A Colt from “The Hateful Eight”

If you haven’t seen Quentin Tarentino’s The Hateful Eight, go see it right after you finish reading this article.

The Hateful Eight is an intensely suspenseful post-Civil War story of eight travelers seeking shelter from a blizzard in the same stagecoach stopover. The tension is broken occasionally by fantastic characters, clever dialogue, ruthless double-crosses, and in classic Tarentino style, graphic violence. Stylistically beautiful and winning numerous awards for its score, Hateful Eight is filled with mystery, revenge, and dialogue. Lots of dialogue. Even if the movie was not the critics’ darling, it’s hard to dislike the film even if you don’t know who the heck you’re supposed to be rooting for.

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One of the actors in this film is Samuel L. Jackson, a mainstay in numerous Tarentino pictures. During filming in early 2015, Jackson commissioned ten special revolvers to give on the set as gifts to the other leader actors. One could assume that Jackson made one of the 10 for himself, but that is unknown for certain. One of those Colt 3^rd Generation Single Action Army revolvers was given to his co-star Bruce Dern, who plays General Sanford “Sandy” Smithers (a.k.a. Sandy “Don’t Give A Damn” Smithers) in the film – a Confederate General with a nasty penchant of not taking black Union prisoners.

We won’t give any spoilers, but let’s just say that Samuel L. Jackson’s character, the Union Major Marquis Warren, and General Smithers don’t see eye to eye.

The Gun

The 3^rd Generation Colt Single Action Army given by Jackson isn’t just any Single Action Army (SAA). These were specially commissioned by Jackson, with 5 1/2-inch barrels, case-hardened frames, “C” scroll engraving, and a large “The H8FUL EIGHT” engraved on the right side of the barrel. The name of the engraver is not listed on the letter, but they were shipped to Martin B. Retting, Inc, one of the largest firearms stores in California on April 8, 2015. “The Hateful Eight” would release in theaters on Christmas that same year, with numerous characters utilizing similar Colt SAA revolvers throughout the film.

Bruce Dern

Besides playing “The Confederate” in Tarentino’s most recent film to date, Dern has a long-spanning career in film including two Oscar nods for best Supporting Actor as well as other awards and nominations too numerous to list here. Perhaps most known to a younger crowd, he is the father of Laura Dern, who played Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park. This revolver is unquestionably Dern’s gun as it comes with a signed letter of provenance from Dern and a picture of him holding the revolver.

When guns come out of famous movies, people tend to pay a whole lot of attention. Even rubber castings and dummy prop guns used in movies can go for thousands of dollars. So when a gorgeous SAA like this is documented to bonafied movie star Samuel L. Jackson, from a movie genre that gun collectors are likely to appreciate, the price should make for one happy consignor. And if you like this, just wait until you see what else is in this fun collection.

To search all the collector firearms in this auction, please visit www.rockislandauction.com