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Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker, actor, and producer, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Army Air Service and Polish Air Force. In film, his most famous work was the 1933 movie King Kong, and he is credited as co-inventor of the Cinerama film ...
Sep 24, 2018 · The final film the two would work on was The Searchers (1956), arguably one of Ford’s best. On April 21 st, 1973, Merian C. Cooper died in his San Diego home of cancer. Having lived the life of ten men, the daredevil, adventurer and pioneer of cinema was suddenly gone. His ashes were scattered at sea, a fitting finale for a man who loved the ...
- Chasing A Dream
- World War I
- Polish-Soviet War 1919-1921
- Career
- The War Again…
- Recognition and Death
Merian C. Cooper was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. He was the youngest of his siblings and at the age of six, he started to dream about exploration and adventures, a common dream among future aviators. Then he studied at the United States Naval Academy, but didn’t finish it and became a journalist. It was not enough to satisfy his t...
In autumn 1917, Cooper went to France as a rookie, then learned the skills of a bomber pilot in Issoudun, France, and served with the 1st Day Bombardment Group. On one of his missions in 1918, he was shot down over Germany and suffered burns and injured his hands. His general signed a death certificate for him, but that’s not the end of the story. ...
In Poland, he often discussed the importance of the air force in modern warfare. Cooper also had a second motive to help Poland – as he often mentioned, his grandfather John Cooper served under Casimir Pulaski in the Siege of Savannah and considered him as a friend. Merian wanted to repay this debt and the possibility was soon on the horizon. With ...
Cooper wrote “Things Men Die For” during his time as a prisoner-of-war. It was a hapless autobiography published in 1927. Why was it hapless? In 1928, Merian started to regret releasing some details about “Nina” (Małgorzata Słomczyńska) as it was proof of his relationship outside the wedlock, so he bought back over 5,000 copies of the manuscript, a...
World War II for the United States started in 1941. Cooper was 47 years old, yet he re-enlisted and was commissioned a colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He served with Colonel Robert L. Scottin India and also worked as logistics liaison for the Doolittle Raid. He later served in China as chief of staff for General Claire Chennault of the China A...
He was awarded the Order of Virtutti Military, Poland’s highest military decoration for heroism and courage and also the Polish Cross of Valour. Additionally, he was awarded the Mexican Border Service Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. Also awarded the Distinguished Service ...
Although he would become most famous as a Hollywood producer, Merian Caldwell Cooper was a man born to adventure—and to war. Merian was afforded the best education. After completing his preparatory education at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, Cooper was appointed to the United States Naval Academy by Senator Duncan Fletcher, a family friend.
Nov. 22, 2005. Merian C. Cooper, a Floridian of stocky build and self-proclaimed middling intelligence, remains an obscure figure in the history of American manhood. After watching "I'm King Kong ...
Soldier, aviation pioneer, and patriot, Merian Cooper heroically served his nation in three wars. Shot down in WWI he was captured as a POW. During WWII he was Logistics Officer for the Doolittle Raid and Chief of Staff, China Air Task Force.
On this episode of Our American Stories, from the time he was a boy, Merian C. Cooper wanted to be an adventurer, a wish that propelled him into journalism, the National Guard, military aviation, and two world wars. Amid these, he became a movie producer and writer, working on some cinematic classics, including King Kong in 1933. He even played one of the pilots in the film. Here again, to ...
