Observation on Westerns

[dockmurgw]

I don't know that I've ever even seen an outhouse in most TV westerns. Only movies I can think of offhand where one is shown or mentioned is in Pale Rider and Blazing Saddles.

I can think of one...the guy who met his end coming out of the outhouse in Unforgiven.

 

[NYlakesider]

This is how I learned not to trust TV/movies. I was sitting in the Bob Burn’s Theater in Van Buren Arkansas, just across the river from Ft Smith, watching True Grit and John Wayne rides out of Ft. Smith and there are snow capped mountains in the background. Visiting Ft Smith daily for most of my entire young life, I had never seen any snow-capped mountains.

My son was in the first or second grade and was watching one of his B Westerns we had on CD for him to watch. He said “daddy, how do those old colts in the movies shoot 20-30 times without being reloaded? They hold more rounds than your Glock!” I explained to him that the shows were make-believe. He said “I am going to watch Roadrunner/Coyote, at least that’s a real show!”

A good chance that you never saw John Wayne ride out of Ft Smith either!-

 

[TJm15.38]

I guess gunfighters and cowboys learned to draw, point and shoot very quickly with reasonable accuracy. The only concept of aimed fire I see in the 20th century Westerns is guys shooting with a rifle. On Gunsmoke, when I see James Arness draw and shoot with and obvious barrel jerk, I'm thinking that there's no way he could hit that human target at 15 yards away.

 

[bobsguns]

I read liquor on Gunsmoke was colored water, but the beer was real because they couldn't find anything that would make a head like real beer.

I don't think they had near-beer back then. I know Cheers used near-beer as the guys at the bar were chugging it pretty good. I believe George Wendt told that on Jay Leno one night.

Tea was used as a whiskey substitute in tv & the movies. Not carbonated, so a bottle could be shaken & not foam up, much like whiskey.

I keep threatening to take an empty Jack Daniels bottle, fill it with tea & drink it in a wholly inappropriate social occasion.

 

[bobsguns]

I don't know that I've ever even seen an outhouse in most TV westerns. Only movies I can think of offhand where one is shown or mentioned is in Pale Rider and Blazing Saddles.

There was one in The Young Riders. Brian Keith had his shootout with the young gang.

For the record, All In The Family had the first toilet flush on network tv.

 

[rockquarry]

Pretty good outhouse scene in "Monte Walsh" (or was it "Will Penny"?, I get the two confused) featuring the bunkhouse cook.

 

[1sailor]

I have noticed that bartenders never give anyone change. However, it evens out because if you say "leave the bottle" they don't charge any extra.

 

[WR Moore]

The crack about flat saddle bags reminded me of visiting an art exhibition by a local (pretty darn good) painter. I was looking at a D Day landing painting that seemed quite nice.... until I noticed all the Garand ammo belt pouches were flat.

He picked the wrong time to stroll up and ask how I liked it. Got quite indignant when I pointed out his oversight.

Back in college a buddy and I were watching one of those non Clint spagetti westerns. We thought the scenery quite like the local strip mines.

 

[Smoke]

Ward Bond died of a heart attack in November 1960. Halfway through season four ofWagon Train NBC never even acknowledged his death.

 

[sheepdawg]

The Indians have bolt action Enfields on The Lone Ranger.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

How can you forget that when those magical 20 shot six shooters finally did run out of ammo they looked at them like they were defective then threw them on the ground?............ As a kid I figured there must be empty six shooters laying around all over the west! LOL

Or they kept pulling the trigger to a "click click" noise despite being a Colt SAA!

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

I don't think they had near-beer back then. I know Cheers used near-beer as the guys at the bar were chugging it pretty good. I believe George Wendt told that on Jay Leno one night.

Tea was used as a whiskey substitute in tv & the movies. Not carbonated, so a bottle could be shaken & not foam up, much like whiskey.

I keep threatening to take an empty Jack Daniels bottle, fill it with tea & drink it in a wholly inappropriate social occasion.

BLESS YOU! I should've thought of that YEARS ago. (and yes, you can bet on it! First chance I get)

 

[bobsguns]

The Indians have bolt action Enfields on The Lone Ranger.

Sneaky bunch, those Indians.................

 

[Chuck24]

BLESS YOU! I should've thought of that YEARS ago. (and yes, you can bet on it! First chance I get)

I keep thinking of putting the blue Gatorade in a windex bottle

 

[glenwolde]

This is why we have building codes.

 

[DWalt]

I remember seeing one war movie which had the lead character constantly switching back and forth between shooting a 98 Mauser and a British Enfield.

 

[rwsmith]

Those chairs......

Apparently, no one in the old west knew how to build a railing that wouldn’t break if someone bumped against it!

...were pretty flimsy, too. Chandeliers were well anchored to the ceiling, never saw one fall unless somebody shot it down.

Bottles were made from sugar so they wouldn't hurt when somebody got bashed over the head with one. (My wife knows somebody who suffered serious brain damage from a bottle in a barfight)

Who on earth is playing that music when people are riding across the prairie? (In Blazing Saddles it was Count Basie and his orchestra)

 

[WR Moore]

The Indians have bolt action Enfields on The Lone Ranger.

Actually, there was one episode where someone was smuggling Enfields to the Indians. That the agent at the reservation knew how to operate one quite well was the clue about who was responsible.

Odd the things that stick in you mind. One does wonder about the time line/continuity in Hollywood. Now, what was my to-do list for today?

 

[AugieTN]

Don't forget Chuck Connors as The Rifleman who could hit any target shooting his rifles from his hip

 

[remshooter]

I don't know that I've ever even seen an outhouse in most TV westerns. Only movies I can think of offhand where one is shown or mentioned is in Pale Rider and Blazing Saddles.

Young Guns -2 has an outhouse scene .a women hides a gun in it for Billy the Kid .(Emilio Esteves) he has guard take him to use outhouse gets gun and escapes