The Truth About Hollywood Cowboys
At the end of the American Civil War, many thousands of African Americans ventured west to the frontier in a bid to escape the prejudice they faced. But why is this fact not reflected by the Hollywood Western? Dan is joined by Tony Warner to find out.
Dan Snow's History Hit · History Hit
October 27, 202122m 15s
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Show Notes
At the end of the American Civil War, thousands of African Americans ventured west to the frontier in a bid to achieve freedom and escape the prejudice they faced. Many of these frontiersmen became cowboys with up to 25 per cent of cowboys were in fact black. Whilst Westerns became big business in Hollywood this fact was largely been ignored by major film studios. Why is this? To find out Dan is joined for today's podcast by Tony Warner, a historian who runs Black History Walks in London and an expert on Black Westerns including the new Netflix film The Harder They Fall. He and Dan discuss the history of Black Westerns during the segregation era, the amazing real-life individuals that have inspired these films, the role of black cowboys on the frontier and why they have largely been ignored by history and Hollywood.
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