At Wild Bill Hickok's funeral, his friend Charley Prince recalls Hickok's final days in Deadwood. Plot At Wild Bill Hickok's funeral, his friend Charley Prince recalls Hickok's final days in Deadwood. Calamity Jane mourns him especially. RKO gave him a starring role in Till the End of Time, a drama about veterans returning after World War II (1946). Picks on rebels, especially Texans, to kill." [citation needed], Henry M. Stanley, of the Weekly Missouri Democrat, reported Hickok to be "an inveterate hater of Indian People", perhaps to enhance his reputation as a scout and American fighter, but separating fact from fiction is difficult considering his recruitment of Indians to cross the nation to appear in his own Wild West show. Wild Bill is a 1995 American acid Western film about the last days of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickok. [18][19][20] He had a son, Robert Madison, who also became an actor. Hill was unhappy with the way the film was released. When he got out, Selznick assigned his contract to RKO Pictures. He replaced Tom "Bear River" Smith, who had been killed while serving an arrest warrant on November 2, 1870. "[1], The Zanucks and Walter Hill took the script to John Calley, president of United Artists, and the film was green-lighted at the end of January 1994. In another account of the Coe shootout: Theophilus Little, the mayor of Abilene and owner of the town's lumber yard, recorded his time in Abilene by writing in a notebook, which was ultimately given to the Abilene Historical Society. Bill becomes suspicious of the man who volunteered to serve as a new Indian agent can me appointed. While Hickok claimed to have killed numerous named and unnamed gunmen in his lifetime, his career as a gunfighter only lasted from 1861 to 1871. Producer Richard Zanuck said, "If you make a good picture and have a compelling story to tell, it's going to work. Hickok and Lanihan, however, remained sheriff and deputy, respectively. Wild Bill (1995) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Walter Hill Writing Credits ( WGA) Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Van Dyke Parks Cinematography by Lloyd Ahern II . Wild Bill Hickok and Jingles are ordered to break up a gang of cattle rustlers. Madison was eventually dropped by Selznick, along with most of Selznick's contract-players. [72] As of 2020, the flag is no longer flown. He arrived in Deadwood to stake a claim and earn some money for himself and his new wife. By what name was Hickok (2017) officially released in India in English? [12] His career began to suffer, in part because of his limited acting ability.[13][14][15]. See production, box office & company info. Marshal. Nowadays, though, his place of birth is called Troy Grove. and that Deft. Hickok ran as an Independent; but lost to his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who ran as a Democrat. Jan 29, 2011. And that's about it: he beat up all Hickok rode Buckshot while 300-pound Jingles rode Joker. Following his retirement, Madison built a large ranch home in Morongo Valley, California. Eventually winding up in Cheyenne, a man named Will Plummer, whom Bill crippled years earlier after killing his brother, calls him out. 13 Episodes 1953. Hickok is a playable character in the 2018 board game Deadwood 1876 by Faade Games. Hickok is currently interred in a 10ft (3m) square plot at the Mount Moriah Cemetery, surrounded by a cast-iron fence, with a U.S. flag flying nearby. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1982). Meanwhile, the team of Richard and Lili Zanuck had optioned a 1986 novel about Hickok called Deadwood. It is a loose adaptation of Hickok's life, ending with his famous aces-and-eights card hand. Filming & Production After Plummer refuses to back down, Bill outdraws and kills him. Hickok retorts "You mean he was killed." Drawn to this ruffian lifestyle, he headed west at age 18 as a fugitive from justice, working as a stagecoach driver and later as a lawman in the frontier territories of Kansas and Nebraska. [64], Hickok was playing five-card stud or five-card draw when he was shot. Produced on a budget of $30 million, it took in just over $2 million in the United States. [d] The jury voted to clear Hickok, resulting in public backlash and criticism of the verdict. Jane retrieves Bill's guns, and he ambushes the posse as they saddle their horses, killing everyone except Jack. Was he shooting back? His work included identifying and counting the number of troops in uniform who were drinking while on duty, verifying hotel liquor licenses, and tracking down individuals who owed money to the cash-strapped Union Army. Although I was very young, I still remember sitting on a hassock in front of the TV set on Saturday mornings, following the exploits of Wild Bill and, as he was referred to in the intro, "his pal" Jingles. This was a calamitous endeavour from start to finish. According to Joseph G. Rosa, Hickok's biographer and the foremost authority on Wild Bill, Hickok killed only six or seven men in gunfights. "The Custer-Hickok Shootout in Hays City. He then joined General James Henry Lane's Kansas