Paul Colt's Blog, page 36
January 19, 2019
Well Said
We thought we’d find more material on this last lot. We didn’t. Here they are rolled into one. Will Rogers, when asked if his ancestors came over on the Mayflower said, “My relatives were here to meet them.” Rogers also said, “This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die. Prolonged life has ruined more men than it ever made.” They say living long is the best revenge.
“All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” Mark Twain, doesn’t have anything to do with Will Rogers other than Twain too was a humorist. I expect Will would approve. “The more ignorant you are the quicker you fight.” Will Rogers.
“It was considered the most dangerous route in the (Black) Hills, but as my reputation as a rider and a quick shot was well known, I was molested very little, for the toll gatherers looked on me as being a good fellow and they knew that I never missed my mark.” Pony Express rider Martha Jane Canary, better known as Calamity Jane. She was proud of the fact others considered her a ‘good fellow’. She could ride, chew, drink, cuss and shoot with the best of them. Shortly before her death Jane said, “Leave me alone and let me go to hell by my own route.”
“Never run a bluff with a six-gun.” Bat Masterson. “Shoot first and never miss.” Sound advice from one who would know. Bat saw it like his pal Wyatt Earp. Accuracy trumps speed. Most often accurate was fast enough. Bat lived out his later years as a sports writer for a New York daily. He died at his at his desk October 25, 1921. The following was found in his typewriter.
“There are those who argue that everything breaks even in this old dump of a world of ours. I suppose these ginks who argue that way hold that, because the rich man gets ice in the summer and the poor man gets it in the winter, things are breaking even for both. Maybe so, but I’ll swear I can’t see it that way.”
Bat Masterson’s life on the western frontier is one of the west’s more overlooked stories. Three years ago I began researching his life and times. His exploits are stunning. We explore his story, as he might have told it, in my new book. Friends Call Me Bat releases in May 2019.
Next Week: 2nd Classic TV Westerns
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Ride easy,
Paul
“All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” Mark Twain, doesn’t have anything to do with Will Rogers other than Twain too was a humorist. I expect Will would approve. “The more ignorant you are the quicker you fight.” Will Rogers.
“It was considered the most dangerous route in the (Black) Hills, but as my reputation as a rider and a quick shot was well known, I was molested very little, for the toll gatherers looked on me as being a good fellow and they knew that I never missed my mark.” Pony Express rider Martha Jane Canary, better known as Calamity Jane. She was proud of the fact others considered her a ‘good fellow’. She could ride, chew, drink, cuss and shoot with the best of them. Shortly before her death Jane said, “Leave me alone and let me go to hell by my own route.”
“Never run a bluff with a six-gun.” Bat Masterson. “Shoot first and never miss.” Sound advice from one who would know. Bat saw it like his pal Wyatt Earp. Accuracy trumps speed. Most often accurate was fast enough. Bat lived out his later years as a sports writer for a New York daily. He died at his at his desk October 25, 1921. The following was found in his typewriter.
“There are those who argue that everything breaks even in this old dump of a world of ours. I suppose these ginks who argue that way hold that, because the rich man gets ice in the summer and the poor man gets it in the winter, things are breaking even for both. Maybe so, but I’ll swear I can’t see it that way.”
Bat Masterson’s life on the western frontier is one of the west’s more overlooked stories. Three years ago I began researching his life and times. His exploits are stunning. We explore his story, as he might have told it, in my new book. Friends Call Me Bat releases in May 2019.
Next Week: 2nd Classic TV Westerns
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Ride easy,
Paul
January 12, 2019
Gallows Talk
“But you won’t be here to see any of ‘em; not by a damn sight, because it’s the order of this court that you be taken to the nearest tree and hung by the neck until dead, dead, dead, you son of a billy goat.” Judge Roy Bean.
Bean wasn’t the only one famous for last words. “The United States court opened at Fort Smith last week with many cases on the docket. This court has the most extensive jurisdiction of any court in the United States. More prisoners are tried and convicted here of serious offenses than at any other court in the country and more prisoners are hanged here than at any other place in the Union. Here also resided the most noted executioner in America, George Maledon, who has hanged more people than any other man in the business and never did a ‘bad-job’. . .”
This last line becomes important to the subject of a hanging. The possibilities for bad hangings were numerous and unpleasant ranging from slow strangulation to decapitation. You needed a properly placed knot and an accurate weighting to do the trick. Given the number of armature lynching’s frontier justice was known for, I suspect there we more bad hangings than good.
