Anyone watching Hatfields and McCoys?

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Tue May 29, 2012 9:21 pm

Thoughts?

cowboykell · Post by **cowboykell** » Tue May 29, 2012 9:32 pm

Real yawner, quit watching after 1st commercial.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Tue May 29, 2012 9:38 pm

Profanity was too bad to watch with the kids awake, so turned it off Mike.

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Tue May 29, 2012 9:42 pm

yeah....i am enjoying it...
its better than all the other stuff on.....

sharps just got another mccoy....

GonnePhishin · Post by **GonnePhishin** » Tue May 29, 2012 9:48 pm

Excellent acting, but sometimes it's difficult to understand the dialogue due to the thick accents. Very brutal and graphic series. I can't believe how much hate was shown between the two families. I can't wait to see how it ends up.

Barcelona Rick · Post by **Barcelona Rick** » Tue May 29, 2012 9:50 pm

Wish they had left out cursing God....profanity never benefits a good picture/show.....scenery is sure beautiful....

rick

GonnePhishin · Post by **GonnePhishin** » Tue May 29, 2012 10:10 pm

I would agree with that jumbeaux. Using God's name in vain is unnecessary. Being a sinner, I still occasionally swear but I've never been one to use God's name in vain.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue May 29, 2012 10:43 pm

I would like to study up on the actual event and see how close they are with the mini series. I do know it was a bloody affair that lasted for a long time, but other than that I don't know a whole lot about it.

Charles · Post by **Charles** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:16 pm

I have watched both nights and have enjoyed. I have spent some time in the backwoods of Kentucky and a few of those folks have that accent nailed, others do not. I swear that old lady playing the Aunt is the real deal from the hills.

I would give it a grade of B on the history. They have the basic framework correct, but have juiced it up here and there for the sake of good drama and entertainment.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:22 pm

Thanks for the grade Charles. That's not to bad for a made for tv miniseries..

44shooter · Post by **44shooter** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:39 pm

I'm enjoying the show. The acting and cinematography are excellent. There is definately some liberties taken with the facts, especially the opening Civil War scenes. I had to use CC to understand some of the dialog.

My exwife is from that area of WV and went to school with both Hatfields and McCoys. I never had any problem understanding the way people talk there, until they started using mountain terms which were foreign to me being a flatlander.

Mike D. · Post by **Mike D.** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:40 pm

Not really very brutal. Comes on at 1800 around here so everyone can watch. Language is sort of crude, but a sign of the times. Nothing in comparison to the Sopranos or Deadwood.

44shooter · Post by **44shooter** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:56 pm

There is some basic cable cursing, which I would think would be far less offensive to viewers than all the killings and corpse defilements.

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Wed May 30, 2012 6:31 am

as of this morning ...according to fox and friends, the most watch cable tv show in history
14 million viewers...

love that part of the country....very scenic...
stayed in rv camps through that area....loved it...
tons of deer!

L_Kilkenny · Post by **L_Kilkenny** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:15 am

I too am turning on the CC to understand everything but in reality that's not all that uncommon with me.

Other than that I'm enjoying it and looking forward to part 3 tonight. I was a little worried at the end of part 1 that it was gonna be a hillbilly Romeo and Juliet for they spent the whole last hour of the first episode on the 2 youngins. Part 2 has set aside my fears.

The acting and show in general is very well done and I've yet to see/hear anything even close to offending my delicate senses.

LK

Streetstar · Post by **Streetstar** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:47 am

RIHMFIRE wrote: love that part of the country....very scenic...
stayed in rv camps through that area....loved it...
tons of deer!

Yes....... but the miniseries was filmed in Romania

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:03 am

Gritty, realistic, and both proud, hard men with idiots for family. Sad, sad story. So much wasted life. Only character with any brains, Powers Booth, but given his character, not surprising.

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:16 am

I'm glued to it. I know more about the Texas feuds but most all are similar. Knosner doe well with his movies for historical facts generally. The guns are mostly true to the period but his leather in Wyatt Earp was wrong. The leather in this one is good but the saddles are mostly wrong. I'm sure he figures most people will not notice and he is right but it takes a little away from it for me.

