Wild West shows / Paul Reddin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reddin, Paul.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wild west shows--United States--History.

Wild west shows.

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

xvi, 312 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [1999]

Summary:

The Wild West: a term that conjures up pictures of wagon trains, unsoiled prairies, Indians, rough 'n' ready cowboys, roundups, and buffalo herds. Where did this collection of images come from?

Paul Reddin exposes the mythology of the American frontier as a carefully crafted product of the Wild West show. Focusing on such pivotal figures as George Catlin, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Tom Mix, Reddin traces the rise and fall of a popular entertainment shaped out of the "raw material of America."

Buffalo Bill and other entertainers capitalized on public fascination with the danger, heroism, and courage associated with the frontier by continually modifying their presentation of the West to suit their audiences. Thus the Wild West show, contrary to its own claims of accuracy and authenticity, was highly selective in its representations of the West as well as widely influential in shaping the public image of life on the Great Plains.

Contents:

1. "The Raw Material of America": George Catlin and the Beginnings of Wild West Shows 1

2. "Trembling Excitements and Fears": Catlin and the Show Abroad 27

3. "The Gladiatorial Contest Revived": Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the United States, 1883-87 53

4. "To Esteem Us Better": Buffalo Bill Cody before International Audiences, 1887-93 86

5. "Resplendent Realism of Glorious War" and Decline: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show after the Columbian Exposition 124

6. "An Empire within Itself": The 101 Ranch and Its Wild West Show 158

7. "Rugged Virtue in the Saddle": Tom Mix from Wild West Shows to Movies and Back Again 188.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [279]-300) and index.

ISBN:

0252024648

0252067878

OCLC:

39800767