Is Yellowstone's Black Diamond Pool a ticking time bomb? Find out as we explore the shocking eruption that has captured everyone's attention and raised eyebrows about the region's volcanic activity. We'll also break down the smoky weather conditions in Wyoming caused by regional fires and an impending heat trend. As if that's not enough, we delve into the dramatic twists in national politics, including the investigation into the Trump assassination attempt and Kamala Harris' sudden rise as the Democratic presidential candidate amid concerns about Joe Biden's health.
Our journey continues as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," reminiscing about its lasting impact and the iconic Montana locations where it was filmed. We’ll share stories about the film’s director Michael Cimino, the behind-the-scenes dynamics between Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, and Bridges' unforgettable performance. Finally, we'll recount the epic survival story of Hugh Glass, the frontiersman whose incredible endurance and bravery have become legendary, a tale immortalized in "The Revenant." Join us for a whirlwind episode packed with natural phenomena, political intrigue, cinematic history, and awe-inspiring survival.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Good morning and welcome to let's Talk Wyoming.
I'm Mark Hamilton, your host,and today we'll be taking a look
at our smoky Wyoming weather.
We'll also be talking about aneruption in Yellowstone Park and
looking to the north of us upin Montana, we'll talk about
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot andalso the story of the mountain
man, hugh Glass and hisencounter with a grizzly.
(00:43):
Thanks for joining us today andwe hope you enjoy the show.
Taking a look at Wyomingweather here on the start of the
(01:04):
week here on the 22nd day ofJuly, right now, looking out the
window here in Hot SpringsCounty, can't see very far.
The smoke has definitely set infrom fires around the region
and it is overcast.
We had kind of an overcastweekend.
We did have some rain late inthe week last week.
(01:26):
That sure made a difference.
Cooling down the temperaturesand just renewing things makes
things feel a little bitbrighter here in these days of
July where it seems like July isnever going to end.
But weather right now lookslike ahead is another heat trend
, heavy-duty heat trend comingin.
Saw some high 90s mornings outthere.
(01:49):
It's getting dry out there.
There's potential foradditional fires, as you can
attest to with our smoke I thinkpeople are getting into that
July month.
As far as for travel and, again, as I said numerous times,
being out on the water, ourBighorn River is really active
right now with floaters on adaily basis.
Fishing in some of the areas isgoing strong.
(02:13):
I've not been to the mountainyet this year, I've not gone
fishing up in the Bighorns, butlook forward to making a trip up
.
So right now here in Wyomingwe're just in those days of
summer, like everyone across thecountry, and before we know it
it's going to be August andLabor Day and then winter right
around the corner and othersaround the area, kind of in a
(02:37):
strange one.
Yesterday, on the 23rd of July,there was an eruption in
Yellowstone Park at the BlackDiamond Pool which suddenly
erupted.
I saw some of the videos.
It was unbelievable that no onewas hurt.
The way that suddenly eruptedout of the blue.
(02:57):
It wasn't anything planned, nota normal place for an eruption.
It had to be just totally scaryat that point for people who
were there the way it blew stuffup in the sky.
It took out most of thatboardwalk that was by there and
of course this Black DiamondPool is in the Parks Biscuit
(03:17):
Basin, and that was yesterdaymorning.
I've read a lot of differentaccounts on different areas, but
what is the meaning of this?
You know they've always talkedabout Yellowstone, the potential
of having an eruption, and ifthere is a big eruption there,
that it would pretty much takeout a lot of country when we're
(03:39):
at here in Hot Springs County.
Most of Wyoming would be gonewith the event happening.
County, most of Wyoming wouldbe gone with the event happening
.
But it is a little bitquestionable this eruption, but
it woke up a lot of people andagain, I'm so glad that no one
was hurt.
I'm glad I wasn't there.
It would have definitely beensomething you'll never forget.
(03:59):
Also, in other news, theinvestigations continue on the
Trump assassination attempt inPennsylvania.
I get a chuckle out of watchingthe hearings on TV on Congress
running these investigations andI see that the director of the
Secret Service has finallyresigned.
I don't know what that's reallygoing to accomplish.
(04:20):
I do watch quite a fewdifferent other sources Twitter.
There's a lot of information onthere from non, I should say,
established news media that havedone a lot of investigation
with sights and sounds and theshots and all the things that
are happening.
Let's just say there's a lotmore to this story than most
(04:41):
people would assume.
And then we have the strangestory about Joe Biden.
He suddenly was the candidateafter the debate about a month
ago.
He suddenly the left or thenews media suddenly started
attacking, which was justtotally strange.
And then he said he wasn'tgoing anywhere, he was going to
continue to run, and thensuddenly he had a medical
(05:03):
emergency, kind of disappearedfor a while.
Then, out of that, suddenlyKamala Harris, the vice
president, is now thepresidential candidate.
It's pretty crazy.
I mean, kamala Harris, nomatter what you think of her
previous 2020 election, in theprimaries she was one of I think
there was over 10 candidatesfor the Democratic Party.
I don't think she got adelegate's vote from anybody.
