Gary Cooper at High Noon: A One-Person Play in Two Acts

By: Michael Druxman

Narrated by: Tim Shafer

Gary Cooper was a Hollywood icon whose career spanned over thirty-five years. Many of his films, including Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Sergeant York, The Pride of The Yankees, and High Noon, are still revered by audiences and critics well over half a century after his death. On screen, “Coop” may have been America’s staunch hero, but in private life, he was anything but that. A man of indecision, he enjoyed torrid romances with the likes of Clara Bow, Lupe Velez, and Ingrid Bergman, as well as a three-year relationship with actress Patricia Neal, which almost brought an end to his marriage.

Michael B. Druxman’s Gary Cooper at High Noon finds the 50-year-old actor at a critical point in his life. Dealing with health issues and no longer a major box-office draw, he has accepted the role in High Noon at a fraction of his usual fee, and now, as he sits in his dressing room, he ponders his deteriorating bond with Patricia Neal, as well as what to do about his friend, Carl Foreman, the screenwriter of High Noon who is about to be blacklisted. Gary Cooper has reached a point in his life where he must make a life-changing choice.

©2019 Michael B. Druxman (P)2020 Michael B. Druxman