Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Belle Starr, Wyatt Earp, the Younger Gang, the Dalton-Doolin Gang and Bat Masterson-where does the truth end and the legend begin? Each chapter-length entry here first focuses on the known facts of the people's lives, then compares the truth to how they have been portrayed in the movies.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"a great idea for a book, very well realized" -- Past Times
"fascinating...recommended for all collections dealing with the film industry and/or western Americana" -- Public Library Quarterly
"looks at the historical and cinematic careers of Billy the Kid, the James-Younger gang, the Dalton-Doolin gang, Belle Starr, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and Bat Materson" -- AB Bookman's Weekly
"recommended" -- Big Reel
"this handsome, well-researched softcover examines the lives of Billy the Kid, Belle Starr, Bat Masterson and others, then discusses how they have been treated by the cinema...also features a useful bibliography" -- Book and Magazine Collector
"fascinating...recommended for all collections dealing with the film industry and/or western Americana" -- Public Library Quarterly
"looks at the historical and cinematic careers of Billy the Kid, the James-Younger gang, the Dalton-Doolin gang, Belle Starr, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and Bat Materson" -- AB Bookman's Weekly
"recommended" -- Big Reel
"this handsome, well-researched softcover examines the lives of Billy the Kid, Belle Starr, Bat Masterson and others, then discusses how they have been treated by the cinema...also features a useful bibliography" -- Book and Magazine Collector
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hollywood's Take on Western Gunslingers!,
By
This review is from: Western Gunslingers in Fact and on Film: Hollywood's Famous Lawmen and Outlaws (Paperback)
That the newly created film industry would embrace the Wild West was a no-brainer. The saga of western expansion lent itself to cinema. Hollywood especially embraced those wild and woolly gunslingers who strode through those long-ago times. Buck Rainey examines the real-life exploits of Western lawmen and badmen and how they were portrayed on the Silver Screen in this interesting book from McFarland & Company.In each chapter, Rainey focuses on a famous lawman/outlaw followed by a chronological breakdown and critical guide/history of all the films made on that person/gang. All the 'usual suspects' are found in his book - Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill, Bat Masterson and Belle Starr along with the James-Younger and Dalton-Doolin gangs. Reading through all the Hollywood flicks made on the life and times of Hickok, the James, etc., you get the unshakeable impression that Hollywood never let the facts get in the way of a 'good story.' In terms of historical accuracy, almost all the flicks found in this book get a grade of D-. In terms of physical accuracy (i.e. casting someone who looks like the subject), they get an F. Paul Newman as Billy the Kid? Jane Russell as Belle Starr?!? Whatever you think about the accuracy of those flicks, many of them were box-office hits. Some like MY DARLING CLEMENTINE are classics. All in all, Rainey's book is a fun and informative read. It's enjoyable comparing 'real history' to 'reel history.' Recommended.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
For a punk kid, hardly dry behind the ears, William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid) has garnered much more literary space and film footage than a desperado of his ilk would usually receive. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
full writeup, real west, bandit queen, western outlaws, outlaw gang Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Bat Masterson, Gene Barry, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Frank James, Belle Starr, Cole Younger, Calamity Jane, Pat Garrett, Hollywood Reporter, Bob Ford, Civil War, Doc Holliday, Buster Crabbe, Sam Newfield, Dodge City, Bill Elliott, Sigmund Neufeld, George Chesebro, Charles King, United Artists, Frank Ellis, Warner Bros New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
For a punk kid, hardly dry behind the ears, William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid) has garnered much more literary space and film footage than a desperado of his ilk would usually receive. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
full writeup, real west, bandit queen, western outlaws, outlaw gang Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Bat Masterson, Gene Barry, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Frank James, Belle Starr, Cole Younger, Calamity Jane, Pat Garrett, Hollywood Reporter, Bob Ford, Civil War, Doc Holliday, Buster Crabbe, Sam Newfield, Dodge City, Bill Elliott, Sigmund Neufeld, George Chesebro, Charles King, United Artists, Frank Ellis, Warner Bros New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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