(05:26):
She had to end up dropping out,and so I guess that's what it
gets down to.
Our political system, I think,is totally out of kilter, but it
looks like now, pending whathappens in the upcoming
convention, she's the candidate.
Biden is supposedly going toaddress the nation.
I think tonight, on the 24th,that I've heard, and I don't
(05:50):
know how.
If he suddenly can't run forre-election, does he have health
issues?
We know he has declined anddementia is a sad situation with
him.
How can he continue to run thecountry?
How can he continue to run thecountry?
And most people just, I guesswe just keep on living our lives
and just try to keep goingforward with everything
happening.
But it is a strange world outthere and here in Wyoming we
(06:13):
just continue on and we'll seewhat happens when November gets
here.
Today I want to look atsomething that happened outside
the state of Wyoming, in thestate of Montana.
I have lived in Montana beforeand this comes from Distinctly
Montana, the winter 2024 edition, and in it.
(06:37):
I found this interesting andsince I'm a fan of Clint
Eastwood, I had to share this.
The 50th anniversary ofThunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Hollywood in the 70s was an eracharacterized by vogue for
gritty realism, jacked uprebellion, often unsuccessful,
fast cars and Clint Eastwood.
(06:58):
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,released in 1974, fulton
Lightfoot, released in 1974, wasall of it and Montana Fittingly
for a picture styling itself asa contemporary western.
It was shot entirely onlocation in the Treasure State,
specifically in Great Falls andthe surrounding region.
In commercial terms, it was amodest though not spectacular
(07:25):
success.
Eastwood blamed it on the adcampaign from United Artists,
but in the years since itsrelease it has appreciated cult
following.
The movie's appeal is threefoldthe buddy comedy, chemistry
between the two leads, thechaotic, exciting car chase
sequences and the unique flavorgranted by its authentic western
(07:46):
location.
On the 50th anniversary of itsrelease, it's worthwhile to turn
an eye towards said locations.
The plot centers around twooutlaws Thunderbolt, who is
played by Clint Eastwood, anexperienced bank robber turned
occasional preacher, andLightfootfoot, jeff Bridges, a
footless young drifter who justcan't fit into regular life.
(08:08):
Bridges' role in the RanchoDeluxe the following year feels
like a continuation of lightfootin many ways.
They met by accident during acar theft and find themselves
teaming up, largely due toconvenience, before taking a
liking to each other's company.
Thunderbolt is trying to escapefrom his former partners in
(08:28):
crime, red, who is played byGeorge Kennedy, and Eddie,
played by Jeffrey Lewis, butthey want to find the hidden
loot from a successful bankrobbery that he had stashed but
never claimed.
Unable to simply go to thecache, a one-room schoolhouse
that was subsequently relocated,a new bank job is offered.
(08:49):
Will the job go off without ahitch, and will thunderbolt and
lightfoot ride off in the sunset?
The setting for the new bankjob is the fictional town of
warsaw, limnally designed tosuggest wiltshaw perhaps filmed
on on the 7-9 Bar Ranch which atthe time was owned by Gary
Cooper's father, montana SupremeCourt Justice, charles H Cooper
(09:12):
.
The 7-9 Bar is alongside theMissouri River, which makes a
few appearances in the filmitself, although the script
amusingly suggests that it isthe Snake river.
Many montanan residents willrecognize the gates of the
mountains in the scenes wherethunderbolt bit of movie magic
that is showcasing real placesthat no longer exist.
(09:48):
The church where Thunderboltpreaches at the beginning of the
film Eastwood would dip backinto the outlaw preacher.
Well, again, 11 years laterwith the Pale Riders, was the St
John's Lutheran Church inHobson, montana.
It was sold and dismantled in1980.
Similarly, the business whereLightfoot gets employed before
(10:10):
the heist is Penske BrothersPlumbing and Heating, which is
an actual business in GreatFalls, one that has been a
fixture in the community forseveral years.
One of the most cruciallocations, the drive-in movie
theater where the bank robbershid out.
After the job was provided byGreat Falls 10th Avenue Drive-In
.
It closed for the end of theseason just after the filming
(10:34):
wrapped up on Thunderbolt andLightfoot.
It reopened the following June,only to shut down for good two
months later.
The universe offered similarcomparisons toward the vital
one-room schoolhouse thatfigures in tourist attraction,
but it was purchased again in1974 and reconverted into a bar.
(10:57):
Rechristian's Earl Smith's 7Bar 9 Saloon had opened for
(11:18):
business in 1975, but burneddown in a fire years later.
While an aura of bad luckseemed to befall some of the
location sites, such misfortunedid not permeate to the rest of
the production.
The secret weapon in the film'ssuccess is Jeff Bridges.
Apparently, eastwood expressedconcerns during production that
(11:39):
he was being upstaged by Bridges.
It is true that Lightfoot getsmost of the humorous and playful
moments, but Eastwood'sconcerns were misplaced,
although it is true that Bridgesdid receive an Oscar nomination
of her best supporting actorfor the film.
The dynamics between the grimmentor and the goofy apprentice
(11:59):
is one of the main reasons whythe film works and stands out
among similar buddy movies ofthe same era.
