Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan star in Leo McCarey’s “Good Sam”

Good Sam (1948) is an American comedy-drama directed by Leo McCarey and starring Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan. The supporting cast includes Ray Collins, Edmund Lowe, Louise Beavers, and Ruth Roman.

Gary Cooper is Sam Clayton, a Good Samaritan who is so helpful to others that he neglects his own family. Sam’s wife Lucille “Lu” Clayton is frustrated with her husband’s efforts to help everyone he meets, including her free-loading brother who has lived with them rent-free for six months.

Will Sam’s “helpful” efforts destroy his career and family life or will he realize that he can’t save the entire world on his own?

Ann Sheridan and Gary Cooper

Leo McCarey (1898 – 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. McCarey is perhaps most famous for his critically acclaimed and commercially popular comedies like Duck Soup (1933), The Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), and The Awful Truth (1937). Other popular films directed by McCarey include Going My Way (1944), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Good Sam (1948). McCarey won two Best Director Oscars for The Awful Truth and Going My Way.

Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961) was an American film actor who was known for his down-to-earth, understated acting style. He was a major star for almost four decades until his untimely death at age 60. Cooper got his start in silent film but easily made the transition to sound. During the early 1930s, he became a major star in films like A Farewell to Arms (1932), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Other popular Cooper films include Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1952). Cooper won two Best Actor Academy Awards: Sergeant York and High Noon (1952).

Ann Sheridan (1915 - 1967) was an American actress and singer. Her movie career began in 1934 when she appeared in 19 films! Her roles were all small and mostly unbilled, but she appeared in another 20+ films before she was signed to Warner Bros. in 1938. She was given better roles and was groomed for major stardom. The studio dubbed her “The Oomph Girl,” a title she hated but helped contribute to her popularity. During World War II she was a popular pin-up girl. As a star, Sheridan starred in Angels Wash Their Faces (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), It All Came True (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1941), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). During this time she starred opposite Warner’s top leading men including John Garfield, James Cagney, and George Raft. Her biggest success during this period came with Kings Row (1942), a film in which she received top billing over Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, and Betty Field. Sheridan made the transition to television and was starring in the weekly western series, Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966-67) when she became sick with cancer. She died on January 21, 1967, at the age of 51.

Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan in church

Good Sam trivia

• The film was a big commercial success which enabled Gary Cooper to negotiate a favorable contract with Warner Bros.
• Ann Sheridan was borrowed from Warner Bros. to co-star as Cooper’s wife, Lu.
• Director McCarey shot two different endings and let preview audiences decide which ending to use. The alternate ending is lost to film history.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join us for an online discussion on January 6, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation along with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. How would you, categorize this film? Do you consider it a comedy-drama, romantic comedy, or something else?
2. What did you think of Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan as a married couple?
3. Do you think there was a serious message amidst the comic situations?
4. Did this film remind you of any others you’ve seen?

10 Things You May Not Know About Barbara Stanwyck

Barbara Stanwyck (1907 – 1990) was one of the greatest movie stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age. She starred in many classic films, including the Pre-Code Baby Face (1933), Stella Dallas (1937), The Lady Eve (1941), and Double Indemnity (1944) to name a few. She became a major TV star portraying Victoria Barkley on the hit series The Big Valley (1965 – 1969). Find out how much you know or don’t know about this legendary actress.

1. Stanwyck (born Ruby Stevens) was orphaned at the age of four. She and her older brother Byron spent their childhood in and out of foster homes.

2. She was a dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies during the 1922 and 1923 seasons.

3. Her big break came on Broadway playing a chorus girl in The Noose (1926); this is when she became Barbara Stanwyck.

4. The next year, Stanwyck was the toast of Broadway for her starring role in Burlesque (1927).

5. Oscar Levant introduced Stanwyck to her first husband, Frank Fay.

Stanwyck, director Mitchell Leisen, and Fred MacMurray on the set of  Remember the Night (1940)

6. As Stanwyck’s star rose, Fay’s fell. Many believe their disintegrating marriage was the inspiration for the original film version of A Star Is Born (1937).

7. Zeppo Marx was Stanwyck’s manager and he along with Stanwyck and his first wife, Marion Benda, owned a thoroughbred horse farm called Marwyck.

8. In 1944 she was the highest paid woman in the United States.

9. She was nominated four times as Best Actress, but never won a competitive Oscar; she was awarded a special Academy Award in 1982.

10. Producer Earl Hamner Jr. originally wanted Stanwyck to play Angela Channing in the hit TV series Falcon Crest.

Looking for more information on this screen legend, check out A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel True 1907- 1940 by Victoria Wilson.