Friday, January 6, 2012

Now a Jeff Guinn Bonnie & Clyde Movie?? Say It Ain't So!!

It seems I've got some catching up to do. I was alerted to the possibility of a new Bonnie & Clyde movie based on Jeff Guinn's dubious "author for hire" book Go Down Together-- The True Story of Bonnie & Clyde. In light of Director Tonya Holly's long standing labor of love, in working so diligently to bring an historically accurate account of this history to the big screen-- the news of a parallel effort by Jeff Guinn, to me-- falls somewhere within the spectrum of downright disturbing and outright outlandish.

As I've offered my opinion concerning Guinn's historically lacking and shoddily researched book on numerous occasions-- my pointed reaction to a "Go Down Together" based Bonnie & Clyde movie, should come as no surprise. The man who's forever labeled Bonnie Parker a prostitute and portrays the ambush of Bonnie and Clyde based on unfounded speculation-- is apparently trying to cash in on his 1/2 baked effort in a big way.

In understanding how Jeff seemingly used those he should have felt privileged to have even known-- rest assured, bringing a Bonnie Parker prostitute contention to the Silver Screen, will likely draw the sharp ire of Bonnie & Clyde family members-- and assuredly, those of us who strive to bring truth to Bonnie & Clyde History.

Perhaps this time, Jeff's "shameless" esscuse will be the same as before-- in his telling me straight faced "All written history is ultimately best guess". Well if that's true Jeff-- don't be surprised when many band together to level just criticism, and support actions deemed appropriate by those defending their own-- as well as Bonnie & History. The "real" Bonnie & Clyde History-- and not one as told by Santa's little helper.

14 comments:

island said...

While trying to assemble a timeline of B&C’s activities and those persons involved in killing them the last week of B&C lives Guinn’s book really messed me up recently. Referencing a rare interview between Henderson Jordan and his nephew, Dr. Glenn Jordan on 12 October 1958 in chapter 36 notes he claims Hamer drove to Gibsland on Monday, 21 May 1934 and pressured Sheriff Henderson Jordan to “move forward” with the ambush. In addition, Guinn also claims Jordan “dithered” the day trying to contact Division of Investigation Special Agent L.A. Kindell in New Orleans.

First of all, Wikipedia lists Henderson Jordan’s death as: 13 June 1958 (4 months before the referenced interview) from a horrendous head on collision auto accident. Because another author has referenced this 1958 interview (this time BEFORE Henderson Jordan died) I am trying to locate it. I am most interested in anything Sheriff Jordan had to say about his posse and ambush. Anyone know where it can be found? Did Dr. Glenn Jordan publish it?

Secondly, New Orleans SAIC R. Whitley’s letter to Hoover dated 14 May 1934 and time stamped as received at the Bureau of Investigation Headquarters in Washington, D.C. 16 May 1934 (roughly 1 week before Bonnie & Clyde were ambushed and murdered) states to J. Edgar Hoover that Sheriff Henderson Jordan will contact Division Headquarters if he cannot get a hold of Whitley at once. There would be no need for Jordan to “dither” if all he needed to do was call Division Headquarters as the letter states.

Guinn also has B&C camping out in Mangham the night of 21 May 1934 (following a party with Methvin relatives at Black Lake Swamp) and meeting Robert Brunson in a nearby Mangham palmetto the morning of Tuesday, 22 May 1934. No other source on B&C history I have read has claimed this happened.

I’ve decided to drop Jeff Guinn off my list of credible B&C authors. I do urge those interested in B&C history to read the recently released FBI files (Dallas Field Office File# 26-4114) and pay special attention to R. Whitley’s letter of 14 May 1934 cited earlier. In the letter Whitley appears to be telling his big boss Hoover that Bureau agents will be at the ambush and possibly assume command of it if Whitley receives word from Henderson Jordan fast enough (“we expect to be waiting when Barrow arrives. We will take up the watch and expect a climax”). I have found no evidence so far that any Bureau agents were notified in time and were involved in the ambush; has anyone else? I don’t think the posse would let the fame, glory and the pledged B&C reward money slip out of their hands and into the hands of Bureau agents, do you?

Inaccurate and misleading books are the very last things someone new to B&C history needs to be exposed to. I certainly don’t need or appreciate them. The publisher of Jeff Guinn’s book should have had an editor review it and demand Guinn prove what he is claiming. I believe this book belongs in the fiction section of the library, if not the garbage can. What happened to historical truth, accuracy and quality control?

