Unmasking Black Bart: The Untold Story of the Gentleman Stagecoach Bandit
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 8 November 2024
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ralphie’s fantasy encounter with Black Bart in A Christmas Story leads one to believe that Black Bart was some desperado. In the 1870′s there was a dime novel that was loosely based on the true story. A Christmas Story author Jean Shepherd read this novel as a kid and included Ralphie’s reincarnation of Black Bart as a desperado. But Black Bart’s real story is far more fantastical than Ralphie’s imagination. Here to tell the story of America’s most successful and eccentric stagecoach robber is one of America’s greatest Old West storytellers, Roger McGrath.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And we continue with our American stories. |
| 0:13.0 | It's time for another Old West story from our resident expert, Roger McGrath. |
| 0:18.0 | He's the author of Gunfighters, Howiemen and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier, |
| 0:22.9 | and you see and hear from him often on the History Channel. He's a regular contributor here |
| 0:28.2 | on Our American Stories. Here to introduce McGrath. He's our own Greg Engler. Take it away, Greg. |
| 0:36.3 | Greg. Go ahead, Greg. |
| 0:38.3 | Say this Ralphie, I just know those bad guys would be coming for us in the end. |
| 0:50.3 | Go for it, Dad. |
| 0:52.3 | As long as I got old blue. |
| 1:01.5 | Ralphie's fantasy encounter with Black Bart in the 1983 film, A Christmas Story, |
| 1:05.2 | leads one to believe that Black Bart was some desperado. |
| 1:06.9 | What have we got here, folks? |
| 1:10.2 | Well, we figure he's Black Bart, Ralph. |
| 1:13.5 | Well, she has a theme, a trusty old Red Router Carbine action too on the shop range model air raffle. Lucky I got a compass in the stock. Well, I think |
| 1:20.4 | I better have a look here. More you, son. In the 1870s, there was a dime novel that was loosely |
| 1:26.8 | based on Black Bart's true story. |
| 1:29.8 | A Christmas story author Jean Shepherd read this novel as a kid and included Ralphie's |
| 1:35.3 | reincarnation of Black Bart as a desperado. |
| 1:38.3 | Okay, Ralphie, you win this time, but we'll be back. Hey, we'll be back 80s Bart |
| 1:45.4 | what if you do come back |
| 1:47.5 | you'll be pushing up daisies |
| 1:49.5 | but Black Bart's real story |
... |
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