Bonnie and Clyde (miniseries, 2013)

Did Bonnie sneak a gun to Clyde so he could break out of jail?

Yes, although this show paints it as her idea, while most accounts have Clyde doing the planning.

Did Clyde have a fellow inmate mangle his foot so he could get out of jail?

Yes. He sacrificed two toes for an early release from Texas’ Eastham Prison Farm, only to have his parole come through five days later. After his injury, he drove in stocking feet for better control.

Did Clyde infiltrate a prison work detail to free his buddy and exact revenge on a prison rapist?

Yes and no. Clyde beat his abuser to death with an iron pipe while they were both still behind bars. But he did return to Eastham, kill a guard and free three men who joined his gang, though this retelling places the breakout years earlier.

Did Clyde send a letter of appreciation to Henry Ford for making fast getaway cars?

Maybe, though some biographers think the handwriting is Bonnie’s.

Dear Sir:

While I still have got breath in my lungs I will tell you what a dandy car you make. I have drove Fords exclusively when I could get away with one. For sustained speed and freedom from trouble the Ford has got every other car skinned, and even if my business hasen’t been strickly legal it don’t hurt anything to tell you what a fine car you got in the V8.

Yours truly

Clyde Champion Barrow

Did Bonnie send the famous photos of her with a gun and a cigar to a reporter in her quest for fame?

No. Authorities found the photos when they raided an abandoned hideout in Joplin. And Bonnie didn’t smoke cigars.

Did Clyde play the saxophone, even on the run?

Yes. His sax was found among the weapons and license plates in the Ford V8 he died in.

Did they really look that good?

Sometimes. Even during their crime sprees, the couple would drop their clothes off at a dry cleaner’s, then pick them up weeks later while on the run.

Did Bonnie wield a Tommy gun like a pro?

No. She almost certainly never fired a shot. And Clyde preferred a Browning automatic rifle.

Did lawmen really ambush the couple with a hail of bullets?

Yes, with 187 shots in 16 seconds. Bonnie, never wanted for any capital offenses, was eating a sandwich in the passenger seat when Clyde’s head was blown off. Former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, who walked up to finish her off at close range, later said, “I hate to bust the cap on a woman, especially when she was sitting down. But if it wouldn’t have been her, it would have been us.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/06/46714...l#storylink=cpy