Trailrider #896 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 In Denver, there is a local station called Memorable Entertainment T.V. (Channel 20.2 or 205 on Comcast), which plays a lot of old series, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Perry Mason and...Leave It To Beaver. My wife likes the latter and hardly misses an episode. This morning's episode dealt with Beaver (Gary Mathers) being invited to an all-girl party, a real chamber of horrors for a second grade boy. To escape those little female devils, he wanders into the birthday girl's father's den, where the father shows him his gun collection! (Can you imagine such a thing on today's kid's sitcom? Now, I thought that was great...except... When the father takes out a carbine, he says it is a Sharps like Buffalo Bill used (it was a Trapdoor Springfield, probably .45-70...which, irronically, Buffalo Bill used a .50-70 rifle-musket...Lucretia Borgia, or one like it is in the Lookout Mountain museum in Golden, Colorado). Then, he shows the boy several pistols, and sort of demonstrates how the old time gunfighters would fan their sixguns! Not once did he check to see the guns were empty! Of course that would have taken a few seconds that the script didn't call for, but it would have been a good opportunity to show gun safety. Ah, well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Nelson Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Not once did he check to see the guns were empty! Of course that would have taken a few seconds that the script didn't call for, but it would have been a good opportunity to show gun safety. Ah, well... But "real" cowboys (on TV and in the movies) didn't safety check their guns. Besides, that show is from the same era when Fred Flintstone advertised cigarettes. Safety was something kids were taught by their parents, and product liability lawsuits were few and far between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted April 7, 2014 Author Share Posted April 7, 2014 But "real" cowboys (on TV and in the movies) didn't safety check their guns. Besides, that show is from the same era when Fred Flintstone advertised cigarettes. Safety was something kids were taught by their parents, and product liability lawsuits were few and far between. True! Another thing that always got me about T.V. and movie cowboys was/is when the cowboy drew his gun, cocked it, decided he didn't need to shoot and lowered the hammer...RIGHT DOWN ON A LIVE ROUND! Not even on half-cock! Of course, half-cocking the hammer and turning the cylinder five clicks before recocking and lowering the hammer back on the empty chamber would have taken too much time, been too distracting and broken the continuity of the movie script...I suppose. Still... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Of course there were lots of accidental discharges with disasterous results in the Old West actually. Not many cowboys were safety officers. And we won't even go into Greenhorns and town dudes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Jones, SASS 2263 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 True! Another thing that always got me about T.V. and movie cowboys was/is when the cowboy drew his gun, cocked it, decided he didn't need to shoot and lowered the hammer...RIGHT DOWN ON A LIVE ROUND! Not even on half-cock! Of course, half-cocking the hammer and turning the cylinder five clicks before recocking and lowering the hammer back on the empty chamber would have taken too much time, been too distracting and broken the continuity of the movie script...I suppose. Still... I Saw a character revolve the cylinder and lower the hammer on an empty chamber on a tv show once. I Wish I could remember who it was or the show. The only thing I recall was thinking how odd it was that they showed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I Saw a character revolve the cylinder and lower the hammer on an empty chamber on a tv show once. I Wish I could remember who it was or the show. The only thing I recall was thinking how odd it was that they showed it. Mail Call? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I saw this "home movie" kinda thing, some years back,on CMT(? I think). Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson are bullchittin' with Gene Autry. Gene tells 'em that he fetched along the gun he carried in all his movies, brought out (from somewhere - briefcase probably) a nickeled Single Action Army. And while he's talking he's waving it here and there. Not making any big thing about it, Johnny casually reaches over, takes it out of his hand, and while carrying on a conversation about it - "boy, this shore is a purty gun" - that kinda thing - points it at the floor, flips over the loading gate, pulls it to half cock and you can plainly see his left thumb finger turning the cylinder - click click click click click click click. I thought that was very cool. Checking the gun, and NOT attempting to make a famous old man look like a fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 And how many holes did Barney Fife shoot in the floor over the years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 And how many holes did Barney Fife shoot in the floor over the years? He fired eight times all AD's 3 into the floor and one into Andy's porch, one into the squad car tire, and three into the air or ceiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Whiskers Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Yul Lose, on 07 Apr 2014 - 9:55 PM, said:He fired eight times all AD's 3 into the floor and one into Andy's porch, one into the squad car tire, and three into the air or ceiling. What's spooky about that is you actually kept count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 When I was a teenager I was in a body cast in bed for two stretches, one for three months and the next one for 6 weeks. I saw all those shows. Then in 1992 I was in a body cast for seven months and I watched all of those shows every single day for seven long months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 When I was a teenager I was in a body cast in bed for two stretches, one for three months and the next one for 6 weeks. I saw all those shows. Then in 1992 I was in a body cast for seven months and I watched all of those shows every single day for seven long months. And that would be about the only way you could make me watch them all.... LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 In a body cast three different times? Whatever you were doing, you weren't doing it right! Growing up a bit of a geek, I like the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," but in one episode two of the characters (Penny and Leonard) go to a shooting range on a "date," and Penny takes the pistol pulls the slide back and lets it go forward, then inserts a magazine. Nothing else is done with the pistol, yet Leonard manages to shoot himself in the foot with it. Not their finest moment. Don't get me started on their paintball sequences... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 He fired eight times all AD's 3 into the floor and one into Andy's porch, one into the squad car tire, and three into the air or ceiling. Do you remember Andy's AD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Do you remember Andy's AD? Ya got me on that one Sarge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Gene Autry tells 'em that he fetched along the gun he carried in all his movies, brought out (from somewhere - briefcase probably) a nickeled Single Action Army. And while he's talking he's waving it here and there. I once saw a video of John Wayne doing a PSA about gun safety. He had a levergun, and was kinda fumbling with it and waving it around a little like he wasn't quite sure of himself. I thought it was strange since, I believe, he was a recreational shooter and occasional hunter. True! Another thing that always got me about T.V. and movie cowboys was/is when the cowboy drew his gun, cocked it, decided he didn't need to shoot and lowered the hammer...RIGHT DOWN ON A LIVE ROUND! Not even on half-cock! Of course, half-cocking the hammer and turning the cylinder five clicks before recocking and lowering the hammer back on the empty chamber would have taken too much time, been too distracting and broken the continuity of the movie script...I suppose. Still... I always am amused by the scene in Rio Bravo where John Wayne sticks his rifle under his arm like an umbrella or walking stick. He keeps turning this way and that with the muzzle sweeping everything behind him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I always am amused by the scene in Rio Bravo where John Wayne sticks his rifle under his arm like an umbrella or walking stick. He keeps turning this way and that with the muzzle sweeping everything behind him. And don't forget, when he carried it, it was cocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Seen #16162 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 How many of you caught the A.D. on camera by Ward Bond in the movie "The Searchers"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 How many of you caught the A.D. on camera by Ward Bond in the movie "The Searchers"? "Boy, you watch that knife!" Ward Bond to a young Patrick Wayne about where he was waving his sabre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 How many of you caught the A.D. on camera by Ward Bond in the movie "The Searchers"?Yep, then he pauses for half a second, like waiting for someone to yell cut, then continues firing.That compels the observation that John Wayne also had a habit of throwing guns at or to people, and not always in the easiest way to be caught safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tascosa, SASS# 24838 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Let me ask a question here since we are on the subject of guns and hollyweird. Whats this new business of turning the pistols sideways and shooting???? Is it just to look cool or do they think the trajectory would change if u change the position of the gun??? I tried it with my 1911, it was uncomfortable and couldnt hit ziltch. Of course I was shooting under a handicap. I had to reload and hollyweird doesnt. Tascosa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I saw this "home movie" kinda thing, some years back,on CMT(? I think). Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson are bullchittin' with Gene Autry. Gene tells 'em that he fetched along the gun he carried in all his movies, brought out (from somewhere - briefcase probably) a nickeled Single Action Army. And while he's talking he's waving it here and there. Not making any big thing about it, Johnny casually reaches over, takes it out of his hand, and while carrying on a conversation about it - "boy, this shore is a purty gun" - that kinda thing - points it at the floor, flips over the loading gate, pulls it to half cock and you can plainly see his left thumb finger turning the cylinder - click click click click click click click. I thought that was very cool. Checking the gun, and NOT attempting to make a famous old man look like a fool. Alpo, I think that may have been a documentary on "The Highwaymen." At any rate, both Sassparilla Kid and I caught it ~ definitely moved Cash up a notch or two (if there were any notches left!) on the esteem scale... and a bit of sad disappointment in Gene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Nelson Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Let me ask a question here since we are on the subject of guns and hollyweird. Whats this new business of turning the pistols sideways and shooting???? Is it just to look cool or do they think the trajectory would change if u change the position of the gun??? I tried it with my 1911, it was uncomfortable and couldnt hit ziltch. Of course I was shooting under a handicap. I had to reload and hollyweird doesnt. I thought it was just a Hollywood thing but I guess some, ahem, "troubled youths" have picked up the habit. I don't know where it originated. I thought it was just to look cool but I saw an article a while back theorizing that gangstas do it because their street cred demands that they shoot during a fight, but they don't actually want to hit anybody because if they do that guy's homies (did i say that right?) will hunt them down and kill them. So they shoot in a way that's guaranteed to miss. I also saw a video with R. Lee Ermey where he was talking to someone else about it. Gunny said if any of his Marines had fired a pistol that way he'd shoot them himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Do you remember Andy's AD? Ya got me on that one Sarge. There was an episode where some big city criminal came to town. As usual, Andy wanted to talk him into Jail. Barny didn't think it would work, so he loaded his bullet into his gun. Of course, the Bad Guy got his gun, and ordered Andy into his own Jail Cell. When Andy had the Bad Guy by the Cell door, Andy turned and told HIM to get into the Cell. The Bad Guy tried to shoot him, but only got "Click, click,click,click,click." Andy then took the gun away from him and put him into the cell. When the Bad Guy asked Andy how he knew the gun wasn't loaded, Andy explained that he never let Barny load it, just carry a bullet in his pocket. At that, he pointed the gun at the ceiling, and "BANG!" Cue Laugh track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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