936, the actor signed a six-year contract with the producer on six films and could not break that agreement. So he reluctantly gets to do this western in which he can not find a role sufficiently developed to occupy a higher billing.

After the first crack was released, Gary Cooper, who had previously been photographed with Brennan, had a friendly relationship on the set, the latter imitating Goldwyn Cooper. They will meet four more films after Le Cavalier: The Man in the Street, Sergeant York (1941), Winner of Destiny (1942) and Horizons in Flames (1949).

Moreover, on the set, Cooper, a great scholar of the American West, consults screenwriter Niven Bush to refine the scenes. However, he was not mistaken in the role of Roy Bean, because when The Desert Rider came out, Brennan won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Western referee.

Despite the backstage tensions, Cooper will give Goldwyn two more functions to perform. Romantic comedy Fireball (1941) and biographical film about baseball player Lou Gerrig: Winner of Fate (1942).

Finally, note that two more Westerns are titled The Westerner, but offer a completely different story: a film starring Tim McCoy (1934) and a 13-episode series created by Sam Pekingpay with Brian Kate (1960).