My Ringo Kid/The Rifleman carbine

[GeeRam]

Those oversize loops - I assume they were for use with gloved hands originally ?

The oversize loop was never a factory option, it was movie prop built especially for John Wayne because it was said he had large hands. So this a case of real life imitating art.

The story goes that the large loop first seen in Stagecoach was built for the spinning shot (they actually built 3 for the movie) but the one used in the spinning shot (a .32/20, the other 2 were .44/40) actually had a much bigger loop than available on today's versions. It also had a cut down barrel for the sequence. Wayne did have very big hands, which is probably why the 'spinning loop' gun had an extra large loop, but the idea actually came from the fact that Wayne and fellow Stagecoach actor Harry Carey had mixed with some of the original wild west show 'stars' when young extras and had seen them using modded large loop Winchesters for the trick stuff in their live shows and thus suggested the large loop to the director, so they were made up to try. So, although they weren't a factory lever, they did exist prior to the movie era. As an aside, I seem to recall reading somewhere that Wayne actually knew Wyatt Earp when Wayne was a very young actor.

[DaveB]

[quote="GeeRam] As an aside, I seem to recall reading somewhere that Wayne actually knew Wyatt Earp when Wayne was a very young actor.[/quote]

I suppose it is possible. Wyatt Earp lived until 1929 and apparently had acted as what would later come to be called a 'technical advisor' on some early westerns "For several years, Wyatt became an unpaid technical consultant on Hollywood Westerns, drawing on his colourful past to tell flamboyant matinee idols like William Hart and Tom Mix how it had really been. When Wyatt died in 1929, Mix reportedly wept openly at his funeral." At the time Earp died, John Wayne was 22, so they could have met on-set someplace.

[rufrdr]

[quote="GeeRam] As an aside, I seem to recall reading somewhere that Wayne actually knew Wyatt Earp when Wayne was a very young actor.

I suppose it is possible. Wyatt Earp lived until 1929 and apparently had acted as what would later come to be called a 'technical advisor' on some early westerns "For several years, Wyatt became an unpaid technical consultant on Hollywood Westerns, drawing on his colourful past to tell flamboyant matinee idols like William Hart and Tom Mix how it had really been. When Wyatt died in 1929, Mix reportedly wept openly at his funeral." At the time Earp died, John Wayne was 22, so they could have met on-set someplace.[/quote][/quote][/quote]


Bill Hart's house is on the other side of the town where I live, it is open for tours. His horse is buried on the grounds along with his many dogs. They say that he caroused with his buddies at the house and perhaps Wyatt paid him a visit there.

http://www.hartmuseum.org/

The place where Tom Mix jumped his horse over the gap of Beal's cut is over on that side of town too. Beal's cut is unfortunately mostly filled in now after several strong El Nino rain events.



http://elsmerecanyon.com/tunnelarea/pas ... alecut.htm

When hiking in the area many years ago I found some fired UMC 5 in 1 blanks from some pre-war cowboy movie. Lots of Hollywood history in the area.