Jesse James History Project
Over one hundred years ago that "dirty little coward" Bob Ford killed Jesse Woodson James in his home in St. Joseph, Missouri. Today, the typical person has derived much, if not all, knowledge about the life and times of Jesse James from the movies. Beginning with Jesse James Under the Black Flag in 1921 starring Jesse Edwards James (referred to as Jesse James Jr.), and concluding with the 1980 film (The Long Riders) with James Keach, movies have portrayed Jesse James on both sides of the coin. He has been a hero or criminal, murderer or saviour, crafty individual or homicidal maniac, and a money-hungry thief or a western Robin Hood. And because of this dual portrayal, the public is often times unable to distinguish between fact and fiction. This study will deal mainly with the depiction of Jesse James on film in order to illustrate why people confuse the real person with the legend. It will also explore how and why legends are made, and it will consider the evolution of western movies and the "cowboys" in these movies. Finally, it will examine the mirroring effect that the public has on movie production and which movie scripts have on its audience. In essence, movie production companies are mirro
Vols. 1 and 2. New York: A. S. Barnes. Why did a movie intending to present a historical biography of Jesse James turn out to be so non-factual? Director Henry King best summed up the reason when he said, "But what we were trying to do was to create a Jesse James who would be worthy of the legend; for we knew that no matter what we or any other creators of fiction did now, the legend would persist." (Bradley, 1980, p. 26) In essence, he was saying that the legend would be a bigger box office hit than the truth and that people needed a movie hero to idolize. 2. He is unequaled in bravery and courage. The same qualities needed in literature to create a legendary hero carried over into the film industry. Three movies about Jesse James appeared during the 1920s. Jesse James Jr. starred in two of these, Jesse James Under the Black Flag and Jesse James as the Outlaw. The first title is the more noteworthy of the two, since the stockholders of this film were composed of members of the James family and a few Kansas City businessmen. The plot concerned a young Eastern fellow who wanted to marry the grand-daughter of Jesse James. Before agreeing to marry him the young lady made him aware of her family background by having her father read the story of her grandfather. This story, appearing on the screen, portrayed Jesse as caught in the uproar of the Civil War, which eventually turned him into a hardened criminal (Eyles, 1975). In his book Jesse James Was His Name, William A. Settle, Jr. explores the myth that the war turned Frank and Jesse James to a life of crime. In this, the most factual of any book written about Jesse James, Settle denounces the myth when he states: "Examples are numerous of former Quantrill men who lived in peace and prospered quietly after the war. In all probability, boredom and inability to adjust to the calm of postwar life drove them to crime, though their defenders assert that they were avenging wrongs inflicted by rapacious bankers." (p. 32)
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4369
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page double spaced)
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