A. Winston Woodward said...

I would say the answer to your question is greed??-- and a lack of diligence.

I caught Guinn on a quite important footnote error within his book-- which to my way of thinking, either must have been an inexcusable lack of research-- or a deliberate attempt to mislead??, by namedropping a Barrow relative, and thus adding credence to an idea which couldn't be inferred legitimately.

Many know this involved the alleged Bonnie poem "The Prostitute's Convention". Jeff claimed the source of this poem was Clyde's sister Marie, via author/historian Jonathan Davis. Marie and Jonathan were preparing a book together at one point years ago-- a book which never came to be.

However as was known and published elsewhere-- the actual source for this alleged poem was a law enforcement officer named J. W. Tidwell-- who it's said obtained this poem along with others from Bonnie at the Kaufman, Texas Jail in 1932. This 10 poem group of poetry was entitled "Poetry from Life's Other Side." Mr. Tidwell not only owned the bank book of hand written poetry in question-- but also signed the book as evidence of such. The provenance for this poetry, was published by Bonham's Auction House, when the poetry went up for sale. So the actual source of "The Prostitute's Convention" was not Marie Barrow-- and as such a virtual lock, in being a family member close to Bonnie-- but instead, a man who's claim was much less credible.

Plus there was no way of knowing for sure, whether Bonnie actually wrote that poem-- as 5 of the 10 poems in question, were thought to be folklore poems written by others. In addition, without guidance from it's author-- it must be considered quite a stretch, to imply that poem as being autobiographical-- "even if" it could be proven to be Bonnie's. So to use all of this uncertainty, to somehow strengthen the claim that Bonnie engaged in prostitution-- I would ask in good faith, how that link could be made???

So for any Bonnie & Clyde author to claim some historical basis for such an outlandish assertion-- to me, he "better" know the provenance of the info he's using and know it's correct. "But" when proven not to be-- have some response besides Jeff's now famous quote to me, that "All written history is ultimately best guess." For with that kind of cover-- "hell" you could say almost anything, and to justify it as being so. As I view it-- that's not history, but rather more in tune with fiction.

For those interested in the Bonham's Auction link-- here it is. http://www.bonhams.com/usa/auction/15291/lot/5337/

island said...

I’m hoping in this comment to entice your visitors to add whatever I leave out and envision you as producing THE definitive Bonnie & Clyde movie taking suggestions before you begin:

Winston, I remember vividly the release and impact of the 1967 Beatty-Dunaway Bonnie & Clyde movie. I was just entering high school in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. I can still hear my history teacher complaining how the movie was historically “garbage” and urging us to learn the truth about B&C and the events swirling around them as a result of their criminal activities when we got to college. High school books at that time were just to skimpy on details to tell the entire story he said to us.

My question to you here in this subject area of your blog is: if Hollywood or some wealthy entity bestowed upon you the financial means to assemble and produce a truthful movie about Bonnie & Clyde, whom would you hire? Would Jeff Guinn be on your list? How about John Neal Phillips? Phillip W. Steele? E.R. Milner? James R. Knight? Jonathan Davis? Larry Grove? Blanche Barrow? What would your list include & exclude?

Would you include things that often get either left out of the story or pushed into the background such as what life was like for Clyde Barrow having a cousin snitching on him & Bonnie to the Bureau of Investigation? How about the media feud between Clyde Barrow and the little Oakie gang member Clyde sprang from Eastham prison, Ray Hamilton, that in some ways resembled the Lennon-McCartney feud of the early 1970’s?
Would you let everyone know that Bonnie was crippled and could barely walk or stand up? Would you introduce ‘Sonny Boy’ to your audience and inform them what happened to Bonnie’s little furry friend? How about the pain and suffering each B&C victim experienced from having their car stolen, their gas station robbed or a relative injured or shot to death, would you include that as well?

Could you repair the damage done to people’s minds caused by the 1967 movie and numerous BS books that have been published since then that only has made matters worse?

And then there’s a young J. Edgar Hoover fighting to get more powers for his Bureau of Information in Washington while each car Clyde or his gang steals and drives across state lines is another stab wound in Hoover’s back; would you present Hoover’s side of it? Would you mention the astronomical costs of investigating each and every crime and how much those costs would have mounted had trials been held?

Would you mention that Bob Alcorn was actively tracking B&C following the failed Sowers ambush several months before Lee Simmons hired Frank Hamer in early 1934? Would you note that although Frank Hamer disliked taking orders from a woman (Miriam ‘Ma’ Ferguson) he helped kill two people for her, one of them a woman?