Brigade, and while serving with the brigade, saw his friend Buffalo Bill Cody, who was serving as a scout. The Bull's Head Saloon in Abilene had been established by gambler Ben Thompson and Coe, his partner, businessman, and fellow gambler. "[56], Martha Jane Cannary, known popularly as Calamity Jane, claimed in her autobiography that she was married to Hickok and had divorced him so he could be free to marry Agnes Lake, but no records that support her account have been found. On September 4, Hickok was wounded in the foot while rescuing several cattlemen in the Bijou Creek basin who had been surrounded by Indians. Wild Bill Hickok Ellen Barkin Calamity Jane John Hurt Charley Prince Diane Lane Savannah Moore David Arquette Jack McCall Christina Applegate Lurline Bruce Dern Will Plummer James Gammon. He had been a marshal in Hays City, and then Abilene, Kansas, gaining a reputation as a man who could pacify an untamed community. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself. Madison married the actress Gail Russell in 1949. In one show, he shot the spotlight when it focused on him. After touring the country in a Wild West show with the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Hickok drifted from place to place, drinking heavily and gambling even more. By the end of 1861, he was a wagon master, but in September 1862, he was discharged for unknown reasons. [5] William Hickok died in 1852, when James was 15. "The Girl and the Gunfighter: A Newly Discovered Photograph of Wild Bill Hickok. Hill took material from Dexter's novel for the atmosphere of the town and relied on Babe's play heavily for the third act, the last hours of Hickok. Deadwood had no legal standing, but Laramie, Wyoming, did. This angered the buffalo and panicked audience members, causing the animals to break free of their wire fencing and chase audience members, some of whom were trampled. While a Jayhawker, he met 12-year-old William Cody (later known as "Buffalo Bill"), who, despite his youth, served as a scout just two years later for the U.S. Army during the Utah War. James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was one of the most legendary figures of the Old West. [25] The 1883 History of Greene County, Missouri described him as "by nature a ruffian a drunken, swaggering fellow, who delighted when 'on a spree' to frighten nervous men and timid women. Hickok was assigned to bring the men to Topeka for trial, and he requested a military escort from Fort Hays. He was arrested while using the name Haycock in 1865. They had ivory grips and nickel plating, and were ornately engraved with "J.B. Hickok1869" on the backstrap. Hickok left his new bride a few months later, joining Charlie Utter's wagon train to seek his fortune in the gold fields of South Dakota. [36][37], In December 1867, newspapers reported that Hickok had come to stay in Hays City, Kansas. The bullet emerged through his right cheek and struck another player, riverboat captain William Massie, in the left wrist. Bill kills the man in self-defense, but Susannah is distraught, and a young Jack witnesses the killing. The series took the usual liberties with history, and ran three. On August 2, 1876, McCall walked into Nuttal & Mann's Saloon #10 and point blank shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back of the head while Hickok was playing a hand of poker. Actor Guy Madison played Bill in the TV series "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" for seven years in the 1950s. And Garret Dillahunt is one of today's most talented. While delivering his own brand of frontier justice, the infamous gunfighter's reputation as the fastest draw in the west is put to the test. McCall walked free, but not for long. On December 9, Hickok and Lanihan both served legal papers on Macintosh, and local newspapers acknowledged that Hickok had guardianship of Hays City. The Spectator March 13, 1997: C6. The old cemetery was in an area that was better suited for the constant influx of new settlers to live on, so the remaining bodies there were eventually also moved up the hill to the Mount Moriah Cemetery (in the 1880s). A monument has been built there. Mulvey angrily declared that he had come to town to kill Hickok. Willson was widely known for his stable of good-looking young actors with unusual names that he had bestowed upon them, and he immediately rechristened Moseley as Madison and cast him in a bit part as a sailor in Selznick's Since You Went Away (1944). Funeral services will be held at Charlie Utter's Camp, on Thursday afternoon, August 3, 1876, at 3 o'clock P. M. All are respectfully invited to attend. [j] Utter supervised the move and noted that, while perfectly preserved, Hickok had been imperfectly embalmed. Marshal James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Episode: "Yesterday's Love/Fountain of Youth", This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 07:50. Wild Bill Hickok died in 1876, at age 39 in Deadwood, S.D., where he was shot in the back of the head by an angry poker player. Lorenzo Butler Hickok spoke with McCall after the trial, and said McCall showed no remorse. And