From Combinations to Combinations
a continuation of my previous three part postings of From Bloomers to Combinations with a twist.
In the 1969 film, Support Your Local Sheriff, local rough and tumble girl, Prudy Perkins (Joan Hackett), tomboy that she is, prefers long red union suits as her underwear of choice. Prudy is the daughter Calendar, Colorado Territory's mayor, Olly Perkins (Harry Morgan). Unlike prim and proper Patricia Rawnsley, daughter of Lord Rawnsley in Those Magnificant Men in Their Flying Machines, Prudy adhors elegant bloomers, underwear of the fair gender, so instead chooses to wear men's underwear.Or is it men's underwear?! 'Tis a fact that union suits were first manufactured for women! They were created and patented in Utica, New York in 1868 as “emancipation union under flannel." The new fangled union suits were underclothes for women. The new long underwear kept women warm and comfortable, freeing them from the shackles of layers of underwear: corsets, bustles, and the like. Their union suits were made of red flannel having arms that stretched to their wrists and legs that stretched to their ankles. The underwear buttoned all the way up the front and had a rear flap with buttons. Kinda reminds you of that which men wear today. Not much has changed in the union suit world in155 years. Since that early time, union suit underwear have mostly been worn by men, that's at least 140 years! So, I suppose a convincing argument could be made that those of us who wear them are wearing women's underwear! Well, let's don't go there.
Back to the story. A self-confidant cowboy arrives in Calendar on his way to Australia, or so he keeps telling everyone. Soon, Jason McCullough (James Garner) is found to be especially adept at handling a side arm. In fact, he is the fastest draw anyone in this part of Colorado has every seen. He is hired by Mayor Perkins and the town council to clean up the town, a bustling crime ridden place with shootings every hour. Several of the past sheriffs were run out of town or killed. McCullough is encouraged, somewhat reluctantly by the mayor, to arrest the town ruffian (Bruce Dern) who is accused of killing another man in cold blood.
On his way to do so, McCullough breaks up a mud-slinging brawl that erupted in the middle of main street. Prudy had been trying to cross the street as the fight broke out....
The new sheriff sees Prudy just as she is noticing him. Not a good first impression! But he seems interested....
.
Soon, the new sheriff, taking control, turns on a fire hose to break up the skirmish.
In the meantime, Prudy sloshes home, strips down to her red union suit and begins cleaning the mud out of her hair:
And out the door she goes. In her underwear. A long red, wet union suit to boot...
Great movie
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