What exactly would you do to set the historical record straight and end the confusion about the lives and deaths of Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow? How would you have them die: shot to pieces and departing this world instantly from a monstrous barrage of firepower or Bonnie at her doorway begging for her life or trying to escape the barrage while Clyde is dead behind the wheel?

I would like to see some concrete info on what exactly transpired in B&C’s lives the last week they were alive and what was left out of the 1967 movie added to the new one.

A. Winston Woodward said...

Hello Brad-- I must say you seem to be one of these folks so intent on detail, you may overlook the obvious. There are many facts known regarding this history-- and many facts which will likely and forever remain unknown. One thing's for sure-- there was a correct story, as lived out in reality in the 1930's. It's the task of good Historians, to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

As mentioned in our e-mail exchanges, for starters (although somehow it seems you may be beyond that)-- I would pay attention to John Neal Phillips, Jim Knight and Winston Ramsey's Bonnie & Clyde chronicles. Also Dr. Carroll Rich's articles from the late '60's/early '70's are quite valuable resources to Bonnie & Clyde History. E. R. Milner's book gets knocked sometimes, but in speaking with him a couple of years back-- I found he perhaps came the closest to settling the rumor concerning a Clyde Barrow child (prior to his association with Bonnie).

As I'm not making a movie-- might I suggest you hope Tonya Holly is successful in bringing her Bonnie & Clyde movie to the screen. I'm convinced she would tell the story well. I'm still holding back (as asked of me)-- on an insider's funny story concerning the Warren Beatty Bonnie & Clyde movie, which illustrates just how that film "could have been" a more truthful adaptation of this history. It almost was-- but then it wasn't. I hope at some point to be able to tell this story. I know for sure when I'll be able to-- but that will be a sad day for me.

Also-- re: trying to fit so many Bonnie & Clyde details into a movie that would likely run under 3 hours-- I'm not sure that can be done effectively. I think you key in on the more human elements important to their struggle, and disregard the fluff. For example, to me-- there's no reason for reference to sexual rumors which to date, no one can prove. As it seems those rumors were advanced after their lives were over, and from sources with little merit or which are disguised so well as to in effect be invisible??-- I see no logic in going there. The temptation may be great to include some explanation of those rumors-- but to me the '67 movie's already gone there. In truth, their ordeal and pain they caused others-- is interesting enough if told correctly.

Frances said...

I haven't read Guinn's book and don't intend to but the last thing needed now is a repeat of the 60's movie. Isn't the real B&C story already great without all the speculation and undocumented 'facts'?

island said...

The phantom Henderson Jordan 1958 interview with his nephew Dr. Glenn Jordan – where is it published? Where can we read it (or listen to it if it’s recorded)?

There, Winston, I’ve slid you a good blog topic somewhere down the line! I’ve been going through the over 300,000 websites that Google lists when searching for said interview and after two weeks of tedious searching I have found: nothing. Nada. Nope. No way, Jose.

So why are Jeff Guinn & Bryan Burrough both referencing this phantom interview? Where did the authors obtain access to it? Did they talk to Dr. Glenn Jordan in person?

In Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave & The Birth Of The FBI, 1933-1934 (2009) around page 354 the content is written as if Dr. Glenn Jordan is telling the reading from his memory what Henderson Jordan told him in 1958 shortly before he died in a horrific head-on car wreck. So where did the author get hold of Henderson’s nephew to hear all this good stuff and why can’t we have the same access?

I do hope sharp TV documentary producers spot you Winston and let you steer the B&C truth ship for once and for all to set the record straight. A 3 or 4 part documentary sounds mighty fine to me. I’d like to see little things get answered like this:

If Bob Alcorn & Ted Hinton were on the posse to identify B&C what were they going to do in the middle of the night on Sailes Road…. stop each car and shine a flashlight or a lantern in the driver’s face, maybe ask the driver, ‘Say bud, are you Clyde Barrow?”

I think not. I suspect the night positions were more of a reconnaissance to see if B&C would drive to the Cole house. Since we know Ivy Methvin came from the Cole house the morning of the ambush I highly suspect had B&C arrived at the Cole house in the night hours Ivy would have driven them to “see Henry” and stopped at the ambush spot and jumped out of his old truck while the posse did its dirty deed. I can’t prove it but that’s what I suspect. I can’t see any other reason for the ambush team to be in position in the middle of the night. You’re talking about a rural road in the middle of nowhere, no street lamps, no neon signs, no nothing. Remember, the posse’s cars were supposed to be hidden in the woods so using their headlights was not an option either. So why were they there when there was no visibility?

