Archive for the ‘Story Tellers’ Category.
11th March 2010, 12:26 am
More than a Word
Written by Gary Addis
Click Here to download a PDF of the story
Me and Billy was playing in the alley between Birdie’s and the Alamo Saloon when he rode into town. We noticed him right off. We noticed everybody who come into town, especially strangers. But this was no saddle bum or whiskey drummer, I knowed that right off.
He was about to tie his horse to the hitching rail in front of Birdie’s Saloon, his back to us, when he suddenly whirled around, a pistol appearing like magic in his right hand. Didn’t take him but a second, though, to see we wasn’t no threat. He exhaled a deep breath, holstered the gun at his waist, and straightened out of his crouch.
He said, “Boys, don’t stand back there in the shadows staring at me. Come on out here, where I can see you.” Continue reading ‘More Than a Word’ »
10th March 2010, 11:49 pm
Hollywood Talent Scout
Bob Crismon
Back in those early days Fast Draw and event Entertainment Reenacting blended together. In 1957 just west of Canyon City in Colorado the ghost town tourist attraction named Buckskin Joe invited the Colorado Springs Fast Draw Club to provide weekend entertainment. The town is a western movie filming location with more than 21 films to its credit, including Cat Ballou, The Cowboys and The Sacketts. The 1991 television feature Conagher starring Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Ken Curtis and Barry Corbin was filmed at Buckskin Joe. At Buckskin Joe about a dozen or so of us had a bunch of fun shooting our single actions in contests and staged shootouts held on the town streets. Since we played the Bad Guys during skits, our costumes were usually black. Town employee professional stunt men wore white hats and played the Sheriff and his Deputies. Of course, we held a Fast Draw contest several times during the day using our Faber FasDraw Timer. Continue reading ‘Hollywood Talent Scout’ »
7th December 2009, 12:09 am
The First California State
Fast Draw Championship?
By Bob Crismon
The year was 1958 …. The fledging single action gun sport of Fast Draw (aka “Quick Draw”) was really booming! Most of the major TV shows were westerns. New clubs were springing up all over the USA. This phenomenal growth was remarkable when considering US mail was the primary method of communication. Even printing was expensive in relation to what a one page flyer costs today when printed on your home printer connected to your PC.
Continue reading ‘The First California State Fast Draw Championship?’ »
15th November 2009, 04:38 pm
WINGO Indoor Rifle Range
Written by Bob Crismon
The year was 1960 ….. The war has been over for fifteen years, times are good. Folks had extra money and time to spend on elective things of interest. Many of us chose recreational shooting activities. Interest in the Single Action revolver and lever action rifle grew every day, sparked by the popularity of movie and TV western shows. Winchester Fire Arms was in the ammunition and long arms manufacturing business. The new gun sport activities resulted in the sale of Winchester blanks, cartridges and brass. But without a manufactured side arm, Winchester could not capitalize on the Fast Draw Western TV show driven business boom. Winchester came up with a brilliant idea – why not develop a shooting sport centered on the use of Winchester rifles? Most Single Action Fast Draw shooters are likely Winchester rifle owners.
Continue reading ‘WINGO Indoor Rifle Range’ »
14th February 2009, 11:59 pm
The Mexican Colt
by Jim Martin
This Colt has a Colt letter with it and was originally sent to a Mexican Railway in 1903. The backstrap is engraved with the abbreviated letters of the railway, Ex. Nat. Mex. I made the grips for it from whale jawbone. When I bought the gun it was in need of work. The barrel & cylinder were pretty rough so I decided to replace them.
Continue reading ‘Jim Martin – Pop Warner’s Mexican Colt’ »
14th February 2009, 11:54 pm
If there is one person that personifies our sport of Fast Draw, it is 84 year old E.L. Warner, of Scottsdale, Arizona. “Pop” to his many friends.
The son of an itinerant horse trader, “Pop” learned to shoot a Colt sixgun from a retired gunhand turned cowhand. He grew up to become one of the last of the professional old west gunfighters, hiring his gun out in Mexico, the south western United States, and the last of the range wars in Wyoming.
Continue reading ‘Bob Arganbright – Mr. Fast Draw’ »
14th February 2009, 11:35 pm
The year was 1957. A Denver television station invited me in to do a live studio show with Hugh O’Brien. Hugh was in town promoting his TV show, “Wyatt Earp.” At the studio I met Marshal Faber who was an electronic engineer in charge of the station audio and visual equipment. Marshall was a very nice fellow and quite talented in many technical fields. The studio invitation was offered quite unexpectedly and required that I be there the afternoon of the late morning call. Eager to share my new found potential fame, I called my sister who lived in Denver and suggested she watch the show.
Continue reading ‘Bob Crismon – Faber FasDraw Timer’ »
14th February 2009, 11:08 pm
The year was 1958 …. Sammy Davis, Jr. was the hottest of club entertainers – and one of the best in Hollywood at handling a Colt Single Action. Interest in Single Actions was booming as the most popular TV shows were serial westerns. A whole bunch of Hollywood wannabe cowboys were learning to draw, shoot and twirl their six-guns and Sammy was right up front leading the “Pack”. Many of Sammy’s fellow actor friends were also active in the fledging sport and held private contests at each other’s homes. I was in LA drumming up fast draw timer business and received a call from my employer, the Faber FasDraw Timer Company in Denver. Both of Sammy’s timers had quit working and he wanted them fixed before he went on a road trip. I knew Sammy had ordered two clocks about a month earlier but I had not met him. I was told I should meet him back stage around 9:00pm at the Moulin Rouge Night Club in Hollywood.
Continue reading ‘Bob Crismon – The Check is in the Mail’ »
1st February 2009, 01:04 pm
A Bad Day to Die
by Gary “Gringo” Addis
In the mirror behind the bar, I watched him watching me. The heat of the young man’s ambition made my neck itch. He wanted to call me out into the heat of the midday sun, and kill me. No, that’s wrong. He didn’t want to kill me; he didn’t have the hard eyes of a killer. He merely wanted to have killed me. He wanted the fearsome rep. The reputation I had earned.
Continue reading ‘Gary Addis – A Bad Day to Die’ »
