Phil Schreier, Senior Curator of the NRA National Firearms Museum, will appear on Target Talk, a weekly firearms radio show recorded in St Louis, Missouri.

On Sundays, from 6 to 7 p.m. Central Standard Time, hosts Steve King and Amy Chase bring listeners the latest from the firearms community. Tune into The Big 550 KTRS, or check their website for recorded episodes.

"The topic of the day is our exciting exhibit of movie firearms, Hollywood Guns," Schreier said. "From John Wayne to Tom Selleck and every gun-slinging movie star in between, this exhibit is your chance to see the guns of reel heroes." Schreier will be appearing live from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. CST on Sunday, September 5.

Steve King is an NRA Certified Instructor and an NRA Recruiter. At left, he interviewed Deputy Executive Director of NRA General Operations Andrea Cerwinske and Executive Director Kayne Robinson at the 2009 SHOT Show. If you're in the greater St Louis area, stop by King's firearm supply store, Metro Shooting Supplies.

When the NRA hosted the 61st Annual Meeting of the Company of Military Historians, NRAblog sat down with West Point Museum's Curator of Arms and Armor Leslie Jensen as he viewed the new Hollywood Guns exhibit.

You are now the curator for the museum at the United States Military Academy at West Point, but how did your career start?

I always wanted to be involved with museums and I've worked with a number of military museums over the years. Joined the army system and run a couple of their museums. I've been at West Point for about six years now. I've been able to work with a lot of different collections, got to see a lot of good stuff. Of course, you have a lot of good stuff as well.

Tell us about the West Point Museum.

West Point is interesting because it's actually the oldest federal museum - it even predates the Smithsonian. A number of our items go back to the Revolution, a good deal of the artillery which is on display on the post for example. It's a really good collection in that every piece allows you to gain a lot about the story behind it.

Another great piece is the first British flag captured during the Revolution. Taken at Fort Chambly Canada, in October of 1775 from the 7th Regiment of Royal Bugleers. We also have the first Medal of Honor that went to Jacob Parrott. The guys who participated in the Great Locomotive Chase were all awarded those medals, but Parrott happened to be first in line. It's a good collection.

What is your favorite piece at West Point?

Probably a pair of George Washington's pistols. They are Hawkins, London made, brass barrel pistols presented to him by a Virginian named Turner during the Revolution. What makes that very interesting is that a thank you letter survived. I can't quote exactly what he wrote, but it was in the order of, "I don't usually accept this kind of thing, but these are so neat I just can't stand it."

This past weekend Assistant Curator Matt Sharpe of the National Firearms Museum came up to Camp Perry with a few special items to display for the competitors at the National Matches.

"We recently opened our newest rotating exhibit, Hollywood Guns, that displays famous firearms used throughout the history of film and have been taking small portions of it around the country to promote," Sharpe said. "It's just one part of our never-ending quest to increase firearms education among the public." This trip, Matt brought along a collection of guns used in Clint Eastwood movies. How'd it go?

"Being at Camp Perry was a great experience," Sharpe told me. "I talked to folks from all over the country. I even spoke with a gentleman from Dublin, Ireland. It was a great venue to promote museum activity seeing as we were among many firearms enthusiasts who appreciate the intricate details that go into firearm production."

Matt went on to say that the best part about traveling around with the exhibit is answering people's questions. Being an Assistant Curator, Matt has accrued quite a knowledge of firearms and likes being able to help people better understand the guns they're looking at.

And what is Matt's favorite piece in Hollywood Guns? "That's a tough one, but I'd have to say the silenced Remington 11-87 used by Javier Bardem in the 2007 film No Country for Old Men."

 

The National Firearms Museum made an appearance at Camp Perry this weekend to promote its newest exhibit, Hollywood Guns.

Assistant Curator Matt Sharpe drove up with a collection of firearms used by Clint Eastwood in various films throughout the actor's career during the tail-end of CMP Week and the beginning of NRA High Power.

"Dirty Harry's Model 29 is always a favorite of people who come by," said Sharpe.

