In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore the hilariously tragic saga of Elmer McCurdy, the outlaw who was better at botching robberies than being a criminal mastermind. But Elmer’s story didn’t end with his final, drunken shootout. Instead, his mummified body embarked on a posthumous career more successful than anything he managed while alive. From sideshows to movie sets, and even a stint as a funhouse prop, Elmer’s corpse had a more eventful afterlife than anyone could’ve imagined. Tune in for the strange, darkly funny journey of the outlaw who became famous in death after failing spectacularly at life.
If you'd like more information about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death, check out these links:
- https://www.cowboysindians.com/2018/10/25-mysteries-of-the-west/
- https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2018/07/elmer-mccurdy-traveling-corpse/
- https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/376097471/the-long-strange-60-year-trip-of-elmer-mccurdy
- https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/halloween/elmer-mccurdy
- https://www.okterritorialmuseum.org/ELMERMC.html
- The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw (Svenvold, 2002)
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