3 Mequiteers … Western Posters Part 1
3 Feb
BIG IRON
The 3 Mesquiteers / Western Film Posters
OK, OK … I’ve bin a bit hard on them The 3 Mesquiteers. So’s I better show ’em some Love.
After all, they do hold an rightful place in Western Film history and John Wayne’s Filmography.
And I gotta say they did have some pretty nice Western Poster Art.
Let’s take a ride:
The 3 Mesquiteers were about 50 B Movie Serials between 1936 and 1943.
There were several personnel changes in the Series over the years.
John Wayne appeared in 8 starting 1938.
The 3 Mesquiteers posters / 1936 to 1937
Beautiful. A lot of early Westerns employed Artwork instead of photography.
And the results were spectacular.
3 Mesquiteers … A little History:

Max Terhune (as Lullaby Joslin), Robert Livingston (as Stony Brooke) and Ray Corrigan (asTucson Smith)
Max Terhune played Lullaby Joslin in 21 films.
Bob Livingston played Stony Brooke in 29 films,
Ray Corrigan played Tucson Smith in 24 films,
John Wayne dropped by in 1938 and played Stony Brooke in 8 films.
You can spot Legendary Stuntman Yakima Canutt (top left with the pistol).
Yak performed many stunts with the Mesquiteers
and a bit of Acting as well – often unbilled.
Ghost Town Gold slides in here somewhere,
but I couldn’t find a decent poster.
Really nice stuff.
Louise Brooks – Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
23 JanLouse Brooks – Pandora’s Box / Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
The Three Mesquiteers:
Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
Overland Stage Raiders is perhaps most famous for being the last film that Louise Brooks appeared in.
Louise Brooks on John Wayne:
“This is no actor but the hero of all mythology miraculously brought to life… John was, in fact,
that which Henry James defined as the greatest of all works of art – a purely beautiful being.”
IMDB Trivia:
“This was the final film of Louise Brooks. NOTE: Contrary to popular belief,
this was not intended to be her “comeback” film;
she made it because she needed the money. She was paid $300 (equal to $5180,
adjusted for inflation in 2017) for the film.
Not long after it was released, she was found working as a salesgirl at Saks Fifth Avenue
at a salary of $40 (equivalent to $690 in ’17) a week.”
Much could (and has) been written about Louise. Let’s say was a beautiful and controversial Star
and still has a large following of admirers.
It puzzles me that Overland Stage Raiders plays so loosely with
Western Movie traditions by using buses and planes, etc.
but then fail to exploit Louise Brooks immense charisma and sex appeal???
But lots of things puzzle me.
“I have been taking stock of my 50 years since I left Wichita. How I have existed fills me with horror for I failed everything. Spelling, arithmetic, writing, swimming, tennis, golf, dancing, singing, acting, wife, mistress, whore, friend, even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of not trying. I tried with all my heart.”
– Louise Brooks
If there’s any one thing you could say about Louise it was that she had an incredible
amount of that mystical substance called Charisma.
1906 – 1985
Judge for yourself.
I could easily post about 100 pics of Louise.
Her short bobbed hairstyle was her trademark sensation.
Imitated by many – achieved by few
“A well dressed woman, even though her purse is painfully empty, can conquer the world.”
– Louise Brooks
She starred in seventeen silent films and eight sound films.
On February 6, 1932, she filed for bankruptcy and began dancing in nightclubs to earn a living.
By 1946, she had to take a $40-a-week job as a sales girl at Saks Fifth Avenue to make a living.
“Love is a publicity stunt, and making love – after the first curious raptures –
is only another petulant way to pass the time waiting for the studio to call.”
– Louise Brooks
Was close friends with IT Girl Clara Bow.
Many photos of Louise have been colorized,
but I think the monochromes are still the best.
“The great art of films does not consist in descriptive movement of face and body,
but in the movements of thought and soul transmitted in a kind of intense isolation.”
– Louise Brooks
She left her home at age 16 to join a modern dance company.
“I have a gift for enraging people, but if I ever bore you, it’ll be with a knife.”
– Louise Brooks
“In my dreams I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance,”
– Louise Brooks
Dance she did.
And still does.
Super Blood Wolf Moon Lunar Eclipse
21 Jan
It’s Only a Paper Moon / Ella Fitxgerald
Truly a rare Celestial Masterpiece.
Not just an Eclipse (which is a rare enough event in itself) but a Super Blood Wolf Moon Lunar Eclipse!