Prior to its use in the Dirty Harry movies, the Model 29 was only popular among collectors, law enforcement and hunters. After Clint Eastwood's character, Harry Callahan, brought it to people's attention as "the most powerful handgun in the world," its popularity skyrocketed. Many people can attribute their interest in the pistol directly to the movies.

From a more recent movie of Eastwood's, the Museum displays the M1 Garand featured in Gran Torino. "I just saw Gran Torino last week," NRABlog overheard a kid say. "That's so cool."

Hollywood Guns, the Museum's newest exhibit, showcases firearms spanning eighty years of silver screen classics like Stagecoach and 2010 Best Picture Oscar Winner The Hurt Locker. If you're ever near the NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, VA swing by and check it out.

NRAblog is delighted to introduce Wendy Cunningham, who has been working at the NRA National Firearms Museum since February. Cunningham brings a variety of skills to the Museum’s small staff, and she reports she has worked on some very interesting projects.

With the title “Administrative Assistant,” you might imagine Cunningham does a lot of budgeting, filing, organizing, and assisting – and you’d be right. Museum Director Jim Supica and Senior Curators Phil Schreier and Doug Wicklund spend a lot of time on the road, and Cunningham holds the fort down, so to speak, and keeps the candy bowl freshly stocked at the Museum’s Fairfax, Virginia, offices.

But there is much, much more to Cunningham’s job. In her time with the NRA, Cunningham’s role has already grown to include gun show coordinator, advertising, and graphic design for Museum projects. Her work is visible on several Museum ads, the recent Hollywood Guns book cover, Museum exhibit labels, brochures, banners, and even on the latest Museum challenge coin.

Cunningham holds a degree in Art History from the University of New Hampshire, and before coming to the NRA she worked at Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art as a curatorial assistant to the Senior Mellon Curator of the Division of Prints and Drawings.

Although she started her new job at the NRA during February’s epic snowstorm, Cunningham says that the transition has been easy and enjoyable. Supica notes that Cunningham has brought a fresh perspective and new energy to staff. He reports, “In a very short time, Wendy has become an integral part of the Museum. Not only does she keep the staff organized – sometimes a daunting task on its own – but she brings great art and design skills to Museum projects.”

Cunningham confesses, “I love my job. I get to wake up in the morning and enjoy coming to work. My job is a lot of work, but we also have a lot of fun.”

The NRA’s National Firearms Museum will be showing off part of their new Hollywood Guns collection at this weekend's Nation's Gun Show at Dulles Expo Center. The show starts tomorrow, Friday, July 30, and runs through Sunday, August 1. Members of the Museum staff will be available to answer questions, provide advice, and maybe pick up a few goodies along the way.

We again thank Senior Curator Doug Wicklund for the following descriptions of the firearms scheduled for display:

• John Wayne’s Winchester Big-Loop carbine from the movie Stagecoach. If you're a Western movie fan, this is a gun you’ve seen in the hands of the Duke as he twirled it to flag down the stagecoach at the film’s beginning scene. It likely had on-screen roles in other Wayne classics such as True Grit and El Dorado.
 

• Lorne Greene’s Winchester Model 1873 carbine from the TV series Bonanza. This nickel-plated carbine was there on the Ponderosa Ranch with Hoss and Little Joe! Bonanza was one of the longer-running western TV shows; it first aired in 1959 and ended in 1973 after 430 episodes.
 

• Chuck Connors’ Winchester Model 1892 rifle from the TV show The Rifleman. Come by and look over the famous Winchester rifle that TV sheriff Chuck Conners fired at the beginning of each show. Unlike John Wayne’s Winchester, this gun has a special set-screw fitted to hit the trigger as the loop comes up to a closed position.
 

• Clint Eastwood’s Walker revolvers from the film The Outlaw Josey Wales. One of these .44 caliber sixguns was also used by John Wayne and Kim Darby in True Grit. Converted from percussion ignition to use blank cartridges, these heavy revolvers were originally designed to be carried in saddle holsters. (One is pictured at right.)