“ . . . Maledon seems to take pride in his profession. Launching a man into eternity seems to have no more effect on his nervous system than castor oil on a graven image.” News account.
“Can’t you hurry this up a bit? I hear they eat dinner in Hades at twelve sharp and I don’t plan to be late.” Black Jack Ketchum on the occasion of his hanging.
“My mother always said I would die with my shoes on.” Last words said by Steve Long at his hanging after asking that his shoes be removed.
“You’re the sickest looking lot of sheriffs I have ever seen.” Tom Horn on mounting the gallows.
“We never did hang the wrong one but once or twice, and them fellers needed to be hung anyhow jes’ on general principles.” Unknown Judge
“I never hanged a man that didn’t deserve it.” Judge Isaac Parker’s hangman.
Next Week: Well Said
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Paul
Bean wasn’t the only one famous for last words. “The United States court opened at Fort Smith last week with many cases on the docket. This court has the most extensive jurisdiction of any court in the United States. More prisoners are tried and convicted here of serious offenses than at any other court in the country and more prisoners are hanged here than at any other place in the Union. Here also resided the most noted executioner in America, George Maledon, who has hanged more people than any other man in the business and never did a ‘bad-job’. . .”
This last line becomes important to the subject of a hanging. The possibilities for bad hangings were numerous and unpleasant ranging from slow strangulation to decapitation. You needed a properly placed knot and an accurate weighting to do the trick. Given the number of armature lynching’s frontier justice was known for, I suspect there we more bad hangings than good.
“ . . . Maledon seems to take pride in his profession. Launching a man into eternity seems to have no more effect on his nervous system than castor oil on a graven image.” News account.
“Can’t you hurry this up a bit? I hear they eat dinner in Hades at twelve sharp and I don’t plan to be late.” Black Jack Ketchum on the occasion of his hanging.
“My mother always said I would die with my shoes on.” Last words said by Steve Long at his hanging after asking that his shoes be removed.
“You’re the sickest looking lot of sheriffs I have ever seen.” Tom Horn on mounting the gallows.
“We never did hang the wrong one but once or twice, and them fellers needed to be hung anyhow jes’ on general principles.” Unknown Judge
“I never hanged a man that didn’t deserve it.” Judge Isaac Parker’s hangman.
Next Week: Well Said
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Paul
January 5, 2019
Lilly Langtry
“They saw me, those reckless seekers of beauty, and in a night I was famous.” Easy on the eyes beauty was certainly part of Lilly Langtry’s claim to fame. As we shall see, she spiced it with a spitfire personality. Judge Roy Bean, self-proclaimed law west of the Pecos, had it bad for Miss Langtry. He fell in love with her picture. Talk about a rich fantasy life. Still it is a nice picture.
So what does a star-struck judge in puppy-love with celebrity do? He renames his Texas town ‘Langtry’. Unwilling to stop there, Judge Bean who famously held court in his saloon, renamed it the Jersey Lilly, Miss Lilly hailing from Jersey England. And from her bench Bean dispensed hang-’em justice. “Each little chapter has its place.”
The judge never met Lilly. By the time she visited Langtry, he’d passed away in tragic unrequited love. We’re left to wonder what the attraction was beyond the picture. We know she was an actress, a calling Victorian mores generally looked askance upon. She must have had a little naughty to go with her nice as we hear, “I have always been willing to take the blame for the things I have done.” And “I do not regret one moment of my life.”
So let’s speculate Lilly Langtry lived life in the horse-drawn fast lane. She wasn’t bashful or shy about living life to the fullest wherever it might lead. “Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday, is already dead.” So much for nostalgia.
Clearly she became reflective of the end when she said, “After being so bad, I could hear the angles singing.” Her character didn’t exude contrition, but in the final hour one never knows the true sentiment of the heart.
“I’m not afraid (to die)”, she said. “I never liked long lasting acts.”
Next Week: Gallows Talk
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Paul
So what does a star-struck judge in puppy-love with celebrity do? He renames his Texas town ‘Langtry’. Unwilling to stop there, Judge Bean who famously held court in his saloon, renamed it the Jersey Lilly, Miss Lilly hailing from Jersey England. And from her bench Bean dispensed hang-’em justice. “Each little chapter has its place.”
