How the ‘Hatfields and McCoys’ Feud Ruined the Image of Rural America

[proud2BlibKansan]

As the History miniseries “Hatfields and McCoys” wraps up tonight, viewers will likely be left with some questions. A few of them: What kinds of liberties did the fictionalized drama take with the real-life story? What surprising stories did the show leave out? And what is the status of the Hatfield-McCoy feud today?

To get some answers, the Journal talked to Lisa Alther, author of “Blood Feud: The Hatfields and the McCoys: The Epic Story of Murder and Vengeance.” She’s not just an expert on the subject of the feud, her family has marriage connections to the McCoys. (If any Hatfields are reading this, let’s hope her responses don’t spark a new beef.) Alther answered our questions via email.

What do you think of the “Hatfields & McCoys” so far? Were there any scenes that stood out to you?

On the whole, I think the miniseries is doing a great job of conveying the complexities that fueled the feud and the contradictions of the personalities involved.

How accurate is the miniseries in depicting the Hatfield-McCoy feud?

Several scenes stood out for me because of their historical inaccuracies. Some characters are murdered in the miniseries who weren’t murdered in reality, or by people other than their actual murderers. Also, the Tug Fork Valley at that time was a remote rural area, so the existence there of a classy Wild West saloon and brothel startled me. The depiction of Perry Cline was especially surprising to me because he lived in Pikeville, 25 miles away from the feud area, with his wife and five children and wasn’t actually roaming the Tug Fork trying to persuade Roseanna to marry him or manipulating the McCoy sons into attacking the Hatfields. He wasn’t even a lawyer until the final years of the feud. But this is how historical fiction works, and the miniseries is a fiction, not a documentary. And of course many of the feudists weren’t as physically attractive as the Hollywood actors who are portraying them.

more . . . http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/05/30/how-the-hatfields-and-mccoys-feud-ruined-the-image-of-rural-america/?mod=google_news_blog

[NYC_SKP]

1. Just another sorry-ass consolidated media promotion-fest...

History channel did their deal, then Pawn Stars did their bit, and Pickers did their part to promote the six-hour waste of time.

Nothing new here.

But there might be if there's an underhanded effort to diminish the intellect of the populace of coal-bearing parts of america.

I could accept that theory. Otherwise it's just business as usual.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I thought it was well done

Don't know how accurate it was but it was a good series.

[ieoeja]

19. 11 people murdered over 25 years in a 3-day miniseries.

1 tried and executed by Kentucky authorities at the end of the feud. 7 tried and given life sentences.

I didn't see it. But if it was entertaining, then it sure as heck couldn't have been all that accurate.

Actually, an accurate documentary would be entertaining, but in a documentary way: the wealth and political connections of the Hatfields, the threat of war between WV and KY, the USSC ruling that the trials could go forward despite illegal extradition as KY finally gave up on WV doing anything about the Hatfields and sent a posse across the river to round them up which finally ended the feud.

[SoutherDem]

2. I didn't watch the miniseries

But, I would guess we southerner didn't fair well, but that is just a guess.

But the feud between the Democrats and the Republicans is running the image of modern America. Ops, my spelling I meant Amercia.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Hatfileds were from WV. McCoys were in KY.

I think that makes them both southerners.

[SoutherDem]

7. I don't know if you knew what I meant

I meant that usually Movies and TV makes southerners look like a bunch of barefoot hicks running around in overalls talking like we have a wad of chewing tobacco in our mouths. Not that they would make one side the villain and the other the hero.

Ok. That description does fit most of the Republicans, but that is another story.

[snooper2]

21. I grew up in Southeastern Missouri...barefoot in walmart with Overalls, check

Chew, check LOL

You ever been to the WalMart in Desoto MO

[NYC_SKP]

5. I wish I had six hours to follow something like this.... but...

I would prefer a non-dramatized narrative description of the facts and figures.

I know that many prefer the invented interpersonal relationship angles, and that makes sense, but I just simply do not have the patience for the extra stuff.