RR7

Cliff · Post by **Cliff** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:03 am

I seem to remember some gun magazine many years back did a short article on the guns of this feud. They included some information on the feud and such. Seems most of the guns used were on the cheap side, very few pristine or expensive guns of the period were in evidence. As for the feud, it had moments of terror and fighting, but most of the time it was pretty low key. I am certain Hollywood would make it more exciting and fancier than it was at the time. I have no recollection of the magazine or the time frame of the article. Most of the feud involved people were not all that money rich as well. Seems other than military cast offs, ones like Iver Johnsons and such were the norm. Not much information I am sure.

Charles · Post by **Charles** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:27 am

Many years ago Guns magazine did an article on the gun of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. I have a copy of it somewhere. I will have to try and dig it up.

Washita · Post by **Washita** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:36 am

I've been recording it so we can watch it in one big Hatfield-McCoy fest & skip through the commercials. No kids, so profanity won't bother me (Deadwood got a pretty rough but was so good otherwise I could abide it.) Having lived for the past 43 years in the
South I'm guessing the accents won't be a problem either.

The promos look good, and I'm really loking forward to it.

Streetstar · Post by **Streetstar** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:58 am

Washita wrote:I've been recording it so we can watch it in one big Hatfield-McCoy fest & skip through the commercials. .

doing the same thing myself -- one or two of the episodes have coincided with the OKC Thunder/ SA Spurs ball game , plus my wife is usually in bed by 9 pm --- looking forward to seeing it -- not sure if i can do all 3 episodes in 1 setting, (although i have done that with a couple of the Lonesome Dove sequels/prequels )

Post by **Hobie** » Wed May 30, 2012 12:02 pm

UncleBuck wrote:Excellent acting, but sometimes it's difficult to understand the dialogue due to the thick accents. Very brutal and graphic series. I can't believe how much hate was shown between the two families. I can't wait to see how it ends up.

Accents? What accents? They sound like yankees to me.

Charles wrote:I have watched both nights and have enjoyed. I have spent some time in the backwoods of Kentucky and a few of those folks have that accent nailed, others do not. I swear that old lady playing the Aunt is the real deal from the hills.

I would give it a grade of B on the history. They have the basic framework correct, but have juiced it up here and there for the sake of good drama and entertainment.

I think you're right!

Dirty Dan · Post by **Dirty Dan** » Wed May 30, 2012 1:35 pm

I am shocked by the minmal slights that started the whole thing (Devil deserting & McCoy's pig) if these be historically accurate, and how perseived slights, family "honor" kept it rolling for decades. Tit for tat could never go unanswered. Seems the McCoys (& uncle Joe Vance) were just looking for an excuse to mix it up, alcohol being a big contributing factor. Then I think, it's no different from today. Lots of folks looking for a fight at the slightest perseived insult, especially if on drugs or drunk.

Dirty Dan · Post by **Dirty Dan** » Wed May 30, 2012 1:36 pm

Oh, I love the show and the music from Costner's band is pretty fine.

rock-steady · Post by **rock-steady** » Wed May 30, 2012 2:08 pm

That dang pettifoggin' lawyer Perry Cline seems like the instigator of a lot of the problems. People must have been tougher back then. To kill some one, they have to stab them multiple times and then shoot them a few times.

GonnePhishin · Post by **GonnePhishin** » Wed May 30, 2012 2:16 pm

Hobie, I just loved that comment of yours

GonnePhishin · Post by **GonnePhishin** » Wed May 30, 2012 2:17 pm

Kevin Costner has a bluegrass band?

And the series was filmed in Romania?

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Wed May 30, 2012 4:34 pm

Hey guys we should be happy to see anything on TV that deals with leverguns.

RR7

gak · Post by **gak** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:30 pm

rangerider7 wrote:Hey guys we should be happy to see anything on TV that deals with leverguns. RR7

I was going to say...!

madman4570 · Post by **madman4570** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:37 pm

I like it!
What I don't understand-----------------------is why when McCoy returned from prison camp,he just didn't shoot Hatfield in the head.???

To me,McCoy if he really hated the deserter that much----why didn't he at least have the guts to call him out on it(then and there)
He seemed a little cowardly. Hate to say it------Hatfield should have been shot and saved both families remaining!

Give em each a knife and let em sort it out!

How bout the Uncle

(Tom Berenger)----that's one Hardcore dude! (and good old one eye is following in his footsteps)

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:41 pm

Mike, I'm recording it now. Y2K wants to see it too.

