In The Alamo (2004), there is an early scene where Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) attends a play where he happens to be the main character. The actor portraying him, James Hackett (Lynn Mathis), comes on stage and greets Crockett, naming him as the inspiration for the show. Curious, I researched this play. Sure enough, The Lion of the West was written by James Kirke Paulding in 1830 for James Hackett. By 1833, it had been re-titled to The Kentuckian, or a Trip to New York. It was the most popular stage play in the United States until the release of Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852.
The play sees Nimrod Wildfire (a thinly veiled Davy Crockett) visiting his uncle in New York City. Nimrod's visit coincides with that of Mrs. Wollope, a widow from England who hopes to tutor Americans in proper, civilized behavior. Of course, Wildfire speaks in hard-to-decipher jargon. There is nothing subtle about him and he is only too eager to act first and think later. One of the comical bits has Nimrod mistaking Mrs. Wollope's note to him to be a proposal of marriage, which he gladly accepts to her horror.
A comment in the play explains Crockett's last words in the The Alamo before he is bayonetted.
"I wanna warn you all, I'm a screamer..."
In the 1830s, a screamer was a fun, exciting, and extraordinary person. Wildfire repeatedly refers to Mrs. Wollope as a screamer and thus explains his desire to marry her.
Here is an interesting look at 1830s America and worth reading. Though told in 3 acts, it is quite brief and easy to read. Recommended.
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