Movie Star and Writer (02:09)

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Ernest Hemingway and Gary Copper were best friends. They died seven weeks apart in 1961. People all over the world mourned their deaths.

Preordained Friendship (03:25)

Cooper and Hemingway were very different, but interested in meeting each other, which they did in 1940 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Both believed that modern man had become too effeminate and sought to live a rugged life.

Entering Public Consciousness - 1925 (04:15)

Hemingway joined the American Red Cross during World War I. Cooper took over his father's ranch when his older brother went to war. Hemingway lived in Paris and Cooper began working as a Hollywood stuntman.

"The Virginian" (04:29)

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is still associated with Cooper, Hemingway, and Ingrid Bergman. Hemingway was fascinated with Cooper's screen persona. His writing style was similar to Cooper's acting style.

Sun Valley, Idaho (03:58)

Cooper and Hemingway met for the first time in 1940. Gene Van Gilder, a friend of both men, had died the previous year. Hemingway tested Copper by taking him to Van Gilder's grave.

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" (05:22)

The Coopers threw a party at Trail Creek Cabin in Sun Valley that Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn attended. The couples became inseparable after an argument that started when Gellhorn asked Cooper if he was a fascist sympathizer.

Celebrity and Fame (04:31)

Hemingway and Cooper let themselves be used for publicity. Cooper was more comfortable with fame than his friend. The two men liked to joke around with each other.

"Sergeant York" (05:34)

Cooper hesitated to play a conscientious objector. Hemingway was never competitive with Cooper. Hemingway's lying annoyed Rocky Cooper.

True Personalities (08:21)

Cooper was an intelligent man that intentionally kept a simple public persona. Hemingway was complicated and appreciated Cooper's genuineness.

Pearl Harbor (10:12)

The Army rejected Cooper for medical reasons. Hemingway continued working on the movie version of "For Whom the Bell Tolls." He was critical of how Paramount handled "A Farewell to Arms."

Movie - "For Whom the Bells" (04:53)

Cooper was nominated for his third Academy Award. In 1943, Hemingway was a frontline correspondent for the war. Cooper went on a USO tour.

Unbreakable Bond (07:53)

Mary Welsh did not like Cooper because of his conservative politics. He appeared as a friendly witness on the House Un-American Activities Committee.

"Across the River and Into the Trees" (05:18)

Jack Hemingway went to live with the Coopers after returning from war. An affair that Cooper started on the set of "The Fountainhead" was the first that led to a separation from his wife.

Fame, Middle Age, and Love (06:58)

Cooper asked Hemingway for advice about his relationship with Patricia Neal. Hemingway was furious when Adriana Ivancich became interested in Cooper while he was visiting Cuba.

Polar Opposites (06:38)

Hemingway was not as gracious with his younger competitors as Cooper was with his. Cooper accepted that Hemingway was contradictory.

"Old Man and the Sea" (05:56)

Cooper threatened to walk off the set of "High Noon" if Carl Foreman's name was removed from the film. Hemingway encouraged Cooper to go back to his family after his split from Neal.

Image and Reality Merge (10:07)

"High Noon" and "The Old Man and the Sea" were released in 1952. Hemingway and Cooper were enjoying professional and personal success when Hemingway and Mary were in two plane crashes in Africa.

"The Leopard Woman" (06:52)

The Coopers went to visit the Hemingways in Cuba. Hemingway turned down the opportunity to make a movie out of the Stewart Edward White novel Cooper had purchased the rights to. Those close to him were concerned about his drinking.

"Hemingway Hero" and Female Characters (07:44)

Critics accused Cooper of playing himself in movies and Hemingway of repeating himself in books. Hemingway's public image painted perceptions of his works.

"They Came to Cordura" (03:05)

Cooper could not work on the Nick Adams stories because of his illness. His last role was playing a classic "Hemingway hero."

Post Plane Crash Years (06:47)

Despite constant pain and alcoholism, Hemingway never stopped writing. Cooper had surgery for colon cancer, but his cancer spread. Hemingway received electroshock therapy at the Mayo Clinic.

"The Real West" (04:50)

Kirk Douglas reads a letter he wrote to Cooper while working on "Lonely Are the Brave." Cooper's cancer was spreading, but he kept the information private until the Academy Awards. Hemingway called him that night to say goodbye.

Artistic Legacies (03:31)

Hemingway took Cooper's death hard. He killed himself seven weeks later.

Credits: Cooper and Hemingway: The True Gen (02:00)

Credits: Cooper and Hemingway: The True Gen