The judge never met Lilly. By the time she visited Langtry, he’d passed away in tragic unrequited love. We’re left to wonder what the attraction was beyond the picture. We know she was an actress, a calling Victorian mores generally looked askance upon. She must have had a little naughty to go with her nice as we hear, “I have always been willing to take the blame for the things I have done.” And “I do not regret one moment of my life.”
So let’s speculate Lilly Langtry lived life in the horse-drawn fast lane. She wasn’t bashful or shy about living life to the fullest wherever it might lead. “Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday, is already dead.” So much for nostalgia.
Clearly she became reflective of the end when she said, “After being so bad, I could hear the angles singing.” Her character didn’t exude contrition, but in the final hour one never knows the true sentiment of the heart.
“I’m not afraid (to die)”, she said. “I never liked long lasting acts.”
Next Week: Gallows Talk
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Ride easy,
Paul
December 22, 2018
Wild Bill Hickok
“Sure glad to see you, but hand over those guns.” Wild Bill greeting cowboys arriving in Abilene.
“Whenever you get into a row be sure and not shoot too quick. Take time. I’ve known many a feller slip up for shootin’ in a hurry.” Might could get a feller dead.
“Wild Bill had his faults, grievous ones perhaps . . . He would get drunk, gamble and indulge in the general licentiousness of the border in the early days, yet even when full of the vile libel of the name of whiskey which was dealt over the bars at exorbitant prices, he was gentle as a child, unless aroused to anger by intended insults . . . He was loyal in his friendship and generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel.” Capt. Jack Crawford
“Wild Bill was a strange character, add to this figure a costume, blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the plains.” Col. George A. Custer. A ‘costume’ of ‘extravagant style and taste’, coming from a man dressed in a ‘uniform’ of such design, the only thing regulation about it was the shine on his boots.
“Bill Hickok was regarded as the best pistol shot alive as well as being a man of great courage. The truth of certain stories of Bill’s achievements may have been open to debate but he had earned the respect paid to him.” Wyatt Earp
“Wild Bill was anything but a quarrelsome man, yet I have personal knowledge of at least half a dozen men whom he had at various times killed.” William F. Cody. Might this have been said to hype Wild Bill’s appearance in a certain wild-west show? It would seem possible. Wild Bill did appear briefly in Buffalo Bill’s western extravaganza.
“Perhaps I may yet die with my boots on.” He did.
Next Week: Lilly Langtry
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Paul
“Whenever you get into a row be sure and not shoot too quick. Take time. I’ve known many a feller slip up for shootin’ in a hurry.” Might could get a feller dead.
“Wild Bill had his faults, grievous ones perhaps . . . He would get drunk, gamble and indulge in the general licentiousness of the border in the early days, yet even when full of the vile libel of the name of whiskey which was dealt over the bars at exorbitant prices, he was gentle as a child, unless aroused to anger by intended insults . . . He was loyal in his friendship and generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel.” Capt. Jack Crawford
“Wild Bill was a strange character, add to this figure a costume, blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the plains.” Col. George A. Custer. A ‘costume’ of ‘extravagant style and taste’, coming from a man dressed in a ‘uniform’ of such design, the only thing regulation about it was the shine on his boots.
“Bill Hickok was regarded as the best pistol shot alive as well as being a man of great courage. The truth of certain stories of Bill’s achievements may have been open to debate but he had earned the respect paid to him.” Wyatt Earp
“Wild Bill was anything but a quarrelsome man, yet I have personal knowledge of at least half a dozen men whom he had at various times killed.” William F. Cody. Might this have been said to hype Wild Bill’s appearance in a certain wild-west show? It would seem possible. Wild Bill did appear briefly in Buffalo Bill’s western extravaganza.
“Perhaps I may yet die with my boots on.” He did.
Next Week: Lilly Langtry
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Paul
December 15, 2018
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid is a fascinating character. Part ‘Peck’s bad boy’ and part psychopathic killer. Everyone it seems has an opinion. Given the complexity of his character, the truth is likely found somewhere between the extremes. Billy himself said, “There’s many a slip ‘twix the cup and the lip’.”
“I am not afraid to be killed like a man, fighting. I would not like to be killed like a dog, unarmed.” In his amnesty plea to Gov. Lew Wallace. Billy was incensed by the fact Wallace pardoned most everyone involved in the Lincoln County War, except him. We had some fun with his appeal letters addressed to Wallace in A Question of Bounty.
“Most of those he did kill, deserved what they got.” Anonymous Lincoln County resident. Reminds us Billy did much of his bloody work avenging John Tunstall’s death when lawmen implicated in Tunstall’s murder refused to pursue their own.
