Hand-tooled boots by Tres Outlaws of El Paso, procured on eBay at a bargain:
By the way, reader John Danley asked about “the Jewish cowboy.” I have in fact actually found one: it was a picture hanging on the wall in the Eastern California Museum in the tiny town of Independence, California, between Bishop and Lone Pine. I was so taken by this that I took a photo of the photo.
Now does this look like a Jewish cowboy or what? Take a yeshiva bocher and put him in a Stetson and boots, and this is what you get. On a subsequent visit to the Museum I discovered the picture had disappeared, and I was never able to find out anything about “Hominy’s famous Jewish champion of the lariat and saddle.”
What was the name of the Jewish cowboy? Bucky Goldstein?
Kinky Friedman, perhaps?
b&
Beat me to it, Ben!
He’s not a real cowboy (at least, not as far as I know).
True. Just a kinda sorta country musician. They all like to pretend they’re cowboys, though.
He looks the image of Charles Hawtrey – of ‘Carry On’ fame.
I haven’t found an image of Hawtrey as a cowboy but he was an indian in one movie.
http://www.filmdope.com/Gallery/ActorsH/7656-2994.gif
I really loved his work with The Deaf Aids.
That looks like Andy Kindler to me.
About Jewish cowboys, Jerry, check out this site:
They Had Chutzpah!
The contributions of Jews to the development of the Old West is an untold story to be presented by the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis…
http://jewishcincinnati.org/page.aspx?id=55772
I don’t know from Jewish cowboys but my wife and I own a coffee table book called “Pioneer Jewish Texans” acquired during our grad school days in Austin.
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Jewish-Texans-American-1590-1990/dp/0962075507
There’s an interesting press release about a museum exhibit here:
http://www.eiteljorg.com/ejm_News/details.asp?id=10&Year=2004
that hints that the people at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art probably know a good amount about the subject, including the mystery poster.
On a not-too-unrelated topic, Uncle Dan spent some time as a fur trapper in Canada after emigrating from the Ukraine (and, by “emigrating,” I mean, “escaping the pogroms”) and before becoming a fruit vendor in New York.
Cheers,
b&
Song of a Jewish Cowboy
Oh hai – there was a brilliant episode of “Northern Exposure” that had to do with Jewish cowboys in Alaska. Fleishman’s uncle died, and he needed a minyan, but there aren’t a lot of Jews hanging out in the Alaskan wilderness – but his friends got to work rounding up the requisite dozen. Joel had an anxiety dream about halfway through, in which a bunch of Jewish cowboys came thundering into Cicely. I forget the details of the dream, but it was hilarious.
In the end Maurice succeeded in getting a minyan together but Joel decided actually his Cicely friends would do the job after all. The final scene was extremely affecting, as the final scene often was with that show.
Sorry – confusing – Joel and Fleishman are the same person. A guy called Fleishman Joel.
“Kaddish for Uncle Manny,” it’s called. And a minyan is 10, not 12; beg pardon.
Not quite the same as a minion then… Which always sounds to me like a small onion!
🙂
Ophelia,
A minyan has a minimum of 10 adult, male Jews, not 12.
</pedant>
http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/020719/museum.shtml
I’ll see Ophelia’s Jewish cowboys in Alaska, and raise a Rabbi cowboy in San Francisco in The Frisco Kid.
Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford. A Rabbi and a gunslinger. What’s not to like?
Is that old phone in the background in service? Or Do you clean artifacts for the local museum?
Nice boots! I’m envious.
don’t forget Irving (the 142nd fastest gun in the west)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U077BiDMmPE
Dr Demento made a lasting impression on me, I guess. Sorry.
Brad: You beat me to it!
BTW: There was a “Frontier Deli” in Santa Cruz, California, back in the 80s. They served a decent buffalo burger, and had the lyrics to the song printed on their menu.
Nor should we forget Mr. Bergstrom on “Lisa’s Substitute” (Simpsons):
“And for the record, there were a few Jewish cowboys. Big guys, who were great shots, and spent money freely.”
You might like the book “We lived there too” by Kenneth Libo and Irving Howe.
Pioneer Jews and the westward movement of America 1630-1930
Lots of pictures and good references.