If such events mean anything – such as Portents (and I think they must) – then there must be a humdinger of a story behind this one.
The trick is – as always – in figuring it out.
I don’t by any “End of the World” or Apocalypse crap, but I do try to see what ‘rings true’ for me.
I’d like to think that I have the Spiritual tools within me to discover this for myself.
And sometimes I do. But I don’t have answers yet.
Meanwhile I’ll just howl at the moon.
Wolf Howl
A friendlier Golden Moon.
The next chance for another glimpse of a Super Blood Wolf Moon won’t come until. Nov. 8, 2022.
They Shall Not Grow Old FREE DOWNLOAD
12 JanThey Shall Not Grow Old had a limited release and time in Theatres.
However, it is available for FREE download if you wish to see it.
https://yifyddl.com/movie/they-shall-not-grow-old-2018
It really is a remarkable documentary.
John Wayne Filmography: The Three Mesquiteers: Overland Stage Raiders (1938) Part 1
8 Jan
Cowboy Rhythm / Patsy Montana / 1938
The Three Mesquiteers:
Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
1938
The Great Depression is ending.
Franklin D. Roosevelt is US President.
Hitler’s Third Reich marches into Austria.
Howard Hughes flys Round the world in 3 days.
Orson Welles’s broadcasts The War of the Worlds.
Seabiscuit beats War Admiral at Pimlico.
A gallon of Gas costs 10 cents.
Douglas Fairbanks dies.
Evel Knievel is born.
The Three Mesquiteers: Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
Consider this a review. I know these B grade Serial Westerns are often looked back on with fondness by some folks. But not by me. As an 8 year old kid watching Westerns every Saturday morning in 1956, I gotta tell ya, this is the last thing I wanted to see. They seemed to contain everything that I figured shouldn’t be in a Western: Dolled up Cowboys wearing little kerchiefs; often singing with some sappy sidekick; cars! trucks!! buses!!! airplanes???!!!!; and Ventriloquist dummies! MY GOD! What kind of Western is that!! ?? Turned my stomach. I wanted to see Rory Calhoun or Randolph Scott or Audie Murphy. Anybody but this stuff. This definitely wasn’t the Golden Era of Westerns.
Fortunately!!! this would soon be coming to a merciful end 1939 when Director John Ford Directed Stagecoach (Starring John Wayne). Ford saw that Westerns could be legitimate Art. So he did it. And created some Classics: Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, … This changed everything. Oh Yeah things still occasionally fell back in formula pulp, but there was more than enough good stuff on the way.
Next Overland Stage Raiders / Louise Brooks.
John Wayne Filmography … continued … at last
27 Dec
Pals of the Saddle / by “Just Me and Dad” The Cantrell Family of Springfield MO.
Back about February 6, 2017, I left off my series of posts called
John Wayne Western Filmography.
I had progressively worked through most of John’s early Westerns
and left off after Pals of the Saddle (1938).
Amongst all that I had done posts or Rio Bravo (1959 )and The Shootist (1976)
along with The Merchandising of John Wayne: Booze, Smokes …
don’t think I’ve done John’s Guns yet.
I’ll get to that one day.
Pals of the Saddle / The Overstake Sisters c.1936
John Wayne Early Westerns
At that time I had done profiles on these early John Wayne Westerns:
1930
The Big Trail
1931
The Range Feud
1932
Two-Fisted Law
Texas Cyclone
Ride Him Cowboy
Haunted Gold
The Big Stampede
1933
The Telegraph Trail
Somewhere In Sonora
Sagebrush Trail
Riders of Destiny
The Man From Monterey
1934
West of The Divide
The Trail Beyond
The Star Packer
Randy Rides Alone
The Man From Utah
The Lucky Texan
The Lawless Frontier
Blue Steel
Neath The Arizona Skies
1935
Westward Ho
Texas Terror
Rainbow Valley
Paradise Canyon
The New Frontier
Lawless Range
The Desert Trail
The Dawn Rider
1936
Winds Of The Wasteland
The Lonely Trail
The Lawless Nineties
King of The Pecos
1937
California Straight Ahead
1938
Born to The West
Santa Fe Stampede
Red River Range
Pals of The Saddle
Early Westerns yet to be covered:
Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
1939
Wyoming Outlaw
Three Texas Steers
The Night Riders
New Frontier
Allegheny Uprising
Stagecoach
It’s not likely I’ll stay on track this time either,
but we’ll venture forth anyway.
GIDDYUP!
Christmas Favorites 9 …
22 DecChristmas has it’s share of novelty songs and
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
would be number one on that list.
But the back story is rather amazing – and inspiring.
The real story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
A man named Robert L. May, depressed and broken hearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer.
Little Barbara couldn’t understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad’s eyes and asked, “Why isn’t Mommy just like everybody else’s Mommy?”
Bob’s jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob’s life. Life always had to be different for Bob.
When he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he’d rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.
Bob, after completing college, married his loving wife Evelyn and was grateful to get a job as a copywriter at the Timothy Eaton Department Store, in Toronto, during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn’s bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the poorer area of Toronto.
Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.
Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn’t even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn’t buy a gift, he was determined to make one – a storybook!
Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal’s story
to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again, Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling.
Who was the character? What was the story all about?
The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day.
But the story doesn’t end there.
The general manager of the T. Eaton Store caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. They went on to print, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores.
By 1946, Eaton’s had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Eaton’s to print an updated version of the book.
In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Eaton’s returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller.
Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter. But the story doesn’t end there either. Bob’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.”
The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn’t so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.
A true Canadian story.
Christmas Favorites 8 …
17 DecI sent some Christmas music out to few friends and family
and asked them to send me something back.
From Rose:
From Brother Doug:
From me:
New Star Trek Series … ?
15 DecThis looks too good to be true …
Make It So! ‘Star Trek’s’ Capt. Picard Returns in New CBS Series
https://www.space.com/41389-star-trek-picard-returns-cbs-series.html
“It’s good to see you again Captain.”
Indeed.
“I have the bridge.”
Christmas Favorites 6 : Sleigh Ride
12 DecGiddy up, Giddy up, Let’s go !
Just look at that snow!
Dedicated to Marilyn and Garry over at Serendipity blog.
https://teepee12.com/
Marilyn is a big Roy and Dale fan and this version
of Sleigh Ride is special. It has a bonus song: Jingle Bells
plus Roy does some yodelling! Alright!
Ella! Very nice!
Bing
Jack knows how to do it
This is sweet :
Okay, I’m getting the spirit now !
They Shall Not Grow Old
12 DecChristmas Favorites 5 : Blue Christmas
11 DecBlue Christmas
Many people believe Blue Chrismas was first done by Elvis, but it was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and first recorded in 1948 by the great Country Crooner Doye O’Dell. (who nobody remembers anymore). There have been many renditions since including Elvis‘.
Somebody forgot to check his gun at the door.
Brenda Lee is another artist who did many great versions of Christmas Carols.
Her phrasing was always brilliant.
This ain’t bad at all …
Shocking how well this works:
Okay, Okay here’s Elvis:
Yeah … short and sweet.
Christmas Favorites 4 : O Little Town of Bethlehem
10 DecChristmas in Coutts
When I was a kid the annual School Christmas Pageant was a staple of Canadian culture. Thus it was in the small town of Coutts in 1958 (?) on the Alberta / Montana border. I was in Grade 4.
Some poor teacher had been assigned to teach all us kids to sing some Christmas Carols. I can imagine that was no easy task.
Yet, over all years I only recall two Christmas Pageants that I was in. The other was in Michichi, Alberta, a very small farm township on the Prairie.
In Coutts, I played a shepherd in our re-enactment of the Nativity. I wore an old purple robe that passed as shepherd getup. Luckily there was no sheep involved so my duties were light.
My pal Bryce Tolley sang O Little Town of Bethlehem. He had a great voice.
All was well.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an Episcopal priest, then rector of Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia and later of Trinity Church, Boston. He was inspired by visiting the village of Bethlehem in the Sanjak of Jerusalem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church, and his organist Lewis Redner (1831-1908) added the music.
If there’s anything Barbra can’t sing beautifully I haven’t found it.
Pat Boone does a nice version. Yeah, he could sing pretty good.
A softer reverence …
Many great versions …
I give you just three.
Christmas Favorites 4 _________ Little Drummer Boy
7 DecLove has no Theology.
By playing all these Christmas Carols, I’m sure some people think I’m promoting Christianity.
I’m not. I’m not Christian. I just love a lot of the Christmas music.
It’s beautiful, uplifting and Joyous.
I hope you feel the same way
The Little Drummer Boy
Wikipedia says: “The Little Drummer Boy” (originally known as “Carol of the Drum“) is a popular Christmas song written by the American classical music composer and teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family Singers, the song was further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale; the Simeone version was re-released successfully for several years and the song has been recorded many times since.
Christmas Favorites 3 _________ O Holy Night
5 DecIt almost requires a Heavenly Choir to return this piece of music
to the place it comes from.
A Divine Masterpiece.
Attempted my many. Achieved by a few.
I offer a few notable interpretations.
Ahhh … there are a few others,
but I have to stop somewhere …
Christmas Favorites … 2
4 DecI Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
A couple of years ago I discovered this version of
‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day’.
It is not new song/poem, but an inspired update.
And although it’s author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
never wrote it as a Christmas Carol, it’s become
a favorite of many people.
There have been a several Lyric changes/versions over the years.
Some History
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_the_Bells_on_Christmas_Day says:
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem “Christmas Bells” by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song tells of the narrator’s despair, upon hearing Christmas bells, that “hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men”. The carol concludes with the bells carrying renewed hope for peace among men.”
It’s said that two personal tragedies inspired the poem: his wife being badly burnt in a fire, and his son going to fight in the American Civil War, where he was badly wounded.
“Longfellow first wrote the poem on Christmas Day in 1863. “Christmas Bells” was first published in February 1865, in Our Young Folks, a juvenile magazine …” “References to the Civil War are prevalent in some of the verses that are not commonly sung”.
In “1872 the poem is known to have been set to music.” by English organist, John Baptiste Calkin.
The poem as evolved through several different versions over the years and in In 1956, Bing Crosby released as a single that reached No. 55 in the Music Vendor survey.
Then Burl Ives put out a version in 50’s? 60’s?
Harry does a great job (1958):
and on and on … with versions by
Frank Sinatra, Sarah McLachlan, The Carpenters … and more.
Sadly, I must agree, that there will never be Peace on Earth.
But I do believe we can find it in ourselves.
Christmas Favorites … 1
3 DecI like Christmas and I love Christmas Carols.
Christmas – like most things – is what you make it.
But this wonderful music already exists.
So I play it.
My lady Rose turned me on to this wonderful version of
my favorite Christmas Carol, Silent Night.
If you haven’t heard it already, I hope you enjoy.
Day Trip to Elbow Falls … Part 1
25 NovGod’s careless beauty is thrown o’er the moments
Like the golden coins of my fancy.
– Coins of Gold / Paul Twitchell
On the way … the Rockies ahead
The whole Elbow River basin had been devastated by flood in 2013
which had ravaged the area destroying Park facilities and terrain.
A rugged escarpment.
The Elbow Falls itself is not running high at this time of year.
During Spring runoff it has twice the water flow and very spectacular.
On a beautiful Summer day this is a favoured spot for Lovers to Propose,
for Picnicking, Wedding shots, Hikers, and young folks who
dare to jump into the pool.
continued …
What’s going on with WordPress ???
14 NovYou must have noticed I’ve been doing a lot of editing … and re-Posting on my Posts recently.
This is because some strange things are going with my Blog.
The first thing that started to go wrong was that any time I posted a clip from You Tube it often didn’t appear on the the Post. It was fine in the Preview, but screwed somehow up in the Posting. And each I tried to fix it, it wouldn’t fix. But I couldn’t tell that until I Posted. Very aggravating.
The other thing was line spacing. It sometimes added extra spacing or none at all. It didn’t look very good. And I care about how my Posts look.
These a couple of other ongoing issues have required me to keep Editing and Posting until things come out correctly.
Of course, I also sometimes make mistakes – typos and such – which I am inclined to correct. But not the extent that I’ve been having to do lately.
I don’t know if the video issue a You Tube fault or a WordPress fault??? I just know it never happened before.
I hope it clears up by itself because it’s a mystery down here.
Soooo … just so you know. Sorry.
the white album …
14 Novformed a skiffle group/band and started banging out some tunes.
Renaissance Era that literally exploded into an immense wave of change
that swept around the planet and forever changed things.
It followed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour
and is possibly their most perplexing album.
There must have been tremendous pressure on these guys to continuously produce something
that measured up to – or surpassed – their previous work.
And we all waited very impatiently for whatever they were going to do next.

I was saving every nickel to go to Art College.
Anyway … I really was perplexed by the White Album. As many were. It was large … and so different.
It wasn’t what anybody expected. Not that there wasn’t a lot of good music on there.
There was. But some was forgettable too.
I still don’t own it today, but I can get any tune from it that I want for free via YouTube.
Sometimes my guitar gently weeps … but I’m still doing pretty good.
while my guitar gently weeps
Writing on Stone Provincial Park … A Photo Essay … Part 2
5 Nov[/audio]
from heaven to earth / nicholas gunn
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.– Blackfoot proverb
Take a Tour …
Amazing what God can do with a pile of rocks …
and a few pounds of clay.
Can you see the deer crossing the river on the left?
Just beautiful ….
The TV we’re waiting for …
24 OctThese are the shows Rose and I watch together.
We’ve been very patient.
Writing on Stone Provincial Park … A Photo Essay … Part 1
23 Oct
As One / Denean
My post on Sedona got me thinking about a similar place in Alberta that the Natives also regarded as a Sacred site.
Writing on Stone Provincial Park is located on Alberta / Montana border.
Writing on Stone is regarded as a Sacred area by the Natives.
Besides the Petroglyphs, this is also a wonderful place for Camping, hiking, swimming and there’s lots of wildlife.
The Milk River
The water is shallow, slow, and warm – with a nice beach.
The purple hills in the background are The Sweetgrass Hills in Montana.
The Petroglyphs
The amount of Petroglyphs/Writing is extensive. They are now protected and accessible only by Tour.
You might say the most impressive of the Petroglyphs is
The Battle Scene
Protected by fence. Previously many of the Petroglyphs had been defaced with graffiti.
Click on the image to read the plaque.
Above: an inaccurate mock up I made of the images. Otherwise they are very faint and hard to see.
Some people might think that Canadian History is not as interesting and exciting as American History.
That’s not true. We’ve just never developed a Film Industry that took advantage of it.
UPDATE: Tyrone Power: Zorro: Swashbuckling Essentials: The Clinch! Part 1 …
16 OctRight after I claim my prize for the Longest Title in Blog history!
I’ll get to posting !
Eagles / Hotel California
OK!!! back a ways I posted Essential Swashbuckling : Candle Slashing.
(I’m sure you remember *Coff*)
We now move to another Swashbuckling Essential :
The Clinch !!!
I’m not sure you’ve noticed (pay attention!), but in most any Classic Cinematic Climactic Sword Fight
the combatants at some point come together in what we call
The Clinch !
(Indeed!)
The Clinch: a Definition:
When two fighters grapple or come together at close quarters.
Whereby, in film, the combatants often exchange pithy taunts, insults or threats!
In The Mark of Zorro (1940 ) we see Zorro (Tyrone Power)
and antagonist Capt. Esteban Pasquale (Basil Rathbone) engage in 2 Clinches:
Clinch #One
(In a Gentleman’s Duel the opponents often start off in a courteous exchange):
But shortly things will likely degrade to Insults, Taunts, Threats, Spitting, Biting, Pinching, Kicking, etc …
Shameful .. but often effective.
Always entertaining.
Clinch #Two
Let’s watch that Classic Sword Fight again:
Keeping Score?:
3 Candle Slashes
2 Clinches
8 Threats
6 Taunts
5 Insults
Conclusion:
One dead badguy
Zorro’s Rapier from the Mask of Zorro
(Sweet)A Swiss Sabre
(Lethal)
“En Garde!”
Next:
The Clinch: Part 2
The Legend of Ben Hall … The End
9 OctFilmmaking is not all glory
Comment excerpt from the film makers: “The Legend of Ben Hall’ was a 100% indie film. We made the film for less than $1million. Most people working on it were first timers, busting their ass to get a break in the film industry. A film like this would normally cost upwards of $5m. Film funding bodies turned us away. Investors told us to get lost. We had to use crowdfunding just to get a leg up. My cast and crew worked for weeks on end on deferred pay – or no pay – battling the cold, the rain and fighting endlessly against a system that just wanted to ignore and squash us, and still continues to do so. We made this film outside of the Hollywood and Australian film industry establishment. Both told us we could never achieve it, yet we did … “
BRAVO!!!
A job very well done.
The Legend of Ben Hall Trivia
Via Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
Director Matthew Holmes spent seven years researching Ben Hall‘s history to ensure the screenplay,
characters and plot were as historically accurate as possible.
Actors Jack Martin (Ben Hall) and Jamie Coffa (John Gilbert) bear striking
physical resemblances to the historical characters they portray.
Ben Hall carries a Tranter revolver. The Tranter revolver was an English ‘cap and ball’ revolver
invented around 1856 by William Tranter.
Tranter revolvers were regarded as reliable and functional, and were extensively used by
Confederate forces during the American Civil War.