“Awe you ain’t worth killin’” Said to John Chisum over a pay dispute. Telling Chisum he wasn’t worth killing might have hurt the cattle baron worse than a bullet.
“I knew them both well, and in my opinion, Garrett was just as hard and cold a character as the Kid.” Paulita Maxwell. Paulita may very well have been the reason Billy was in Pete Maxwell’s house the night Garrett's account claims to have killed him.
“If mob law is going to rule, better dismiss judge, sheriff, etc. and let’s all take chances alike. I expect to be lynched in going to Lincoln. Advise persons never to engage in killing.” Likely uttered to a reporter following his arrest at Stinking Springs, trial and conviction for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. Nothing like stinking springs to put a man in mind of lynching.
“I like to dance, but not in the air.” Billy got close enough to the gallows to smell the hemp.
“People thought me bad before, but if ever I should get free, I’ll let them know what bad means.” I suspect Garrett deputies Bell and Ollinger would agree.
Next Week: Wild Bill Hickok
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Paul
“I am not afraid to be killed like a man, fighting. I would not like to be killed like a dog, unarmed.” In his amnesty plea to Gov. Lew Wallace. Billy was incensed by the fact Wallace pardoned most everyone involved in the Lincoln County War, except him. We had some fun with his appeal letters addressed to Wallace in A Question of Bounty.
“Most of those he did kill, deserved what they got.” Anonymous Lincoln County resident. Reminds us Billy did much of his bloody work avenging John Tunstall’s death when lawmen implicated in Tunstall’s murder refused to pursue their own.
“Awe you ain’t worth killin’” Said to John Chisum over a pay dispute. Telling Chisum he wasn’t worth killing might have hurt the cattle baron worse than a bullet.
“I knew them both well, and in my opinion, Garrett was just as hard and cold a character as the Kid.” Paulita Maxwell. Paulita may very well have been the reason Billy was in Pete Maxwell’s house the night Garrett's account claims to have killed him.
“If mob law is going to rule, better dismiss judge, sheriff, etc. and let’s all take chances alike. I expect to be lynched in going to Lincoln. Advise persons never to engage in killing.” Likely uttered to a reporter following his arrest at Stinking Springs, trial and conviction for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. Nothing like stinking springs to put a man in mind of lynching.
“I like to dance, but not in the air.” Billy got close enough to the gallows to smell the hemp.
“People thought me bad before, but if ever I should get free, I’ll let them know what bad means.” I suspect Garrett deputies Bell and Ollinger would agree.
Next Week: Wild Bill Hickok
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Ride easy,
Paul
December 8, 2018
The Cavalry
“Give me eighty good men and I’ll ride through the whole Sioux Nation.” Captain Wm Fetterman shortly before meeting Red Cloud. Fetterman ignored his orders in pursuit of his query and lost a command nearly twice the number of his boast.
“He was universally despised by all the officers of his regiment, excepting his relatives and one or two sycophants.” One officer’s estimate of Col. George A. Custer. Custer remains a fascinating character to this day. He has fans and he has critics like the officer quoted here. Our profile of him a couple of years ago didn’t align us with his fans; but it did stir up a hornets’ nest worth of controversy.
“The Seventh can handle anything it meets.” Col. George A Custer, preparing to engage at the Little Big Horn. It’s possible he may have misestimated his situation.
“The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” General Philip H. Sheridan.
In Grasshoppers in Summer we probed the possibility the real mission of the survey party Custer led into the Black Hills in 1874 wasn’t to site a fort; but to confirm rumors of a gold discovery there. The resulting gold rush broke the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and ignited the hostilities of 1876. Sherman and Sheridan opposed President Grant’s Indian peace policy. The Custer mission triggered the final military confrontation with the plains tribes. Coincidence?
“The adulations heaped on him by a grateful nation for his supposed genius, turned his head, which, added to his natural disposition, caused him to bloat his little carcass with debauchery and dissipation which carried him off prematurely.” General George Crook, eulogizing General Philip H. Sheridan.
“If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell.” Gen. Wm. T. Sherman
Next Week: Billy the Kid
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Paul
“He was universally despised by all the officers of his regiment, excepting his relatives and one or two sycophants.” One officer’s estimate of Col. George A. Custer. Custer remains a fascinating character to this day. He has fans and he has critics like the officer quoted here. Our profile of him a couple of years ago didn’t align us with his fans; but it did stir up a hornets’ nest worth of controversy.
