A friend of mine is one of the producers of the new show Vegas with Dennis Quaid.. I told him that they used the wrong DS for the early sixties and he agreed but said no one would every notice. Well, these guys notice....

Vegas (2012) - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games


This morning over coffee he asked me what would be good screen guns for the sixties gangsters. I told him 1911s and model 10s were common back then but 3 1/2 inch N frames like the 27 are the baddest looking screen guns...but they can be hard to find in a prop house so a 4" should work...I even recommended a snubbie Colt Python...forgive me....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

All good choices, sip. My only recommendation would be that they use nickel plated guns some. Since most sixties gangsters were pretty flamboyant, it only seems fair to use flamboyant pistols with their alligator skinned shoes, and silk shirts and ties......

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MARK

At this moment, it is my favorite show.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Sip ... You're dead on about the 3-1/2" 27. One of my favorite films, The Seven-Ups (1973), features classic bad guy actor Richard Lynch wielding a short barrel 27. Lynch passed away in June of this year after a lengthy film career.

http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/7/...enups_27_3.jpg

In checking the IMFDB, I see quite a few similarities between the new "Vegas" show, and "Crime Story", which not so coincidentally took place in Vegas after its initial season ...

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Crime_Story

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I'm with the banned ...

A fancy Single Action Army wouldnt be too out of place either you know, as would a model 15 or 19. And maybe an M1 Carbine too. Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

I like the show, and think the sheriff and his brother should have M-19's or Colt .45 autos, maybe with ivory or stag grips.

A five-inch M-27 or a .44 Magnum might come out for special occasions, but are pretty heavy for daily wear.

I think the Colt SAA or Ruger single-actions are stereotypical of rancher-turned-sheriff guns, but not what a shrewd man would choose. TV is often trite.

The sheriff is a former MP and would be familiar with the Colt .45 auto.

Back in the 1960's, many TV mobsters used Colt Police Positive Special .38's with four-inch barrels, and some were shown on the covers of comic books and what I suppose are now called graphic novels. Phillip Marlowe (private eye played by Phillip Carey) had both a Colt DS and a PPS four-inch in the tray under his car dash.

Most of the private eyes had S&W M-36's or Colt DS guns. I'd like to see the M-36 on, "Vegas." One could easily be the sheriff's off-duty gun.

Don't forget Myres style holsters, probably the Threepersons type. I think a sheriff in Nevada would like those. The FBI then had some similar Heiser holsters. I suspect that Alphonso's in Hollywood could make the holsetrs, or El Paso Saddlery can. And the cops can learn to shoot the way taught then, on the Practical Pistol Course.

I have enjoyed this show from the start, so with my luck it will get cancelled. There are many suitable choices of period correct handguns and holsters available to most propmasters. I think it's more a question of how interested they might be in accuracy. It is of course, a work of fiction so I suppose nearly any of the previously mentioned guns and leather would work. Judging by the cars and clothing, early to mid 60's seems to be right. 1911's for the Sheriff (ex MP Officer) and maybe a fancified Colt SAA for the brother/rancher/deputy. The Son....a .357..maybe a Model 19. All the cops gunleather should ring of western flair and flavor.

The hoods go Dapper Dan. Small frame snub guns, easily tucked in the waistline, very disposable, never a holster. Chiefs Special or 1st. and 2nd. isuue of the Colt DS gets my vote. Small autos of dubious pedigree is also a favorite of hoods.

Cheers;
Lefty

One of the New shows I don't miss. I think they do a great job with it. AND w/ Carrie-Anne Moss? Please!!

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RIP Shipmate

The last gun on that page is a 94 Winchester, and the next-to-last picture is a "muzzle-shot" of what purports to be a scoped 94 Winchester. How do you top-mount a scope on a 60s 94?

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I always take precautions

You guys are saying good things about this show, am I missing something? I watched the pilot with high expectations, and haven't been back. I know Quaid's character is based on a real life sheriff who did a lot of good things, but I am not convinced he is the right guy for the part. The perpetual scowl bugs me, and he is really a bit old for the part.

Sounds like it has gotten better as the season progressed, maybe I need to tune back in?

I hate it when they make gun related mistakes in shows or movies. You would think with the amount of money they spend on production there would be a few bucks to hire a consultant to assure accuracy as to period, function and use - heh, and shots fired...to name a few.

So far I have liked the show, it is better than most of the others, but I cant help thinking that they need to contact robbt for some period holsters. The sheriff and his brother need somrthing better.

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Stan

From the very first commercial about the show, I too was concerned with Quaid's character. (whether or not he could pull it off...) Wouldn't have been my first pick. However, when watching the show I'm keyed in on his acting and am still giving him a chance. He IS growing on me. We'll see. I still like the show.

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RIP Shipmate

Crime Story, I love that show, mainly for the music. Vagas doesn't have the music Crime Story did.

