With much fanfare, the Second Annual Gary Cooper Festival was held at the Southampton Playhouse on May 1 – May 3. The festival celebrated the Academy Award-winning screen legend Gary Cooper and his enduring ties to Southampton. After some jazz by Emily Paccasassi and Jim Tartaglia, Gary Cooper’s daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, was introduced to the audience by Southampton Playhouse Artistic Director Eric Kohn. Then there was a screening of MEET JOHN DOE, one of Cooper’s favorite films. Followed by a Q&A.
Before the screening, Ms. Maria Cooper Janis spoke with Hamptons.com, saying, “I was here just the first day (last year). Well, it was one evening, and then the Saturday… I hope the festival will keep my father’s legacy more alive for the younger generation. She said that they are trying to bring the film HIGH NOON to Broadway as a show. She continued, “In London, it had run for two months, and the producers told me that at least half the audience had never seen the movie, just because of the age difference, and time, because it was made in 1951.”
She concluded by saying, “I hope we introduce people. to who he was as an actor and a human being. To me, as a daughter, he was pure gold.” She mentioned they summered in Southampton and they walked around the village, going to the usual places, including Shippy’s. She said, “He didn’t bring his work home. He left it at the studio. The main thing was that he was the same on the set or at home. I had some friends whose parents were in the industry, and that wasn’t always the case. He was a very strong father.”
In partnership with the Southampton Playhouse, and as part of Southampton Village’s ongoing commitment to honoring the people and stories that have shaped its rich cultural history, Southampton Mayor William Manger Jr. has declared May 7 (Gary Cooper’s birthday) as Gary Cooper Day. The inaugural Gary Cooper Day also features a free community screening of HIGH NOON at the Southampton Playhouse. It was the film for which Cooper won his second Academy Award in 1952.
On hand for the festival opening was Southampton Village Deputy Mayor Leonard (Len) Zinnanti. When asked, how do you feel about how they revitalize the playhouse and all the energy and positive vibes it’s bringing back to the village? He said, “I was here when the construction was going on, and I was happy to see what they were doing. And now that they’re here, I remember going to the theater back in the day. What they’ve given us is a gift that is what we used to have, and that’s the best kind of gift of all. Something special that we lost, that we’ve gotten back. That’s the way I think it’s a special thing for the village.”
Eric Kohn, the Southampton Playhouse Artistic Director, has presided over both the first and second annual Gary Cooper film festivals at the playhouse. His enthusiasm for all things Southampton Playhouse is contagious. Both he and Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos, who is the Executive Director of the Southampton Playhouse, spoke with Hamptons.com just before the festival started. Ms. Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos explained that she fully supports the festival. She then mentioned how she brings over 30 years of experience in the film, entertainment, and hospitality sectors, but also said, “My mission since the day that we opened our doors was to get to know the community of Southampton year-round. It was super important to me, and I’ve made such great strides, working with OLA of Eastern Long Island, which is an organization on the East End that represents the Spanish language community through arts and culture.” She sees the big picture.
Eric Kohn explained why he chose to open the festival with Cooper’s MEET JOHN DOE, saying, “It’s my favorite Frank Capra movie. But then this weekend, we’ve also got FAREWELL TO ARMS. We have some vintage posters on loan from a poster collector. Cooper had an amazing relationship with Ernest Hemingway. So we didn’t have that connection integrated last year, but it was spoken about in conversations. So now (this year) we get to really lean into it by hearing from Hemingway’s grandson, who’s joining us as a guest to talk about that relationship.”
Finally, it should be noted that Donna Ponkowski came all the way from the Philadelphia area to attend the festival’s opening night. Ms. Ponkowski said after viewing MEET JOHN DOE, “Oh, I loved it. I had seen the movie before, but I came specifically to see it on a big screen for the first time. Yeah, I cried at the end.”