Streetstar · Post by **Streetstar** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:36 pm

UncleBuck wrote:Kevin Costner has a bluegrass band?
And the series was filmed in Romania?

Yes! and Yes!

Costner's band is playing a bingo parlor (Indian Casino) outside of Oklahoma City in a few days , -- one of the actor's has a local tie in (somewhat local, he's from TX) and was remarking in an interview in the daily newspaper about some of the pluses/minuses of filming in Romania

The filmmakers probably would get taxed to death to film where the place is actually based. Same reason filmmakers are leaving Holly-weird in droves to film in Canada, as well as AZ

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:39 pm

The end tells what happend to all of them, interesting.

RR7

44shooter · Post by **44shooter** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:04 pm

I don't think Anse and Randall served together, or on the same side for that matter. Most of the rest has some historical basis.

As for understanding the dialog. I think it is a matter of the phrasing and language used as much as the accents.

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:16 pm

Thought it was a good show.

From pictures that I could dig up, there were more Winchester '73's than '66s. But the predominate "rifle" were the Trapdoors.

Seems as though Jim Vance was the primary antagonist.

MrMurphy · Post by **MrMurphy** » Thu May 31, 2012 3:53 am

Two back country families in post-Civil War era.......they're not going to have a ton of expensive stuff. If it's cheap and it works, they'll have it.

No different than anywhere, even today.

2X22 · Post by **2X22** » Thu May 31, 2012 8:35 am

The wife and I really enjoyed the mini series.

2x22

L_Kilkenny · Post by **L_Kilkenny** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:02 am

madman4570 wrote:I like it!
What I don't understand-----------------------is why when McCoy returned from prison camp,he just didn't shoot Hatfield in the head.???

To me,McCoy if he really hated the deserter that much----why didn't he at least have the guts to call him out on it(then and there)
He seemed a little cowardly. Hate to say it------Hatfield should have been shot and saved both families remaining!

Give em each a knife and let em sort it out!

How bout the Uncle (Tom Berenger)----that's one Hardcore dude! (and good old one eye is following in his footsteps)

I'm with you on this. During the last episode I was waiting for a "Big Country" (Gregory Peck movie) type shootout at the end where Devil Hatfiled and McCoy decide that it's best settled between the 2 of them instead of both families getting shot up.

While there was plenty of wrong doing and fanaticism on both sides, going ONLY by the movie I'm gonna side with the Hatfield's on this one. McCoy was a nut job from the word go where as Hatfield tried multiple times to make peace when the war was over. Jim Vance or not, McCoy wasn't gonna let it drop.

LK

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:28 am

Probably had the Hatfields not of killed McCoy's brother and protected the killer, and then stolen McCoys hogs things may not of gotten so out of hand. Keep in mind that those hogs were the McCoy family food and sustanence. The stealing of the hogs is something akin to today's cyber theft of bank accounts , and personal id, and a home invasion where by your valuables are all removed from you possesion without your consent.
I can understand McCoy's anger towards Hatfield about the deserting. Hatfield left McCoy and the rest of their outfit with their butts swingin in the breeze in order to protect his own backside. McCoy was the only survivor from the unit that came from that region, save for Hatfield who deserted the rest of them.(according to the movie anyway)

Chas. · Post by **Chas.** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:43 am

Dialog problems? Not here. Course both my parents were from southwest Virginia, next county south from where this took place. I still have family there. It all sounded normal to me.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:50 am

Yep, I finished up with it last night. Its the first time in years that I could not discipline myself to go to bed on time. I must say it was great and with a real authenticity on the guns used during each specific period of time.--------------Sixgun

Booger Bill · Post by **Booger Bill** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:52 am

