A bit of a Mexican stand-off in this brilliant photograph taken back in 1953. The Hollywood influence had put right on the side of the cowboys – but that was all to change with movies in the 1960s and 70s that, against the backdrop of war in Vietnam, changed the goalposts to make the Indian the heroic victim of colonial oppression. For all of us kids, that was a philosophy too far. If we weren’t killing Germans, it was Indians.
The great shame is that, political incorrectness apart, there seemed to be far more imaginative play in those days (and outside too!). Somewhere along the decades we have lost something – I think it is called childhood.
Wonderful blog… thank you for posting this. I’ve enjoyed reading and viewing these images very much…
steve