The Reel Cowboy : Essays on the Myth in Movies and Literature

Rainey, Buck

McFarland & Co Inc（2014/03発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 319 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780786493654
• DDC分類 791.4365878

Full Description

Movies and books have romanticized the life of the cowboy. To most, the heroes of countless Westerns fall into one of three categories: the strong, silent, asexual deliverer of damsels in distress; the slick and gaudy guitar-strummer; and the virile, violent drifter. In truth, real cowboys had little in common with the fictionalized characters of literature and the silver screen.

The "reel" cowboys of yesteryear are recalled in Part One of this work. The make-believe West of Gene Autry, Buck Jones, Harry Carey, and many others is contrasted with the real American West. Part Two discusses the many movies based on the writings of Western writers. The works of Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, Max Brand, Luke Short, Ernest Haycox and many others have been transformed to the silver screen, often with great success. Next examined are the movies based upon three writers of the great Northwest: James Oliver Curwood, Jack London and Rex Beach. A concluding section looks at cinema cowboys on the so-called "sawdust trail." Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Jack Hoxie were among those reel cowboys who performed in circuses and Wild West shows.

Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments    

Introduction    

Part I. The Reel Cowboy    

1. The Reel Cowboy's Drift from Realism    

Part II. Western Literature as Hollywood Filmed It    

2. Zane Grey    

3. Other Writers of the West    

Part III. Cinematic Trails of the Snow Country    

4. James Oliver Curwood    

5. Jack London    

6. Rex Beach    

Part IV. Cowboys Under the Big Top    

7. Cinema Cowboys Hit the Sawdust Trail    

Notes    

Index