https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnJL4ErQK8k
iSomething for the weekend. Jim Bridger (1960), one of Johnny Horton’s historically themed songs. Jim Bridger, unlike most of “Mountain Men” contemporaries, lived a very long life from 1804-1881, which is amazing considering some of his exploits. Bridger was a life long illiterate, but always had a large store of common sense and was a very shrewd character. A Zelig among “Mountain Men” he had a knack for being present for most significant events on the frontier until his retirement in the late 1860’s. Physically a big, powerful man, his amiability and good humor probably served him best in his interactions with both Indians and Whites. He was very fond of tall stories, for example talking about finding petrified birds, singing petrified songs. One of his favorite routines was to tell newcomers to the frontier about how once he was being chased by one hundred Cheyenne warriors. He would tell about how they chased him and the tricks he used to attempt to elude them, building the drama of the tale. Finally the war party surrounded him. He would then pause until his listeners would urgently ask what happened next. Poker faced he would respond, “Why they killed me!”.
Of course Bridger was involved in the Hugh Glass incident that inspired the fictionalized drama “the Revenant,” which included Bridger as a key character.
John Colter got the better movie –even if they did move it to Africa!
I kind of like the film, “Jeremiah Johnson,” loosely based on the exploits of John Johnson, alias Liver-Eating Johnson and Crow Killer, is (more or less?) based on fact.
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A new edition is available of Raymond W. Thorp Jr.’s and Robert Bunker’s book, Crow Killer, The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson. I read the original (paperback) many years ago; entertaining, interesting and informative. The saga may be embellished. Who knows?
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I was able to sit through “The Revenant” at home ($5.79) on FIOS on-demand. Leo D/C deserved the Oscar. I almost believed him as Glass was a manly man, not the wussy, girly-boy that is Leo. Plus, like everything else floating out of Hollywood, the flick is basically 100% bu!!$h!+. I thought the various impossible feats were composites of several Mountain Man (tall?) tales.
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The mountain men that weren’t killed the first two weeks they became almost as good as the Indians in awareness of surroundings, stealth, ambushing, etc.
The best mountain man movie is Howard Hawks’s The Big Sky.
Do not doubt me.