WILD BILL HICKOK MURDERED IN DEADWOOD!

“Wild Bill” Hickok, one of the greatest gunfighters of the American West, is murdered in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok first gained notoriety as a gunfighter in 1861 when he coolly shot three men who were trying to kill him. A highly sensationalized account of the gunfight appeared six years later in the popular periodical Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, sparking Hickok’s rise to national fame. Other articles and books followed, and though his prowess was often exaggerated, Hickok did earn his reputation with a string of impressive gunfights.

Artist: Thom Ross "Wild Bill Hickok; The Red Sash" James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was known as a dandy and a fancy dresser. There are numerous photographs of him dressed in a wide variety of snazzy clothes. He wore his brace of pistols in the reverse or "cavalry style," which meant butts forward, draw.

These pistols were held in place by a red sash he wore around his waist. Though his pistols do not appear here, you can see his red sash and his coat under which they are concealed.

After accidentally killing his deputy during an 1871 shootout in Abilene, Texas, Hickok never fought another gun battle. For the next several years he lived off his famous reputation, appearing as himself in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show. Occasionally, he worked as guide for wealthy hunters. His renowned eyesight began to fail, and for a time he was reduced to wandering the West trying to make a living as a gambler. Several times he was arrested for vagrancy.

In the spring of 1876, Hickok arrived in the Black Hills mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota. There he became a regular at the poker tables of the No. 10 Saloon, eking out a meager existence as a card player. On this day in 1876, Hickok was playing cards with his back to the saloon door.

At 4:15 in the afternoon, a young gunslinger named Jack McCall walked into the saloon, approached Hickok from behind, and shot him in the back of the head. Hickok died immediately. McCall tried to shoot others in the crowd, but amazingly, all of the remaining cartridges in his pistol were duds. McCall was later tried, convicted, and hanged.

HBO ANNOUNCED TODAY: DEADWOOD MOVIE IS COMING SOON!

Variety.com: HBO is officially moving forward with the “Deadwood” movie. The announcement was made by HBO Programming president Casey Bloys at the TCA summer press tour on Wednesday.

Fans of the HBO series Deadwood have been clamoring for more stories set in the “Deadwood” world ever since the series ended in 2006. The series ran for three seasons and 36 episodes, with many critics regarding it as one of the best television series of all time. The show picked up 28 Emmy Award nominations during its run, ultimately winning eight.

The show took place in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, and charted the titular community’s growth from a camp to a town. The large ensemble cast included actors like Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker and John Hawkes.

THE DEATH OF JOHNNY RINGO JULY 14 1882!

July 14, 1882: John Ringo(Johann Reingold), the famous gun-fighting gentleman, is found dead in Turkey Creek Canyon, Arizona.

Romanticized in both life and death, John Ringo was supposedly a Shakespeare-quoting gentleman whose wit was as quick as his gun. Some believed he was college educated, and his sense of honor and courage was sometimes compared to that of a British lord. In truth, Ringo was not a formally educated man, and he came from a struggling working-class Indiana family that gave him few advantages. Yet, he does appear to have been better read than most of his associates, and he clearly cultivated an image as a refined gentleman.

“Why Johnny Ringo, you look like someone just walked over your grave.”

By the time he was 12, Ringo was already a crack shot with either a pistol or rifle. He left home when he was 19, eventually ending up in Texas, where in 1875 he became involved in a local feud known as the “Hoodoo War.”

Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo wasn't he GREAT?

He killed at least two men, but seems to have either escaped prosecution, or when arrested, escaped his jail cell. By 1878, he was described as “one of the most desperate men in the frontier counties” of Texas, and he decided it was time to leave the state.

In 1879, Ringo resurfaced in southeastern Arizona, where he joined the motley ranks of outlaws and gunslingers hanging around the booming mining town of Tombstone. Nicknamed “Dutch,” Ringo had a reputation for being a reserved loner who was dangerous with a gun.

He haunted the saloons of Tombstone and was probably an alcoholic. Not long after he arrived, Ringo shot a man dead for refusing to join him in a drink. Somehow, he again managed to avoid imprisonment by temporarily leaving town.

He was not involved in the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, but he did later challenge Doc Holliday (one of the survivors of the O.K. Corral fight) to a shootout. Holliday declined and citizens disarmed both men.

The manner of Ringo’s demise remains something of a mystery. He seems to have become despondent in 1882, perhaps because his family had treated him coldly when he had earlier visited them in San Jose. Witnesses reported that he began drinking even more heavily than usual.

Were Doc and Ringo similar?

On this day in 1882, he was found dead in Turkey Creek Canyon outside of Tombstone. It looked as if Ringo had shot himself in the head and the official ruling was that he had committed suicide. Some believed, however, that he had been murdered either by his drinking friend Frank “Buckskin” Leslie or a young gambler named “Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce.” To complicate matters further, Wyatt Earp later claimed that he had killed Ringo. The truth remains obscure to this day.

ROBERT CONRAD ENTERS THE WILD, WILD WEST WORLD OF PODCASTING

LOS ANGELES, CA – August 10, 2017: Award-winning actor Robert Conrad is launching a podcast on CRN Digital Talk Radio’s new CRN PodPlus channel, the national radio network announced today.

Podcast episodes will feature Conrad interviewing an array of his Hollywood friends and other celebrities.

In addition to his podcasting duties, the former “Baa Baa Black Sheep” star hosts “The Lounge with Robert Conrad” on CRN Digital Talk Radio’s CRN 1 channel every Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. Pacific.

“The world of podcasting is sort of the wild, wild west. It’s fitting that the man who played Jim West has his own podcast,” said CRN Digital Talk Radio’s President and CEO, Michael J. Horn, referencing Conrad’s role and hit 1960s television series “The Wild Wild West.”

“Bob is naturally entertaining and a great interviewer. Hollywood enthusiasts will love his conversations with their favorite stars,” Horn added.

Robert Conrad has acted in dozens of movies and hundreds of television episodes. He is best known as the star of “The Wild, Wild West," “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” and "Hawaiian Eye." He has won a People’s Choice Award (Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program) and been nominated for a Golden Globe.

Check show availability or listen online at CRNTalk.com.

HANDSOME MEN OF THE AMERICAN WILD WEST

Wyatt Earp

The Old West produced a bunch of legends. As a matter of fact, if there’s one thing it was consistently good at, it was taking outlaws and turning them into icons. Men like Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy, and John Wesley Hardin became part of American culture despite that they were aggressive criminals. 

In a time of lawlessness and disorder, there were lawmen who commanded respect and weren’t afraid to stand up to outlaws. In the process, they created the model of the Western hero. These men made a difference. Read More

Wild Bill Hickok, Texas Jack Omohundro, and Buffalo Bill Cody

Butch Cassidy

James Butler Wild Bill Hickok

Montana Bill

Cowboys

Omaha Chief Blackbird

Harvey Logan 

Commodore Perry Owens

Blue Duck and Belle Starr

Fred Waite and Henry Brown

READ: THE WOMEN OF THE WILD WEST