By the way, for the benefit of those who have never been to Louisiana, the mosquitoes there do not simply bite you. At night you can hear them discussing near your bed if they should take you outside or eat you there in bed. I’d always wake up screaming when I’d hear one say, “We better eat him here, those BIG mosquitoes are outside”

…(a little B&C humor never hurts)…..

I’ve often wondered what if….what if Clyde had his wig on that morning? What if Bonnie had died her hair black or was dressed as a man? What if the wrong couple got all shot up?

Good luck to anyone looking for the phantom Henderson Jordan interview. If you get any info please share it here with us all!

island said...

Winston, because your blog topic here is a new B&C movie with Jeff Guinn as a captain of the ship I’ve commented in hoping its producers might shop around not only for input ideas but also a better ship captain. Someone who knows the waters better; knows where the reefs are and where the sharks hang out. As before I have recommended you because the work you do with your blog is important to maintaining and developing a solid historical record based on truth.

The more I look into the history of B&C that is solid truth the more interest I have in what Clyde’s and Bonnie’s plans were in Louisiana an how the forces set in motion to bring them to justice were bigger than just Frank Hamer’s hit mission for Lee Simmons.

When one looks at Smoot Schmid’s efforts to capture the bandits he set in motion following the failed Sowers ambush by assigning Ted Hinton & Bob Alcorn to find B&C and capture Bonnie and Clyde added to the network of information flowing between J. Edgar Hoover’s Louisiana & Dallas Special Agents Bienville Sheriff Henderson Jordan becomes more of an interest to me than Frank Hamer. I see the inevitable failure for B&C coming quickly once Jordan was added to the mix. Jordan and his former Marine sharpshooter Deputy Prentiss Oakley I find more of interest than Frank Hamer and I see it that the longer B&C stayed in Louisiana the closer the duo were coming to capture by Henderson Jordan or the Bureau of Investigation more so than Hamer, Alcorn or Hinton.

Anything I can learn of sheriff Henderson Jordan is now a driving force rather than a curiosity with me and I am beginning to see him as the “silent hero” of the entire saga. I know there are those who see him as an opportunist that viewed B&C as a sort of “drive by lottery ticket” and killing them off allowed the killers to confiscate their stolen booty but I am not so sure that’s the truth of the matter. I know sheriff Jordan gave Ruth Warren a fight over returning her stolen ‘death car’ to her but what police agency doesn’t confiscate the possessions of criminals? I find the reasons Jordan gave the Federal Judge involved in that ‘death car’ matter to keep the vehicle & protect it to be reasonable and valid; others do not.

While some may see Joplin, Platte City, Dexfield Park, Eastham, Grapevine, the hiring of Frank Hamer or the assignment of Hinton & Alcorn to find B&C as pivotal turning points in the fugitives’ downfall I am beginning to think it was more of when they entered the turf of Sheriff Henderson Jordan and stayed there too long while the Sheriff & his deputy Oakley did their jobs extremely well while in the background J. Edgar Hoover’s agents were right on top of the situation, doing their jobs extremely well also.

Since the two book authors I have commented on have referenced the “phantom Henderson Jordan 1958 interview” with his nephew, Dr. Glenn Jordan, that this interview is made public for folks like you and me to read it. So far I have not been able to find this interview and I am beginning to wonder if it even exists. If it doesn’t exist then book authors need to refrain from referencing it in my opinion.

I believe that if anyone would see a gain in B&C both being dead it would be Ivan Methvin had he sold Clyde Barrow some bogus property (I think he did). In looking at clear images from Ted Hinton’s post-ambush film it sure looks to me like a box of curtain rods is sandwiched between Bonnie’s seat and the back door (when both doors are open). Window curtains are something I think Bonnie would have insisted on Clyde installing wherever she and Clyde planned to stay permanently, even on a remote hose out in the middle of nowhere. What’s been referenced to us an “the abandoned Cole house” may well have been sold to B&C by Ivan Methvin (possibly Henry Methvin too) and the phony paperwork vanished after the duo were dead.

I do hope the captain of any new B&C movie or TV documentary looks at these areas of interest and mystery.

BarefootOkieGal said...

