Gary Cooper & Merle Oberon in “The Cowboy and the Lady“ (1938)

Mary Smith (Merle Oberon), daughter of presidential hopeful Horace Smith (Henry Kolker), has lived a cloistered life free of scandal. She’s devoted to her father and supports his political aspirations, but longs for a life of her own. Mary’s free-spirited Uncle Hannibal (Harry Davenport) takes her dancing at a nightclub, which the police raid for gambling. Horace learns that press reporters have discovered Mary’s name on the police report, and sends his daughter off to the family’s Florida mansion. For Mary, Palm Beach during the off season is a place of loneliness and boredom. She asks her two housemaids (Patsy Kelly and Mabel Todd) if she can go along with them on a blind date with some cowboys from a visiting rodeo. The two maids agree and coach her on their three-step “system“ for getting a man interested: flatter him, get him talking about himself, and play on his sympathy with a hard-luck story. After the rodeo, Mary is attracted to the tall and unpretentious cowboy Stretch Willoughby (Gary Cooper), and pretends to be a lady’s maid. Mary attempts to get the shy cowboy interested by following the “system“, inventing a hard-luck story about her drunken father and four younger sisters whom she alone must support, adding tears to embellish her story, Stretch is won over, and the evening ends with the two kissing in the moonlight. Completely fascinated by this man who is unlike any other she’s met, Mary follows Stretch when he boards a ship for Galveston. Mary is unable to reveal her true identity. The days on board the ship bring the two closer together, and on the last night of the voyage, they are married by the ship’s captain. When the newly married couple arrives at Galveston, they set up temporary home in a tent at a rodeo camp. Mary does her best to adapt to the dusty and primitive conditions, but Stretch senses Mary’s unease, but believes it stems from her worrying over her fictitious drunken father and four younger sisters she’s supporting. He suggests she return to Palm Beach alone to settle her family obligations. She is ashamed and fears Stretch will reject her if he learns the truth about her wealthy family. Confused and miserable, Mary agrees to go back home for a few days and later meet up with Stretch at his ranch in Montana. Back at her Palm Beach mansion, Mary learns that her father is on his way with all his committee members, plus an important congressman who holds the presidential nomination in his power. Feeling trapped again, Mary finally confesses to her father that she is married to a cowboy and plans to join him in Montana immediately. When she sees her father’s disappointment, however, she agrees to stay until her father secures the presidential nomination. At his Montana ranch, Stretch is busy preparing for Mary’s arrival, but Mary never arrives. Stretch heads back to the Palm Beach mansion and bursts into the dining room, only to see his wife at the head of a dinner party table, surrounded by her father and his distinguished guests, who proceed to have a few laughs at the cowboy’s expense. Stretch leaves in anger. Seeing his daughter’s distress, Horace realizes that he has not been a good father.. Back in Montana, Stretch arrives home. His father-in-law is sitting on his front porch. Horace tells Stretch he’s quit the presidential race because he now knows that Mary’s happiness is more important, acknowledging that Mary made sacrifices all her life, thinking only of her father, never herself. Bewildered, Stretch entering the ranchhouse and finds a party underway. Uncle Hannibal raiding the kitchen, and Mary baking a cake with Ma Hawkins. Soon, the cowboy and the lady are seen kissing in Ma Hawkins’ kitchen. A 1938 American Western romantic comedy film directed by H.C. Potter, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, written by S.N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, based on a story by Frank R. Adams and veteran film director Leo McCarey, cinematography by Gregg Toland, starring Gary Cooper, Merle Oberon, Patsy Kelly, Fuzzy Knight, Mabel Todd, Harry Davenport, and Walter Brennan. Oberon was a British actress nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for “The Dark Angel“ (1935), best known for her portrayal of Catherine Earnshaw in William Wyler’s “Wuthering Heights“ (1939). The film won an Academy Award for Sound Recording (Thomas T. Moulton), and was nominated for Original Score (Alfred Newman) and Original Song (“The Cowboy and the Lady“ by Lionel Newman and Arthur Quenzer). Soundtrack: “A-Tisket A-Tasket“ (Ella Fitzgerald and Van Alexander) performed by Harry Davenport “The Cowboy and the Lady“ (Lionel Newman and Arthur Quenzer) “Red River Valley“ (Traditional) “Home on the Range“ (Daniel E. Kelley and Brewster M. Higley) “Er-ru-ti-tu-ti“ (Lionel Newman and Arthur Quenzer) performed by Fuzzy Knight (piano and vocal) “Give a Man a Horse He Can Ride“ performed by Gary Cooper, Merle Oberon “Annie Laurie“ (William Douglas and Alicia Scott) performed by Gary Cooper (harmonica)