Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893, Jacksonville, Florida, USA — April 21, 1973, San Diego, California, USA, died of cancer) was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, director, screenwriter and producer. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish An adventurer or adventuress is a term that usually takes one of three meanings One whose travels are unusual and often exotic though not so unique as to qualify A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Screenwriters or scenarists are Scriptwriters who write the Screenplays from which Films and Television programs are made A film producer is a person who creates the conditions for making movies.
Cooper's most famous film work was the 1933 movie King Kong. Events British Film Institute founded March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City. King Kong is a landmark Black-and-white Adventure film about a gigantic Gorilla named " Kong " and how he is captured from
Cooper was the father of Polish translator and writer Maciej Słomczyński and was married to Dorothy Jordan. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation Maciej Słomczyński ( April 10, 1922 - March 21, 1998) was a Polish Translator and Writer, and son of Merian
Contents |
Early life
Born to John C. Cooper, of distant English descent, and the former Mary Caldwell, Merian Caldwell Cooper entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1912 but left in 1915 (his senior year). The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States that educates and commissions officers of the United States Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year In 1916 he joined the Georgia National Guard to help chase Pancho Villa in Mexico. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year For the National Guard of a State and other countries' National Guard see National Guard. Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.
World War I
Cooper was a bomber pilot during World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All He was shot down and captured by the Germans, serving out the remainder of the war in a POW camp. A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of enemy combatants captured by the enemy in time of war and is similar to an Internment camp which is used for civilian [1]
Polish Independence
From late 1919 until the 1921 Treaty of Riga he was a member of a volunteer American flight squadron, the Kościuszko Squadron, which supported the Polish Army in the Polish-Soviet War. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; (Ри́жский ми́рный договóр -- Romanisation Rízhsky Mírny dogovór --, Rīgas Polish 7th Air Escadrille (7 Eskadra Lotnicza better known as the Kościuszko Squadron, was one of the units of the Polish Air Force during the Polish-Soviet Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. On July 26, 1920, his plane was shot down, and he spent nearly 9 months in a Soviet prisoner of war camp. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of enemy combatants captured by the enemy in time of war and is similar to an Internment camp which is used for civilian He escaped just before the war was over and made it to Latvia. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. For valor he was decorated by Polish commander-in-chief Józef Piłsudski with the highest Polish military decoration, the Virtuti Militari. A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces The Order Virtuti Militari ( Latin for "For Military Virtue" is Poland 's highest Military decoration for valor in the face of
During his time as a POW, Cooper wrote an autobiography: Things Men Die For by "C". He turned the manuscript over to Dagmar Matson to type for publisher submission. It was submitted to G. P. Putnam's Sons in New York (the Knickerbocker Press) in 1927 and published that same year. G P Putnam's Sons was a major United States Book publisher based in New York City, New York. Just after the book's release, he changed his mind about releasing the personal details about "Nina" and asked Dagmar to buy up every copy she could find. She managed to acquire most of the 5,000 copies that had been released. Cooper kept a copy and Dagmar kept a copy, while the rest were eventually destroyed. Dagmar sent Nina money every month, on behalf of Cooper, until his death.
World War II
Though old enough to be free of service in World War II, he enlisted anyway, commissioned as a colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces, serving in China as chief of staff for General Claire Chennault of the China Air Task Force, then from 1943 to 1945 in the Southwest Pacific as chief of staff for the Fifth Air Force's Bomber Command. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Fifth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force, part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF
Leading many missions and carefully planning them to minimize loss of life, he was known for his hard work and relentless planning. At the end of the war, he was promoted to brigadier general. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.