The film was the directorialdebut of Michael Shimano.
He had co-written the scriptfor the Silent Running in 1972
and Magnum Force in 1973 and thesequel to Dirty Harry in 1971.
(12:20):
He wrote Thunderbolt Lightfootas a spec script with Clint
Eastwood in mind.
Eastwood apparently liked theproperty so much that he wanted
to direct it himself, butultimately he granted the
opportunity to Shimano.
Instead, shimano would laterstate that he owed his
filmmaking career to ClintEastwood.
Four years later, shimanoscored massive commercial and
(12:41):
critical success with his grimVietnam War epic, the Deer
Hunter, which won five AcademyAwards, including Best Picture
and Best Director for Shimano.
Shimano's follow-up PassionProject Heaven's Cafe in 1980,
was a failure that nearlybankrupted the production
company United Artists.
While Shimano did direct a fewfilms afterwards, he never
(13:03):
achieved the same level ofprestige or success.
There is a kind of ironicsymmetry in that the film that
launched shimano's directingcareer and the film that tanked
it were both filmed in montana.
As well as that, for all thehopes of good significance the
western historical epic wasmeant to carry, thunderbolt and
(13:23):
lightfoot has emerged fiftyyears down the road as a more
successful picture.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Hats off to you 50 years later,and we'd like to thank
Distinctly Montana and theauthor of this story, carrie
Bowles, for this great story.
Today we have a story on theOdyssey of Hugh Glass.
(13:48):
This is by Douglas A Shimatofrom the Distinctly Montana
publication.
On or around August 23, 1823,near the forks of the Grand
River in northernmost SouthDakota, hugh Glass experienced a
nightmare scenario for anyonetraveling in grizzly country In
(14:10):
a thicket, he unexpectedly cameinto close quarters contact with
a sow one accompanied by cubs.
Combat erupted almostimmediately.
James Hall, who published thefirst account in 1825 of Hughes'
harrowing encounter, reportedthat his assailant was so close
that when glass first becameaware of its presence, old
(14:33):
Ephraim charged and caught himbefore he could set his triggers
.
Philip St George Cook in 1830,on the other hand, asserts that
glass fired one well-targetedround that ultimately proved to
be fatal.
Its immediate effect, however,served only to raise to its
utmost degree the ferocity ofthis animal.
(14:54):
When his comrades-in-arms rolledthe enormous beast off of Glass
, they were astonished by thenumber and severity of his
wounds.
Edmund Flagg emphasizes thatGlass received not less than 15
wounds, any one of which, underordinary circumstances, would
have been considered mortal.
Cook's graphic descriptionindicates that the bear's claws
(15:16):
literally scraped flesh from thebones of the shoulder and thigh
.
George C Yount's narrativestrongly suggests that another
wound perforated the windpipewhich spurted a red bubbly every
time Hugh breathed.
Biographer John Myers Myersemanated lacerations in Hugh's
scalp, face, chest, back and oneshoulder, arm, hand and thigh,
(15:43):
based on specific details invarious accounts.
Overnight his conditionsteetered between life and death.
Klaus, however, would notsurrender to the grim reaper, so
a makeshift litter wasconstructed to carry him.
According to Flagg, klaus wastransported thusly for two days
and a bit.
Andrew Henry informed his menthat this was a good place to
(16:07):
stop risking the entire party,for one man almost certainly
would not survive.
He requested that twovolunteers stay with glass until
he expired.
As compensation for the dangerinvolved and their subsequent
service as a burial detail,henry offered an extravagant
(16:28):
reward.
Sources generally concur thatJohn Fitzgerald volunteered for
this task.
Circumstantial evidencesuggests that his partner was
Jim Bridger, but supportingdocumentation is paper thin.
Gout and Crook characterizethis person simply as a
youngster of 17.
(16:49):
In commentary pertaining tothis post, myers Myers notes
that Bridger was apparently theonly member of either of
Ashley's first two expeditionswho wasn't at least 21.
Flagg identified this shadowyfigure as Bridges 21.
Flagg identified this shadowyfigure as Bridger's.
(17:09):
Hiram Martin Chittenden, thepioneer fur trader.
Historian letter concluded thatthe trapper in question was
indeed Bridger, based primarilyon data from Joseph Labarge, a
former steamboat captain.
However, a J Cecil Alter authorof James Bridger, challenges
this idea to either conform orcontradict Labarge's statement,
(17:31):
given the absence of directreferences to Bridger in early
accounts of this saga.
The vigil observed by these menlasted from four to six days
when their resolve broke.
Fitzgerald was, by all allindications, the first to crack.
At that time, glass's throatinjury made speech impossible,
(17:52):
but his hearing was unimpaired,and he later told young,
abandoned Glass.
When finally they did so, theytook virtually all of his
injured man's possessions.
The theft of Glass's rifle wasa particularly egregious offense
, one that breathed unquenchablefire and renewed purpose back
(18:16):
into the dying man.
Prior to their departure,Glass's attendants placed his
litter next to the spring bywhich they were encamped.