“The Seventh can handle anything it meets.” Col. George A Custer, preparing to engage at the Little Big Horn. It’s possible he may have misestimated his situation.
“The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” General Philip H. Sheridan.
In Grasshoppers in Summer we probed the possibility the real mission of the survey party Custer led into the Black Hills in 1874 wasn’t to site a fort; but to confirm rumors of a gold discovery there. The resulting gold rush broke the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and ignited the hostilities of 1876. Sherman and Sheridan opposed President Grant’s Indian peace policy. The Custer mission triggered the final military confrontation with the plains tribes. Coincidence?
“The adulations heaped on him by a grateful nation for his supposed genius, turned his head, which, added to his natural disposition, caused him to bloat his little carcass with debauchery and dissipation which carried him off prematurely.” General George Crook, eulogizing General Philip H. Sheridan.
“If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell.” Gen. Wm. T. Sherman
Next Week: Billy the Kid
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Ride easy,
Paul
December 1, 2018
James Younger Gang
“We are rough men and used to rough ways.” Bob Younger following the ill-fated Northfield Raid. Could this have inspired Louis L’Amour to later pen the line, “It was a hard land, and it bred hard men to hard ways”?
“I want results when I fight.” Frank James
“Have you any idea what a man must endure to live such a life? No, you cannot. No one can unless he lives it for himself.” Frank James. The life was hard enough that Frank eventually went straight and lived a peaceful old age.
Jesse James on the other hand may have been immersed in a rich fantasy when he said “The past is sufficient to show that bushwackers have been arrested . . . charged with bank robbery, and they most have been mobbed without trials . . . I have lived as a respectable citizen and obeyed the laws of the United States to the best of my knowledge.” Jesse James
Jesse wasn’t alone in fanciful estimations of the circumstances surrounding their exploits. “Poor John has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast and never was a boy more innocent.” Cole Younger on his younger brother wanted for murder. It didn’t stop there with Cole either.
“I am aware that my name has been connected to all the bank robberies in the country; but positively I have had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise.” Cole may have got the ‘blank’ part right, amnesia being the only explanation for that statement.
“Surrender had played out for good with me.” Jesse James
“Never expect a handout and never wait for anybody to hand you anything.” Jesse James. Jesse did accept donations from those he had the drop on.
“My life was threatened daily and I was forced to go heavily armed.” Jesse James
Next Week: The Cavalry
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Paul
“I want results when I fight.” Frank James
“Have you any idea what a man must endure to live such a life? No, you cannot. No one can unless he lives it for himself.” Frank James. The life was hard enough that Frank eventually went straight and lived a peaceful old age.
Jesse James on the other hand may have been immersed in a rich fantasy when he said “The past is sufficient to show that bushwackers have been arrested . . . charged with bank robbery, and they most have been mobbed without trials . . . I have lived as a respectable citizen and obeyed the laws of the United States to the best of my knowledge.” Jesse James
Jesse wasn’t alone in fanciful estimations of the circumstances surrounding their exploits. “Poor John has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast and never was a boy more innocent.” Cole Younger on his younger brother wanted for murder. It didn’t stop there with Cole either.
“I am aware that my name has been connected to all the bank robberies in the country; but positively I have had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise.” Cole may have got the ‘blank’ part right, amnesia being the only explanation for that statement.
“Surrender had played out for good with me.” Jesse James
“Never expect a handout and never wait for anybody to hand you anything.” Jesse James. Jesse did accept donations from those he had the drop on.
“My life was threatened daily and I was forced to go heavily armed.” Jesse James
Next Week: The Cavalry
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Ride easy,
Paul
November 24, 2018
In Their Own Words
When it comes to old west notables portrayed in their own words or the words of those who knew them best, who better to start with than Wyatt Earp?
“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.” Advice espoused by a number of successful gunnies.
“Shooting a man who is returning the compliment means going into action with the greatest speed of which a man’s muscles are capable, but mentally unflustered by an urge to hurry or the need for complicated nervous and muscular actions which trick shooting involves.” Quite a few words for a man of few words.
“He had a quiet way of taking the most desperate characters into custody, which invariably gave one the impression that the city was able to enforce her mandates and preserve her dignity. It wasn’t considered policy to draw a gun on Wyatt, unless you got the drop and meant to burn powder without any preliminary talk.” Dodge City Times 1877. That ‘quiet way’ was most often a whack on the head with the barrel or butt of a gun. Wyatt called it “Buffaloing”.
