A Big Difference in Books and Movies by Ginger Simpson

Just as we take creative license with our books, I believe movies and TV programs do the same, although editors and publishers always stress how important, as authors, our historical facts must be true and accurate.  The same doesn't seem to apply to movies.

Borrowed from Wikipedia

For example:  I watched one of my old favorite westerns while camping, Buffalo Girls.  In the movie, Wild Bill is played by Sam Elliott. (Yum...or used to be yum)  He and Calamity Jane Canary had a brief fling which resulted in the birth of a baby girl.  However, they weren't married in the movie and there is no historical mention of a marriage between the two, but in researching Wild Bill, I discovered  Jane Canary claims to have married and divorced Bill Hickok so he could wed Agnes Lake.  However, as I mentioned, there are no records to support Jane's marriage claim, but Bill did marry Agnes Thather Lake.  I found no record of offspring which makes sense since they married in March 1876 and Hickok died August 2, 1876.

Wild Bill had a colorful background.  A notable marksman at a young age, he meandered in and out of positions upholding the law.  Tall and thin, he earned derisive (according to Wikipedia) nicknames such as "Duck Bill" and "Shanghai Bill," and it wasn't until he grew a moustache in 1861 that he began calling himself "Wild Bill."  It's no wonder.  *smile*

During the Indian wars, he scouted for Custer's 7th Calvary, but then moved to Niagara Falls to try his hand at acting.  After he should no talent in that area, he return to what he knew best....being a lawman.  However, in one of his many shootouts, he accidentally shot and killed a deputy who was coming to his aid and was relieved of his duties in Abilene.

Wild Bill's colorful life came to an end in a saloon Deadwood in the Black Hills of Dakota.  He made it a habit to sit with his back to the wall while gambling, but this particular time, arrived late for the game and his seat was already taken by someone who refused to relinquish it.  A former buffalo hunter named, Jack McCall (AKA Crooked Nose Jack), entered unnoticed by Hickok, drew his pistol and shot Wild Bill in the back of the head, killing him instantly.  Another player was struck in the wrist by the bullet as it exited Hickok's right cheek.  The hand he was holding was sure to be a winner, two aces and two eights of spades;  now known as the "Dead Man's Hand."  The fifth card had yet to be revealed.

By the time of his death, Hickok had killed thirty-six men.  The motive for his own murder remains a mystery.  Some claim the shooter might have been paid to do the deed, other's claim it was payback for the way Wild Bill had embarrassed him the previous day, after McCall had lost all his money, Hickok gave him money for breakfast.  The most logical is the shooting was in retribution for the killing of McCall's brother, although there is really nothing to prove he was related to "Lew McCall," who was reportedly killed by the law in Abilene.

Taken From Google Images

McCall was acquitted (HUH?) and left for Wyoming, where he bragged about what he'd done and was rearrested and tried again.  This time, he was hung (March 1877.)

Times have really changed.  Double Jeopardy didn't exist in that time period because Wyoming was not yet recognized by the U.S. In the movie, Buffalo Gals, Calamity, along with her new baby and an old Indian, came to the Abilene where Wild Bill was killed and found they had just hanged someone.  Guess Who?  That's not true to history.

 Although some allege Calamity tried to organize a mob and threatened McCall with hanging, historical records reveal she was actually being held by the military at the time.  So much for historical accuracy in movies.  You can bet if we write about a novel about Wild Bill, it will be historically correct.

No baby, no marriage, no divorce, just the facts we can find that are historically accurate.  I guess the romantic part of Jane giving up her child because the father was dead and she couldn't care for the little girl, given the mother's lifestyle, just added appeal to being a Buffalo Gal.