In that position, glass couldextend his arm and obtain water
or buffalo berries which dangledfrom an overhanging brush.
To swallow them, however, hehad to crush the berries to a
pulp and further soften them inwater.
(18:39):
Several days later, annaassumed the form of Rattlesnake,
the glass noticed after wakingfrom a nap.
The rattler's immobility andbloated condition indicated that
it had digested recently sometype of animal or bird, which
gave glass the opportunity tosafely kill it with a sharp
(18:59):
stone.
Despite the difficulty ofshredding and swallowing its raw
flesh.
The snake's trunk provided thefirst subsequent food that Glass
had eaten in many days.
The subsidence afforded by thatreptile gave him enough
strength to crawl but not towalk, and so the pursuit of his
deserters began.
(19:20):
Without his rifle, glass had tofully utilize every available
food source.
Without his rifle, glass had tofully utilize every available
food source.
Glass employed the plain Indianpractice of cracking open the
large bone of a bison carcassand scraping out the
calorie-rich marrow, to which headded buffalo berries.
Glass eventually struck theproverbial motherlode when he
saw several wolves kill a youngbuffalo calf nearby.
(19:42):
According to Cook, hugh waiteduntil they devoured half of the
carcass, after which heappropriated the remaining
portion.
For someone who had lost as muchblood as old glass, the
greatest need was food capableof replenishing it.
Tripping with gore, the chunkshe ripped from the young buffalo
were, as Myers-Meyersyersobserved, just behind a blood
(20:05):
transfusion, with his arteriesflushed.
For the first time since histerrible encounter, he was now
on the way to rising from allfours.
Indeed, glass systematicallyexploited this windfall off it.
He allowed his body torecuperate as thoroughly as
possible.
When he resumed the journey afew days later, Glass had
(20:27):
regained bipedal locomotion.
His increased blood flow volumeand improved circulation
accelerated the healing process.
But Glass' back wound, which hecould not reach, became
infested with maggots as heproceeded downstream towards
Fort Kiowa, he encountered twoIndians who thoroughly cleaned
(20:48):
and treated his wounds.
Sources suggest that the Siouxalso provided access to a horse
or a buffalo-hided bull boat.
In either way, glass arrived atthe fort no later than October
11.
Following acquisition ofsupplies and weaponry, he headed
back upriver.
His party reached theirobjective by November 20th.
Glass narrowly escaped anattack by the Akara.
(21:11):
Four separate accountscollaborate in his rescue by one
or two mounted Mandans who tookhim to either their village or
Fort.
Tilton, working initially fromthe premises of his quarry, was
then stationed at the mouth ofthe Yellowstone.
Glass, embarked alone and onfoot, the length of his journey
ultimately took him five hundredfifty miles to the newly
(21:32):
established fort henry, locatedat the confluence of the little
bighorn, on the frozen soil formost part of the route, a foot
or two in depth.
Nevertheless, yount relatesthat Glass appeared unexpectedly
at Fort Henry on New Year's Eve.
(21:53):
He confronted Jim Bridger, whomMeyer Myers regarded as one of
the deserters.
Unprepared for the sheer terrorexhibited by the 19-year-old
youth, and recallingconversations he overheard on
his deathbed, glass forgaveBridger.
Reverend Orange Clark, whotranscribed Yownson's narrative,
indicates, however, that Glassdeparted Bridger with food for
(22:15):
thought.
I leave you to the punishmentof your own conscience and your
God, that truth and fidelity aretoo valuable to be trifled with
.
And fidelity are too valuableto be trifled with.
As winter worsened, glass had topostpone his pursuit of
vengeance until February 29th of1824, when he volunteered for a
courier service on a contingentheaded to Fort Atkinson.
(22:38):
Unfortunately, another skirmishwith the Akurai Indians, which
took place near the historicalsite of Fort Laramie, left Glass
once again, unarmed, alone andon foot, after traveling some
400 miles to Fort Kiowa thatJohn Fitzgerald had given up
beaver hunting and enlisted inthe Army.
Given Glass's unwaveringcommitment to his mission, it is
(23:01):
entirely possible that he wouldhave executed Fitzgerald when
their past cross at FortAtkinson in May or June of 1824
had not been for the Armyintervening authority.
Even so, that encounter wasvolatile, as Myers-Myers
observed.
The officers of the day,captain Bennett Riley, informed
(23:22):
Glass that he couldn't have oneof the posted soldiers to eat.
To his credit, riley ensuredthat Glass's rifle was promptly
returned to him, thus acting inconjunction with the pursuit of
his $300, which Yount insistedthat members of the 6th Regiment
donate to Glass, finallyextinguished the fires of
(23:43):
vengeance that had fueled Hugh'sbehavior.
Literary and cinematic portraitsof this saga have consistently
and understandably emphasizedthe life-and-death struggle for
surviving that occurred duringthe weeks immediately after the
near-fatal grizzly attack.
Fully contextualized, however,hugh Glass' journey constitutes
(24:07):
nothing less than an Americanodyssey, one that pitted Glass
against extraordinary odds, thedestructive power of an enraged,
grizzly, brutal weather and theIndian war parties For more
than nine months and 2,000 miles, much of which he traversed
alone and on foot.
