"Things Movies Get Wrong About The Old West" Topic

"Western movies have been the bedrock of Hollywood's mainstream success, and the film industry has come a long way since cowboys were only good for robbing trains, and John Wayne sported an eyepatch like a desert pirate. Today we have some (much-needed) updated Westerns, with many neo-Western films providing some exciting and different takes on those gunslinging cowboys from the days of the Old West.

But as we all know by now, Hollywood will mostly — and by mostly, we mean always — choose entertainment and embellishment over accuracy and realism. And that's all fine and good, but what, then, do the movies get wrong about people who lived on horseback in the sun while their faces boiled off and their butts smelled like filly? Well, for starters …"

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Armand

Hollywood, it should be noted, was merely following the trail blazed long before by the dime novels. And as the newspaper editor said in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, "When faced with the choice between the legend and the reality, print the legend!"

Western movies have changed over time. The old silent movies, which pop up on Pluto from time to time, show a different treatment than those of the 1950s and even more in the past 20 years.

The thing is that in the early days including silent movies they actually hired cowboys for the movies. They brought their own gear IIRC and taught stars how to ride etc.

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Armand

Given the amount of horses, there seems to be a distinct lack of horsesh*t on the streets of Western towns.

Ha!…

Armand

Black powder sends up clouds of white smoke, obscuring actors and the action. The residue fouls revolvers and gatling guns fairly quickly.