Film career
Cooper led movie production for RKO Radio Pictures before and after World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including He frequently collaborated with Ernest B. Schoedsack. Ernest Beaumont Schoedsack ( June 8, 1893 - December 23, 1979) was an American Motion picture Cinematographer Cooper also served as vice president in charge of production for Pioneer Pictures from 1934 to 1936, and vice president of Selznick International Pictures in 1936–1937, before moving to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Pioneer Pictures Inc was a Hollywood motion picture company most noted for its early commitment to making color films Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio
Cooper started his film career with documentaries for Paramount Pictures such as Grass (1925) and Chang (1927), which combined real footage with staged sequences. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Grass A Nation's Battle for Life is a 1925 silent Documentary film which follows a branch of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia (today Events Top grossing films The Big Parade Ben-Hur The Freshman Chang A Drama of the Wilderness ( 1927) is a Documentary film about a poor farmer in Siam ( Thailand) and his daily struggle for survival in the Events January 10 - Fritz Lang 's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany In Chang , he used this technique to create a memorable finale featuring an elephant stampede. Chang A Drama of the Wilderness ( 1927) is a Documentary film about a poor farmer in Siam ( Thailand) and his daily struggle for survival in the Elephants ( family: Elephantidae) are large land Mammals of the order Proboscidea. A stampede is an act of mass impulse among Herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd (or crowd collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose His movie The Four Feathers was filmed among the fighting tribes of the Sudan. [1]
Throughout his career, Cooper was a proponent of technical innovation. The film King Kong, which he co-wrote, co-directed, and appeared in, was a breakthrough in this regard. King Kong is a landmark Black-and-white Adventure film about a gigantic Gorilla named " Kong " and how he is captured from Another outstanding film that he produced in trying to follow up on his success with King Kong was the 1935 film She. King Kong is a landmark Black-and-white Adventure film about a gigantic Gorilla named " Kong " and how he is captured from She is a 1935 film produced by Merian C Cooper. The film is based on H Additionally, Cooper helped pave the way for such ground-breaking technologies as Technicolor and the widescreen process Cinerama. Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation Cinerama is the trademarked name for a Widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge deeply-curved
Cooper was a good friend and frequent collaborator with noted Western director John Ford. In 1947, they formed Argosy Productions and produced such notable films as Wagon Master (1950), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), and The Searchers (1956). For the 2007 Porter Wagoner album see Wagonmaster Wagon Master is a 1950 Western film The year 1950 in film involved some significant events Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios Rio Grande is a 1950 western film and the third installment of John Ford 's "cavalry trilogy" following two RKO Pictures The year 1950 in film involved some significant events Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios The Quiet Man is a American film starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, and Barry Fitzgerald, and directed The year 1952 in film involved some significant events Events January 10 - Cecil B The Searchers is a 1956 Epic Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, which tells the story The year 1956 in film involved some significant events Events August 4 - The last film serial Blazing the Overland He was nominated for an Academy Award for producing The Quiet Man in 1952, but lost to Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Quiet Man is a American film starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, and Barry Fitzgerald, and directed Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 Drama film set in the Ringling Bros Cooper did however receive an Honorary Oscar that same year.
Cooper has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (his name is misspelled "Meriam C. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood Los Angeles California, USA, that Cooper").
Pioneer in Aviation
He was a member of the board of Pan American Airways for decades and a pioneer founder in using airplanes.
Awards
In 1927, the Boy Scouts of America made Cooper an Honorary Scout, a new category of Scout created that same year. The Boy Scouts of America ( BSA) is the largest youth organization in the United States with over five million This distinction was give to "American citizens whose achievements in outdoor activity, exploration and worthwhile adventure are of such an exceptional character as to capture the imagination of boys. . . ". The other eighteen men who were awarded this distinction were: Roy Chapman Andrews; Robert Bartlett; Frederick Russell Burnham; Richard E. Byrd; George Kruck Cherrie; James L. Clark; Lincoln Ellsworth; Louis Agassiz Fuertes; George Bird Grinnell; Charles A. Lindbergh; Donald Baxter MacMillan; Clifford H. Captain Robert Abram Bartlett ( August 15, 1875 - April 28, 1946) was a Newfoundland navigator and Arctic Frederick Russell Burnham, DSO (May 11 1861 – September 1 1947 was an American scout and world traveling adventurer known for his service to the Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, USN ( October 25, 1888 &ndash March 11, 1957) was a pioneering American polar George Kruck Cherrie (1865 &ndash 1948 was an American naturalist and Explorer. James L Clark (1883 - 1969 was a distinguished explorer and scientist of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and a former president of the Campfire Club Lincoln Ellsworth (May 12 1880 - May 26 1951 was a explorer from the United States. Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 &ndash 1927 was an American Ornithologist, illustrator and artist George Bird Grinnell ( September 20, 1849 – April 11, 1938) was an American Anthropologist, Historian, WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Donald Baxter MacMillan ( November 10, 1874 - September 7, 1970) was an American explorer sailor researcher and lecturer who made Pope; George Palmer Putnam; Kermit Roosevelt; Carl Rungius; Stewart Edward White; Orville Wright. This article is about the American book publisher who lived from 1814 to 1872 Kermit Roosevelt I MC ( October 10, 1889 – June 4, 1943) was a son of U Stewart Edward White ( 12 March 1873 – September 18 1946) was an American Author. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [2]
Miscellany
- In the 1933 version of King Kong, Cooper and co-director Ernest B. Schoedsack appear at the end piloting the plane that finally finishes off Kong. Ernest Beaumont Schoedsack ( June 8, 1893 - December 23, 1979) was an American Motion picture Cinematographer Cooper reportedly said, "We should kill the sonofabitch ourselves".