However I imagine it's the first time the topic has been treated this well.

[ieoeja]

20. Didn't watch it, but historically there were a couple of interesting relationships.

A Hatfield man who killed a McCoy man really did try running off with a McCoy woman. She really did help the Hatfield's rescue him from a posse that had captured him and was taking him to prison. And in a truly class Jerry Springeresque maneuver, he dumped her while she was pregnant and married her younger sister!

Also, the patriachs of both families did go off to the Civil War together as friends and came back feuding. I've never read why, but given that most of the McCoys fought for the North while the Hatfields fought for the South, I'd imagine Anson was upset that his McCoy comrade-at-arms wanted to forgive-and-forget his family after the war while the Hatfields were really bad losers.

Why the heck West Virginia, a state created for the sole purpose of supporting the North, defended the Hatfields is a mystery. Well, probably not that much of a mystery. Despite fighting for the South, they were wealthy and politically connected which in politics pretty much trumps all else.

Some things never change.

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. Jonce did not marry her sister, he married her cousin.

[tularetom]

6. She's right, they tried to make it into a Hollywood western

and by doing so it lost a lot of authenticity.

On the other hand, if you just like to see people killed in violent ways, I guess it was great.

I watched it off and on. Couldn't really get into it. I wasn't necessarily turned off by the violence, it just didn't seem to fit together. Plus I always have major problems understanding WTF Kevin Costner is saying.

If they run it again maybe I'll give it another shot but as far as I'm concerned ...

[DLine]

8. I really liked it and thought it was very entertaining...

I DVR'd the series so I could fast forward the commercials. Just finished watching the final episode.

[FairyDust]

9. I liked it but I saw no attempt to capture any real regions language or accents

They made it sound like a fake western.

[trof]

10. And it seems the 'Romeo and Juliet' theme has been done before.

[Brigid]

15. Actually, the Hatfields and McCoys did intermarry.

That was not at all unusual. The family relationships were very complex.

[ieoeja]

22. Got her pregnant. Killed her relative. Captured. She helped prison break. Married her younger sister

If they ever do a documentary they have to get Jerry Springer to narrate.

[fishwax]

23. married her cousin, rather than her sister

Still a bit Springerish, of course

[gkhouston]

11. I flipped through on the way to something else, and when I saw Roseanne McCoy

cast as a blonde, that told me all I needed to know about "accuracy".

[lynne]

12. I watched it with West VA Encyclopedia open on my netbook -

- and confirmed and/or disproved the accuracy of the show as I watched. They were accurate on all major events. Seemed like a lot more people died than what the WV Encyclopedia indicated but it could be that I thought they were dead when they were just shot. Husband read series was filmed somewhere in Europe which is a shame as there's plenty of spots in KY/WV/VA that still look that way.

Certainly there was some literary license taken and the timeline was confusing at times but the guts of the story appeared accurate.

[Brigid]

16. It was filmed in Romania.

Why, I don't know -- I suppose it was cheaper.

[CTyankee]

26. Why does that kind of make sense to me? Romania...hmm.

[Hubert Flottz]

13. Hell you couldn't see the story for all the commercials.

No wonder that feud lasted so long. The six hour mini-series was really about a 90 minute mimi-series and I learned more about Geico and the Ice Road Truckers than I did about the Hatfield and McCoy misunderstanding.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. I taped it and zapped through commercials.

[Hubert Flottz]

17. I couldn't figure out if...

The Geico Cave Man was a Hatfield or a McCoy?

I think he looks more like a Vance?

[The Second Stone]

18. As a story with a moral that a bloodfeud is

idiotic and fruitless and revenge is stupid it hit its mark.

[Tom Ripley]

25. Where the hell were Grampa, Luke, Little Luke, Pepino, and Hassie?

Just kidding
I have not seen the miniseries.
I have no problem with Alther (my paternal grandmother was a McCoy)