Hollywood "Magic"

[Goony]

In Tinseltown, things aren't always what they seem, especially when it comes to "cowboy" (or even "cowgirl") guns.

The first image attached below is of William S. Hart is one of his classic poses. However the revolvers he's wielding aren't Peacemakers, but most likely some sort of Colt swing-out double action. Nice stag grips, though.

The other photo is of Gail Davis (TV's Annie Oakley), also posing with a pair of modern Colt DA's, again with stag grips but in this case with dummy ejector rod housings grafted on to create the illusion of their being SAA's (or maybe, grip configuration aside, Lightnings).

Here's a short article on how the motion picture industry on occasion modifies guns to look like something they're not: Hollywood’s Six-gun Fakery - True West Magazine

 

[steelslaver]

What I want to know is how they get the extra 10-12 or more rounds in them

 

[DWalt]

There is a famous publicity still of Betty Hutton, star of the 1950 movie "Annie Get Your Gun", holding a pair of revolvers crossed below her face. They are clearly modern double action revolvers, not Colt SAAs. It has been a long time since I saw it, so I don't remember if they were S&Ws or Colts.
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I found the picture but can't copy it. The revolvers are Colts, probably OPs, nickel plated. There are dummy ejector rod housings attached to their barrels to make them sort of look like SAAs. There are actually three similar pictures, but one of them is in color and shows the revolvers in much better detail. You can google "Betty Hutton still images" to find hundreds of her movie stills.

 

[lihpster]

There is a famous publicity still of Betty Hutton, star of the 1950 movie "Annie Get Your Gun", holding a pair of revolvers crossed below her face. They are clearly modern pearl grip double action revolvers, not Colt SAAs. It has been a long time since I saw it, so I don't remember if they were S&Ws or Colts.
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I found the picture but can't copy it. The revolvers are Colts, probably OPs, nickel plated. There are dummy ejector rod housings attached to their barrels to make them sort of look like SAAs. There are actually three similar pictures, but one of them is in color and shows the revolvers in much better detail.

This one? Looks like Colts.

 

[mrchick]

This one? Looks like Colts.

Or this one?

 

[DWalt]

No to both, there is a better one that shows the guns clearly. I think it is from the Smithsonian's files.

 

[Goony]

There is a famous publicity still of Betty Hutton, star of the 1950 movie "Annie Get Your Gun", holding a pair of revolvers crossed below her face. They are clearly modern double action revolvers, not Colt SAAs. It has been a long time since I saw it, so I don't remember if they were S&Ws or Colts.
-------------------------------
I found the picture but can't copy it. The revolvers are Colts, probably OPs, nickel plated. There are dummy ejector rod housings attached to their barrels to make them sort of look like SAAs. There are actually three similar pictures, but one of them is in color and shows the revolvers in much better detail.

Here's the other photo....

 

[DWalt]

That is the pose, but there is the same picture in color.

 

[LEO918]

In the movie Hombre, Paul Newman carries a Colt Single Action Army with 7 1/2" barrel through the whole movie.
Then in the final shoot out his handgun has become a Colt New Service.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

William S. Hart westerns started around 1914 and he often carried double actions, In “Hells Hinges” he packs two 1902 Colt .45s, the “Philippine” or “Alaskan” version of the Model 1878. Also New Services like he might have in that photo posted in his very later years. His westerns look very realistic because they were made just a few years from the time period they were set in.

 

[Goony]

In the movie Hombre, Paul Newman carries a Colt Single Action Army with 7 1/2" barrel through the whole movie.
Then in the final shoot out his handgun has become a Colt New Service.

Apparently the barrel of that SAA had to be shortened for the film's release in Japan.

 

[ameridaddy]

In the Annie Oakley pic, I wonder how she stuffs those big fat cartridges from her belt into those little cylinders. The revolvers look like 22 rimfires to me.

 

[Rudi]

Hollywood. Plus, most people know nothing about guns.

 

[Warren Sear]

I'm surprised the thread has gone one this long without one of the trigger-finger Nazis commenting. "GASP!!! FINGERS ON THE TRIGGERS!" LOL!

 

[murphydog]

The first two photos seem to show a pair of New Army/Navy (.38 D.A.) and Police Positive revolvers respectively.

And Hollywood getting gun stuff wrong is pretty much in proportion to how seriously guns are portrayed, or sometimes an agenda. I recall one famous (late) anti-gun actor shooting someone out of a water tower at about 75 yards - with a 2" .38 Special. .

 

[Oldsalt66]

"That's a Smith and Wesson and you've had your six".

In this famous scene from "Dr. No" in which Bond dispatches Professor Dent, Bond's script reference to Dent being armed with a 6 shot S&W revolver is incorrect since the villain is actually wielding a 1911.

Bond's PPK also magically transforms itself into an FN 1910 in that scene.

https://youtu.be/Ono-pu9ON6I?si=ZWATLqxjN8E1JJcl

 

[BE Mike]

Queeen

In the Annie Oakley pic, I wonder how she stuffs those big fat cartridges from her belt into those little cylinders. The revolvers look like 22 rimfires to me.

Same way Steve McQueen stuffed those .45-70 cartridges into that Mare's Leg in "Wanted Dead or Alive"!

 

[Hawg Rider]

My wife laughs at me every time we happen to watch an old western movie or TV show together. She laughs and says I'm a gun geek because I point out that the actors are using guns (revolvers and/or rifles) that weren't even invented when the show was supposed to be taking place. For example, actors using 1873 Colt Peacemakers in the 1860s instead of cap and ball revolvers. But that's Hollywood, and most of the audiences didn't care!

 

[Wyatt Burp]

I love “The High Chaparral” so this is not a complaint. In one I saw the other day they shoot an Indian. They see the dead guy has a “Henry” rifle. But of course it”s one of those ‘92s made to look like one. “Buck” says this is the new type of gun “you load on Sunday and shoot all week.” Though the gun he killed him with was a regular 1892 Winchester! Buck then Carrie’s the Henry around through the show as they try to find who sold them to the Apaches. But the gun he has then is an excellent condition REAL Henry rifle for those closeups. But in the show they call it a Spencer. The episode was “Shadow On The Land” from 1967. Here’s “John Cannon” holding the real Henry.

Leif Erickson als Big John Cannon | The high chaparral, Chaparral, Tv westerns

 

[steelslaver]

I always love the "early" model 94 winchesters