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THE CHRONICLES OF OKLAHOMA
Early Cinema and Oklahoma By Gary D. Rhodes* In 1917 Quillie McConnell and Louis Barnard, two young men from Stroud, Oklahoma, killed Sheriff George E. Arnold of Lincoln County. When apprehended, they jubilantly expressed their admiration for Oklahoma outlaw Al Jennings. McConnell and Barnard had just seen Beating Back (1915), a film based on Jennings's autobi- ography that starred the bandit as himself, recreating his old crimes. After the screening ended, the two young men robbed a department store. When Sheriff Arnold tried to arrest them the next day, they shot him. He died soon thereafter. Instead of being remorseful, McConnell and Barnard told officers "enthusiastic details" about Beating Back.1 By the time McConnell and Barnard saw the film, it was more than two years old. In retrospect, that span of time holds great meaning for film history. Anticipated by various kinds of precinema devices such
Quarterly publication containing articles, book reviews, photographs, illustrations, and other works documenting Oklahoma history and preservation. Index to volume 89 starts on page 512.
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