The Show Must Go On
Keeping alive a family legacy that pays tribute to the icon who started it all.
By: Charley Engel 08/01/2009
The accident set Cody so far back financially that many believe it was the beginning of the end for the showman and his famous spectacle of cowboys, Indians, horses, holdups and gallantry that made up his romanticized version of the West. Perpetually strapped for cash, he was forced to keep performing for another 15 years, nearly until his death in 1917. But until his final days he remained the ultimate professional.
Montie Jr. sums up the namesake of his Wild West show simply: “Buffalo Bill Cody ... was one hell of a guy. [He] has done more to establish the image of the Old West throughout the world than any other person in history. Amen!”
Despite our shortened attention spans, fondness for air-conditioned comfort and obsession with technology, as long as there are horses and performers, there will be Wild West acts and near disasters—and someone saying, “The show must go on!”
Charley Engel held Montie Montana Jr.'s horses and stagecoach for ransom overnight until he wheedled his way into Buffalo Bill's Wild West. He played the part of a wooden Indian.
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