"Sordid" Bonnie & Clyde Rumors and Innuendos Exposed

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker a nymphomaniac-- Clyde Barrow a homosexual-- W. D. Jones homosexual as well-- but never the less, he along with Henry Methvin judged useful gang members-- to drive Barrow Gang cars, assist in robberies & also satisfy Bonnie's aberrant sexual desires?!? Say it ain't so-- but many do, and can't say why?? All they know is they heard it somewhere, or it was intimated in the '67 movie??-- or they read it in some B&C book or another.

And many "keep" insisting-- there's something to these rumors, even though many close to B&C who knew them best-- have dismissed these innuendos as being nothing but creative fodder-- including W. D. Jones, in stating he never heard of these references, until the release of Bonnie and Clyde the movie. But as many know, it "was" the 1967 movie portrayal of the outlaws, which inspired resurgence of Bonnie and Clyde history and lore-- after more than 30 years of B&C having been forgotten. It was also this movie, which inspired the prolific publishing of many new books regarding the West Dallas desperadoes. 

In fact, few books were written about B&C prior to 1968, with the vast majority coming afterward. Fugitives (the families' account)-- was published in 1934-- Assignment Huntsville, the Lee Simmons book was offered in 1957-- and The Texas Rangers by Walter Prescott Webb, published in 1935-- contained a chapter on Frank Hamer, with references to Hamer's tracking of Bonnie and Clyde. I'm Frank Hamer by Jenkins and Frost came out in 1968. Most additional information concerning B&C, was contained within True Crime magazines-- with stories published at various times, but mainly nearer the time of the ambush.

But one thing seems likely-- although there were some vague references within older works where sources weren't the least bit clear, many may not have read much about these particular "sordid" Bonnie and Clyde rumors-- until the 1963 release of John Toland's The Dillinger Days. Toland's Dillinger book was one of many written by the Pulitzer Prize winning author. But one look at his body of work, makes it abundantly clear-- writing of crime wasn't his first love. Indeed Toland's forte, was in chronicling accounts of WWII history. 

Concerning his style, it's said Toland tried to write of history as straight forward narrative, with minimal analysis and judgment. This method may have been developed, from his original goal of wanting to be a playwright. After writing several plays not picked up as stage productions, Toland managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine. This article was viewed favorably-- and thus his career as an historian was born. John Toland won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, for his book The Rising Sun-- which through interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, chronicles Imperial Japan from the rebellion of 1936, to the end of WWII. Toland was also acclaimed, for his biography of Adolph Hitler, for which he derived his best commercial success. While mainly a non-fiction author, Toland wrote 2 historical novels-- Gods of War and Occupation.

From a True Crime perspective, a listing of Toland's books is revealing--

> Aldolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography > Battle: The Story of the Bulge > But Not in Shame: The Six Months After Pearl Harbor > Captured by History: One Man's Vision of Our Tumultuos Century > The Dillinger Days > Gods of War > The Great Dirigibles: Their Triumphs and Disasters > In Mortal Combat: Korea 1950-1953 > Infamy: Pearl Harbor And Its Aftermath > The Last 100 Days: The Tumultuous and Controversial Story of the Final Days of World War II in Europe > No Man's Land: 1918, The Last Year of the Great War > Occupation > The Flying Tigers > and The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945.

Does anyone see a similarity, in comparing John Toland's singular true crime effort, nestled conspicuously within his more prolific main interest-- to any modern "B&C" author's writing experiences as well?? To Toland's credit, at least his main experience "was" historical writing.

In the past I've keyed on Toland-- as to my thinking, having been the source of seedy innuendo regarding B&C's sexuality. However for this post, I felt it important to garner more B&C historical firepower. So I contacted noted Historians Jim Knight, Rick Mattix and John Neal Phillips-- to ask for their theories, concerning the source of these B&C sexual rumors. All agreed with my take, that John Toland within his 1963 book The Dillinger Days-- is likely the source of these B&C sexual expressions. Jim, Rick and John Neal-- were most gracious in weighing in with their opinions. Their thoughts combined, yielded the following appraisals in both crediting Toland for these rumors-- and dismissing credibility for these accounts within the light of reality:

John Toland indeed appears to be a major source, if not the only source of the myths of a nymphomaniac Bonnie and homosexual Clyde. As only weak footnotes exist in defending Toland's look into B&C, there is consensus-- that although he was a Pulitzer Prize winning author-- Toland used "considerable" literary license within his Dillinger book in general, and actually may have made up these risque stories concerning B&C. There seems to be no historical basis for these rumors, prior to Toland revealing them. 

I would add what I feel, is the importance of Nelson Algren's 1968 admonishment of John Toland-- for advancing these racy theories without substantiation. To me, Algren's criticism is important and timely-- as it came from a contemporary. Algren calls Toland's Dillinger Days "a volume of conjectures, surmises and easy assumptions". Algren goes on to comment, "one can only marvel at this writer's presumption. Clyde Barrow might have been a latent heterosexual without even his mother knowing".

