john smith - the 129 year old indian

This is John Smith, real name Ka-Be-Nah-Owey-Wence, who was supposed to be 129 years old when this picture was taken.  That might or might not be true, but he sure looks that old.  This should be used as an advert to prevent people staying out in the sun for too long (or getting them to moisturise).  I certainly don't think he ever came into contact with aftersun (other brands are available).

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geronimo (1962) - arnold laven

 The real Geronimo

Geronimo, played by the blue eyed Chuck Conners, surrenders to the army for a life in the reservation, but rebels against the way the Apache were treated, going on the run with his small band of followers, before gaining respect and surrendering again. Conners certainly looked the part (although he should have worn some contact lenses), but it was not exactly historically believable. The films dialogue and acting was often wooden, and pretty much all the white men were baddies (apart from Adam West - AKA Batman). At least it gave the Apaches point of view, which was rare back in the day. Conners later married his love interest in the film, Kamala Devi, and she really reminded me of Samantha (In Sex and the City) and Jenna (In 30 Rock). Maybe she is secretly their mothers (or at least one of them).
Geronimo (and his life), is well worth checking out, and it's amazing that he didn't die until 1909 (of pneumonia). That is just before The First World War. As l've often said, the past is not that far away. Saying that, Conners life, both as a sportsman and actor was also pretty impressive.
Now l might go and dig out the old 'Branded' TV series that l have on DVD and give that a dusting off. It's much better.

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sheriff of fractured jaw (1958) - raoul walsh

A 'Classic' in very large inverted commas, 'The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw' features Kenneth More as the upper class Englishman who travels to the Wild West to sell some of his family's shops guns. Due to a mix up, he becomes sheriff, everyone thinks he is a fast draw and a cool customer, and the local bad girl (Jayne Mansfield) falls for him (and him for her). I can't see what makes her attractive to him, but each to their own.
It's a knockabout farce with lots of stereotypes and ridiculous situations, but pleasant enough for chilling out.
They don't make 'em like this anymore, that's for sure.


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distant drums (1951) - raoul walsh

A 'classic' from 1951, l saw 'Distant Drums' for the first time the other day, and l have to say, l thought it was crap.  Gary Cooper is the army captain who flees some Seminole Indians through the Everglades, while an (obviously younger) woman falls for his no nonsense charms.  A major complaint is that the colour changed half way through, so the army uniforms changed from blue to green (unless l had a stroke or something).  The fort of Castillo de San Marcos looked impressive,  the snake Cooper threatened the Indian with looked rubbish,  but the film also featured the first use of the 'Wilhelm Scream', as a soldier got dragged down by a gator, so it wasn't a complete waste of time, (even if it was still a huge waste).

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scalping in the wild west

I've said it before, and l'll say it again. Times were hard in the old days, especially in The Wild West. Not only were there the everyday struggles of trying to make a living, and just surviving generally, there was also the risk of being injured or killed by outlaws or Indians. Add to that, even if you survived an Indian attack, they would probably have scalped you, thinking you were dead.
This happened to the two unfortunate chappies above.
The top person is William Thompson, who was scalped by the Cheyenne in 1867, and that is his hair in the trophy case.
The fellow below is Robert McGee in about 1861, who was scalped by the Sioux when he was a child.
I bet it was mighty painful, and rather them than me.
As stated before, times were hard.

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more wounded knee pictures

After the earlier post about The Wounded Knee Massacre, here are some more photographs from then.
I've said it before, and l'll say it again - they had it hard in them days.

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the battle of wounded knee (1890) and the busby babes

White Lance, Joseph Horn Cloud, and Dewey Beard (Iron Tail) all survived (and are brothers)

Whenever l think about the wild west and the various battles with the Indians, l always imagine then fighting when it is warm. Obviously this is not correct, as the photographs above, taken after The Battle / Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 can testify. They had it hard in those days, especially the Indians, who were kicked off their land, and then put into reservations. I know they were no angels, but wouldn't you defend your land against a foreign invader, exploiter, and double crossing land grabber?
There was a mix up with some ghost dancing at Wounded Knee, and the U.S 7th Cavalry massacred a load of mainly unarmed Lakota. It is also thought that amongst the injuries the cavarly suffered, a lot was by 'friendly fire'.
There's a great book called 'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee' (by Dee Brown) that deals with all of this stuff, and it is highly recommended if you have even the slightest interest in what atrocities occurred.
Another thing is...Dewey Beard (AKA Iron Tail) lived until 1955. I will say that again - 1955. When The Busby Babes were starting to rule, and not long before l was born.
Even though l am an old git, that is just staggering.

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navajo joe (1966 ) - sergio corbucci

A Spaghetti Western starring Burt Reynolds as Navajo Joe (when Burt was still young). Badly overacted, badly dubbed, crap plot and a crazy soundtrack (by Ennio Morricone). This, l would like to say makes it worth seeing, but whereas the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western films are class, this is rubbish. Joe's wife gets killed, so he seeks revenge on the outlaws that did it, saving a village at the same time. Crap, although l did like the mad banshee wailing on the soundtrack when Joe appeared on the top of hills/mountains (but l wouldn't waste my money on the album). Also, even though Burt was young when he made it (about 30), the hair still looks pretty dodgy. A syrup l reckon.

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