Fast Man on Draw
Rod Redwing does “bordershift” for a multiple exposure picture. A Cherokee Indian who coaches actors and is one of Hollywood’s most expert gunmen, he follows Earp’s precepts on two-gun fighting by flipping empty gun in air, shifting loaded gun from left to right.
A marvelous bite size collection of black and white images shot (no pun intended) by legendary LIFE magazine photographer Ralph (Rudy) Crane (1914–1988). These photos were tasked for the July 2, 1956 feature article, Bang! U.S. Boys Bite the Dust.
Across the U.S. in the first schoolless days of summer, small fry were crumpling from imaginary bullets, then rising again to whip gun from holster and fill the air with the bark of make-believe shots. The spacemen and Davy Crockett had had their day. Now the Cowboy has ridden back to fresh esteem as the hero of U.S. youth and inspiration for endless games.
These days he is a special breed of cowpoke—not the galloping Indian-tamer but the grim, laconic gunfighter who is, above all, lightning fast on the draw and deadly accurate. In Detroit alleys and New Jersey suburbs, the kids were forever rehearsing the quick draw and confronting rivals on Main Street at high noon.
Read more >> LIFE, Vol. 41, No. 1, July 2, 1956, pg. 27–33
[ All images via LIFE photo archives / ©LIFE ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Psst… to keep up to date:
- You can grab the
AQ-V RSS Feed - And follow
AQ-V on Twitter - And/or the
AQ-V Fan Page
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