I would like to see more emphasis placed on their life on the run - the '68 movie made the outlaw life seem fun and glamorous, but I would like to see it portrayed as it truly must have been - carrying everything you own in an automobile that you are currently driving; eating foods that can be eaten cold or without more cooking than a small fire can provide; trying desperately to keep one's body and clothing clean; never being able to sleep without keeping one eye and ear open for danger. I would also like to see more emphasis placed on Bonnie's injuries; to me, Clyde's behavior toward her while she was so ill shows a side of him that I think the world should see - he was not only a killer, but he was a man in love who was desperately afraid because the woman he loved was in such pain and danger of dying. I would also show that Bonnie never walked properly again - nothing glamorous in having to have someone put you on the potty and take you off again!

What offends me the most about Guinn's decision that Bonnie must have indulged in prostitution is that he is presenting absolutely NO tangible evidence. He seems to think that because she was a pretty waitress who probably gave free food to the "working girls" who'd be around, she must have been a "working girl" herself; however, to me this is a sign of Bonnie's genuinely good heart, and perhaps she felt sorry for those girls who had to resort to prostitution. Also, just because she wrote some poetry about prostitutes doesn't mean she herself was a prostitute!!! Bonnie was a born writer, and born writers write about anything and everything that they can; I'm sure that she felt sorry for the "working girls" and it would not surprise me if she spent time talking to them (Bonnie was known as a gregarious, friendly soul who loved to talk to people) and then wrote a poem about them, using some of the new phraseology she'd picked up. After all, does anyone still think that Johnny Cash REALLY shot a man in Reno just to watch him die?

I want to see a movie that shows their family relationships, too - shows us how loyal the families were to their loved ones and the love that impelled Bonnie and Clyde to keep coming home to visit their folks, although they all had to know how dangerous it was.

As far as their death... I don't think we need to see it in gory detail. Just a shot of the ambush the way it happened, showing them shooting into a car but not clearly showing the occupants. I think the scene of Bob Hinton trying to stand Bonnie on her feet when she fell from the car into his arms should be included - those who conducted the ambush were affected by it for the rest of their lives, and I think that one simple scene could serve to show that even their killers had mixed feelings about the pair.

A. Winston Woodward said...

No wigs or what ifs-- the right couple got shot up.

And I feel it's pretty apparent Henderson Jordan held the Warren car looking to profit from it. Having requested an enormous and unaffordable ransom in effect from Ruth Warren, and having the car stashed in a barn-- he was ordered to return it, or face jail. Also as others and I have interviewed someone who knew Jordan, and who's impression was the Bienville Sheriff's Dept was about as corrupt as the day is long-- I'm not sure I would paint Jordan in such a glowing light. There's also a pretty good mystery surrounding his death.

Also no curtain rods that I am aware of. And no evidence Ivy Methvin ever obtained ownership of the Cole House he squatted in for just a short time.

The story of a possible farm for Clyde's parents, to me has legs because of the interview Henry Barrow gave to a Dallas newspaper after Bonnie & Clyde were killed. Within that interview witnessed by more than one person-- Henry spoke of Clyde meeting with him to sign papers for an unnamed property in Louisiana. But oddity of all oddities-- neither apparently had a pen to sign with during their short meeting that day. Clyde ending up having to leave before the papers were signed-- and then Henry never saw his son alive again. A rumored suitcase full of money for said purchase, to my knowledge-- has never been proven to exist.

A. Winston Woodward said...

Hi Cindy-- Nice to see you posting comment. I would agree with your desire to see a more human portrayal of Bonnie & Clyde. Life on the run was hard, and I still support the view that it was the love for their parents and families-- that made it easier for the law to finally get them. Their need to retain a close proximity to Dallas over and over again-- to me made it inevitable, they would be stopped sooner rather than later. It seemed just a matter of time.

As far as Guinn's portrayal of Bonnie-- I say "where's the beef??" As poor research, innuendo and fluff don't cut it for me-- I feel Jeff's done an enormous and likely permanent disservice to Bonnie, seemingly for the goal of a sensational framing of her-- as being someone no one can prove she was. That's funny-- the word proof doesn't resemble the word rumor, no matter who planted the seeds.

Katy said...