I liked it. I have seen tons of worse stuff on tv. I had a hard time understanding all the dialog and missed a lot. But thats my bad hearing and a booming tv. I can hear stuff like fox news good but most movies are hard for me to hear. Desertion was very common durring the civil war. I have read a lot of records and belive it could have been around 10%! Years ago I worked with guy on my job that had a wife that was a security guard close by. They got a divorice, and she went back to west virginnia where she was from, got a job as a small town police chief and was murdered! http://www.odmp.org/officer/15139-chief ... is-stanton My friend had a business as a PI on the side. He pretty much went south when all this happened and kind of overstepped himself off the job on his side business as a private investigator and did some jail time. I worked for awhile in west virginnia back in 1964. My job was working with old utility poles and involved following the power lines wherever they went in the boonies. Once a probable moonshiner met me at a fence with a winchester 94 and informed me " I wasnt gitting any farther!" He made the boys in deliverance look like choir boys. There definetly was "Throwbacks" back there! Once I left the power line to go to the road far down the mountain. I came to a cabin or shack hanging on a ledge of a steep mountain side. I seen no path or driveway down to the highway far below. There was two or three young boys playing on the ledge. A real heavy toothless woman was sitting on the stoop smokeing a pipe. It was right out of little abner or snuffy smith! I asked her how to get down to the road she just gave me a big toothless smile. The boys pointed out a hardly visable very steep path that went down to the highway far below. There was absolutely no way that woman could have climbed that path as I even had to slide on my butt to make it! She evidently probley got up there when she was younger and thinner and her "Ol man" probley visited her every week or two with a gunny sack of supplys. I have been over much of the south and other states but have never seen a more backward area!

L_Kilkenny · Post by **L_Kilkenny** » Thu May 31, 2012 9:55 am

Don McDowell wrote: I can understand McCoy's anger towards Hatfield about the deserting. Hatfield left McCoy and the rest of their outfit with their butts swingin in the breeze in order to protect his own backside. McCoy was the only survivor from the unit that came from that region, save for Hatfield who deserted the rest of them.(according to the movie anyway)

In some ways I can understand the anger in other ways not. It's not like Anse was a coward or ran at the first sign of trouble. He did his share of fighting, maybe more, and decided dying for a lost cause was just plain dumb. Can't argue with his thinkin either and it very well may of taken more balls to walk away than stay.

What I can't understand and will never accept is bringing God and/or religion into your anger or using it as justification. Hatfield was perfectly right standing on his porch in part 2 and threatening to shoot McCoy if he brought God into the fight one more time. McCoy was the 1800's Christian equivalent to a radical muslim. Something I have no time for.

Again, this is all based off the movie and I have no idea the actual circumstances.

LK

Post by **Hobie** » Thu May 31, 2012 10:03 am

I think there was likely some PTSD at work here as well as liquor by the gallon. In the show they make a point of showing most if not all of the men and boys with a small bottle of liquor from which they are constantly "sipping". The troubles carried over into the coal wars.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu May 31, 2012 10:17 am

L_Kilkenny wrote:
Don McDowell wrote: I can understand McCoy's anger towards Hatfield about the deserting. Hatfield left McCoy and the rest of their outfit with their butts swingin in the breeze in order to protect his own backside. McCoy was the only survivor from the unit that came from that region, save for Hatfield who deserted the rest of them.(according to the movie anyway)
In some ways I can understand the anger in other ways not. It's not like Anse was a coward or ran at the first sign of trouble. He did his share of fighting, maybe more, and decided dying for a lost cause was just plain dumb. Can't argue with his thinkin either and it very well may of taken more balls to walk away than stay.

What I can't understand and will never accept is bringing God and/or religion into your anger or using it as justification. Hatfield was perfectly right standing on his porch in part 2 and threatening to shoot McCoy if he brought God into the fight one more time. McCoy was the 1800's Christian equivalent to a radical muslim. Something I have no time for.

Again, this is all based off the movie and I have no idea the actual circumstances.

LK

Keep in mind when they stole McCoy's hogs, they put the McCoys in a definite course for possible starvation. Someone tries to starve you to death,or at least brings about deep suffering to you and your family, I'm betting you wouldn't take it lightly either.
A good case could be made that Anse did not do his fair share of the fighting, by leaving the rest of them. There's also a thing about commitment and keeping your promise and oath.
There's likely been more wars started, and people killed in the name of god and religion than you can shake a stick at.
I think Hobies ptsd point has some validity to it, and I also have to wonder how much of the troubles were caused by mental illness brought about by the constant consumption of the liquor and the possible high consentrations of toxic chemicals in that liquor due to the materials from which the stills were made and maintained?
In any event it was a sad thing to have happened, that could of/should of been prevented, and the announcer at the end saying despite their deep hatred for each other.their names will forever be linked together.

