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things in westerns that drive me nuts


Bugler

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Been on a westerns kick for awhile,,,,a number of things drive me nuts...in no particular order

 

hats that are always on the back of their head....I guess the wind never blows....cant see any velcro holding the hat on when they are riding either

 

how do they keep thier gunbelts on with them riding so low that they almost touch their knees? Still Can't see any velcro.....

 

incorrect firearms...using 92 winchesters long before the civil war....using 92 winchesters with the fore arm taken off so as to look like a Henry....I would have never figured that one out...they are SO clever!

 

guns that never out of ammo...I want some of these for myself I watched Kevin costner fire at least 17 rounds out of just one of his six guns in Open Range, probably all that and then some out of the other.....Where can I buy this model???

 

ridning across the river with water over the saddle and their guns never seem to rust or ever even misfire....God they had good ammo then...wish mine was that good!

 

actors that fire everything from the hip ...so much more accurate that way isn't it? Maybe I just need bigger hips??

 

actors that take the rifle out of the shoulder everytime to lever a new round....levers were much stiffer then...same with revolvers..didn't know you had to grab the barrel with your left hand while you cock the hammer with your right.....REALLY good springs then!

 

constantly levering a round to show that they REALLY mean business....

 

all indians have blankets over their saddles

 

all indian attacks have them riding in a circle around the wagons

 

every horse has to fall when the rider is hit

 

indians must have taken the shoes off all of the cavalry horse they stole because everyone knows Indiand don't ride shod horses!!

 

actor HAS to throw away the empty canteen....but then who needs a canteen when the next water hole is always poisened?

 

camp fires that always have a coffee pot and frying pan but never see on the horse or in saddle bags. Then the cookware is always left.....where do they keep find this stuff? Must have been a walmart nearby somewhere.

 

actor always has to pour coffee on the campfire so that they won't been seen....apparently smoke is no longer visible...

 

actors that can drink all night showing that they can hold their booze and when they get shot one drink renders them unconscious for the doc or whomever is going to remove the bullet that always has to get put with aloud ding into the metal bowl.

 

cap and ball revovlvers that never need to be reloaded or get loaded with cartridges ...I know everyone that had a cap and ball revolver automatically bought a conversion kit....come to think of it ...I don't recall ever seen a cap and ball revolver get loaded in any movie....have you? Clint Eastwoods infamous changing of the cylinder doesn't count....did you see him charge the cylinders?

 

all handguns MUST be fanned...and all shotguns could only fire 2 rounds....don't think they knew about reloading....so much better to fire 2 and then throw it away while you draw and fan your six gun.

 

actors that tell the store clerk that they need a couple boxes of cawtridges with their coffee, bacon, flour and beans

 

Well, enough of my rant.....sarcasm was intended

 

What are your favorite or least favorite things????

 

Bugler

 

PS. So....how many movies DID John Wayne die in? Did Clint Eastwood ever die in a movie? How about Jimmy Stewart?

 

i know of at least 5 for John Wayne...but I cannot think of any for Eastwood or Stewart......what do you eagle eyed members say?

 

 

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Bugler, on 15 Oct 2013 - 10:08, said:

Bugler, on 15 Oct 2013 - 10:08, said:

Been on a westerns kick for awhile,,,,a number of things drive me nuts...in no particular order

 

hats that are always on the back of their head....I guess the wind never blows....cant see any velcro holding the hat on when they are riding either

 

how do they keep thier gunbelts on with them riding so low that they almost touch their knees? Still Can't see any velcro.....

No Velcro. They used staple guns. It showed how manly they were.

 

Laz

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John Wayne's character was killed or was dead in these movies.

Central Airport 1933

Shepard of the Hills 1941

Reap the wild Wind 1942

The Fighting Seabees 1944

Wake of the Red Witch 1948

Sands of IWork Jima 1949

The Sea Chase 1955

The Alamo 1960

The man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962

The Cowboys 1972

The Shootist 1976

If you know of others I would be interested to know.

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I believe...according to a quick google search...Clint died in "The Beguiled" pretty good civil war era movie if my memory serves.

 

Gran Torino...good movie

 

The Bridges of Madison County...never seen this one.

 

As for " Maybe I just need bigger hips??".....probably not ;)

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When you see a fort built at the base of a hill where anyone can shoot down into it. When you see a chase (think Republic Pictures) where they all ride past the same oak tree multiple times. When you see a fort with log palisade walls in the middle of the desert.

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My pet peave is referring to a mare...and is obvioulsy a gelding. Ala "the Hell Bitch". Or calling a mare or gelding a stallion. Even if they don't do close ups of the privates, most horsemen can tell a gelding or mare from a stallion by their neck muscling. (although I have seen a few proud cut geldings with pretty heavy necks!)

 

Using modern bits and other tack.

 

Why would anybody want to drink a hot shot of whiskey when all hot and sweaty?

 

shooting at a bad guy 100 yards away with a revolver, when a rifle is available.

 

Black cowboys always wise and trustworthy.

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People going off on long treks with only saddlebags and no pack horse or pack mule. Everything materializes out of those saddlebags.

 

Long desert treks with 1-qt canteens lasting several days. Then swriling around what's left in the canteen and sayin', "We're runnin' out'a water!" Gee, ya think!?

 

In the B-westerns, every time the good guy chases the bad guy and jumps from his horse to the other, tackling the bad guy off his horse onto the ground, they (every time) roll down a small hill or incline.