Plan to visit the National Firearms Museum exhibit at the Capitol Expo Center all three days. If you come to the gun show, remember that “Hollywood Guns,” our special exhibition of movie guns, will be open (with free admission) at the NRA Headquarters just up the road. For more information, call (703) 267-1600 or email nfmstaff@nrahq.org.

Just three weeks from today, the NRA’s National Firearms Museum will have a special lineup of Hollywood movie guns at the Nation's Gun Show at Dulles Expo Center. The weekend show takes place Friday, July 30, Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, August 1, and Museum staff will be there until the doors shut Sunday evening. As usual, they won't be there emptyhanded!

Thanks to Senior Curator Doug Wicklund for the following descriptions of the Winchesters on display:

• John Wayne’s Winchester Big-Loop carbine from the movie Stagecoach. If you're a Western movie fan, this is a gun you’ve seen in the hands of the Duke as he twirled it to flag down the stagecoach at the film’s beginning scene. It likely had on-screen roles in other Wayne classics such as True Grit and El Dorado.
 

• Lorne Greene’s Winchester Model 1873 carbine from the TV series Bonanza. This nickel-plated carbine was there on the Ponderosa Ranch with Hoss and Little Joe! Bonanza was one of the longer-running western TV shows; it first aired in 1959 and ended in 1973 after 430 episodes.
 

• Chuck Conner’s Winchester Model 1892 rifle from the TV show The Rifleman. Come by and look over the famous Winchester rifle that TV sheriff Chuck Conners fired at the beginning of each show. Unlike John Wayne’s Winchester, this gun has a special set-screw fitted to hit the trigger as the loop comes up to a closed position.
 

• Clint Eastwood’s Walker revolvers from the film The Outlaw Josey Wales. One of these .44 caliber sixguns was also used by John Wayne and Kim Darby in True Grit. Converted from percussion ignition to use blank cartridges, these heavy revolvers were originally designed to be carried in saddle holsters. (One is pictured at right.)

Plan to visit the National Firearms Museum exhibit at the Capitol Expo Center all three days. If you come to the gun show, remember that “Hollywood Guns,” our special exhibition of movie guns, will be open (with free admission) at the NRA Headquarters just up the road. For more information, call (703) 267-1600 or email nfmstaff@nrahq.org.

Thanks to Phil Schreier of the NRA National Firearm Museum for the following piece outlining the importance of the Maltese Falcon. Schreier is pictured below in his first "Phil Noir" segment of Curator's Corner for NRA News.

Early on in Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade’s partner, Miles Archer, is shot while shadowing a man named Thursby. In a first edition of the novel, on page 17, Sam appears at the scene of the crime and his friend, police detective Tom Polhaus displays the weapon he found that was used to kill Miles. Sam replies to Detective Polhaus’s question about the gun’s maker: “Yes, Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver. Thirty-eight, eight shot. They don’t make them any more.”

Indeed, they don’t make them any more – and they haven’t since 1925. The Webley-Fosbery was the brainchild of General George Vincent Fosbery, VC of Great Britain. He designed the world’s first commercially successful automatic revolver in 1895, and nearly 4,000 of them were produced up through the end of World War I.

It’s said that the Fosbery was the answer to a question no one ever asked. Today it remains one of the great collectible arms that falls into the category of curiosa.

In the internet-savvy world of today, anyone reading Falcon for the first time could simply pull up an image from Wikipedia to see and understand what it was Detective Polhaus and Sam Spade were talking about. But in the 1930’s, such resources weren’t even dreamt of, and an automatic revolver in .38 caliber must have been a sensation akin to Flash Gordon's ray gun.

Adapting Hammett’s novel into a film script garnered an Academy Award nomination for director John Huston – but it was easy work, as he faithfully copied every nuance of the written word into lines that Bogart would later immortalize. The script as written by Huston had Spade stating exactly what was written on page 17 of the book. Yet when it comes time to watch and hear Bogart actually speak the lines, we hear something very different:

SPADE: Yeah, Webley-Fosbery .45 automatic, eight shot. They don’t make them anymore.