These events justly give riseto one of the West's most
(24:29):
enduring legends, hugh Glass,and a lot of people will
remember.
The movie Reverent was mostlikely based on this story.
Thanks for joining us today andwe hope you enjoy our podcast.
As per the Code of the West, weride for the brand and we ride
for Wyoming.
We love life.
(25:17):
We love life Now, now, now.
© BF-WATCH TV 2021.
Good morning and welcome to let's Talk Wyoming.
I'm Mark Hamilton, your host,and today we'll be taking a look
at our smoky Wyoming weather.
We'll also be talking about aneruption in Yellowstone Park and
looking to the north of us upin Montana, we'll talk about
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot andalso the story of the mountain
man, hugh Glass and hisencounter with a grizzly.
(00:43):
Thanks for joining us today andwe hope you enjoy the show.
Taking a look at Wyomingweather here on the start of the
(01:04):
week here on the 22nd day ofJuly, right now, looking out the
window here in Hot SpringsCounty, can't see very far.
The smoke has definitely set infrom fires around the region
and it is overcast.
We had kind of an overcastweekend.
We did have some rain late inthe week last week.
(01:26):
That sure made a difference.
Cooling down the temperaturesand just renewing things makes
things feel a little bitbrighter here in these days of
July where it seems like July isnever going to end.
But weather right now lookslike ahead is another heat trend
, heavy-duty heat trend comingin.
Saw some high 90s mornings outthere.
(01:49):
It's getting dry out there.
There's potential foradditional fires, as you can
attest to with our smoke I thinkpeople are getting into that
July month.
As far as for travel and, again, as I said numerous times,
being out on the water, ourBighorn River is really active
right now with floaters on adaily basis.
Fishing in some of the areas isgoing strong.
(02:13):
I've not been to the mountainyet this year, I've not gone
fishing up in the Bighorns, butlook forward to making a trip up
.
So right now here in Wyomingwe're just in those days of
summer, like everyone across thecountry, and before we know it
it's going to be August andLabor Day and then winter right
around the corner and othersaround the area, kind of in a
(02:37):
strange one.
Yesterday, on the 23rd of July,there was an eruption in
Yellowstone Park at the BlackDiamond Pool which suddenly
erupted.
I saw some of the videos.
It was unbelievable that no onewas hurt.
The way that suddenly eruptedout of the blue.
(02:57):
It wasn't anything planned, nota normal place for an eruption.
It had to be just totally scaryat that point for people who
were there the way it blew stuffup in the sky.
It took out most of thatboardwalk that was by there and
of course this Black DiamondPool is in the Parks Biscuit
(03:17):
Basin, and that was yesterdaymorning.
I've read a lot of differentaccounts on different areas, but
what is the meaning of this?
You know they've always talkedabout Yellowstone, the potential
of having an eruption, and ifthere is a big eruption there,
that it would pretty much takeout a lot of country when we're
(03:39):
at here in Hot Springs County.
Most of Wyoming would be gonewith the event happening.
County, most of Wyoming wouldbe gone with the event happening
.
But it is a little bitquestionable this eruption, but
it woke up a lot of people andagain, I'm so glad that no one
was hurt.
I'm glad I wasn't there.
It would have definitely beensomething you'll never forget.
(03:59):
Also, in other news, theinvestigations continue on the
Trump assassination attempt inPennsylvania.
I get a chuckle out of watchingthe hearings on TV on Congress
running these investigations andI see that the director of the
Secret Service has finallyresigned.
I don't know what that's reallygoing to accomplish.
(04:20):
I do watch quite a fewdifferent other sources Twitter.
There's a lot of information onthere from non, I should say,
established news media that havedone a lot of investigation
with sights and sounds and theshots and all the things that
are happening.
Let's just say there's a lotmore to this story than most
(04:41):
people would assume.
And then we have the strangestory about Joe Biden.
He suddenly was the candidateafter the debate about a month
ago.
He suddenly the left or thenews media suddenly started
attacking, which was justtotally strange.
And then he said he wasn'tgoing anywhere, he was going to
continue to run, and thensuddenly he had a medical
(05:03):
emergency, kind of disappearedfor a while.
Then, out of that, suddenlyKamala Harris, the vice
president, is now thepresidential candidate.
It's pretty crazy.
I mean, kamala Harris, nomatter what you think of her
previous 2020 election, in theprimaries she was one of I think
there was over 10 candidatesfor the Democratic Party.
I don't think she got adelegate's vote from anybody.
(05:26):
She had to end up dropping out,and so I guess that's what it
gets down to.
Our political system, I think,is totally out of kilter, but it
looks like now, pending whathappens in the upcoming
convention, she's the candidate.
Biden is supposedly going toaddress the nation.
I think tonight, on the 24th,that I've heard, and I don't
(05:50):
know how.
If he suddenly can't run forre-election, does he have health
issues?
We know he has declined anddementia is a sad situation with
him.
How can he continue to run thecountry?
How can he continue to run thecountry?