“I think it was the distinguishing trait of Wyatt Earp, leader of the Earp brothers, that more than any man I have ever known, he was devoid of physical fear. He feared the opinion of no one but himself and his self-respect was his creed.” W.B. Masterson on his friend. Bat knew.
“You damn dirty cow thief if you’re anxious to fight, I’ll meet you.” Spoken to Ike Clanton near the OK corral. Poor ole Ike. Careful what you wish for.
“For my handling of the situation in Tombstone, I have no regrets. Were it to be done again, I would do it exactly as I did at the time.” Wyatt carried himself as a man of conviction not to be second guessed.
“I still have a clear vision of that dignified figure walking down Allen Street.” John Clum, Tombstone Epitaph Editor on Wyatt Earp. As I let my mind’s eye wander Front Street in Dodge City a couple of years ago, I had the feel of his shadow along the boardwalk.
Next Week: The James Younger Gang
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Ride easy,
Paul
“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.” Advice espoused by a number of successful gunnies.
“Shooting a man who is returning the compliment means going into action with the greatest speed of which a man’s muscles are capable, but mentally unflustered by an urge to hurry or the need for complicated nervous and muscular actions which trick shooting involves.” Quite a few words for a man of few words.
“He had a quiet way of taking the most desperate characters into custody, which invariably gave one the impression that the city was able to enforce her mandates and preserve her dignity. It wasn’t considered policy to draw a gun on Wyatt, unless you got the drop and meant to burn powder without any preliminary talk.” Dodge City Times 1877. That ‘quiet way’ was most often a whack on the head with the barrel or butt of a gun. Wyatt called it “Buffaloing”.
“I think it was the distinguishing trait of Wyatt Earp, leader of the Earp brothers, that more than any man I have ever known, he was devoid of physical fear. He feared the opinion of no one but himself and his self-respect was his creed.” W.B. Masterson on his friend. Bat knew.
“You damn dirty cow thief if you’re anxious to fight, I’ll meet you.” Spoken to Ike Clanton near the OK corral. Poor ole Ike. Careful what you wish for.
“For my handling of the situation in Tombstone, I have no regrets. Were it to be done again, I would do it exactly as I did at the time.” Wyatt carried himself as a man of conviction not to be second guessed.
“I still have a clear vision of that dignified figure walking down Allen Street.” John Clum, Tombstone Epitaph Editor on Wyatt Earp. As I let my mind’s eye wander Front Street in Dodge City a couple of years ago, I had the feel of his shadow along the boardwalk.
Next Week: The James Younger Gang
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Ride easy,
Paul
November 10, 2018
John Wayne
Marion ‘Duke’ Morrison’s USC football career was cut short by a surfing injury. USC football fan, Tom Mix persuaded Director John Ford to hire him at Fox Films. Talk about landing on your feet. While working as an extra at Fox, Director Raul Walsh discovered Morrison and cast him in the lead for The Big Trail in 1930. Walsh changed Morrison’s name to John Wayne. The film was a box office bust; but it gave Wayne screen credit to launch his ‘B’ Western career.
Over the next nine years, Wayne appeared in some eighty oaters split between features for Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures. His Monogram credits included several of the popular Three Mesquiteers films. Wayne too lays claim to being ‘one of the first’ singing cowboys, though according to multiple sources he owed it to dubbing. With so many box office billings by 1939 Wayne was ready to hit it big when his old friend John Ford called.
For twenty years Wayne and Ford made western feature magic starting with Stagecoach. The repertoire included She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the Searchers. Wayne’s career would branch out with films inspired by WW II, but he would stay true to his western roots with films like Red River, Rio Bravo, The Alamo and his Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne’s last film in 1976, The Shootist, depicted an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Three years later cancer would claim The Duke.
John Wayne liked a good bourbon. He got into distilling his own small batch brew. Following his death, his son Ethan, found the kegs and opened a small batch distillery. The bourbon he calls The Duke features Wayne on the label. It is a favorite. I bought a bottle at a Western Writers of America Homestead Auction a few years ago. Fortunately you can find it online for a fraction of the cost of that bottle. Each smooth sip comes flavored with a touch of nostalgia.
We haven’t got time or space to devote to John Wayne’s awards and legacy. His epitaph reads: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in Life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday.”
