Video: Buffalo Bill: the world's first showman and "superstar"
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Today it seems incredible that the world's first showman started out as an intelligence officer and hunted buffalo in his spare time, for which he received the nickname "Buffalo Bill". William Cody shot about 4,280 bison in 18 months, feeding a huge number of people. But popularity came to him in a completely different area.
For many, Buffalo Bill is the epitome of the American Wild West. His image is recognizable by his Stetson hat, buckskin jacket and leather boots, his long curly white hair and his famous beard and mustache.
William Frederick Cody was born in 1846 in a small town on the Mississippi River, it was here that he grew up and learned all the practical skills that later came in handy in the American West. Bill's childhood was not easy: he lost his father, brother and sister. His younger years were practically spent alone. The boy learned early on how to cultivate the land, cut down trees and build houses. Also, as a child, he received his riding skills, learned to hunt and set traps.
Most of the kids his age played from morning to night, and Bill learned to graze cattle and fight Indians. As a result, Cody was extremely experienced in so many things, despite his age, and could easily survive on his own in the wild. At the age of 14, Cody went to work at Pony Express, because he met all the requirements: he was skinny, he rode well and did not worry at all that work could be dangerous to his life.
Bill not only grew up in the Wild West, he absorbed his spirit and morality. At the age of 19, William Cody was drafted into the army. And at 21 he married Louise Frederici. He was not happily married, and for a long time tried to divorce his unloved wife. From 1868 to 1872, William served in a reconnaissance group, whose mission was to find and destroy the Indians. For brilliant military achievements, he was awarded several honorary medals.
In parallel with reconnaissance, he was engaged in shooting buffaloes, for which he received the nickname "Buffalo Bill". William Cody shot about 4,280 bison in 18 months, feeding a huge number of people.
In 1869, tabloid writer Ned Buntline made Buffalo Bill the hero of his melodramatic stories of the Wild West. From that time on, Cody became not only a hunter and scout, but also a theatrical actor and star in the Prairie Scouts melodrama, which was created by Ned Buntline as a show about the Wild West. In 1883, Cody and some of his associates presented the first itinerant show, Buffalo Bill's Wild West.
In the show, he showed typical scenes from the life of the frontier. He attracted Indians and cowboys to his shows, and also used wild animals in them. Thousands of spectators gathered for each performance, which lasted 3-4 hours. Cody became the real star of this complex show, which was essentially the only source from which some people could learn about the Wild West. People were delighted with him. As a result, Buffalo Bill's Wild West was watched by millions of people, not only in America, but all over the world.
Cody spoke to rulers of different countries and monarchs, and once he was even invited by the Pope. Few people know that life as Buffalo Bill was far from easy for Cody. The show often and permanently separated him from his wife Louise and children. His marriage turned out to be very difficult, and in fact, Bill missed most of his offspring's childhood. And then tragedy struck: somehow, after another long absence, he came home just at the time when his son was dying. This broke Cody's spirit very much.
Throughout his life, the Cody family struggled with poverty, despite the fact that Bill made good money on his shows. He often invested in various adventurous ventures that ended up in a bubble. As a result, Bill became completely lonely, he had only a few close friends, and he increasingly began to get depressed and drink. Cody built his home in Nebraska, and used it as a getaway from the show.
But the area he loved so much began to quickly lose its former Western charm and turn into a new West - the "Promised Land", and not the wild frontier on which Bill grew up. In his more mature years, Cody often began to think about abandoning his Buffalo Bill image and getting away from publicity. But even in his old age, Buffalo Bill continued to do what he loved most - working on the land and enjoying the nature and scenery around him.
He also continued to hunt and was a guide for people who went to the prairie. In northwestern Wyoming, he helped found the city that still bears his name. There are several museums dedicated to his memory and working life, and Cody is still remembered as a famous hero in America today. Bill died in 1917 while visiting his sister in Denver. There he was buried. Four years later, his wife died, whose grave was placed next to Buffalo Bill's grave in the Denver cemetery.
However, this is not the most incredible story of show business. Especially for our readers, a story about how Natasha Zakharenko became the scandalous film star Natalie Wood.
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