And most people just, I guesswe just keep on living our lives
and just try to keep goingforward with everything
happening.
But it is a strange world outthere and here in Wyoming we
(06:13):
just continue on and we'll seewhat happens when November gets
here.
Today I want to look atsomething that happened outside
the state of Wyoming, in thestate of Montana.
I have lived in Montana beforeand this comes from Distinctly
Montana, the winter 2024 edition, and in it.
(06:37):
I found this interesting andsince I'm a fan of Clint
Eastwood, I had to share this.
The 50th anniversary ofThunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Hollywood in the 70s was an eracharacterized by vogue for
gritty realism, jacked uprebellion, often unsuccessful,
fast cars and Clint Eastwood.
(06:58):
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,released in 1974, fulton
Lightfoot, released in 1974, wasall of it and Montana Fittingly
for a picture styling itself asa contemporary western.
It was shot entirely onlocation in the Treasure State,
specifically in Great Falls andthe surrounding region.
In commercial terms, it was amodest though not spectacular
(07:25):
success.
Eastwood blamed it on the adcampaign from United Artists,
but in the years since itsrelease it has appreciated cult
following.
The movie's appeal is threefoldthe buddy comedy, chemistry
between the two leads, thechaotic, exciting car chase
sequences and the unique flavorgranted by its authentic western
(07:46):
location.
On the 50th anniversary of itsrelease, it's worthwhile to turn
an eye towards said locations.
The plot centers around twooutlaws Thunderbolt, who is
played by Clint Eastwood, anexperienced bank robber turned
occasional preacher, andLightfootfoot, jeff Bridges, a
footless young drifter who justcan't fit into regular life.
(08:08):
Bridges' role in the RanchoDeluxe the following year feels
like a continuation of lightfootin many ways.
They met by accident during acar theft and find themselves
teaming up, largely due toconvenience, before taking a
liking to each other's company.
Thunderbolt is trying to escapefrom his former partners in
(08:28):
crime, red, who is played byGeorge Kennedy, and Eddie,
played by Jeffrey Lewis, butthey want to find the hidden
loot from a successful bankrobbery that he had stashed but
never claimed.
Unable to simply go to thecache, a one-room schoolhouse
that was subsequently relocated,a new bank job is offered.
(08:49):
Will the job go off without ahitch, and will thunderbolt and
lightfoot ride off in the sunset?
The setting for the new bankjob is the fictional town of
warsaw, limnally designed tosuggest wiltshaw perhaps filmed
on on the 7-9 Bar Ranch which atthe time was owned by Gary
Cooper's father, montana SupremeCourt Justice, charles H Cooper
(09:12):
.
The 7-9 Bar is alongside theMissouri River, which makes a
few appearances in the filmitself, although the script
amusingly suggests that it isthe Snake river.
Many montanan residents willrecognize the gates of the
mountains in the scenes wherethunderbolt bit of movie magic
that is showcasing real placesthat no longer exist.
(09:48):
The church where Thunderboltpreaches at the beginning of the
film Eastwood would dip backinto the outlaw preacher.
Well, again, 11 years laterwith the Pale Riders, was the St
John's Lutheran Church inHobson, montana.
It was sold and dismantled in1980.
Similarly, the business whereLightfoot gets employed before
(10:10):
the heist is Penske BrothersPlumbing and Heating, which is
an actual business in GreatFalls, one that has been a
fixture in the community forseveral years.
One of the most cruciallocations, the drive-in movie
theater where the bank robbershid out.
After the job was provided byGreat Falls 10th Avenue Drive-In
.
It closed for the end of theseason just after the filming
(10:34):
wrapped up on Thunderbolt andLightfoot.
It reopened the following June,only to shut down for good two
months later.
The universe offered similarcomparisons toward the vital
one-room schoolhouse thatfigures in tourist attraction,
but it was purchased again in1974 and reconverted into a bar.
(10:57):
Rechristian's Earl Smith's 7Bar 9 Saloon had opened for
(11:18):
business in 1975, but burneddown in a fire years later.
While an aura of bad luckseemed to befall some of the
location sites, such misfortunedid not permeate to the rest of
the production.
The secret weapon in the film'ssuccess is Jeff Bridges.
Apparently, eastwood expressedconcerns during production that
(11:39):
he was being upstaged by Bridges.
It is true that Lightfoot getsmost of the humorous and playful
moments, but Eastwood'sconcerns were misplaced,
although it is true that Bridgesdid receive an Oscar nomination
of her best supporting actorfor the film.
The dynamics between the grimmentor and the goofy apprentice
(11:59):
is one of the main reasons whythe film works and stands out
among similar buddy movies ofthe same era.
The film was the directorialdebut of Michael Shimano.
He had co-written the scriptfor the Silent Running in 1972
and Magnum Force in 1973 and thesequel to Dirty Harry in 1971.
(12:20):
He wrote Thunderbolt Lightfootas a spec script with Clint
Eastwood in mind.
Eastwood apparently liked theproperty so much that he wanted
to direct it himself, butultimately he granted the
opportunity to Shimano.
