Western Movies & Women’s Wear

Women Wearing Pants

Now let me make one thing clear. I don’t mind women wearing pants. I like the look of a gal in jeans.

When it comes to a novel or film though, especially western movies, I want them to make it historically correct. The only pre-1900 references to women wearing pants I can find is a couple of Arizona stagecoach robbers in the early 1890s. They dressed as men and held up a stage. And Calamity Jane (noted most as a petty thief and one who seldom took a bath) would on a drunken occasion wear men’s clothing. That shocked the women of Deadwood. They figured even a soiled dove like CJ would have the decency to wear a dress.

The split skirt became popular among horse women in the late 1890s. And in the era of the ‘cowboy girl’ from 1905 to 1930, split skirts were preferred by most women who rode horses. The ‘roaring twenties’ gave women the freedom to break a few clothing habits. Still, even in the ’30s, women seldom wore pants.

Check this out for yourself. Look at old family pics. I do recall a photo of my mother and dad in 1939 in the snow on a ski trip where she wore pants, boots and a heavy coat.

WWII changed women’s habits the most. So many gals had to work in the defense industry, where pants constituted a safety requirement. After that, pants became more common for gals.

So, for me, “Shane’s Disease” is about appropriate attire, but also applies to women’s hair styles. Don’t get me started on that. You can tell what decade western movies were made by looking at the hair.

Copyright 2008 by Stephen Bly

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STEPHEN BLY’S FAVORITE WESTERN MOVIES (in alphabetical order)

• Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969), stars Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross.
• Fort Apache (1948), stars John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple.
• High Noon (1952), stars Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly
• Open Range (2003), stars Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening.
• Quigley Down Under (1990), stars Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman.
• Stagecoach (1939)…John Wayne’s first major role.
• The Alamo (2004), stars Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson.
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962), stars John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles.
• The Shootist (1976), stars John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard.
• True Grit (2010), stars Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, directed by Coen Brothers

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My family almost refuses to watch western movies with me because of my critical eye. What do you pay attention to most when you’re watching a movie?

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Quote from Box Office Revolution website, recommending Stephen Bly novels be made into western movies …

“Bly certainly had enough content to justify a new genre (Western Comedy). … While all Bly’s novels are good, our favorites thus far are The Legend of Stuart Brannon series and the Code of the West series. … His writing will forever serve as a an example to others of how to write Western, faith-based fiction. … we eagerly await the day that Stephen Bly’s work will hit the big screen!”

See the full article post here:  https://boxofficerevolution.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/an-introduction-to-stephen-bly/

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