Talk:The Outlaw Josey Wales

Redlegs

The men who killed Josey Wales' family are members of Senator Jim Lanes' Redlegs, and the article should reflect this specific fact, rather than simply saying Kansas Jayhawkers. --Charles 04:39, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Ok done that. Added some quotes too, although I suspect they'll need fixin'. Gotta admit, this is one of my favourite movies. --Jquarry 13:04, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

similarity to Jesse James

In regards to the following statement:

It should be noted that Josey Wales' circumstances in the film somewhat mirror those of notorious outlaw Jesse James, although James was much younger at the time of the Civil War than the age Wales appears to be in the film.

Unless references can be provided that indicate that Forrest Carter was inspired by the story of Jesse James, this statement is just someone's opinion, hence a violation of the policy against POV and OR. Myself, I see only the smallest of similarities, considering that Jesse always rode with his brother, Frank, as well as the Younger Bros., whereas it is clear in both the novel and the film that Josey rides alone. At any rate, these are just opinions. ---Charles 19:06, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

Return

The Return of Josey Wales should be noted.[1] It appears to be drek, but there it is. --Gadget850 ( Ed) 14:14, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Seinfeld

According to The Strike (Seinfeld episode) the line "It has a certain understated stupidity to it" is related to this film. Does anybody know how? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.128.19.8 (talk) on 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:The outlaw josey wales.jpg

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BetacommandBot 04:38, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Bill Wilson folklore vs. history

The current wording appears to be largely based on oral folklore that doesn't seem to be verifiable or based on reality:

Bill Wilson maintained a neutral stance until his wife and children were brutalized by renegade Union soldiers on his farm on Corn Creek near Edgar Springs, Missouri. Wilson then struck back with vengeance, tracking down those responsible. In the process, he became a wanted outlaw. "Mr. Wilson" is a pseudonym for Josey Wales in the film, possibly an acknowledgment of the plot's debt to the historical Bill Wilson.

In trying to track this down I've found very little about the man other than county folklore sources. And none of those sourced match the description above. The closest text I've found was a description of the execution of a local judge and his Confederate sons by militia after a horse theft incident involving Bill Wilson's compatriots. [2] As for Bill Wilson himself...this Greene County source [3] says: "Bill Wilson was one example of a bushwhacker who embarked on his own. His father was killed by Union troops moving through the area near Waynesville, Missouri. After this, Wilson roamed the wilds, cheerfully gunning down small Union patrols in revenge. The Union command at Rolla placed a price on his head, but he was never captured and lived in freedom long after the war." While a modern author on the subject of Missouri guerrilla warfare who has sifted through the state's county histories says [4] that burning his barn was the cause and that Bill ended up being killed in 1869 for his money while in McKinney Texas in an area with many ex-guerrillas and Confederates.

So I'm going to carve out the uncited speculation about brutalizing women and children--which was particularly rare, especially as a claim against Union forces in Missouri where most of the "occupiers" were actually other Missourians, not Kansans, etc. (Most likely for the movie it was Bill Wilson's personal war/tactics and flight to Mexico that would have been used as inspiration and melded with other stories.)

Another problem is that Bill Wilson's locale is far removed from Osceola and the border. "Redlegs/Jayhawkers" operated along the border counties and caused most of their havoc early in the war. The Unionist militia worked to keep them out as well, once organized. Red Harvest (talk) 18:25, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Famous quote from the movie

"There are three kinds of suns in Missouri: Sunshine, sunflowers, and sons-of-bitches." :-)Uranometria (talk) 19:06, 28 July 2008 (UTC)