Well there certainly are a lot of B&C projects out there right now. To be honest, I think that any project involving them (good or bad, accurate or fairytale) is going to face an uphill battle to put it mildly. It seems the author of nearly every article I've read that discusses any recent B&C-related entertainment effort quickly dismisses it and launches into a worship of the "classic" movie. Generally speaking people seem content to accept the story of Faye & Warren as the story of Bonnie & Clyde, and I don't know what if anything will change that. Unfortunately one thing that may cause people to pay attention would be what they perceive as new "scandalous" information- cue the dreaded prostitution angle. I consider myself fortunate enough to have made it to NYC to see the recent short-lived B&C musical on Broadway. I won't hijack this topic with a lengthy review, but I thought overall they did a great job with the story without sensationalizing things. They even handled the ambush in a tasteful and unexpected manner. But according to some reviews I read, that was the problem for some people. Some didn't appreciate that they had the audacity to "choose to leave out" Clyde's impotence, even though the note in the Playbill explained they didn't include it because there is no historical evidence it was true. Others thought the first act was "boring" because there was no shooting. They dared to give the audience some background on who Clyde and Bonnie were as people, the circumstances of their lives, their motivations, their family ties, why they were attracted to each other, rather than just launching right into the crime spree. They took a few creative liberties, but by and large I think it was a commendable effort and one that was quickly snuffed out. There were other factors involved of course, but in reading so many of the reviews I couldn't help but realize many people went in expecting a musical version of the movie. My fear is that any other effort to tell a reasonably accurate B&C story, such as Tonya Holly's film if it ever comes to fruition, will suffer a similar fate. Meanwhile a project such as a Go Down Together based movie would sadly probably fare much better with audiences in general. I echo the sentiments of others who wonder why the need to embellish a story that's reality is better than fiction.

BarefootOkieGal said...

Katy, I hate to say it, but you may be right - so many people have their perceptions of B&C colored by what they see as the "facts" of the movie that they may not be willing to accept other facts unless they are sensational! I'm sure folks would flock to a movie that not only hinted at Bonnie's supposed prostitution and Clyde's supposed homosexuality/bisexuality but actually went further than the first movie in actually showing them engaged in such acts!!! Nowadays it seems that sensationalism sells, and so I think that if a movie is made, it will be done with the idea of the box office gross in mind.

I would very much like to see a REALISTIC movie that actually showed the harsh realities of life on the road. I want to dispel the notion that there was any glamour to their lives. I want people to SEE Bonnie burned so badly that she could never walk again properly. I want people to SEE the dust and grime and cold food and constant fear that were B&C's ever-present companions. I want people to see the love and loyalty of these people for their families and friends, and the love and loyalty that they received in return. I want people to see that these were very YOUNG people - only 23 and 24!!! They were kids!

Sad to say, prostitition and homosexuality and God-knows-what-all sell in the theaters. I don't know if there's a market for REAL reality!!!

island said...

Any new movie (or other media medium) should include the betrayal that surrounded & engulfed Bonnie & Clyde from family, gang members & impromptu, casual observers plus a close look at the law enforcement & state & Federal government forces actively trying to kill them both as opposed to capturing the duo and holding them accountable for the crimes they were accused of in Courts of law. The ironic image conflict of B&C leaving a visual record of being photographed in suits (Clyde & his gang members) and attractive dresses & shoes (Bonnie) while living like hunted animals in their cars & makeshift camp sites on the fringes of civilization should also be explored. Who gave whom STD should be dropped and the emphasis shifted to both being crippled (Bonnie suffering the most). The false image of Bonnie robbing banks with guns & shooting citizens or police officers needs to be corrected. What was the property paperwork Clyde showed his father on their last visit together & who was the seller should be explored to discover all parties involved. What would have happened if Clyde had left this paperwork with his father to get someone to fake Clyde’s signature should Clyde be killed while on the run; would the laws have confiscated the property? The failed Sowers ambush and the effect it & losing Buck to the laws had on Clyde should be explored. An accurate account of B&C’s last week on Earth should be presented. Would B&C have settled in Louisiana and attempted an honest living or used the area as an operations base for future crimes? Expose those involved in the ambush as they attempted to profit after the murders of B&C (Henderson Jordan, J. Edgar Hoover, Henry Methvin, etc.).Family friction & vendettas after the ambush would be worthy of exploring too.

BarefootOkieGal said...

I know it's been awhile since this was posted, but just recently I heard that the History Channel is going to do a Bonnie & Clyde Miniseries! Oh, I hope it's realistic... I hope they don't go for sensationalism. I'd love to see a story that is mostly true on the "little screen!" I will watch the mini-series, and I am hoping that it isn't just a piece of fluffy trash.