Dastardly villains, mercenary women, and dashing heroes who don’t always manage to save the day. These are the elements of “The Wild, Wild West,” inspiration for “They Went Thataway!” taking place on April 25, at Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad.
James Bond combines with Jules Verne and things are never what they seem. From medieval to mod, Middle Eastern to Polynesian, there’s no such thing as an inappropriate costume. At one time or another our heroes, Jim and Arte met up with circus people, mad scientists, knights in armor, an Egyptian princess, and sea monsters. In their elegantly appointed private railroad car, James West and Artemus Gordon, Washington’s finest Secret Service agents, spent four years stylishly saving us from the forces of evil.
What makes up the “Wild, Wild West” look? Men: for our heroes,
brocade vests and cravats are an
integral
part of the package. Villains (as mentioned before) are all over the map
stylistically. For those of you who don’t feel like wearing any of the
more bizarre possibilities, uniforms from almost any place and time are
appropriate, as are “Hollywood” interpretations of the clothing
of the 1870’s. Women: again, anything from a houppelande to a silver
mini skirt is appropriate, with corsets, bustles, and big hair (along with
blue eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner) being the distinctive style.
To catch an example of what we’re talking about; you can see it first hand every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on TNT or Tuesday through Friday at 3 a.m. on Channel 36.
Next month—Indiana Jones meets Paladin in “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.”
© January, 1999 by Karen Tully