In defense of Clyde's love and devotion to Bonnie Parker, Algren recounts Clyde's sister's comments that "Bonnie Parker was the answer to a sister's prayer for a wife for a best- loved brother". Algren theorizes that perhaps Toland derived his ideas of aberrant behavior within B&C-- from the W. D. Jones interviews, conducted once he was captured. In saving himself from the electric chair, Jones spun stories of B&C having manipulated and controlled him-- even to the extreme of W. D. having been chained to a tree. I would add, that Jones was also said to have sometimes slept in the same room as B&C-- which could also have contributed to this innuendo. But as Blanche was there to witness sleeping arrangements of the gang, and later wrote of them-- she didn't seem to find anything unusual within the haphazard circumstances the Barrow Gang often found themselves in. 

The young W. D. Jones was known to have idolized Clyde Barrow. My feeling is, although he became a killer due to his association with Clyde-- nevertheless Jones seemed to retain some touch of personal innocence, throughout the B&C years. I agree with Nelson Algren's view, that Jone's tales of manipulation-- could well have inspired the creation of some "great leap" of conjecture within John Toland-- to have caused him to create an aberrant B&C. But exactly how these sexually charged behaviors and cravings were arrived at in Toland's account-- I'm not sure anyone can say??

Some further expressions of Knight, Mattix and Phillips to this debate are that-- Clyde was known to have possessed a dominant personality. It would be unlikely for Clyde to have been thought homosexual-- and still have commanded the respect he did within criminal circles. Back in those days being tough, respected and feared-- would have been incompatible, with known homosexuality within a hardened criminal element. 

There's not much doubt concerning Clyde having been sexually abused while at Eastham. But there appears to be no link from Clyde's abuse while incarcerated, to belief's that Clyde may have changed his sexual orientation due to his Eastham experiences. Regarding the Wade McNabb story, where Floyd Hamilton claimed within his book, that Clyde was thought to have been McNabb's "wife" while at Eastham prison-- Hamilton although believed reliable for some B&C info over the years-- was thought to have been wrong in this account. Indeed McNabb and Barrow, are not known to have been within the walls of the Eastham Prison Farm at the same time.

And regarding Bonnie, although she was known to have been sexually active from a young age-- there apparently exists no bridge from her early sexuality, to any heightened out of control sexual tendencies. John Neal Phillips adds important insights, from some of his many B&C interviews, which can aid us here.  

"None of the many people I've interviewed (who actually knew Bonnie and Clyde) had any idea where the stories of Clyde's supposed homosexuality and Bonnie's alleged nymphomania (let alone the recent claims of prostitution) came from. As Marie put it to me one time, "If Clyde liked boys, what the hell was he doing with that girl (Bonnie) for two years?" Ralph Fults, Jack Hammett, Blanche Barrow, and even Floyd Hamilton described to me a Bonnie and Clyde deeply and utterly in love with one another. And TRUE to one another! Ralph took it further by telling me simply that in the underworld "you didn't mess with another man's girl. And NOBODY messed with Clyde Barrow's girl!" And the emphasis was Ralph's. W. D. Jones was equally perplexed. In an interview with reporter Kent Biffle in the late 1960's, Jones said he could not imagine where the stories about Clyde came from, adding that when he (Jones) was a convict at Eastham he never heard even the slightest hint that Barrow was homosexual, nor did he hear that Clyde had ever been another convict's 'wife'. Jones said the first time he heard such was in 1967, with the release of the movie, "Bonnie and Clyde". That would certainly fit chronologically with the earlier appearance of the Toland publication and its influence on later works, not the least of which would have been the Warren Beatty movie. I hope this helps. Thanks for the opportunity to add my two-or-three cents". 

I would add that even now, with new revelations known regarding STD's being present within the Barrow Gang and perhaps in some of it's followers-- one is still hard pressed to account for the portrayal of such lurid B&C reputations-- without looking to Toland. Unfortunately, other books have also contributed their share of unsubstantiated rumor and innuendo regarding Bonnie and Clyde. I feel there is justification and importance, in addressing some of these additional accounts of unproven lore within upcoming posts. But concerning B&C's aberrant sexuality, it appears that John Toland can firmly be credited-- for these unfounded but "scandalously memorable" innuendos.

It appears to me, that with so many questions concerning these scurrilous rumors asked so often, and accounts of these stories recounted in such a prolific way-- that oddly, there may be an element of B&C watcher, who might actually favor this scuttlebutt being true. I'm not sure why this might be so, but would hope common sense and research-- would win out over any gossip laden desires. I find it unfortunate, John Toland is no longer alive to defend himself, and explain his B&C conjecture. If anyone can locate comments from Toland, concerning his treatment of B&C within The Dillinger Days, I would appreciate your please sharing them with us. I welcome your comments, and feel many may be forthcoming.  

I wish to offer my sincere "thanks" to 3 great historians and friends in Jim Knight, Rick Mattix and John Neal Phillips-- for their gracious assistance, team effort and valuable insights-- into this great debate within Bonnie and Clyde History.