I’ve read Cecil’s article on whether cowboys used to face each other in gunfights like in the movies, and he points out that not only didn’t they, but what movies actually originally had that in it? I HAVE SEEN some of the most essential westerns like Stagecoach, Searchers, My Darling Clementine, etc.- in Clementine, the gunfight is not one on one, in Stagecoach the end gunfight isn’t either, etc.
Where in the heck did the cowboys facing off in a draw meme come from? Everyone is familiar with it b/c of countless parodies, which ended up turning it actually appearances in movies making fun of/based on those parodies like Shangai Noon or something, but where in the hell did it originate?
And what about the parody scene of the two lovers running towards each other and that song (what’s the song?) playing, that’s been parodied so we’re all familiar with it but where in the hell did it originate?
What years did these parodies start snowballing into what they are now?
The cowboys facing each other certainly dates back to the silent days. You could even argue that “The Great Train Robbery” is the origin, though the cowboy there shot at the audience.
And it predates movies. Though there were few actual cases, some certainly occurred. The gunfight at the OK Corral is the most famous. Though the facts of that fight may not match the stereotype, it was close enough to give the impression of cowboys shooting at high noon. IIRC, there even was a town in the west that staged gunfights for gullible tourists traveling through.
“Wild Bill” Hickcock is said to have engaged in at least one street faceoff (over a watch he lost in a card game). True or not, it was part of his legend & would have influenced countless writers.
well I know that the lovers running together that I’ve seen most common has always been a parody of the Emily Bronte book (Wuthering heights?) Never actually read the book so don’t know how accurate that is to the original.
Sans firearms, I’m sure the two stalwart fellows doing a walk-down on each other predates modern literature. Hell, David and Goliath could be called a quick-draw contest, though the “good guy” drew first.
Isn’t there a “lovers running towards each other” scene in the 1967 movie Elvira Madigan, with a haunting score? That’s certainly early enough for it to be part of the background of pop culture now.
I know the music that goes with the running lovers meme, and I don’t think it’s from Romeo & Juliet. I can’t think of the title or composer at the moment, though, but it’s running through my head and driving me crazy for lack of memory now.
Da-daaaaaaaa dida-da-dadidaaaaaaa da-dida-daaaaa
I want to say Tchaikovsky, but I can’t quite pin it down to a specific piece…
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, but wasn’t there a one on one standoff between Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”?, with the neccesary caveat, of course.
I’ve read that most of the western cliches started with the book ,“The Virginian”.The Gary Cooper version certainly has a gunbattle in town but not really a face off,but I think subsequent westerns were a variation of it
thing get started?