An American Tradition And Hero On Stamps

USPS Honors Thanksgiving Day Parade And Gary Cooper

Sep 7, 2009

The United States Postal Service is honoring two American icons as commemorative stamps: a long-running holiday parade and a hero of the silver screen.

On Wednesday, September 9, 2009, the Postal Service is issuing a strip of four stamps spotlighting the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Designed by Pasadena, California’s Paul Rogers, the strip contains a continuous scene from left to right: a crowd observing a gigantic balloon; a marching band; a marching band underneath another balloon; and a float of a gigantic turkey surrounded by spectators and a television camera person.

The stamp definitely evokes the feel and atmosphere of being at the popular and long-running Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is no surprise then that the stamps are having their first-day ceremony at the famous department store in New York City. The ceremony will be held on Sept. 9, 10 a.m. at Macy’s, 151 West 34th Street, on the main floor.

In addition to the strip of four stamps, the Thanksgiving Day Parade issue will also have a first day cover set and a ceremony program as related products for sale through the Postal Service's Web site.

Stoic and Heroic

The latest and fifteenth addition to the Postal Service’s Legends of Hollywood series is Gary Cooper, one of the greatest actors in motion pictures, and whose career spanned from the 1920s until his death in 1961. It’s not the first time that Cooper has appeared on a postage stamp—his likeness was used in the 1990 Classic Films block of four stamps that featured his 1939 film Beau Geste.

The Gary Cooper stamp was based on a portrait by Kazuhiko Sano and designed by Phil Jordan. It will be issued in Hollywood on Thursday, Sept. 10. The selvage on the stamp sheet of 20 features a scene from Cooper’s 1952 film, High Noon, in which played Marshall Will Kane.

Unlike his charismatic contemporaries such as James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant (all of whom also have appeared in the Legends of Hollywood stamp series), Cooper (1901-1961) projected more of a quiet, everyman persona in his acting roles—whether it’s in war movies or Westerns, but no less heroic.

Some of his films include Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936); the aforementioned Beau Geste, Sergeant York (1941); The Pride of the Yankees (1942, in which he played baseball great Lou Gehrig); For Whom the Bells Toll (1943);The Fountainhead (1949); and Friendly Persuasion (1956). Cooper was nominated five times for an Academy Award and won two in the Best Actor category for Sergeant York and High Noon(1952). (He also received an honorary Oscar in 1961).

Products associated with the upcoming Gary Cooper stamp issue is a first-day cover, a ceremony program, and an uncut press sheet. Like the Thanksgiving Day Parade stamps, the Cooper issue can also be ordered through the Postal Service's Web site.

The copyright of the article An American Tradition And Hero On Stamps in Collecting Stamps/Coins is owned by David Chiu. Permission to republish An American Tradition And Hero On Stamps in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.