Deadwood Nuggets
- It was estimated that 90% of women living in Deadwood in 1876 were prostitutes.
- In 1876, the lawless town of Deadwood averaged a murder a day.
- According to eye witnesses, Wild Bill Hickok could hit a dime tossed into the air nine out of ten times; he could knock an apple from a tree with one shot and then hit the apple again with another bullet before it hit the ground, all at 25 paces.
- In 1876, the presidential election was won by Rutherford Hayes defeating Samuel Tilden by only one electoral vote (185-184). The election was very controversial and the major issue of the time was corruption.
- Rumor has it that the tradition of spreading saw dust on the floors of bars/saloons started in Deadwood due to the amount of gold dust that would fall on the floor. The saw dust was used to hide the fallen gold dust and was swept up at the end of the night.
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Episode 20: Childish Things
This Sunday Francis Wolcott [PHOTO LEFT] offers on a rich claim operated by two ornery brothers, and reports to Hearst on their progress overall.
Nuttall proudly unveils his new “Bone-Shaker” bicycle – but some doubt he can ride it.
Swearengen and Bullock discuss alternatives to annexing the Hills to Dakota.
Miss Isringhausen [PHOTO RIGHT] strikes a deal with Swearengen.
Alma receives proposals from both Martha Bullock [PHOTO LEFT] and from Ellsworth.
Merrick’s new office mate is a Russian telegraph operator, and Stubbs has two unexpected visitors at the Chez Ami.
who was a descendent of Tilden. If he hadn’t got screwed out of the Presidency, I doubt I would have been high-class enough for her.
Bullock and Al strike a deal, and all with a wonderful Al soliloquy.
Did anybody else notice that the scene with the Chief’s head last week was a twisted version of Hamlet’s “conversation” with poor Yorick?
I thought he was going to chuck the Indian head into the bicycle crowd in some crazed attempt to disperse them.
Maybe Al is a little ‘touched’ by the stroke.
A version of Hamlet’s “conversation” with Yorick? OK. Maybe.
But this is the head of someone Al’s had killed. And in the opening talk with Bullock, Al tries to make a case for himself as a killer out of necessity. Or at least a killer as the time and place demanded. So Al’s talk to his victim–his apparently obsessive, uncontrollable talk to his victim–suggests that he cannot talk away his killing to himself quite so patly as he does to Bullock.
Al is schlepping his own victim around town, talking endlessly to the Chief in a vain attempt to explain his actions, to justify himself. The man who does what’s necessary can’t shake off the ghost of morality.
And so Al establishes his ethical superiority to other wheelers and dealers, in Washington and elsewhere, who claim they act as the times demand.
As Al ascends in the viewer’s moral estimation, will Bullock’s various entanglements–all of them brought about by good intentions and, in general, approved by all of us–start him down a path to some real nastiness? We’ve started to love Al. Are we going to end up hating Bullock? That would be cruel. But also maybe brilliant.
the Bullock women have the claws out … maybe they’ll wrestle in the mud …
…I have a cousin who lived in the real Deadwood in the 1950s and ’60s. We visited in 1957. What a pit. Maybe that’s why all the talk of c*c*su*k*rs and f*cks, su*ks, cu*ts, et cetera on the show.
…those words seem worse with the astericks in them.
I’m glad to see you back. I hope Mrs. Meteor Blades is coming along a lot better.
I don’t believe Deadwood residents or any other settlers talked that way all the time. David Milch says so, but what’s his source? Those words wouldn’t have been printed or written at the time. Profanity and explicit obscenities existed, sure. They always have. But how can we know how they really talked?
Describe Deadwood as it was when you were there. I guess it never did become a great success. What happened to all that gold? It would be neat to learn that the characters based on real people have descendants living there.
USA Today did an article on the accuracy of language on Deadwood.
The most interesting factoid in the article is that Deadwood passed a law in 1878 banning profanity. So, did they consider language to be out of control? Or did they object to rare usages of profanity?
Very frustrating about Calamity. I was really hoping that she would blow Woolcott’s fucking head off…
I’m worried about Jane. Charlie’s graveside talk with Wild Bill sounded ominous.
died of pneumonia in 1903. So, she should be around for a while longer. But you never know, the show isn’t strictly historical.
She’ll be buried next to Bill whenever she does die.
What a cool show.
I was hooked from the first episode.
The theater aspect of it is really interesting, and I never really thought of the Hamlet Swearengen connection.
I just got back from St. Louis last week, and I picked up the 1st season on DVD for my brother. That is the way to watch it. This wait a week BS is killing me.
He’s now hooked on it as well, and I think I got him talked into dressing up as Al for halloween. He is a big assed blonde construction worker, and with a little hair coloring on his hair and ‘stache he is a dead ringer for Al. I hope he does it,
He is also known for his ‘nasty disposition’, he is serious business, running multimillion dollar jobs and all, and he uses intimidation and confrontation on big tuff construction workers for efficiencies sake. He can be pretty scary.
Maybe I can get a pic if he does it.
Anyway, cool diary.
Ron
I got my wish. Wolcott got hit again.
I’m watching again at 9. Al’s speeches require a second viewing. I’ll probably watch bits of it again through the week. There’s so little else on television to compare to it that I don’t mind rewatching the episodes several times.
then you suck a cock by choice.”
That one will stick with me for a day or two.
I am so annoyed. The television in my bedroom died last week. And my wife was an hour and a half into a movie on our only remaining television. So, I had to put off watching Deadwood until the next showing.
And thus, I cannot participate in the excellent post-Deadwood analysis.
Damn.
Also: The bicycle scene was great, and shot incredibly well.
What was Jane’s answer when asked what liquor she’d like? Something, “Anything, as long as it hasn’t already been drunk once”?
“As long as it hasn’t already been swallowed”, I think it was.
You got it. Thanks.
SCREW the DVDs. I want the scripts! In a nice big book with loads of photos.