Instead, shimano would laterstate that he owed his
filmmaking career to ClintEastwood.
Four years later, shimanoscored massive commercial and
(12:41):
critical success with his grimVietnam War epic, the Deer
Hunter, which won five AcademyAwards, including Best Picture
and Best Director for Shimano.
Shimano's follow-up PassionProject Heaven's Cafe in 1980,
was a failure that nearlybankrupted the production
company United Artists.
While Shimano did direct a fewfilms afterwards, he never
(13:03):
achieved the same level ofprestige or success.
There is a kind of ironicsymmetry in that the film that
launched shimano's directingcareer and the film that tanked
it were both filmed in montana.
As well as that, for all thehopes of good significance the
western historical epic wasmeant to carry, thunderbolt and
(13:23):
lightfoot has emerged fiftyyears down the road as a more
successful picture.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Hats off to you 50 years later,and we'd like to thank
Distinctly Montana and theauthor of this story, carrie
Bowles, for this great story.
Today we have a story on theOdyssey of Hugh Glass.
(13:48):
This is by Douglas A Shimatofrom the Distinctly Montana
publication.
On or around August 23, 1823,near the forks of the Grand
River in northernmost SouthDakota, hugh Glass experienced a
nightmare scenario for anyonetraveling in grizzly country In
(14:10):
a thicket, he unexpectedly cameinto close quarters contact with
a sow one accompanied by cubs.
Combat erupted almostimmediately.
James Hall, who published thefirst account in 1825 of Hughes'
harrowing encounter, reportedthat his assailant was so close
that when glass first becameaware of its presence, old
(14:33):
Ephraim charged and caught himbefore he could set his triggers
.
Philip St George Cook in 1830,on the other hand, asserts that
glass fired one well-targetedround that ultimately proved to
be fatal.
Its immediate effect, however,served only to raise to its
utmost degree the ferocity ofthis animal.
(14:54):
When his comrades-in-arms rolledthe enormous beast off of Glass
, they were astonished by thenumber and severity of his
wounds.
Edmund Flagg emphasizes thatGlass received not less than 15
wounds, any one of which, underordinary circumstances, would
have been considered mortal.
Cook's graphic descriptionindicates that the bear's claws
(15:16):
literally scraped flesh from thebones of the shoulder and thigh
.
George C Yount's narrativestrongly suggests that another
wound perforated the windpipewhich spurted a red bubbly every
time Hugh breathed.
Biographer John Myers Myersemanated lacerations in Hugh's
scalp, face, chest, back and oneshoulder, arm, hand and thigh,
(15:43):
based on specific details invarious accounts.
Overnight his conditionsteetered between life and death.
Klaus, however, would notsurrender to the grim reaper, so
a makeshift litter wasconstructed to carry him.
According to Flagg, klaus wastransported thusly for two days
and a bit.
Andrew Henry informed his menthat this was a good place to
(16:07):
stop risking the entire party,for one man almost certainly
would not survive.
He requested that twovolunteers stay with glass until
he expired.
As compensation for the dangerinvolved and their subsequent
service as a burial detail,henry offered an extravagant
(16:28):
reward.
Sources generally concur thatJohn Fitzgerald volunteered for
this task.
Circumstantial evidencesuggests that his partner was
Jim Bridger, but supportingdocumentation is paper thin.
Gout and Crook characterizethis person simply as a
youngster of 17.
(16:49):
In commentary pertaining tothis post, myers Myers notes
that Bridger was apparently theonly member of either of
Ashley's first two expeditionswho wasn't at least 21.
Flagg identified this shadowyfigure as Bridges 21.
Flagg identified this shadowyfigure as Bridger's.
(17:09):
Hiram Martin Chittenden, thepioneer fur trader.
Historian letter concluded thatthe trapper in question was
indeed Bridger, based primarilyon data from Joseph Labarge, a
former steamboat captain.
However, a J Cecil Alter authorof James Bridger, challenges
this idea to either conform orcontradict Labarge's statement,
(17:31):
given the absence of directreferences to Bridger in early
accounts of this saga.
The vigil observed by these menlasted from four to six days
when their resolve broke.
Fitzgerald was, by all allindications, the first to crack.
At that time, glass's throatinjury made speech impossible,
(17:52):
but his hearing was unimpaired,and he later told young,
abandoned Glass.
When finally they did so, theytook virtually all of his
injured man's possessions.
The theft of Glass's rifle wasa particularly egregious offense
, one that breathed unquenchablefire and renewed purpose back
(18:16):
into the dying man.
Prior to their departure,Glass's attendants placed his
litter next to the spring bywhich they were encamped.
In that position, glass couldextend his arm and obtain water
or buffalo berries which dangledfrom an overhanging brush.
To swallow them, however, hehad to crush the berries to a
pulp and further soften them inwater.
(18:39):
Several days later, annaassumed the form of Rattlesnake,
the glass noticed after wakingfrom a nap.
The rattler's immobility andbloated condition indicated that
it had digested recently sometype of animal or bird, which
gave glass the opportunity tosafely kill it with a sharp
(18:59):
stone.
Despite the difficulty ofshredding and swallowing its raw
flesh.