If you would like to know more about the story of Wild Bill Hickok.  I just watched Legends and Lies based on Bill O'Reilly's book.  I enjoyed finding out the TRUE story, and those wanting to know more about Hickok's years enforcing the law and his shootouts...visit Wikipedia's page on Wild Bill.
BTW...O'Reilly's book was written by David Fisher, the author of more than a dozen bestsellers.  He has also written extensively for national magzines and newspapers.   Bill likes to brag about his books...you'd think he wrote them.  *lol*

Wikipedia Picture

Old West Myth vs. Reality -by Devon Matthews

Today I’m revisiting one of my favorite topics—the myth versus the reality of the Old West.

 

As writers of western romance, we try to keep our facts straight and base our stories in reality, to give our readers a real taste of what it was like back in the Old West. But, as hard as we try, our efforts often fall short because we’ve been influenced all our lives by what we’ve seen on the big screen and tv—the romanticized west.

 

In the movies and even most of the books we read, we see our hero shove through the batwings (swinging doors) of some saloon—usually a nice, clean saloon. He bellies up to the bar and orders a drink. In the corner, a piano player is pounding out a lively tune while gaily dressed saloon girls engage the patrons. The bartender serves our hero a shot in a clean glass from a nicely labeled bottle of whiskey. After quickly tossing back the drink, our hero then flips the bartender a gold coin and carries his bottle to one of the poker tables, where a game is already in progress. After some interesting conversation back and forth, the game usually turns into a shootout and the result is several dead bodies lying on the floor. Sound familiar?

 

In reality, until the late 1800’s, when the railroads, mining camps, and cattle drives brought prosperity to the west, a typical saloon was neither large, nicely decorated, nor was it anything even approaching clean. More often, sawdust covered the floors, which absorbed everything from tobacco juice, blood, beer, and spilled liquor. The sawdust also disguised and soaked up the more unpleasant odors of urine and vomit. Nice, huh? Rather than a piano in the corner, you were just as likely to find a barber chair. In providing barber services, the saloons gave the more pious and wife-fearing patrons a respectable reason to walk through the doors.

 

Let’s go back to the image of our hero flipping the bartender a gold coin. In reality, drinks and other goods and services were often purchased with gold dust, especially in the numerous mining camps. Where gold dust was the coin of the realm, there followed some very inventive practices of stealing it. An unscrupulous bartender, intent on taking more than his fair share, would rub grease or thick liniment into his hair. Pinching into a sack of gold dust always left some clinging to fingers, especially if they were sticky with grease. The bartender had only to swipe his fingers through his hair to capture the extra grains. Later, the bartender washed his hair and all those precious grains of gold settled right to the bottom of the pan. There was another, easier method and here’s my heroine from the second book of my gold camp series (still in progress) to explain.

 

    She tossed her leather pouch on the counter. “Dry your hands before you go pinching inside my poke, Smitty.”

    The bartender glared at her long and hard, then snatched the filthy towel draped over his shoulder and swiped it over his hands.

    Susannah was aware of the bowl of water Smitty kept under the bar. A common practice among unscrupulous barkeeps and shop owners in gold country. Gold dust clung to wet fingers. After “pinching” someone’s dust for payment, it was an easy trick to slip one’s hand down to the bowl and release the extra grains with a quick dip in the water.

 

A slick trick, indeed. Which brings us back to the sawdust on the floors. Wherever there were drunken miners, there was a lot of gold dust spilled. Sawdust disguised the gold dropped on the floor. After a big night, the saloon workers simply swept up the sawdust and extracted the gold.

 

Now, about that poker game our hero joined. Most saloons were small, with only enough room for a couple of tables. Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe, prior to the 1870’s, poker was not the most popular game and was rarely played. More likely, you'd find our early cowhands and gamblers playing Faro, also known as Bucking the Tiger. Players, or punters, as they were called, played against the dealer, much like our modern day Blackjack. Some of the more famous names who were Faro dealers at one time or another included Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson. Ben Thompson owned several gaming operations in and around Austin, and these included Faro.

