# Where did the cowboys-facing-off and the lovers running together meme come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284 "2005-09-19T00:03:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/1 "2005-09-19T00:03:51Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/2 "2005-09-19T00:41:55Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Vintage\_1957](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vintage\_1957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vintage_1957)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/3 "2005-09-19T02:30:08Z")
“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. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/4 "2005-09-19T02:38:59Z")
I suspect the “lovers theme” might be the “Love Theme from ‘Romeo and Juliet’” from the 1968 Zefferelli classic. ---
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/5 "2005-09-19T02:50:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/6 "2005-09-19T03:34:37Z")
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. But in movies, yeah from the earliest silents. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/7 "2005-09-19T03:44:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/8 "2005-09-19T04:12:45Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/9 "2005-09-22T20:06:12Z")
Thanks, but you guys still haven’t answered my question- were there any movies actually containing a one on one standoff between cowboys? And where did the Da-daaaaaaaa dida-da-dadidaaaaaaa da-dida-daaaaa 😃 thing get started? Yes, I know, impossible questions… Maybe I’ll ask Ebert (Ask the Movie Answer Man). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/10 "2005-09-22T20:11:12Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/11 "2005-09-22T21:57:20Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/12 "2005-09-22T22:13:46Z")
Where did the cowboy face-off come from? Isn’t it a Western/frontier version of an old-fashioned duel (i.e., pistols, seconds, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/13 "2005-09-22T23:17:53Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > 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 is Tchaikovsky, and it is Romeo & Juliet. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/14 "2005-09-22T23:20:52Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > It is Tchaikovsky, and it is Romeo & Juliet. Gah…the only “Romeo & Juliet” themes I found on the Web were nothing like that… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/15 "2005-09-22T23:21:07Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > 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. This is Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major K. 467. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/16 "2005-09-22T23:24:16Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Gah…the only “Romeo & Juliet” themes I found on the Web were nothing like that… Try going [here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000058HZ/qid=1127431907/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl15/002-7115166-8920822?v=glance&s=classical&n=507846) and clicking on track #20. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/17 "2005-09-22T23:40:45Z")
I can’t wait for [Brokeback Mountain](http://www.brokebackmountain.com), where we’ll get to see cowboys running into eachother’s arms. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/18 "2005-09-22T23:44:24Z")
> [@Cat Fight](#): > > I can’t wait for [Brokeback Mountain](http://www.brokebackmountain.com), where we’ll get to see cowboys running into each other’s arms. …and then eating pudding. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/19 "2005-09-22T23:49:30Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > …and then eating pudding. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284/20 "2005-09-23T00:28:12Z")
> [@Cat Fight](#): > > I can’t wait for [Brokeback Mountain](http://www.brokebackmountain.com), where we’ll get to see cowboys running into eachother’s arms. Followed by the obvious porn film version; Bareback Mountain. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-cowboys-facing-off-and-the-lovers-running-together-meme-come-from/322284.md?page=2)