- In the 2005 remake of King Kong, upon learning that Fay Wray is not available because she's making a film for RKO, Carl Denham (Jack Black) replies, "Cooper, huh? I might have known. The year 2005 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Devil's Rejects, Cheaper King Kong is a 2005 Remake of the 1933 film of the same name about a fictional giant ape called Kong. Vina Fay Wray ( September 15, 1907 &ndash August 8, 2004) was a Canadian &ndash American actress and the first Characterization The original Denham was based on Merian C Cooper, creator of King Kong both were brave men of action who made names for themselves filming Thomas Jack Black Jr (born August 28 1969 is an American Actor, Comedian and Musician. "
- Cooper claimed that he got the idea for King Kong after he had a dream that a giant gorilla was terrorizing New York City. When he woke up, he recorded the idea and used it for the film.
- On 4 April and 11 April 2007, Turner Classic Movies premiered six films produced by Cooper at RKO but out of distribution for more than 50 years. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Turner Classic Movies ( TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial -free classic movies mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner According to TCM host Robert Osborne, Cooper agreed to a legal settlement with RKO in 1946, after accusing RKO of not giving him all the money due him from his RKO producer's contract in the 1930s. Robert Jolin Osborne (born May 3, 1932 in Colfax Washington) is an American actor and film historian best known as the host of the Turner Classic The settlement gave Cooper complete ownership of six RKO titles. Among the six titles are Rafter Romance (1933) with Ginger Rogers, Double Harness (1933) with Ann Harding and William Powell, The Right to Romance (1933), One Man's Journey (1933) with Lionel Barrymore, Living on Love (1937), and A Man to Remember (1938). Rafter Romance is a 1933 film directed by William A Seiter and starring Ginger Rogers. Ginger Rogers ( July 16, 1911 &ndash April 25, 1995) was an Academy Award -winning American film and stage actress Ann Harding ( August 7, 1901 &ndash September 1, 1981) was an American Theatre, motion picture, Radio, William Horatio Powell ( July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was a three-time Academy Award -nominated American actor noted Lionel Barrymore ( April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American Academy Award -winning actor of stage radio According to an interview with a retired RKO executive, used as a promo on TCM for the premiere, Cooper allowed the films to be shown in 1955-1956 in a limited re-release and only in New York City. The City of New York
References
- ^ a b West, James E. (1931). Dr James E West ( May 16, 1876 – May 15, 1948) was a lawyer and an advocate of children's rights who become the first professional The Boy Scouts Book of True Adventure. New York: Putnam. OCLC 8484128. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose
- ^ "Around the World" (August 29 1927). Time (magazine). Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and
- Cooper, Merian C. "The Warfare of the Jungle Folk: Campaigning Against Tigers, Elephants, and Other Wild Animals in Northern Siam. " National Geographic Magazine, February 1928: 233-268. Overview The NGS's historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural historical and natural
- Janusz Cisek: "Kosciuszko, We Are Here!", McFarland Publishing
- I'm King Kong! -- The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005), TCM documentary on Cooper, directed by Kevin Brownlow. Turner Classic Movies ( TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial -free classic movies mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Kevin Brownlow (born on June 2, 1938 in Crowborough, Sussex) is a filmmaker film historian, Television documentary -maker
- Vaz, Mark Cotta. Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong. New York, 2005.
See also
External links
- Merian C. Cooper at the Internet Movie Database
- Family Tree
- Cooper`s polish-soviet war
- mini-bio and pictures of Cooper as a teenager on JaxHistory. Howard Robard Hughes Jr (December 24 1905 – April 5 1976 was an American Aviator, Industrialist, Film producer / director, Philanthropist Com
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic