“Forgotten Hollywood”- The NRA Might Have Hated Wyatt Earp
Manny P. here…
Based on a number of screenplays written during Hollywood’s Golden Age, the issue of gun rights was addressed in Westerns, including Dodge City in 1939 and Winchester ’73 in 1950. In both instances, Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) and a Wyatt Earp-type character (Errol Flynn) took the bold step of disarming its ranchers and cowboys while traveling down the town’s Main Street in specific scenes.
The political implication of this reference is fascinating, which by all accounts actually happened while Earp as sheriff dispatched dregs of the West during the nineteenth century. Conservatives such as James Stewart, Ann Sheridan, Bruce Cabot, Guinn Big Boy Williams, and Ward Bond didn’t appear to mind the suggestion of the reality-based plot-line. This was quite a dichotomy.
Could any law enforcement of the Old West have carried out the aforementioned duty had the National Rifle Association gun lobby tried to impose its will? Further, what were screenwriters trying to accomplish by citing this historical incident; and might an NRA-style organization intervened during the Studio Era? These are worthwhile questions.
I can surmise the current NRA leadership might interfere and advocate for the characters portrayed based on their rights under the Second Amendment in remakes of these motion pictures. Today’s politicians should dispense the same kind of courage Wyatt Earp had, in response to the frequent urban terrorism that has taken place throughout cities, such as Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, and California, among others. Plus, lobby groups, in general, should simply stay out of the decision-making process in Hollywood.
Now, can someone help me off my soapbox.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 at 12:19 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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