44shooter · Post by **44shooter** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:31 pm

After I did some more internet research, I found out that both Randall and Devil Anse did fight for the CSA. I still find that odd since both Kentucky and WV were Union states. Of course WV was carved out of Virginia in 1860 in order to make a another anti-slavery state. The people of that area generally consider themselves to be Southerners, even though they can't make sweet tea or fried chicken fit for human consumption.

There is very little LE presence in that area of WV, even in fairly big towns like Logan. Kids ride ATVs down the road openly. People keep what are obviously fighting roosters and dogs out in the open for all to see. If the state puts up a stop sign at an intersection where people don't think it is needed, it comes down. Don't get me wrong, there's cockfighting, dogfighting, and moonshining around here in NC, close to Raleigh; but people do hide it here.

The main problem with the conflict was straight-up tribalism. They were like two separate nations in that area. Neither side was willing to hold their own kin accountable for misdeeds against others, so resentment led to retributions on both sides.

The show potrayed Randall McCoy as a crazy zealot who fueled the feud with his idealism. But the murder of McCoy's brother by Hatfields started the whole thing. And illegally kidnapping and executing the McCoy boys definately escalated the conflict. And the attack on the McCoy cabin puts the Hatfields in a bad light to me.

Anyway it was a tragic waste of life. I'm glad the two families laid it all aside.

JB · Post by JB » Thu May 31, 2012 12:34 pm

44shooter wrote: There is very little LE presence in that area of WV, even in fairly big towns like Logan. Kids ride ATVs down the road openly. People keep what are obviously fighting roosters and dogs out in the open for all to see. If the state puts up a stop sign at an intersection where people don't think it is needed, it comes down. Don't get me wrong, there's cockfighting, dogfighting, and moonshining around here in NC, close to Raleigh; but people do hide it here.

The state troopers generally say you have to beat respect into people in SW WV. Of course they often take it too far and smack around innocent folks as well.

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Thu May 31, 2012 2:57 pm

44shooter, There were at least 5 states that owned slaves and were on the union side during the Civil War: Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. Virginia was on the Confederate side. This is why it is difficult to teach that the Civil War was fought over slavery from most textbooks. It was part of the reason but a large part was sovereignty of the states or states rights. Whether or not the states had a right to succeed from the union was the main question. I personally do not want to fight the Civil War over again on this forum, so lets just say the Union won. Another thing that people don't generally know is that Lincoln wrote in some of his letters before he was assassinated that when the war was over he wanted to send the freed slaves back to Africa. So many of our finest men were killed in the Civil War on both sides. What a shame. Many fine families never came to be because of the Civil War. Many of our bravest and strongest were not to come back. It was a large turning point in our history. We have had many since.

madman4570 · Post by **madman4570** » Thu May 31, 2012 3:18 pm

Would be a cold day in he## (whether my kids did the bad deeds our not)would let the other side kill em.(and not fix it)
Honestly,they both were cowards.Look who payed???
They were hiding behind their children. Real men would have called on it.
McCoy should have declared Hatfield a traitor and insisted on justice or call him out.

The good looking blonde dude should have said screw this and took the good looking blonde McCoy girl and moved to Pa

Only people that fought for what they believed in was Uncle Jim/the double packing momma/the dog/and one eye.

At the end of the movie----I thought what a piece of sh## McCoy was.Are you kidding me???? Kneel on the road crying while you are just sobbing letting your family being blown away.

Should have listened to Uncle Jim----cause he would have done away with the whole da# McCoy clan at about 3am in one swoop.

Ya, sure he seemed like a wild "just take action guy" but I thought he deserved respect for "fighting for his family" (all the way)
They should have got rid of that ex-pinkertin puke/the lawyer,that snitch McCoy broad,from the get go.

Uncle Jim/the Dog----rest in piece(cause on this show)you be da man.
Yep,after skinny dipping with blondie I'd have been living in Pa(let the rest of the yahoos kill each other)cause neither side had a real plan.

Let me ask you this, if your child did a bad deed and you had the chance to send him to some far off island or turn him over to be blown away(what would you do)????????????
What would a real FATHER do(that loved his child)????????????????

Get Real

If it was Pa people(yep,it would have been different)

Coming from a born and breed proud PA plow boy

(least that's what they called me)