The myths & truths of Bonnie & Clyde By: Kayla Ylagan

Bonnie Parker Clyde Barrow Clyde Chestnut Barrow March 24, 1909 -> May 23, 1934 The 2 met on January 5, 1930 and “instantly fell in love”. Bonnie waited for Clyde during his time in Eastham Bonnie Elizabeth Parker October 1, 1910 -> May 23, 1934

The Barrow Gang Bonnie Parker Clyde Barrow Buck Barrow Blanche Barrow

Timeline March 1930: Clyde in Eastham prison; escapes after Bonnie smuggles in a gun March 1932: Clyde’s brother and sister in law join the gang 1932: total of 4 murders attributed to the Gang June 10, 1933: Bonnie severely burned in an automobile accident July 23, 1933: the Gang is surrounded in an Iowa park, resulting in Blanche and Buck’s capture January 16, 1934: the Gang frees inmates from Eastham May 23, 1934: Clyde and Bonnie are ambushed and killed on a road in Louisiana

Bonnie and Clyde’s Death Car After their death, thousands flocked to the site of the shooting Some took parts of their bodies as loot Hundreds of thousands of people visited their funerals

Myth VS. Reality Reality Myths Bonnie was actually married already, and died with his ring. Bonnie actually never smoked and barely ever shot her gun. The gang barely got away with much money Bonnie and Clyde were married Bonnie was a glamorous “bad girl” of the 30’s The Barrow Gang was rich from all their bank heists

Why were they popular? Bonnie and Blanche’s membership: vigilant > violent Crimes seen as righteous acts of rebellion against the public So-called “Glamorous” life of robberies, getaways, and romance

Empowerment of Romance Had an idolized romance “rebellious” romantic figures Lovers in life and death

The name “Bonnie & Clyde” Symbolic Hybristophilia Modern-day cases coined as “Bonnie and Clyde” Distortion of their history

History Distorted through Media Newspapers described their heists as “heroic” Portrayed their lifestyle as more glamorous and fancier Bonnie’s representation

Modern-Day Distortion Bonnie & Clyde Musical & Movie

Bonnie and Clyde Merchandise How their story was romanticized into a glamorous symbol of rebellious love

Significance Only Depression-era gang with 2 women Greatest “romance” appeal Iconic shoot down

Contradictions They only acted Weren’t actually in love Made for themselves a pitiful story >> Blanche’s story

Conclusion The Bonnie and Clyde story has many misinterpretations that cause its truth to be masked behind the glamour now associated with their criminal lifestyle

Works Cited Works Cited Anderson, Brian. “Reality less romantic than outlaw legend.” The Dallas Morning News. Free Republic, 18 April 2003. Web. 16 March 2015. <http://freerepublic.com/focus/f- news/896385/posts> Bible, Michael. “Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome Is a Real Thing.” NERVE. This Life, 22 January 2015. Web. 16 March 2015. <http://www.nerve.com/life/the-bonnie-and-clyde- syndrome-sex> Caldwell-Barrow, Blanche. “My Life with Bonnie and Clyde.” The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 110.1 (2006): 153-154 E-library. Web. 3 March 2015. Casebier, Allan. “VIOLENCE IN MASS MEDIA DRAMA: Assessment in Terms of Context” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 38.8 (1981): 312-318 E-library. Web. 2 March 2015. Duncan, Martha G. and Grace. Romantic Outlaws, Beloved Prisons: The Unconscious Meanings of Crime and Punishment. New York and London. 1996. Print. “Famous Cases & Criminals: Bonnie and Clyde.” The FBI. U.S. Department of Justice. N.d. Web. 16 March 2015. <http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/bonnie- and-clyde Leibowitz, Barry. “Book’Em: Go Down Together…The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde.” Crimesider. CBS, 17 July 2009. Web. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-em- go-down-together-the-true-untold-story-of-bonnie-and-clyde/> McPhee, Rod. “Real Bonnie & Clyde: Has history been too harsh on her role in the infamous killer couple?” Mirror. Mirror, 31 August 2013. Web. 16 March 2015. <http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/real-bonnie-clyde-history-been-2239712> Milner, E.R. “The Lives and Times of Bonnie and Clyde.” Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 45.3 (2004): 376-377 E-library. Web. 3 March 2015. OSI. “The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde.” Officer Survival Initiative. The Officer Survival Initiative, 10 December. Web. 16 March 2015. <http://www.officersurvival.org/blogs/news/10743733-the-other-side-of-bonnie-and-clyde> Pramaggiore, Maria and Wallis, Tom. Film: A Critical Introduction. London. 2005. Print. “Shoot-out with Bonnie and Clyde, 1933.” EyeWitness to History. Ibis Communications, 2012. Web. 16 March 2015. <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bonnieandclyde.htm>