‘Brave’ Ben Hall is one of Australia’s most infamous Bushrangers but like many others
such as ‘Mad Dog’ Daniel Morgan and ‘Gentleman Bushranger’ Martin Cash
he is often overlooked as the most popular and well known one is of course Ned Kelly.
It’s very safe to say that the Bushrangers hold exactly the same legendary stature to Australians
as Billy the Kid and Jesse James do to Americans.
Farewell Ben
Just in time for Thanksgiving
The Guns of Ben Hall – Part 3
9 Oct
Whiskey in the Jar / Krisenka Finley
A nice country interpretation.
These are the last of guns I’m going to profile from The Legend of Ben Hall.
There are others, but this particular firearm called the
Tranter Revolving Rifle
This seems to be a very rare gun. In fact, it was hard to find any images of it.
Because is uses a cylinder it looks like a pistol with long barrel and a stock.
Almost a buntline.
In the film we see John Gilbert (Jamie Coffa) mainly using it and, indeed,
when Gilbert was killed it’s said he had one on him.
It’s also claimed that this weapon – or a version of it – was used in the American Civil War.
though I don’t recall ever seeing depicted in any Civil War films?
Callisher and Terry .53 caliber breech loading Percussion Carbine
53 calibre??! Goodness. Look at the bore on that thing!
That’s it for the guns. It’s interesting to me.
Hope you enjoyed it
The Guns of Ben Hall – Part 2
24 Sep
Whiskey in the Jar / The Seekers
The legendary Aussie Folk Group does the Honors.
Cap and Ball Revolvers
Ben (Jack Martin) with his .38 calibre Tranter revolver and a .36 calibre Colt Navy.
Don’t know how Ben acquired this. It likely wasn’t borrowed.
Let’s make some Bullets
Ingredients:
Lead; bullet moulds; fire.
Method:
Melt the lead.
Pour it into the mould.
Extract the bullet.
The lads are using Buckshot as a source of lead.
They seem to have two different moulds:
One for Round Shot and another for conventional Bullets.
Casting Roundball
Loading Cap and Ball
Ingredients:
Gunpowder; wadding; bullets; percussion caps.
Wadding is optional.
Method:
If it takes 30 seconds to load one chamber
then 5 chambers would take about 2:50.
An unacceptable amount of time in a gunfight.
Unloading Cap and Ball
Fire the gun.
Next:
The Guns of Ben Hall – Part 3
The Guns of Ben Hall – Part 1
19 Sep
Whisky in the Jar / The Brothers Four
Many versions of the great folk song.
This one is good.
Guns
Westerns have guns. Lotsa guns.
In fact, along with horses, it’s questionable whether it’s really a Western
if it doesn’t have guns in it. Or even worth watching.
Yet I don’t often profile Guns in the Westerns anymore. I stopped.
Not for Political, Social or Spiritual reasons. But because most Westerns use the same guns.
Over and over.
It just became redundant.
Ben Hall, however, has a few new (old) Guns that I’ve never seen before.
Let’s check ’em out.
Firstly, you might be wondering why Ben and his friends are bristling with a rather large number of firearms.
There was a good reason.
This was the Cap and Ball era. Pre-cartridge.
Re-loading was a timely exercise – very impractical during a fight.
Solution: carry lots of guns.
I’ll cover Cap and Ball loading and Bullet Making in my next post.
Below: One of Ben’s revolvers:
1856 Tranter .38 caliber, double trigger, five shot, percussion revolver.
A revolver of this make was found with Ben Hall
at the Billabong where he was killed.
Here’s it’s Cap and Ball Gun Kit.
1856 Tranter .38 caliber, double trigger, five shot, percussion revolver gun kit.
Unlikely Ben toted a kit around – but he definitely had all these tools.
May I now confess that I am no gun expert?
I cannot identify everything in this kit.
Though I was in the Calgary Highlanders Militia
and did a lot of shooting when I was kid, I don’t even own a gun now – of any kind.
And haven’t shot one in a long – except in computer games (Where I’m an expert).
Those of you out there who can ID the items in the kit please step forward.
There’s no reward, but I’ll be grateful.
Proper cleaning and maintenance of your guns was essential.
Otherwise jamming, misfires, fouling and other evils could occur.
Another of Ben’s revolvers:
Most of the gun images are from:
Ben Hall Gallery
https://www.benhallaustralianbushranger.com/p/placesmaps.html