Well, someone got something mixed up; as they say, “there is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.” The Fosbery was produced in both .455 and .38 calibers. It was also produced in six and eight shot models, however, it was only produced in an eight shot version in the .38 caliber configuration. There was no eight shot .45 Webley-Fosbery. In the film, Officer Tom holds the revolver out for Sam to inspect. The gun in the film is unquestionably the six shot, .455 caliber version. So Bogey is only half wrong.

More...

National Firearms Museum Director Jim Supica and Senior Curator Phil Schreier made news this morning when they unveiled the iconic Maltese Falcon. On loan from California collector Dr. Mylan, the Falcon has long served as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and the film noir movement. Now it will be on display at the National Firearms Museum with the rest of our exciting new Hollywood Guns exhibit through next summer.

Check out the clip from MyFoxDc.com's here:

The Maltese Falcon, directed by John Huston in 1941, starred Hollywood legends Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. Crowned as one of the best films ever made by noted movie critic Roger Ebert, the Falcon marked the beginning of the “film noir” genre, which focused on the dark, dramatic, and glamorous side of crime mysteries. More...

Visitors to the NRA's National Firearms Museum here at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, are in for a special treat this year.

Titled Hollywood Guns, the Museum's newest exhibit showcases firearms spanning eighty years of silver screen classics like Stagecoach and 2010 Best Picture Oscar Winner The Hurt Locker.

Perhaps the exhibit's most popular piece, Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum is pictured at right.

With an official debut of Friday, June 25, the display will be here at the Museum through next summer.

“Hollywood Guns is all about phenomenal firearms borrowed from our friends in America’s movie capital,” Senior Curator Phil Schreier said. “They come from the largest Hollywood prop houses and private collections around the country."

Featuring more than 125 unique firearms, the new exhibit showcases famous and infamous firearms including Obi Wan Kenobi’s light saber from Star Wars, the Remington 11-87 shotgun from No Country for Old Men, and John Wayne’s Winchester 1892 carbine from his break-out roll in Stagecoach. “Those are the pieces that the public recognize. They help bring excitement and realism to a film,” Schreier said.

For a few sneak peeks, check out Schreier's most recent Curator's Corner clips. 

Spanning the decades of 1930 to 2010, Hollywood Guns has something for everyone. Film buffs and gun collectors will equally be amazed with selections from crime dramas, police thrillers, as well as a generous sampling from Western classics and gritty war movies.

“These guns have never before been seen together and will probably never be seen together again,” said Museum Director Jim Supica. “We’re delighted to display this exceptional collection of firearms to Museum visitors.”

As we reported last week, the National Firearms Museum sent a collection of firearms to the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association's Spring Shoot, which continues through this week. Assistant Curator Matt Sharpe served as keeper of the guns.

The NMLRA represents about 40,000 active members. While it was a long drive from Fairfax, VA, to Friendship, IN, Sharpe had the chance to display a few particularly notable Hollywood Guns, including the Remington 11-87 silenced shotgun from No Country for Old Men, the Beretta Model 92 used by Bruce Willis in Die Hard and Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon, pictured at right, the original antique 7 barrel Nock volley musket used in The Alamo, and even an original lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back.

Sharpe set up the display in the Rand House Museum, which is affiliated with the NMLRA, and provided a side activity for those visiting the Spring Shoot. Although on the first day of the trip “we suffered torrential downpours,” Sharpe said, “On Saturday and Sunday we had a great crowd – hundreds of people came through each day.”

This was Sharpe’s first year attending the Spring Shoot, and he said that while all the Hollywood Guns were popular, “Probably the Nock volley 7 barrel flintlock musket generated the most dialogue and attention.”

More...

Wendy Cunningham, the latest addition to the National Firearms Museum, sent NRAblog the following report from the Shenandoah Valley.

