The Reel Cowboy: Essays on the Myth in Movies and Literature [Hardcover]

Buck Rainey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996 | ISBN-10: 0786401060 | ISBN-13: 978-0786401062

Movies and books have romanticized the life of the cowboy. To most, the heroes of countless Westerns fall into one of three categories: the strong, silent, asexual deliverer of damsels in distress; the slick and gaudy guitar-strummer; and the virile, violent drifter. In truth, real cowboys had little in common with the fictionalized characters of literature and the silver screen. The "reel" cowboys of yesteryear are recalled in Part One of this work. The make-believe West of Gene Autry, Buck Jones, Harry Carey, and many others is contrasted with the real American West. Part Two discusses the many movies based on the writings of Western writers. The works of Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, Max Brand, Luke Short, Ernest Haycox and many others have been transformed to the silver screen, often with great success. Next examined are the movies based upon three writers of the great Northwest: James Oliver Curwood, Jack London and Rex Beach. A concluding section looks at cinema cowboys on the so-called "sawdust trail." Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Jack Hoxie were among those reel cowboys who performed in circuses and Wild West shows.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Though both these books are on the Western in film and fiction, they differ sharply in their approach. Mitchell's work has two basic premises. First, he argues that overwhelmingly popular pieces obliquely raises critical contemporary anxieties in a manner that denies a straightforward reading, allowing competing groups to read it according to their own beliefs. For example, High Noon could be seen as both pro- and anti-McCarthyism. Second, he states that Westerns have always been about the problems of becoming a man, a question for which each generation seeks its own answer. These are interesting premises, but they would have benefited from less build-up and a wider range of illustrative examples. Unlike Westerns, which concentrated solely on A pictures, Reel Cowboy is devoted to B Westerns. Rainey is obviously extremely knowledgeable about his subject, but other than the stated goal of discovering and preserving such movies, his purpose and unifying theme are difficult to discern. In Part 1, he discusses the careers of B Westerns stars, both silent and talkie, and shows how their films fall into three categories: realistic, semirealistic, and mythic. Part 2 offers brief biographies of Western writers and their film credits, with special attention given to Zane Grey. Part 3 does the same in more detail for three authors who wrote about the great Northwest and Alaska (e.g., Jack London), none of whom are normally considered writers of Westerns. The last section details the experiences of some Western movie stars who worked in circuses and Wild West shows either on their way up or down the professional ladder. Both books are appropriate for comprehensive film collections.?Marianne Cawley, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"a much needed history of our cowboy heroes" -- Western Clippings

"illuminating and very interesting comparisons...much interesting information" -- Past Times

Product Details

• Hardcover: 309 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786401060
• ISBN-13: 978-0786401062
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,238,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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