Kellen Cutsforth Buffalo Bill and the Birth of American Celebrity

Annotation

Buffalo Bill and the Birth of American Celebrity commemorates the rise of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and tells the tale of a visionary whose real-life experiences (and embellishments) created an entertainment phenomenon that became a worldwide sensation.From Bill Codys earliest ideas of entertainment spectacles using Indians and examples of frontier life in their productions; the elements of Cody's early life that found their way into his Wild West spectacle; his friendship with Ned Buntline and early stage career; Cody's inclusion in outlandish dime novels; how the Wild West show idea was hatched with Cody's partner Doc Carver and their tumultuous relationship; early financial wobbles and European influence to take the Wild West overseas culminating in the 1887 American Exhibition; the hiring of Annie Oakley and treatment of Native Americans in the enterprise, and finally a look at Cody's lasting influence on today's entertainment culture.