Last weekend, National Firearms Museum Director Jim Supica and his trusty band of volunteers attended the Outlander’s "Ride Sure, Ride Free" event in Luray, Virginia. The theme was early American history, so we were not surprised to find General Washington and Ben Franklin walking amongst the crowd.

The Museum was proud to display several of its highlights from the Hollywood Guns exhibit to the delight of adults and children alike. Not surprisingly, Dirty Harry’s .44 was a hit, as was the No Country for Old Men’s silenced Remington, the Lethal Weapon and Die Hard Beretta, and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s light saber. But it seems the Luray folks came out specifically to see John Wayne’s Winchester from Stagecoach.

Although the threat of rain may have held some of the reported 20,000 in attendance at bay, those who did show up enjoyed a fun filled day. As an added bonus, all proceeds raised at the "Ride Sure, Ride Free" outing were donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which assists the children of fallen veterans attend college.

The National Firearms Museum's Phil Schreier has long been a staple of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association's Spring Shoot in Friendship, Indiana. This year, Schreier's trusty assistant, Matt Sharpe, will be representing the Museum.

"We're pleased to present a selection of firearms from our newest exhibit in the William B. Ruger Gallery, Hollywood Guns," Schreier told NRAblog. "On display for the next calendar year here in Fairfax, VA, are 75 of Hollywood’s most iconic shooting irons and props."

"This weekend, however, visitors to the NMLRA Spring Shoot will have the chance to see the Remington 11-87 silenced shotgun from No Country for Old Men, the Beretta Model 92 used by Bruce Willis in Die Hard and Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon, a lightsaber from the Empire Strikes Back, Dennis Quaid’s flintlock pistol from The Alamo, the rubber stunt gun used by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, and the original antique 7 barrel Nock volley gun from The Alamo."

If you can make it to the Friendship, Indiana area this weekend, take a moment to stop in and see Sharpe and these fabulous firearms. They will be at the Rand House Museum, pictured above, all day Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13, and until noon on Monday, June 14.

The NRA National Firearms Museum is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, but the Museum’s talented staff travel to a wide array of events -- and North Dakota's Cowboy Hall of Fame is glad to be welcoming Senior Curator Doug Wicklund back to Medora, ND, next week. 

The "Gun Road Show" visits the Cowboy Hall of Fame the weekend of June 12-13, and Wicklund isn't coming alone - he's bringing the famous Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolver Clint Eastwood used in his films Dirty Harry and Magnum Force. 

Wicklund will be evaluating firearms from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 12 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Hall, located at 250 Main Street in Medora. Organizers will enforce a one-firearm-per-person limit, and participants need to have their firearms checked at the door. "The last time I was in Medora, some fantastic guns came in for me to review,” Wicklund said. “I'm looking forward to seeing more pieces of Western history."

On Saturday, Wicklund will present a free seminar titled “Guns of the West” at 7 p.m. Learn about famous guns of outlaws and lawmen as well as more modern Hollywood guns that won the cinematic West, many of which are on display at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA.

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame is the interpretive center for the history of Native Americans, ranching, rodeo, and the western lifestyle of the plains and Badlands. 

Learn more about the programs of the NRA National Firearms Museum.

Everybody comes clamoring for this one. Whether a visitor to the National Firearms Museum, a patron at at gun show, or a guest at NRA headquarters, when it comes to Hollywood Guns, people always ask to see Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum. This evening, on Curator's Corner, you'll get a chance to see it yourself.

According to Dirty Harry's screenwriter (and NRA Board Member) John Milius, the script originally called for a Smith & Wesson with a 4" barrel. Luckily for the viewers, acquiring that version proved to be impossible so they went with the six incher.

But tonight's episode does more than discuss the specific firearm from Clint Eastwood's infamous role. Sources at NRANews tell us that it will be an comprehensive look into the .44 Magnum. That's why they wrangled past S&W Collectors Association President Dr. Bill Cross & our very own Jim Supica to provide the details.

That's all we have time for now. For the rest of the story, join Bill, Jim & Popp tonight as Curator's Corner hits the airways at 10:20 eastern on NRANews.com or Sirius Patriot channel 144.