Gun Slinger (1920)

Thu Jan 4 15:21:18 UTC 2007

Good one, Barry.  My researches (i.e., my reading of the research of others) indicate that the number of actual "gunfighters" in the old West was severely limited. It may be of some cultural significance that no known occurrence of "gun-slinger" predates 20th C. films and fiction.

  JL

  Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
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Subject: Gun Slinger (1920)
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Here's an earlier "gun slinger." It appears to come from the movies--a =20
William Farnum western.
...
HDAS has 1928 (citing "W10"), then 1931 from "Whispering Range." An idiot =20
Wikipedian lists the HDAS cite as 1928 "Whispering Range"...I would correct=20=
=20
everything and add my 1920 cite, but that's self-promotion and scholars just=
=20
aren't allowed that. Showing my "gunslinger" work here means that it's =20
peer-reviewed by slang scholars, but that's just not good enough for Wikipe=
dia.
...
OT: Yesterday, my website had its most hits ever in a single day--over =20
20,000, with over 7,500 visits. About 1,500 people came over from a Wikipedi=
a link=20
on "Statue of Liberty Play." Was this used in a bowl game this week?...For =20
all that, I made $10.
...
...
...
_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/gunslinger_or_gun_slinger/_=
=20
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/gunslinger_or_gun_slinger/)=
=20
...
=20
Gunslinger (or Gun Slinger)
=20
The =E2=80=9Cgunslinger=E2=80=9D (or =E2=80=9Cgun slinger") is the legendary=
figure of the film =20
western. The =E2=80=9Cgunslinger=E2=80=9D term was not used in the 1800s, ho=
wever; =E2=80=9Cgunman=E2=80=9D (or=20
=E2=80=9Cgun man") is a term more of the period. It appears that the =E2=
=80=9Cgun slinger=E2=80=9D=20
term first appeared with William Farnum=E2=80=99s western Drag Harlan in 19=
20. =20

_Wikipedia: Gunslinger_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunslinger) =20
Gunslinger, also gunfighter, is a name given to men in the American Old Wes=
t=20
who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun.=20
Origin of the term=20
According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang the=20
word was first used in the 1928 novel Whispering Range by Haycox. [This=20
confuses the 1928 and 1931 cites=E2=80=94ed.] It was soon adopted by other=20=
western writers=20
such as Zane Grey and became common usage. In his introduction to The Shoot=
ist=20
author Glendon Swarthout says that gunslinger and gunfighter are modern=20
terms and that the more authentic terms for the period would have been gunm=
an,=20
pistoleer, or shootist. While Swarthout seems to have been correct about=20
gunslinger we know that Bat Masterson used the term gunfighter in the newsp=
aper=20
articles he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws he had known.=20

(Historical Dictionary of American Slang)=20
gunslinger a western gunfighter; gunman. Now Standard English. =20
1928 (cited in Webster=E2=80=99s 10th) 1931 Haycox Whispering Range 160: Yo=
u=E2=80=99re one=20
of Redmain=E2=80=99s imported gunslingers.=20

_Old West Glossary_=20
(http://www.geocities.com/faskew/Colonial/Glossary/West.htm) =20
gunslinger A made-up word from Western fiction [1928] =20

(Oxford English Dictionary)=20
gun-slinger =3D GUN-MAN=20
1953 in Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang (1960) 236/1 The *gun-slinger=
=20
will spend..his life behind bars.=20

28 November 1920, Indianapolis Star, pg. 8, col. 4:=20
William Farnum will be the attraction at the Keystone this week in =E2=80=
=9CDrag=20
Harlan,=E2=80=9D filmed from the story by Charles Alden Seltzer. Farnum is=20=
seen as =E2=80=9Cthe=20
two-gun man from Pardo,=E2=80=9D a feared and notorious gunfighter. That hi=
s title=20
as an outlaw is undeserved, but that his skill as a =E2=80=9Cgun slinger=
=E2=80=9D is by no=20
means overrated, is developed in the story.=20

25 January 1921, Wyoming State Tribune (Cheyenne, WY), pg. 2, col. 1: =20
LAST DAY FOR WILLIAM=20
FARNUM=E2=80=99S NEW PICTURE=20

Exciting pistol duels between famous =E2=80=9Cgun slingers=E2=80=9D of the=20=
West is one of=20
the big elements that holds the spectator=E2=80=99s interest in a vise-like=
grip while=20
watching =E2=80=9CDrag Harlan,=E2=80=9D the latest of the William Farnum st=
ar series=20
showing at the Atlas for the last times today. Farnum will play the part of=
=E2=80=9CDrag,=E2=80=9D
the famous Pardo two-gun man, who rids an entire community of its outlaws.=
=20
A charming romance runs parallel with the element of adventure.=20

23 March 1925, Olean (NY) Evening Herald, =E2=80=9CThe Hawk=E2=80=9D by Dan=
a Coolidge, pg.=20
2, col. 1:=20
=E2=80=9CGit down, you pore fool. or he=E2=80=99ll beef you in your tracks.=
That=E2=80=99s one of=20
them Texas gun slingers.=E2=80=9D=20

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