The snake's trunk provided thefirst subsequent food that Glass
had eaten in many days.
The subsidence afforded by thatreptile gave him enough
strength to crawl but not towalk, and so the pursuit of his
deserters began.
(19:20):
Without his rifle, glass had tofully utilize every available
food source.
Without his rifle, glass had tofully utilize every available
food source.
Glass employed the plain Indianpractice of cracking open the
large bone of a bison carcassand scraping out the
calorie-rich marrow, to which headded buffalo berries.
Glass eventually struck theproverbial motherlode when he
saw several wolves kill a youngbuffalo calf nearby.
(19:42):
According to Cook, hugh waiteduntil they devoured half of the
carcass, after which heappropriated the remaining
portion.
For someone who had lost as muchblood as old glass, the
greatest need was food capableof replenishing it.
Tripping with gore, the chunkshe ripped from the young buffalo
were, as Myers-Meyersyersobserved, just behind a blood
(20:05):
transfusion, with his arteriesflushed.
For the first time since histerrible encounter, he was now
on the way to rising from allfours.
Indeed, glass systematicallyexploited this windfall off it.
He allowed his body torecuperate as thoroughly as
possible.
When he resumed the journey afew days later, Glass had
(20:27):
regained bipedal locomotion.
His increased blood flow volumeand improved circulation
accelerated the healing process.
But Glass' back wound, which hecould not reach, became
infested with maggots as heproceeded downstream towards
Fort Kiowa, he encountered twoIndians who thoroughly cleaned
(20:48):
and treated his wounds.
Sources suggest that the Siouxalso provided access to a horse
or a buffalo-hided bull boat.
In either way, glass arrived atthe fort no later than October
11.
Following acquisition ofsupplies and weaponry, he headed
back upriver.
His party reached theirobjective by November 20th.
Glass narrowly escaped anattack by the Akara.
(21:11):
Four separate accountscollaborate in his rescue by one
or two mounted Mandans who tookhim to either their village or
Fort.
Tilton, working initially fromthe premises of his quarry, was
then stationed at the mouth ofthe Yellowstone.
Glass, embarked alone and onfoot, the length of his journey
ultimately took him five hundredfifty miles to the newly
(21:32):
established fort henry, locatedat the confluence of the little
bighorn, on the frozen soil formost part of the route, a foot
or two in depth.
Nevertheless, yount relatesthat Glass appeared unexpectedly
at Fort Henry on New Year's Eve.
(21:53):
He confronted Jim Bridger, whomMeyer Myers regarded as one of
the deserters.
Unprepared for the sheer terrorexhibited by the 19-year-old
youth, and recallingconversations he overheard on
his deathbed, glass forgaveBridger.
Reverend Orange Clark, whotranscribed Yownson's narrative,
indicates, however, that Glassdeparted Bridger with food for
(22:15):
thought.
I leave you to the punishmentof your own conscience and your
God, that truth and fidelity aretoo valuable to be trifled with
.
And fidelity are too valuableto be trifled with.
As winter worsened, glass had topostpone his pursuit of
vengeance until February 29th of1824, when he volunteered for a
courier service on a contingentheaded to Fort Atkinson.
(22:38):
Unfortunately, another skirmishwith the Akurai Indians, which
took place near the historicalsite of Fort Laramie, left Glass
once again, unarmed, alone andon foot, after traveling some
400 miles to Fort Kiowa thatJohn Fitzgerald had given up
beaver hunting and enlisted inthe Army.
Given Glass's unwaveringcommitment to his mission, it is
(23:01):
entirely possible that he wouldhave executed Fitzgerald when
their past cross at FortAtkinson in May or June of 1824
had not been for the Armyintervening authority.
Even so, that encounter wasvolatile, as Myers-Myers
observed.
The officers of the day,captain Bennett Riley, informed
(23:22):
Glass that he couldn't have oneof the posted soldiers to eat.
To his credit, riley ensuredthat Glass's rifle was promptly
returned to him, thus acting inconjunction with the pursuit of
his $300, which Yount insistedthat members of the 6th Regiment
donate to Glass, finallyextinguished the fires of
(23:43):
vengeance that had fueled Hugh'sbehavior.
Literary and cinematic portraitsof this saga have consistently
and understandably emphasizedthe life-and-death struggle for
surviving that occurred duringthe weeks immediately after the
near-fatal grizzly attack.
Fully contextualized, however,hugh Glass' journey constitutes
(24:07):
nothing less than an Americanodyssey, one that pitted Glass
against extraordinary odds, thedestructive power of an enraged,
grizzly, brutal weather and theIndian war parties For more
than nine months and 2,000 miles, much of which he traversed
alone and on foot.
These events justly give riseto one of the West's most
(24:29):
enduring legends, hugh Glass,and a lot of people will
remember.
The movie Reverent was mostlikely based on this story.
Thanks for joining us today andwe hope you enjoy our podcast.
As per the Code of the West, weride for the brand and we ride
for Wyoming.
We love life.
(25:17):
We love life Now, now, now.
© BF-WATCH TV 2021.
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