 

Open Range, where Costner, in the opening shoot out, has already fired his revolver several times, then fans it 9 more times into one of the bad guys. I find that kind of thing in modern-made westerns insulting to the audience.

 

When you see someone on the ground and the soles of their boots are modern composition soles and heels. Immediately kills the story line and fast-forwards in a split second from 1880's to 120+ years in the future. There are things we accept in the old westerns that are not acceptable today. We expect more now than in the older movies.

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How come hollwood could insult people's common sense in the 30's throughout the seventies. But for the past 25 years they are expected to be 100% accurate? Are we as a culture more critical then the folks of yesteryear?

Something to think about.

 

I also wonder how much film ends up on the floor after editing. Little bits that show some reloading?

Ringer

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Because Hollywood now expects us to shell out $12 or more, whereas in the 30s a kid could catch a cowboy movie and maybe a serial and some cartoons for 5 or 10 cents.

 

Even gas has not gone up as much as movies have.

 

Good luck, GJ

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How come hollwood could insult people's common sense in the 30's throughout the seventies. But for the past 25 years they are expected to be 100% accurate? Are we as a culture more critical then the folks of yesteryear?

Something to think about.

Ringer

 

I have thought about it. I don't think that we as a culture are more critical. I think education has been dumbed down to where people don't even think to be critical of obvious issues with just about anything. They just accept what's shoved at them.

 

However I think the big reasons that there is more criticsism today regarding period correctness in western movies is that most or all westerns today are made for an older, more demanding audience who recognize that pretty much the least cost in one of these productions IS period accuracy in clothing, weapons and various other gear. It doesn't take much to get it right.

 

The other thing is that most criticism comes from people like us, who look for that stuff.

 

SO ... (pouring drinks and drawing beers) ....

"Here's to us and those like us!"

"There's damn few left!"

 

Cat Brules

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I tend to pick apart hiscorical pictures for things that just ain't right - EXCEPT for a John Wayne film. The Duke, you see, can do no wrong.

 

I like the Rifleman opening where he shoots something like 13 shots out of his carbine and then racks another one before he starts to load up.

 

Or bad guys shooting 8 shots out of their six shooters.

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But they had great medical service. A dirty bandana dipped in a muddy pool fixed them up. Even better was cloth ripped from a petty coat used for a bandage.

 

They can have big bar fighting, pound each other, hit by chairs, bust down tables, fall off balcony and walk away without a mark. They won't even be tired!

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The bad guys can never hit diddly squat but the hero can do a running, spin, roll in the dirt shot from behind the back and kill 'em off the roof top with his 8th shot from a SAA.

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The number of directors who can work at the level of a Spielberg is a little limited, you know.

 

Hell on Wheels gets right down into good looking historical presentation, too. Not quite as slickly produced as Deadwood, but in many ways closer to everyday life.

 

Good luck, GJ

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I'm one of those anal types that like period correct. To the point, Allie Mo and Anvil Al. Here is an excerpt from a History of Belts on Wikipedia.

 

"In modern times, men started wearing belts in the 1920s, as trouser waists fell to a lower line. Before the 1920s, belts served mostly a decorative purpose, and were associated with the military. Moreover, prior to that trousers did not even have belt loops. The first recorded use of belt loops on trousers is 1922, when a jean company added them. [1] Today it is common for men to wear a belt with their trousers."

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But they had great medical service. A dirty bandana dipped in a muddy pool fixed them up. Even better was cloth ripped from a petty coat used for a bandage.

 

They can have big bar fighting, pound each other, hit by chairs, bust down tables, fall off balcony and walk away without a mark. They won't even be tired!

Of course they weren't tired. The stuntmen got hit by chairs and fell off balconies. The stars were in the dressing trailers having refreshments and getting their makeup worked on. Why should they look tired?

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Love scenes :blink:

Knowing what the average personal hygiene level was in the day, and that a visit to the outhouse included the Sears catalog, or a bucket of corn cobs, or leaves

Makes me wonder how they ever propagated the species back then :lol:

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Knowing what the average personal hygiene level was in the day, and that a visit to the outhouse included the Sears catalog, or a bucket of corn cobs, or leaves. Makes me wonder how they ever propagated the species back then :lol:

 

That's why almost every hotel room and bedroom had a ewer (pitcher) and wash basin, and a slop bucket kept under the bed. And why nose-gays (good smelling flowers) were such a nice gift to bring your girl.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Movie 1

 

Good guy LEAPING from his horse to knock the badguy off his. Then they roll down the hill into the river.

 

Movie 2

 

Good guy LEAPING from his horse to knock the badguy off his. Then they roll down the hill into the river.

 

Movie 3

 

Good guy LEAPING from his horse to knock the badguy off his. Then they roll down the hill into the river.

 

Movie 4

 

Good guy LEAPING from his horse to knock the badguy off his. Then they roll down the hill into the creek.

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Guns, costumes, leather, etc, from the wrong era, how about Buster Crabbe playing Billy the Kid and he's a good guy! Just misunderstood. Or characters that appear in the same movie from different historical eras and regions?

Another (thirty-ish looking) Billy the Kid (in The Outlaw) kills ( sixty-ish looking) Doc Holliday about three months before Doc takes part in the OK Corral gunfight. I guess they thought everybody'd be so distracted by Jane Russell that no one'd notice.

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