 

Okay. We have our hero in the saloon; he’s paid for his drink and taken a seat at one of the gaming tables. So let’s take a closer look at that drink in his hand. While it’s true that good bourbon whiskey was available throughout the west in certain establishments, more than likely our hero was served something entirely different. Tarantula Juice, Coffin Varnish, and Stagger Soup were common concoctions sold as whiskey. These were often made with cheap watered-down alcohol, colored to look like whiskey with whatever was on hand, including old shoes, tobacco, molasses, or burnt sugar. Wait a minute. Old shoes? Really? To give the whiskey an extra kick, hot peppers and even rattlesnake heads (which tainted the mixture in pretty short order) were tossed in. Anyone thirsty? Ugh. So, next time you have your hero walk into a saloon for a drink, have him ask for the good stuff from a real distillery in Kentucky or Pennsylvania. One brand of rye whiskey that was top shelf and, as the stories go, favored by even the discerning Doc Holliday, was Old Overholt, which is still around today.

 

Now, what about that shootout at the poker table, where our hero is the last man standing? In reality, shootouts were much rarer than the movies would have us believe. While many men, including Wild Bill Hickok, Morgan Earp, Warren Earp, and Wes Hardin, died from gunshots inside a saloon, gun ordinances helped curtail much of the violence. Many of the towns in the Old West had gun ordinances that required you to leave your weapon with the sheriff, your hotel clerk, or even the bartender of the local saloon. Some saloons required you to check your gun at the door. As always, there were those who sidestepped the rules by carrying their guns concealed.

 

So there you have it, a few more tidbits to tuck away in your arsenal of Old West realities. And now a question. Which do you prefer for your entertainment (books and movies), the romanticized version of the Old West, or would you rather have the reality?

Happy reading and writing!
Devon

Devon's web site
Devon's blog

*Photos courtesy of the Public Domain via Wikipedia.

Western Erotica?

Do the two genres mesh well?  Writing historical fiction is a tricky mix, and when you add in sub genres, you face a more difficult dilemma.  Historical buffs are sticklers for accuracy.  Facts have to be true for the period, and even though the author may 'fictionalize' names, places, and events, the writer had better not stick a microwave in the middle of the old west or even refer to children as 'kids." I personally believe the those who read historical do so with the most critical eye of all.

Penning novels set in the old west remains my favorite pastime, but I often wonder why since so much research is involved.  When you write contemporary, anything goes, but you can't say the same for language, dress, or implements that may not have been invented or used yet during the eighteenth century...any century for that matter if you're dealing with historical facts.

This leads me to the blog title.  Sexuality during the eighteenth century was not nearly as promiscuous as today, or even in the twentieth century.  Employment opportunities for women were extremely limited, and women who worked in saloons or whorehouses were usually there out of needs not associated with their sexual prowess.  These women were considered "lowlifes" and snubbed by their own gender...those fortunate enough to marry and not depend upon themselves for survival.  For the larger part of the century, men even dominated teaching positions.  Most businesses were family oriented, so boarding houses, restaurants, and the like were staffed by kin.  Lord protect the women who lost their husbands, had to fend for themselves, and didn't have a prosperous family member upon whom to rely.  There weren't many choices to be had otherwise.

Daughters were taught that flirting openly was scandalous, even making eye contact with a stranger caused wagging tongues, and not in the sexual sense.  (smile.)  In the old west,  virtuous women rarely exposed their bodies  Showing cleavage, or God forbid, an ankle, put a woman at risk of unfavorable gossip or rejection by their peers.  So, how do we accurately portray a sexual female in a time where sex was taboo before marriage, and even then, rarely discussed.  Shows of affection were rarely seen outside the home.

Yes, in fiction, we can stretch the truth a bit, but if we adhere to historical accuracy, can we truly find a woman with a sexual appetite who wasn't afraid to display it?  Comments welcome.  I've not strayed far beyond a kiss in my stories, except in the privacy of the ranch house or tepee, so I'm anxious to hear from those who have.