that's about it: he beat up all Read allHickok rode Buckshot while 300-pound Jingles rode Joker. Hickok encouraged McCall to quit the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money for breakfast. Jingles described Hickok as "the bravest, strongest, fightingest U.S. American folk hero and lawman (18371876), For the American football player and industrialist, see, Arapaho Joe and Colorado Charlie Utter at Hickok's grave, photograph date unknown, Pistols known to have been carried by Hickok. It is difficult to separate the truth from fiction about Hickok who was the first "dime novel" hero of the western era, with his exploits presented in heroic form, making him seem larger than . Almost the entire town attended the funeral, and Utter had Hickok buried with a wooden grave marker reading: Wild Bill, J. Legendary lawman and gunslinger, Wild Bill Hickok, is tasked with taming the wildest cow-town in the west. They had hired the author, Pete Dexter, to write the script for the movie Rush. Marshal overheard him and arrested him, says the Law Library. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok.Late in her life, she appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.She is said to have exhibited compassion to others . Hickok was severely injured, with a crushed chest, shoulder, and arm. His reputation as a gunfighter gave rise to legends and tales about his life. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1979). In 1944, Madison was visiting Hollywood on leave when his boyish good looks and physique caught the eye of Henry Willson, the head of talent at David O. Selznick's newly formed Vanguard Pictures. "[55], On March 5, 1876, Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake, a 50-year-old circus proprietor in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. before shooting Hickok in the back of the head at point-blank range. Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 - November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He wanted me to go with him, and as we started on our way, imagine my surprise and uncomfortable feeling when he announced his intention of stopping at the McCanles home. Bonhams auction company offered this pistol at auction on November 18, 2013, in San Francisco, California,[75] described as Hickok's Smith & Wesson No. "Figures like Wild Bill were like rock stars," said Lili Zanuck. [19] According to Hickok's account, he found the road blocked by a cinnamon bear and its two cubs. Despite his reputation,[70] Hickok was buried in the Ingelside Cemetery, Deadwood's original graveyard. ", Nichols, George Ward (1867). The next day a mob brings Jack to Bill; Jack tells Bill that he aims to kill him because Bill mistreated his mother, Susannah Moore. [61], Hickok died instantly. Hickok lost his re-election bid to his deputy. The 10th Regiment arrived at Fort Lyon in Colorado in October and remained there for the rest of 1868. Prairie Schooners is a 1940 American Western film directed by Sam Nelson, which stars Wild Bill Elliott as Hickok. And that's about it: he beat up all the bad guys and somehow kept his good looks. It just has to be fed with good product. He was holding two pairs: black aces and black eights (although there is some dispute as to the suit of one of the aces, diamond vs. spade) as his "up cards", which has since become widely known as the "dead man's hand". Hickok (2017) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. Wild Bill had learned of the scheme and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe. McCall alleged that John Varnes, a Deadwood gambler, had paid him to murder Wild Bill. Wild Bill Hickok is one of the most legendary names in the Wild West. Leaving Springfield, he was recommended for the position of deputy federal marshal at Fort Riley, Kansas. He had an affair with Gia Scala and, before her death, she made him the beneficiary to her portion of the Screen Actors Pension Fund. A renowned marksman and Civil War spy, Hickok was known for his skills with a pair of twin Colt revolvers, killing somewhere between eight and 100 men, depending on whose stories you believe. [a][8], In 1855, at age 18, James Hickok fled Illinois following a fight with Charles Hudson, during which both fell into a canal; each thought, mistakenly, that he had killed the other. I would have rather been somewhere else, but Bill stopped. The second trial was not considered double jeopardy because of the irregular jury in the first trial and because Deadwood was at the time in unorganized Indian country. Writing in 1911, he detailed his admiration for Hickok and included a paragraph on the shooting that differs considerably from the reported account: "Phil" Coe was from Texas, ran the "Bull's Head" a saloon and gambling den, sold whiskey and men's souls. [51], Hickok was relieved of his duties as marshal less than two months after the accidental shooting, this incident being only one of a series of questionable shootings and claims of misconduct during his career. [6], Hickok was a good shot from a young age, and was recognized locally as an outstanding marksman with a pistol. Early life [ edit] Hardin was a well-known gunfighter, and is known to have killed more than 27 men. He fought and spied for the Union Army during the American Civil War and gained publicity after the war as a scout, marksman, actor, and professional gambler. Legendary lawman and gunslinger, Wild Bill Hickok, is tasked with taming the wildest cow-town in the west. He usually sat with his back to a wall so he could see the entrance, but the only seat available when he joined the game was a chair facing away from the door. We drove on to Beatrice and at the trial, his plea was self-defense; no one appeared against him, and he was cleared. Updated on March 08, 2017. Who Played Wild Bill Hickok? Hickok was born and raised on a farm in northern Illinois at a time when lawlessness and vigilante activity were rampant because of the influence of the "Banditti of the Prairie". At the time of the killing, Deadwood had no law so a . In the episode Dillon and Hickok are old friends. However, some other Westerns had been box office disappointments including Wyatt Earp and Hill's own Geronimo. It is revealed that when he left town for six months, Susannah married another man, who robbed Bill of his most prized possession: his gold pocket watch. [4] Production [ edit] However, he did add that "I don't think any other company would have made this film, so I'm very indebted to them for letting me do it."[10]. (as Freeman Davies) He is chiefly portrayed as a protagonist, although historical accounts of his actions are often controversial, and much of his career is known to have been exaggerated both by himself and by contemporary mythmakers. He told Mrs. McCanles he was sorry he had to kill her man then took out $35 [$1,056 in 2021 dollars] and gave it to her saying: "This is all I have, sorry I do not have more to give you." After shooting Coe, Hickok caught a glimpse of someone running toward him and quickly fired two more shots in reaction, accidentally shooting and killing Abilene Special Deputy Marshal Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid. As a result, calcium carbonate from the surrounding soil had replaced the flesh, leading to petrifaction. Not having the courage to do it himself, he one day filled about 200 cowboys with whiskey intending to get them into trouble with Wild Bill, hoping that they would get to shooting and in the melee shoot the marshal. He seemed to have respect for Hickok's abilities and replied, "If Bill needs killing, why don't you kill him yourself? [21] Hickok subsequently visited McCanles' widow, apologized for the killing, and offered her $35 in restitution, all the money he had with him at the time. ", "James Butler Hickok May 27 1837 - August 2 1876 Better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok", "James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok, Early Deadwood", "Nebraska Legends: Rock Creek Station and the McCanles Massacre", "Chronology on Life of James Butler HICKOK, Wild Bill Hickok, Old West Kansas", "Rock Creek Station State Historical Park", "Legal Culture, Wild Bill Hickok and the Gunslinger Myth", "Myths and Realities of Frontier Violence: A Look at the Gunfighter Saga", "Frontier Hero - Reminiscences of Wild Bill Hickok by his old Friend Buffalo Bill", "The State Journal (Jefferson City, Mo. This series gave way to a new one in 1944, when Republic cast Elliott as . It stars Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, John Hurt, and Diane Lane, and was released by United Artists on December 1, 1995. [73], Hickok's favorite guns were a pair of Colt 1851 Navy Model (.36 caliber) cap-and-ball revolvers. [3] He received extensive coverage in the influential fan magazines of the time, including Photoplay where his agent Henry Willson had once worked. Teens who join the Pony Express include a young Wild Bill Hickok and 'Billy' Cody (who grew up to be Buffalo Bill). "[1], The film was shot in Los Angeles, including at Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Studios. The last poster tweaked my memory about the sponsor tooI seem to remember the intro showing Wild Bill and Jingles zooming across the range on their horses while the Kellogg's sugar pops overlay flashed on the screen. "Wild Bill's Sweetheart: The Life of Mary Jane Owens. He was assigned Buffalo Bill Cody, a sergeant, and five privates. After joining a band of antislavery fighters, the Free State Army of Jayhawkers, he . They separated in 1953 and divorced in October 1954.[17]. [66] McCall was acquitted of the murder, which prompted editorializing in the Black Hills Pioneer: "Should it ever be our misfortune to kill a man we would simply ask that our trial may take place in some of the mining camps of these hills." This was the last time Hickok was ever involved in a gunfight; the accidental death of Deputy Williams was an event that haunted Hickok for the remainder of his life. A semifictionalized version of Hickok's time as marshal of Abilene Kansas, titled Hickok (2017), stars Luke Hemsworth as Hickok, Trace Adkins as the Bull's Head Saloon keeper Phil Coe, Kris Kristofferson as Abilene mayor George Knox, and Kaiwi Lyman-Mersereau as John Wesley Hardin.