Gary Cooper Played a Baseball Icon, But He Really Didn’t Want To

The Big Picture

• Gary Cooper was chosen to play Lou Gehrig in
  The Pride of the Yankees
  despite initially not being interested.
• Cooper overcame physical limitations to accurately portray Gehrig.
• The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving 11 Oscar nominations and immortalizing Gehrig’s legacy as an American hero on screen.

In the early 1940s, Gary Cooper was the luckiest man on the face of the Earth when he was honored with the opportunity to play not just an iconic figure in professional sports, but also an American legend, Lou Gehrig. The film, The Pride of the Yankees, immortalized the legacy of the New York Yankees first baseman whose life was taken away far too soon due to his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis, a neuromuscular disease now colloquially known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” From his remarkable achievements in the sport, notably his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, to his demonstration of impeccable character and integrity that lives on today, Gehrig’s story is ripe for a feature film adaptation. Cooper appeared to be the ideal candidate to carry Gehrig’s legacy on the screen, but his reluctance to play the role nearly caused production to strike out.

What Is ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ About?

The Pride of the Yankees was directed by Sam Wood, a reliable and consistent studio filmmaker whose versatility ranged from Marx Brothers comedies to war epics. The film primarily chronicles Lou Gehrig (Cooper) away from the ballpark, focusing on his relationship with his parents, teammates, journalists, and wife, Eleanor Twitchell (Teresa Wright). Rather than our expectations of modern sports biopics, such as 42, American Underdog, Remember the Titans, and the recent Netflix film Nyad, Pride of the Yankees aligns itself as a straight-forward tear-jerker about how one person can touch the lives of many, with the competition element of Gehrig’s life serving as a complement to the man himself. Baseball fans are treated by the sight of Gehrig’s real teammates, Babe Ruth, Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, and Mark Koenig, playing themselves in this dramatized depiction of Gehrig’s life.

Carrying the towering legacy of Gehrig is a tall task, but Gary Cooper, representative of an idyllic all-American everyman (a strong, silent type, one might say) was perfect for the role. His screen presence consistently evoked exemplary heroism, and Gehrig’s humble roots perfectly complemented Cooper’s valiant determination. Having previously worked with premiere directors, notably Frank Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town) and Howard Hawks (Sergeant York, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor), Cooper was entering the prime of his career. Once producer Samuel Goldwyn was shown Gehrig’s iconic farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, and wiped the tears from his eyes, he greenlit a biopic on the famous Yankee and began the casting process.

Gary Cooper Was an Unexpected Choice for Lou Gehrig

Despite putting out a casting call, Goldwyn and Sam Wood envisioned Gary Cooper as the star to carry the mantle of Gehrig’s legacy. While they were enthusiastic, Cooper was hesitant to play the part. Initially, Goldwyn had reservations about producing a sports-adjacent film, as the genre was viewed as box office poison due to its inability to attract women to theaters. The baseball factor was indeed also a concern of Cooper, as he was by no means a fan of the sport. Cited in the book, Gary Cooper: American Hero, Cooper was persuaded to accept the part after recognizing Gehrig’s seismic social influence and being persuaded by his late wife, Eleanor Twitchell. Along with his indifference towards baseball, the actor was ill-suited to the physical demands required to portray a professional ball player. Cooper was 41 years old at the time of filming The Pride of the Yankees (which is not far off from the end of Gehrig’s playing career, as he was 37 when he passed), but the story called for Cooper to portray him as a young man. Throughout filming, Wood believed Cooper was egregiously under-selling his performance, and was certain that the final product would be a calamity due to his star’s stale acting.

To remedy the age gap, Wood and his crew deployed the art of movie magic to render Cooper as a college student at Columbia University. Cinematographer Rudolph Mate lighted Cooper from the surface to conceal lines and wrinkles on his face. As the film progressed, Mate gradually reduced the light to signal Gehrig’s aging. The Cooper biography noted that years of sustained injuries performing stunts early in his career prevented him from raising his arm above his head, which proved to be another obstacle in the way of authenticity.

The most pressing issue centered around the depiction of Gehrig at the plate. Lou Gehrig was a left-handed batter. Cooper, who already lacked a convincing swing of the bat, was right-handed. This predicament inspired a myth surrounding an intuitive behind-the-scenes trick to comply with historical accuracy. The filmmakers conceived of a plan where Gehrig’s uniform number would be printed backwards so that Cooper could bat and throw right-handed. The film negative allegedly would be flipped to comply with Gehrig’s left-handed nature in post-production.

How Did Gary Cooper Prepare To Play Lou Gehrig?

Under further investigation, it was revealed that Gary Cooper had the makings of a capable athlete. Tom Shieber, Senior Curator at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, discovered that Cooper learned how to bat left-handed, and never participated in filmmaking trickery, such as wearing a backwards uniform or running to third base rather than first. The act of flipping the film negative was only used periodically. Archive footage proves that Cooper honed his craft by learning specific tricks to perform as a lefty. Training Cooper was, coincidentally, a former professional ball player named Lefty O’Doul, who once remarked that the actor “threw the ball like an old woman tossing a hot biscuit.” O’Doul developed Cooper’s swing by having him chop down trees like a lumberjack.

In the end, Gary Cooper overcame the doubters and his internal apprehensions. The Pride of the Yankees was a hit with audiences, and it received 11 Oscar nominations, with Daniel Mandell winning for Best Film Editing, a recognition of the various montages showcasing baseball highlights. For baseball fans, the film is a stirring tribute to one of the totemic figures in the history of the sport. Most of all, the film, appealing to a wider audience, valorized Gehrig as an American folk hero. Even though his life was taken short by a terminal illness, we are naturally uplifted by his story, which was perfectly capped off by his indelible farewell speech where he refers to himself as the “luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Cooper could have played this daunting role with an ostentatious flair, but instead, he opted for a minimalist approach, which was aided by his general insecurity with the part. “What I thought was underplaying turned out to be just the right approach. On the screen, he’s perfect,” director Sam Wood stated after witnessing the final product. If Lou Gehrig showed anything, it’s that facing one’s fears is the gateway to success. Gary Cooper may not have been a seasoned ball player, but his evocation of the sports legend was a home run.

The Pride of the Yankees is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.

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