On the first few shows they say "Las Vegas 1960". The last show just said Las Vegas.
I watched to see all the post 1960 cars on the show. Some 1963 Fords, including a Galaxie and a T-Bird.
Maybe you could ask your friend if that's why they eliminated "1960" from the opening. It shouldn't be too difficult finding pre 1960 cars, so I found it funny they didn't bother to keep the show period correct.
Agreed.... only a car nut like myself would notice such things.
So far I like the show.

I actually had the same note about his constant curmudgeonly nature and related it to him. I also felt the show wasn't connected enough to the time period. Clothes, cars, music and the right guns don't transport you back to 1960 in a town like Vegas where much of the show takes place inside casinos. I told him they need to do what "Mad Men" does, connect events of the times to the plotline so you really feel you are back in 1960. He agreed and he told me he relayed it to the other producers in the show. And I wasn't even paid a consulting fee...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

They've taken a lot of heat for that....along with some shots of satellite dishes on building. Sometimes, they just can't get enough of the right cars...many of these cars are privately owned and you have to contact the owner and have them bring it to set. If someone doesn't show up, you work with what you have or scramble for something else...and it isn't always exactly what you want. As for the satellite dishes, that's another tough one when shooting buildings in 2013. But I guess if they caught them they could have digged them out.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I'm a car guy, so I catch the car mistakes pretty often. One that I caught right off the bat was in "Goodfellas". Early in the movie, a subtitle says "Idlewild Airport, 1963" in an overhead shot of the airport. It cuts to Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci leaning against the trunk of a 1965 Impala SS. Maybe they were in good with Detroit, and got a nice, preproduction sample to test out in the streets of New York.......

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MARK

Since you have "influence" with them, tell them to not have ricochets throw sparks.

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S&WCA 1729

I think this is good show, and beyond just the guns, I really enjoy seeing the cars (and the suits). I never got to see "Old Vegas" (the Rat Pack years), but I still have a special fondness for it. I was sad when they tore down the Sands.

Sip ... When should we tune in for your cameo appearance? I recall you doing a nifty job taking care of that baddie on the train with the yungins a while back ... perfect crime fighting experience for the TV biz. If I'm not mistaken, Black Bart had a vintage SAA prior to you turning the tables on him.

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I'm with the banned ...

The car that I thought was the most telltale is the Lincoln that Michael Chiklis drives. The trunk lid and bumper say 1960-1961, but the taillights are off a '65. That was the only year it had the extra chrome strips on the lenses. Also in the pilot episode where there are cars lined up shining their headlights on a body down in an arroyo, judging by the grille one of the cars is a mid-sixties Chrysler.

Still, it's not quite as bad as PanAm last year. It supposed to be 1963, and right in front of the apartment building the girls live in is a 1967 Lincoln. In four different episodes.

The worst I saw was in the series "Chase". The major plot point was that the perp drove a 1967 GTO, and everyone was searching for this car. Well, they found it, and the car they showed was a 1968. GM completely change the styling of the GTO in 1968. The cars are nowhere close to lookalike, like a 1966/1967 are. If you can't find a 1967 model, all they have to do is change a couple lines of dialogue and it's all good. Somewhere there's a continuity editor who isn't doing their job.

I understand that there can be difficulty getting a period car, but if you're going to do something, do it right.

I too have been bothered by the constant scowl on Quaid's face all the time and his demeanor. I have watched all of the new Vegas shows in the series and really can't say they have gotten any better. At any rate it is better than some of the others.

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James

Don't forget the hats, too.
REAL men wore hats back then.....

I don't really mind the "out of time period" cars, and that Dodge Power Wagon is just outstanding! Keep more of these classics coming! The Chrysler 300C from Crime Story would be over the top!

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

Awesome car ^^^^^^^^^awesome show!

Actually, the wearing of hats were phasing out in the early/mid '60s. JFK didn't like wearing hats and set the trend to go hatless.

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Memory of Randy Freas-Rimfired

I thought Sip was gonna be co-producing. I had my new headshot ready and everything. Back to waiting tables at Aunt Gertrudes.

I was promised a little part by this producer but I'm not holding my breath....like my mom always said...everyone is full of ---- and nowhere is it truer than here....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Sip, any chance of fixing me up with Sarah Jones (Mia Rizzo)

Huba Buba

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Sorry. Should of said, "real men were still wearing hats back then until the Kennedy presidency fully kicked in."

Hummm. I like Quaid in the part. I won't argue the thought but I just don't understand the thought.
In the S/W men have always worn light colored staws in the summer and felt in the winter.
I can tell you that getting it right is not easy---ever see a western filmed in the 50's/60's with a jet contrail in the sky---how do you direct a jet to not fly over when you are filming.
I was in Vegas during the 60's a few times---pretty close to being real.
I watch the show.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD