Dressed Up Like A Million-Dollar Trooper

Last week, I was lucky enough to see two classic films on the big screen. After seeing Morocco and Phantom of the Opera, I was struck by two things.


Lon Chaney was a scary looking guy.


Gary Cooper was not.

I don't think I had ever seen a Chaney film but, wow, was he freaky. And I had seen Gary Cooper in other movies but I don't think I had ever seen him so young. Unlike other heartthrobs of yesteryear (Clark Gable, Cary Crant, Tony Curtis), Cooper's performance did not seem dated at all. He was like James Dean, twenty-five years early. Marlene Dietrech was stellar but in a 1930's kind of way. It really was striking to see such a modern performance in such an old movie.