The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Excellent, a Must See

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Transparently masked as a "Western", this fairly standard & predictable Screwball Comedy from 1938 relied too greatly on the "Aw-Shucks!" appeal of actor Gary Cooper.Not only that, but it also banked too heavily on the on-screen chemistry that was supposed to transpire between Cooper's character and that of actress Merle Oberon, as well.For the most part this Chick Flick (which was typical of its era) was fairly good-natured and quite uncomplicated about the motives of its storyline - But the truth was that Gary Cooper (pushing 40 at the time) was clearly too old for his part and his character was just a little too "Golly-Gee!" wholesome and naive to be at all believable.It really killed me how much rich girl Mary Smith loved the be roughly man-handled and repeatedly knocked off her high-horse by the likes of "Stretch" Hawkins (Cooper).All-in-all - The Cowboy And The Lady was OK, as far as a stock, 1930's Romantic/Comedy goes. But, the truth is, there was nothing remarkable about this picture in any way, whatsoever.

"The Farmer's Daughter" director H.C. Potter's "The Cowboy and the Lady" qualifies as a predictable but entertaining lightweight romantic comedy about a rodeo rider who falls in love with the sheltered daughter of a wealthy politician. Naturally, Gary Cooper plays the cowboy, while Merle Oberon appears as the lady. Believe it or not, this simple, contemporary yarn went through three directors and countless scenarists before Samuel Goldwyn released it. William Wyler started calling the shots, but Goldwyn replaced him with H.C. Potter. Unfortunately, Potter couldn't complete filming owing to scheduling difficulties with his next film, so Goldwyn replaced him with Stuart Heisler. "The Cowboy and the Lady" was Heisler's third film to helm after "The Hurricane" and "Straight from the Shoulder." Later, he would work together with Cooper on two more oaters, "Along Came Jones" (1945) and "Dallas" (1950)."Quo Vadis" scenarists S.N. Behrman and Sonya Levien received credit for the screenplay. Nevertheless, during the troubled production, no fewer than 13 scribes toiled on the project, including Richard Connell, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, Anita Loos, and Robert Riskin. The amazing thing about "The Cowboy and the Lady" is that it works on the level of a sophisticated fairy tale. The gal is searching for a guy and the guy is searching for a gal. He is looking for an honest woman, while she is behaving dishonestly so she can land him. Truly, Potter's film emerges as a guide to dating. Some of the comments that the women make about men are hilarious. Principally, they worry about the fragile male ego. This movie shows how a woman can land a man. Usually, it is the other way around, and "The Cowboy and the Lady" is as much a delightful comedy as it is a commentary on courtship in a simpler time. The supporting players contribute significantly to this saga, with Walter Brennan, Harry Davenport, Fuzzy Knight, and Eddie Acuff sticking their necks out in fine fashion."The Cowboy and the Lady" opens with the police raiding a night club called The Silver Bowl where illegal gambling is taking place. When the newspapers obtain a list of names of those in attendance, they spot the name Mary Smith, but are initially uncertain. Judge Smith has launched a presidential campaign and he needs the endorsement of a power broker named Oliver Wendell Henderson. When he discovers that his daughter Mary (Merle Oberon)was questioned during the raid, Judge Smith decides to send her packing to West Palm Beach so that Henderson won't catch a whiff of a scandal. In Palm Beach, Mary goes crazy with all the solitude and turns to stacking cards in house configurations. Two maids, Katie and Elly, are attending to her when she asks them about meeting guys. As it turns out, Katie and Elly plan to go out on a date with the rodeo riders. Mary persuades them to count her into their plans. Initially, when they meet the three spruced up cowhands, Mary winds up landing Sugar (Walter Brennan), but she craves Stretch (Gary Cooper) and gets him Mary deceives Stretch into believing that she is a person maid to the lady of the house. Mary explains that she helps her superior dress. Our hero and heroine hit it off on the first date and they are pretty much inseparable after this occasion. Mary has spent her entire life in the shadows so that her father, the Judge, would look good and win votes as well as elections. Mary follows Stretch to the boat ready to set a course for Galvaston. During the short trip, Stretch and Mary fall in love and Stretch gets the ship's captain to marry them. Katie and Elly call Mary and warn her that her father and his campaign is coming to Palm Beach and she is explained to entertain her father's supporters. Miraculously, Mary talks Stretch into allowing her to go back home before she relocates with him in Montana. Stretch labors under the impression that Mary has struggled to help her alcoholic father and her four sisters. Stretch admires her, but little does Stretch know that Mary is not in his social class. Eventually, this creates trouble for our love birds."The Cowboy and the Lady" boasts a happily ever after ending.

I watched this movie for the first time on what used to be a great channel AMC when I was about 10 years old. At the time, I thought old movies were silly especially black and white ones. I had all the stereotypes down and hated westerns most of all. After seeing this movie I was hooked on old movies, and watched AMC religiously, but never saw this one again until last year when TCM premiered it on their channel.Is it the greatest storyline ever told? Umm,no. I think a lot of people miss an important line to make it seem more plausible. Mary Smith grew up on a farm with her father and uncle until her father decided to get into politics for whatever reason. She even makes a comment to him early on that she wished they could go back to those days before she even met Stretch. Thus making it more realistic that she wouldn't miss the rich life.The pantomime scene is the best scene and stuck with me for years. What a man in love will do.

I saw this movie for the first time over 15 years ago. I can remember sitting in my Aunt's bedroom watching this, thinking that it was a great movie. For years i wondered what it was called because i missed the title. then one day i found it " THE COWBOY AND THE LADY" I was thrilled. It only took me 8 years to find the title and now all I had to do was find the movie.if course on ebay it was about 30 dollars. so i vowed to search and search the dollar store DVD. because that is where it is available. and then one night to my surprise TCM played it. I ran through the house like a mad woman looking for a blank tape. I have not seen the film since i was 8 or 9 years old and now at 24 I finally saw it again...