The Southampton Playhouse presents the return of the Gary Cooper Festival, celebrating the Academy Award-winning screen legend and his lasting connection to Southampton.
The festival, which runs from May 1 through May 3 at the Southampton Playhouse, will feature screenings of timeless Academy Award-nominated films spanning Cooper’s impressive career, including “Meet John Doe,” Palme d’Or winner “Friendly Persuasion,” “The Hanging Tree,” and a 35mm presentation of the Academy Award-winning “A Farewell To Arms.”
In partnership with the Southampton Playhouse, and as part of Southampton Village’s ongoing commitment to honoring the people and stories that have shaped its rich cultural history, Southampton Mayor William Manger Jr. has declared May 7 — Gary Cooper’s birthday — as Gary Cooper Day. The Southampton Playhouse will cement Cooper’s legacy and East End ties with an inaugural paver at the Playhouse. The inaugural Gary Cooper Day also features a free community screening of “High Noon,” for which Cooper won his second Academy Award in 1952.
“Gary Cooper was not only one of the most iconic figures in American cinema, but also someone who shared a genuine and longstanding connection with Southampton Village,” said Mayor Manger. “He spent meaningful time here, drawn to the character and natural beauty of our community, and in doing so became part of its history. Establishing ‘Gary Cooper Day’ is a way for us to recognize both his extraordinary contributions to film and his personal ties to our village.”
“Cooper’s filmography provides a template not only for first-rate screen acting, but the enduring power of the movies themselves,” said Southampton Playhouse Artistic Director Eric Kohn. “We are thrilled to welcome back the Gary Cooper Festival to not only celebrate his filmography and talent, but to honor his ties to the greater Southampton community.”
Following the success of last year’s festival, the Southampton Playhouse is delighted to welcome back Cooper’s daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, who will participate in several post-screening conversations and events. “I am honored to be part of this celebration for the second year in a row. My father’s work has meant so much to audiences around the world. Events like the Gary Cooper Festival keep his spirit alive in a special way, bringing together fans, historians, and new generations who are discovering his films for the first time,” said Maria Cooper Janis.
The festival opens on Friday, May 1, with live jazz music from Emily Paccasassi and Jim Tartaglia, setting the tone for Frank Capra’s 1941 film “Meet John Doe.” The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Maria Cooper Janis and a dinner at Shippy’s.
Saturday’s program features an afternoon screening of William Wyler’s 1956 film “Friendly Persuasion,” accompanied by a post-film conversation with Maria Cooper Janis and film historian Foster Hirsch.
That evening, the Playhouse will host a reception in the Kalisman Family Lounge, with catering generously provided by Catena’s and Wölffer Estate ahead of a special 35mm presentation of Frank Borzage’s 1932 film “Farewell To Arms,” adapted from the acclaimed Ernest Hemingway’s novel of the same name. The 35mm presentation, courtesy of UCLA’s Film & Television Archive, will directly connect Cooper’s legacy to the Hemingway family through a discussion with Ernest Hemingway’s great-grandson, Patrick Hemingway Adams, and Maria Cooper Janis. Notably, the film was released in 1932, the same year that the Playhouse first opened its doors.
The festival concludes Sunday with Delmer Daves’ 1959 film “The Hanging Tree,” one of Cooper’s psychologically complex Westerns, followed by an additional Q&A with Maria Cooper Janis.