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Date Posted: 19:18:53 09/17/13 Tue
Author: DAN
Subject: Questionable Things in Westerns

I grew up watching most of the TV westerns. And really liked them, and still do.
But I noticed they all have the same questionable things in common.

Take the jail.
All of the jails have that rear window where a jailed outlaw's friends could sneak out back and toss a gun into his cell. Or tie a rope around the window bars and pull them out so the prisoner can escape. Or even shooting a prisoner from the window. I know that it's done for the plot, but really, you'd think the sheriff or marshal would place a guard back there.

Then there's the cowboy who wants to show his shooting ability. So he asks for some silver dollars to be tossed in the air and after someone tosses a few up, he shoots then dead center. Ok, very good shooting. But I mean someone just reaching into their pockets and tossing their money in the air like it was nothing? Come on. Throwing a silver dollar away back then would be like throwing away a hundred dollar bill today.

There's also the marksman who demonstrates his abilty by shooting public or private property.
The Rifleman was notorious for this. He's shot the decorative knobs off buildings several times. Shot whiskey bottles and glasses in bars. He even shot the points off of a trophy deer hanging in a bar room. And nobody cares about the damage, they just look in awe at his shooting.

Then theres the guilty man who the law just can't arrest.
Even though they know he is guilty, they never have enough evidence to hold him.

In one episode of Gunsmoke. This bad guy burned another man's barn trying to get the owner to sell out. The owner's son happened to be in the barn at the time and died. The owner went to the marshall and told him he knew who did it and also told him that the bad guy told him he'd burn his barn down if he didn't sell. Well of course there wasn't enough evidence, so the marshal couldn't arrest him. Then in another episode an innocent guy was seen arguing with a drifter and later the drifter was found dead. Well that argument was enough evidence for the Marshal to arrest the innocent guy.

Of course it's all part of the story and it usually ends well. But it's kind of annoying.

I really get annoyed with the Bonanza episodes where one of the Cartwrights get arrested for something and nobody believes them, even though they're well known and respected.

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Replies:

[> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- Tony s, 04:41:56 09/18/13 Wed [1]

The thing that always gets me, particularly on Bonanza, is how well lit the main house is at night. Clearly looks like they have electricity, vs. the oil lamps etc....It's pretty funny. back in those days, the house would be soooooo dim at night. All for TV!


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[> [> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- DAN, 14:53:28 09/18/13 Wed [1]

Right. The house would have to be filled with oil lamps to light the house that much.


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[> [> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- Sierra, 15:36:11 04/05/15 Sun [1]

Big Valley is another one. Another thing on both shows: the street lights sometimes look like electric lights. Or maybe it's just me.


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[> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- Trish, 22:09:52 09/18/13 Wed [1]

I guess it all boils down to one thing: suspension of disbelief, all in the name of fun.


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[> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- Tim, 23:56:52 09/22/13 Sun [1]

I also have noticed the jail cell windows in westerns being used by the bad guys, particularly in Gunsmoke. Some type of screen could be added, but that might be easily cut. A pane of glass placed over the barred window would make more sense. A bad guy would have to break the window to get any contraband into the cell, and the Sheriff, Marshall or Deputy would likely hear the noise. Then again with the glass over the window there would be no ventilation, which I suppose was one of the purposes of the window in the first place. It could also provide light to the cell in the daytime.

I recall the two jails cells in The Andy Griffith Show having windows with bars, but you only see them in a few episodes. They were up rather high.

According to this link the cell windows in westerns were largely a creation of Hollywood.

http://www.truewestmagazine.com/jcontent/history/history/ask-the-marshall/2604-did-jail-cells-in-westerns-always-have-a-window-to-an-alley


Tim


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[> [> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- Ponderosa Pete, 12:00:01 09/24/13 Tue [1]

Good comments! think the writers and producers of BONANZA realized early on the problem of having the venerable Cartwrights jailed, so whenever they'd get in trouble, in was in a town far away (from Virginia City) where they were not known (at least by sight). Examples: "The Avenger," "The Gamble," "Hot Day for a Hanging," "Trouble Town," . . .

As far as the bright Ponderosa, I think the explanation is a practical one. BONANZA was (literally) pioneering new color film stock and in those days, the speed of the film was not great, so the cinematographer concluded lots of candle power was needed to see details in color. Today you have slower film speeds so you can see more detail with less light.


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[> Dodge City -- SWC, 20:54:02 10/29/13 Tue [1]

Love Gunsmoke but...

- Who takes care of the place when the Marshal and Chester are out of town? Why is a US Marshal, (whose job is to apprehend fugitives), also a town Marshal?

- In such a rough town, why is Chester his only deputy, (and he's not really a deputy).

- Where is the Sheriff of Ford County? That was Bat Masterson's job. Wyatt Earp with take care of things in town. Bat would form the posses to go after people.

- Why do confrontations always come down to quick-draw contests? Real lawmen would have their guns already out when they anticipated trouble. And they would try to out-number whomever they were dealing with to dissuade the perp from any sort of violence. A lawman isn't interested in winning contests. He's interested in upholding the law.

- Matt often says that he's employed by the War Department. Wouldn't that be the Attorney General?

- The laws in Kansas are interesting. If the victim lives, Matt's got to let him go. There's no law against assault?

- The number of men who were Marshal in a western town for 20 years is exactly zero. Most of them didn't last 6 months before they were killed or found something better to do.

- Matt got shot so many times you'd think the beer would squirt out all over the floor of the Long Branch.

- By the 70's he was outdrawing guys half his age.

- By the end of the show, Boot Hill must have taken up half the state of Kansas.

Great show though.


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[> Re: Questionable Things in Westerns -- Kayleetara, 23:40:32 12/10/13 Tue [1]

I've seen some actual jails in the West that were small buildings with no windows and a small thick wooden door with no window. The jails on TV were luxury hotels by comparison.

http://www.360cities.net/image/old-jail-in-coloma-california#-42.27,0.01,15.0


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