Next Week: In Their Own Words
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Ride easy,
Paul
Over the next nine years, Wayne appeared in some eighty oaters split between features for Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures. His Monogram credits included several of the popular Three Mesquiteers films. Wayne too lays claim to being ‘one of the first’ singing cowboys, though according to multiple sources he owed it to dubbing. With so many box office billings by 1939 Wayne was ready to hit it big when his old friend John Ford called.
For twenty years Wayne and Ford made western feature magic starting with Stagecoach. The repertoire included She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the Searchers. Wayne’s career would branch out with films inspired by WW II, but he would stay true to his western roots with films like Red River, Rio Bravo, The Alamo and his Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne’s last film in 1976, The Shootist, depicted an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Three years later cancer would claim The Duke.
John Wayne liked a good bourbon. He got into distilling his own small batch brew. Following his death, his son Ethan, found the kegs and opened a small batch distillery. The bourbon he calls The Duke features Wayne on the label. It is a favorite. I bought a bottle at a Western Writers of America Homestead Auction a few years ago. Fortunately you can find it online for a fraction of the cost of that bottle. Each smooth sip comes flavored with a touch of nostalgia.
We haven’t got time or space to devote to John Wayne’s awards and legacy. His epitaph reads: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in Life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday.”
Next Week: In Their Own Words
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Ride easy,
Paul
November 3, 2018
Bob Steele
Bob Steele was born into show business as Robert Bradbury. His parents were vaudeville performers. While his parents toured, young Bob and his twin brother were raised on a ranch by his grandmother until the family settled in Hollywood. His father worked in film as a supporting actor and later as a director. Bob followed his father into the business.
His career got going in earnest in 1927 when FBO, later RKO Pictures signed him to do a western series, handing him his new handle, Bob Steele. For the next two decades Steele did B westerns for a veritable Who’s Who in the film making industry. Notables included Monogram and Republic. Monogram paired him with a crusty sidekick, played by George Hayes. Hayes would go on to play Windy to William Boyd’s Hoppalong Cassidy and Gabby to John Wayne and Roy Rogers. At Republic Steele starred in several of their popular Three Mesquiteers series. We loved those films featuring Bob Steele’s Tucson Smith.
Bob made it big at the box office in the thirties. He signed to do a series of films as Billy the Kid for PRC. About the time the series finished filming, Bob got the Three Mesquiteers call from Republic. Bob took the call. PRC cleverly released the Billy the Kid series in parallel to Republic’s releases. As a result Bob Steele dominated the western screen for the duration of both series. Along the way, Bob became one of the first oater riders to raise his voice in song.
In the forties and fifties, Bob’s career turned to supporting roles in feature films and television appearances. Bob appeared in John Wayne features Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo. TV appearances included episodes on Colt .45, Sugarfoot, Maverick, The Rebel, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Days and Disney’s Texas John Slaughter. Bob made his final mark in TV with the character role of Trooper Duffy on the 1960’s series F Troop.
Bob Steele passed away in 1988 suffering complications of emphysema.
Next Week: John Wayne
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
His career got going in earnest in 1927 when FBO, later RKO Pictures signed him to do a western series, handing him his new handle, Bob Steele. For the next two decades Steele did B westerns for a veritable Who’s Who in the film making industry. Notables included Monogram and Republic. Monogram paired him with a crusty sidekick, played by George Hayes. Hayes would go on to play Windy to William Boyd’s Hoppalong Cassidy and Gabby to John Wayne and Roy Rogers. At Republic Steele starred in several of their popular Three Mesquiteers series. We loved those films featuring Bob Steele’s Tucson Smith.
Bob made it big at the box office in the thirties. He signed to do a series of films as Billy the Kid for PRC. About the time the series finished filming, Bob got the Three Mesquiteers call from Republic. Bob took the call. PRC cleverly released the Billy the Kid series in parallel to Republic’s releases. As a result Bob Steele dominated the western screen for the duration of both series. Along the way, Bob became one of the first oater riders to raise his voice in song.
In the forties and fifties, Bob’s career turned to supporting roles in feature films and television appearances. Bob appeared in John Wayne features Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo. TV appearances included episodes on Colt .45, Sugarfoot, Maverick, The Rebel, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Days and Disney’s Texas John Slaughter. Bob made his final mark in TV with the character role of Trooper Duffy on the 1960’s series F Troop.
Bob Steele passed away in 1988 suffering complications of emphysema.
Next Week: John Wayne
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
