But banks weren’t the only thing that Bonnie and Clyde liked to flip upside down. There is so much more to their story than the surface of what you see when they’re referenced. According to the reports, the couple died with the blood of over a dozen men on their hands. Come find out the deeper story behind the famous young lovers and ruthless gangsters. See why they met, and what inspired their reign of terror throughout the United States in the 1930’s.
But a lot of things had to happen before they would find themselves together. In fact, Bonnie was already spoken for at the time - with a ring on her finger and everything.
But that’s because her husband at the time was in prison - for murder.
If she couldn’t, she would find out just a few months after meeting him when he wound up in prison himself. He went away for two years for multiple robberies he’d committed.
Even though Bonnie may not have been into criminal activity just yet, she was teetering on the edge by getting involved with Clyde.
The Barrow Gang, as they came to be known, quickly became infamous in Texas.
Of course, they had no intentions of slowing down. If anything, they were ready to take things to the next level.
They prepared to take the gang on the road, and they headed north.
The string of crimes by the Barrow Gang led all the way from Texas to Minnesota.
They were getting away with everything on a cross-country crime spree. But that all changed when the authorities received a tip in 1933. One that would lead them straight to the gang’s hideout in Missouri.
The couple had been documenting their journey on film – and they left a couple of rolls behind for them to find. Authorities were probably a combination of amused and surprised to have found the photos, which all painted a very bright picture of the people behind all of these heartless crimes.
Above is one of her most famous photos found on the rolls, which perfectly displays her personality.
There was something very romantic about this young couple who would do anything for each other – even if that meant spilling blood.
There was a shoot-out, and Buck didn’t make it out alive, and Blanche was taken in.
Then, when two policemen were murdered back in Texas and fingers were pointed at Bonnie – they had had enough. There was public outrage and demands for the couple to be taken out.
Nearly a year after barely escaping the shoot-out in which Buck lost his life, Bonnie and Clyde found themselves taking another barrage of bullets in a vehicle (a stolen vehicle.) This time, they wouldn’t be so lucky, either.
In part because it meant they could feel a little safer, and the other part because everyone loves a tragic end to a good love story. But that would hardly be the last they’d see of the infamous young gangsters.
It has been widely regarded as one of the best gangster films of all time.
Perhaps you’ve heard of a woman known as Calamity Jane. She published an autobiography in 1896 that detailed her exploits, which were definitely not something common of women in her time.
Although it’s no secret that Martha led a troubled life, there’s also no question that she stretched the truth of that life for her stories.
And that was far from the only truth she seemed to stretch in the book, "The Autobiography of Calamity Jane".
And there was plenty of it in Montana. The family loaded up and headed west.
Her husband, Jane’s father, Robert, knew he had to think of something fast or his family was in trouble.
But she put her feelings aside and jumped into action to help take care of her younger siblings.
So, she packed her brothers and sisters up and headed south towards Wyoming. It was there when she would start to really grow into her own.
Typically, it meant things like cleaning glasses at the cantina or driving oxen, but it’s also been speculated that she occasionally worked in a brothel as a teen, as well.
If Jane was telling the truth, General Custer himself was so impressed with her shot that he recruited her into the US military.
Sure, she also may have had a killer shot, but when she needed to put food on the table, she had no issues getting her hands dirty. Calamity Jane was not a woman who apologized for doing what she needed to do to get by.
It was around that time that she first met Wild Bill Hickok. The two hit it off almost instantly, probably thanks in large part to the fact they both drank like fish.
It was then that she would earn her name. It was in 1873 that Calamity Jane was officially born.
And, according to her tales, the captain thanked her by gifting her with her infamous nickname.
After all, it does seem like quite a stretch that this guy, who’s bleeding out, takes the time to grab someone all Hollywood style and say, “I will call you Calamity Jane, for your bravery,” or something to that effect.
But even with all of the weights that found their way to her shoulders, Martha Jane still found it in her heart to help others.
Some speculate that Hickok and Jane were more than just friends, but as far as she describes, they were just good drinking buddies.
