Tag Archives: Alain Delon

Le samouraï, adieu

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Did it ever really get any cooler than Alain Delon?

An avid gun collector, Indochina vet, and movie tough guy who influenced generations of action filmmakers has passed away.

Alain Delon was born in November 1935 in the Paris suburb of Sceaux, France, and four years of his childhood living under German occupation.

After turbulent adolescence with time at a foster home and Catholic boarding school followed by a stint in the French Fusiliers marins during the Indochinese War in the 1950s— which included service at Dien Bein Phu and catching a court-martial charge for liberating a jeep in Saigon for personal use– Delon found himself discharged and on the streets of Paris and soon found him living as a literal pimp in Montmartre.

The French Navy and Marines in the 1950s had a war that precluded the American “Brown Water Navy” of the 1960s and 70s. U.S. Navy Historical & Heritage Command photo NH79376

The square-jawed young man caught a break in the movie industry that saw him appear in the first adaptation of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (“Plein soleil”) in 1960 and on to a host of films working alongside some of France’s most iconic directors to include Jean-Luc Godard, Jean‑Pierre Melville, and Louis Malle.

It was his tough guy roles, alternating between gangsters early on and detectives later in life, that saw Delon make his biggest marks, including 1967’s Bushido assassin film “Le Samouraï,” 1970’s “The Red Circle (Le cercle rouge),” 1973’s “Big Guns (Les grands fusils),” 1975’s ” The Gypsy (Le gitan),” and 1982’s “The Shock (Le Choc).” He even crossed over into American cinema, notably in the spy film “Scorpio” opposite Burt Lancaster.

These films, many of which were later cited as favorites and influences by later action directors like Quentin Tarantino and John Woo and actors such as Keanu Reeves, Delon built a lasting cult following around the world.

The Internet Movie Firearms Database has more than 40 listings of the guns he used on-screen, leaning heavily toward Smith & Wesson revolvers and Colt M1911s with the occasional Glock, Beretta, and Manurhin thrown in for good measure.

A firearms enthusiast and collector ever since his military stint in Indochina, Delon maintained a personal shooting range at his home because, well, freedom, right? Sadly, the long arm of the law caught up with him earlier this year and seized 72 unlicensed guns from his estate, because France. 

Delon passed on Sunday, aged 88, leaving behind “at least” four children. 

Reposz en paix, Alain.

Steve McQueen’s Original Mare’s Leg Sold…in France

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In a strange twist of fate, a sawn-off lever-action cowboy rifle that drew the close attention of federal agents in the 1950s and went on to arguably become a star of the small screen, was for a princely sum in Paris last week.

From 1958-61 CBS ran an Old Western TV series called Wanted: Dead or Alive as part of the overall trend at the time in shows of that period, such as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, being extremely popular. After all, the days of Tombstone and the O.K. Corral were only just a few generations past.

The series, which ran some 94 episodes, featured Steve McQueen as a Civil War veteran Josh Randall with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s. The SBR, known popularly as a “Mare’s Leg,” was a shortened Winchester Lever Action.

According to the Internet Media Firearms Database McQueen’s prop gun was a chopped-down Winchester Model 1892 saddle ring carbine in .44-40 with a large lever ring.

Wanted_-_Dead_or_Alive_Poster

In a funny twist of fate, the gun was made without adhering to the National Firearms Act requirements of the time for Short-barreled rifles, which led to Treasury agents showing up on set the day after the first episode aired. After some good-natured explanations and $1,100 in licenses and fees paid by producers (about $9300 in today’s cash), the ATF went away and the studio had an FFL with a SOT to produce more guns if needed. Hey, it was a simpler time back in 1958!

At least three different versions of the gun were used in production and studio imagery and one made it into a European auction last week.

How did it make it there? Read the rest in my column at Firearms Talk