I ran across this documentary on the 'American History Channel' and with a forty five minute run time, it takes just the slightest of different approaches from a couple other recent series developed for television, 'Legends and Lies' and 'Deadly Shootouts'. For this episode, the actor portraying Jesse James, John Redlinger, often relates the exploits of the James-Younger Gang in the first person on screen, describing how he became a 'bold robber' and not just a common thief.
For followers of Western history and anyone who's researched the James Gang, there's not a lot of new information to be gained by watching the story. That's not meant to be a put down, but simply a statement of fact since I've done a lot of internet searching on the James-Younger Gang as well as a lot of their contemporaries like The Earp Brothers and Billy the Kid. But for anyone who knows nothing about the principals, this would be a good introductory overview on the history of Frank and Jesse James from about the period covering 1863 through the 1876 Northfield, Minnesota Raid.
One thing that WAS new information here though was offered by Western historian Bob Boze Bell, and he himself wondered why it's never been mentioned in any of the vast number of movies on the James Brothers. Apparently the gang would change into raggedy clothes to look like bums prior to their robberies, and then change back into their regular clothes to evade capture based on a description of what they were wearing at the time of the holdup. Actually, this is something I've often wondered about myself when I hear of a local bank or convenience store robbery and a description of what the thief was wearing is often cited.
I guess the major takeaway from this episode is it's treatment of Jesse James as something of a folk hero instead of a criminal. Using the first person approach, Jesse (Redlinger) tries to convince the viewer that he was still fighting the Southern cause following the end of the Civil war, and that his gang were seeking retribution for the indignities suffered at the hands of Union agents like the Pinkertons. Though it's mentioned quite emphatically that Jesse, older brother Frank and the Youngers were vicious outlaws, the documentary suggests a balanced approach to viewing them in a historical context.
On a final note, and I never thought about it before, but one of the historians on the show mentioned that the name of Jesse James is the second most recognized name on the planet. If you guessed Mickey Mouse as the first, you get a gold star.
For followers of Western history and anyone who's researched the James Gang, there's not a lot of new information to be gained by watching the story. That's not meant to be a put down, but simply a statement of fact since I've done a lot of internet searching on the James-Younger Gang as well as a lot of their contemporaries like The Earp Brothers and Billy the Kid. But for anyone who knows nothing about the principals, this would be a good introductory overview on the history of Frank and Jesse James from about the period covering 1863 through the 1876 Northfield, Minnesota Raid.
One thing that WAS new information here though was offered by Western historian Bob Boze Bell, and he himself wondered why it's never been mentioned in any of the vast number of movies on the James Brothers. Apparently the gang would change into raggedy clothes to look like bums prior to their robberies, and then change back into their regular clothes to evade capture based on a description of what they were wearing at the time of the holdup. Actually, this is something I've often wondered about myself when I hear of a local bank or convenience store robbery and a description of what the thief was wearing is often cited.
I guess the major takeaway from this episode is it's treatment of Jesse James as something of a folk hero instead of a criminal. Using the first person approach, Jesse (Redlinger) tries to convince the viewer that he was still fighting the Southern cause following the end of the Civil war, and that his gang were seeking retribution for the indignities suffered at the hands of Union agents like the Pinkertons. Though it's mentioned quite emphatically that Jesse, older brother Frank and the Youngers were vicious outlaws, the documentary suggests a balanced approach to viewing them in a historical context.
On a final note, and I never thought about it before, but one of the historians on the show mentioned that the name of Jesse James is the second most recognized name on the planet. If you guessed Mickey Mouse as the first, you get a gold star.