Things like that little hiccup are a big part of the reason why her book should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, rumors of them being any more than friends were left unconfirmed. Jane didn’t know Wild Bill for very long before his impending untimely death.
The man, Jack McCall, left, but came back the next night, stormed through the doors and shot Bill. He was a holding a pair of aces and eights: a Deadman’s hand.
After all, she was Calamity Jane. Luckily, before she could get to him, the authorities caught up with him and he was killed by the system.
In fact, as is the case with so many people, her fame and following only increased tenfold after her death.
Depending on who you asked, you may hear a few different stories about Calamity Jane, but the consensus was all the same. She was a hard-drinking, sharp-shooting free spirit.
Of course, Day didn’t look much like the real Jane, but she did nail the ice-cold face you see in many of her photos.
Day’s career began during Hollywood’s Golden Age, and took off thanks to her infectious smile and skills on screen.
But in 1937, she was involved in a car accident that took her out of commission - temporarily, anyways.
Her right leg had been damaged so bad that doctors told her she wouldn’t walk for years - if ever again.
While she was there, she started experimenting with her singing voice, singing along with music by Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington to pass the time during her stay, and discovered she actually had quite a talent for singing.
It was with his band, Barney Rapp and his New Englanders, that her career really took off.
She told journalist A.E Hotchner that, “there was a quality to her voice that fascinated me.” Soon, teenage Doris would be a thing of the past.
Nevertheless, the two had a son, Terry, who was born the year after they tied the knot. The couple met while working together in Barney Rapp’s band.
The year after she joined the group, they published the song “Sentimental Journey,” which found its way to number one on the charts.
After she made a great impression on screen in her first role, she soon found herself getting call after call from people who wanted her in their films.
He would later report that discovering Doris Day was one of the proudest moments of his career. And the film was a hit, which launched an acting career that spanned two decades.
Up until that point, Day had been working with Warner Brothers, but once her contract was up in 1955, she decided not to renew it. But her career wasn’t going to slow down anytime soon. In fact, it was just about to skyrocket.
She is widely praised for her work in "Calamity Jane." Day quickly rose to become the queen of musical comedy. And everyone in Hollywood was dying to work with her.
Of course, she still sang in the film, including one song, “Que Sera, Sera,” which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Critics and the public alike were invested in this on-screen partnership, and they were ready for more - and they didn’t disappoint.
The actor passed away in 1985. Day would later recall in her interview with People that she believed the reason people liked them together so much is because “they could see how much we liked each other.”
Unfortunately, she would find herself dealing with much more pressing issues.
But in 1968, fate would take a turn for the worse, when Melcher passed away. Doctors later told Day it was due to an enlarged heart.
Not only did they spend loads of her money, they spent so much of it that she was now over $500,000 in debt.
She’d made it perfectly clear to him that she would rather die than do a sitcom, and at this point, she was probably starting to feel less bad about him suddenly dying, and more so about how he’d completely betrayed her before he did.
Fortunately, she took her power back when she and her own lawyer made changes to the contract that ensured her ultimate success. They also tried to make it as painless as possible on the actress.
In fact, she was free to do basically anything she wanted when it came to how a majority of things went, such as the script and actors.
Although Martin Melcher had signed Day up for the show without her knowledge and consent, he was still given the credit of “executive producer” for season one. But after the first season, Day gained a bit more control over what went on.
It was in those years that everyone wanted to see more daring and dangerous female characters, and were starting to get tired of seeing the same old type of “man marries woman, has child and works until he dies, rinse and repeat” type of deal.
She launched the Doris Day Animal Foundation, which works to support rescues, spay and neuter programs for strays, and abused and/or neglected animals.
While filming "The Man Who Knew Too Much" in Morocco, she would take time to feed the strays, and try and figure out ways to help the locals better care for them.
Plus, she will always be immortalized in so many different roles, including the tough but funny, sharpshooting girl, Calamity Jane. She also has one grandchild, Ryan Melcher, a realtor in Carmel, California.