The Colonel and Little Missie: Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and the Beginnings of Superstardom in America

by Larry McMurtry

From the early 1800s to the end of his life in 1917, Buffalo Bill Cody was as famous as anyone could be. Annie Oakley was his most celebrated protégée, the 'slip of a girl' from Ohio who could (and did) outshoot anybody to become the most celebrated star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

In this sweeping dual biography, Larry McMurtry explores the lives, the legends and above all the truth about two larger-than-life American figures. With his Wild West show, Buffalo Bill helped invent the image of the West that still exists today -- cowboys and Indians, rodeo, rough rides, sheriffs and outlaws, trick shooting, Stetsons, and buckskin. The short, slight Annie Oakley -- born Phoebe Ann Moses -- spent sixteen years with Buffalo Bill's Wild West, where she entertained Queen Victoria, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and Kaiser Wilhelm II, among others. Beloved by all who knew her, including Hunkpapa leader, Sitting Bull, Oakley became a legend in her own right and after her death, achieved a new lease of fame in Irving Berlin's musical Annie, Get Your Gun.

To each other, they were always 'Missie' and 'Colonel'. To the rest of the world, they were cultural icons, setting the path for all that followed. Larry McMurtry -- a writer who understands the West better than any other -- recreates their astonishing careers and curious friendship in a fascinating history that reads like the very best of his fiction.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Westerns, American History, Audiobook, Historical

245 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2005

About the author

Larry Jeff McMurtry was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry's works earned 34 Oscar nominations (13 wins). He was also a prominent book collector and bookseller.
His 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove was adapted into a television miniseries that earned 18 Emmy Award nominations (seven wins). The subsequent three novels in his Lonesome Dove series were adapted as three more miniseries, earning eight more Emmy nominations. McMurtry and co-writer Diana Ossana adapted the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned eight Academy Award nominations with three wins, including McMurtry and Ossana for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2014, McMurtry received the National Humanities Medal.
In Tracy Daugherty's 2023 biography of McMurtry, the biographer quotes critic Dave Hickey as saying about McMurtry: "Larry is a writer, and it's kind of like being a critter. If you leave a cow alone, he'll eat grass. If you leave Larry alone, he'll write books. When he's in public, he may say hello and goodbye, but otherwise he is just resting, getting ready to go write."

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice history book. Well written so that it reads easy and quickly. Recommended

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The people who rate this Larry McMurtry book as three-star or lower miss out on what McMurtry set out to accomplish - determining what makes a superstar. In fact, it's subtitled "Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and the Beginnings of Superstardom in America," which gives us a great clue to why it comes across "disjointed," as some reviewers wrote.

The second paragraph he utters the names of Elvis, Garbo, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra, to highlight superstars of the modern era. (If this book was written a few years later than 2005 he might have added Michael Jackson and Prince to that list.)

McMurtry then launches into his narrative, which begins with his fascination with Cody. In fact, he wrote this in five sections:
- Superstardom
- Book One: The Tropes
- Book Two: The Troupes
- Annie
- Grandmother England

In fact, in the first chapter of Book One: The Tropes, McMurtry writes, "It is not my intention in this book to attempt a straight birth-to-death biography of William F. Cody - or Annie Oakley - though some attention to their family histories is desirable, even though it doesn't really explain how the two became world celebrities." (p. 33)

He then blends both biographies to show how these two characters rose on the world stage and became revered to where they could be considered among two of the first superstars (though he fails to address the popularity of 19th Century Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, who was known as "The Swedish Nightingale" during the height of her popularity in the 1850s and 1860s).

The meat of McMurtry's narrative concerns the legend of Bill Cody starting with Ned Buntline's dime novels and then to his Buffalo Bill's Wild West productions.

This book is heavily skewed towards Cody, but it has to be. It was Cody who, as a rider in the Pony Express and as a U.S. Army Cavalry scout, became the celebrity because of Buntline's dime novels, which then gave rise to the Wild West performances. Without this vehicle, there is no Annie Oakley. Her fame was because of Bill Cody's touring exhibition, not in spite of it.

How both Oakley and Cody became internationally revered is what this book is about. Like Elvis and Sinatra, it ends with a look at how Cody and Oakley were revered posthumously.

This book could have been much longer and more encompassing in the lives of his subjects, but McMurtry chose to stick full on to his thesis, much to his credit. He pulls from the archives just enough material, some comedy and some tragedy, to give us a look at how these people handled their superstardom.

Lastly, McMurtry bridges the gap between the Jenny Lind era of the U.S. Civil War (though he doesn't explicitly say it) and the beginnings of the "Motion Picture" (aka film, movie) industry. Through McMurtry's eyes we see the opening and closing of the Wild West.

This is definitely worth taking the time to read but don't expect it to be two biographies turned into one. This book is so much more than that.

[Noble Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fascination with the Wild West, with the rugged cowboys and the majestic Indians, and the unforgiving landscape was slowly dying at the end of Buffalo Bill’s long and illustrious career. It is only revived for a brief moment by the likes of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and television shows such as Bonanza which put the exciting and ruthless world into the homes of millions of Americans. The West, the word as iconic as any American symbol, is all but faded but for the likes of reruns, and books such as Larry McMurtry’s The Colonel and Little Missie, who gives readers an understanding of a man and his times. Cody, a larger than life character, much like Davey Crockett, Kit Carson, Jim Bowie, Jim Bridger and countless others, decided to do something great, pushing his limits on what he can achieve, starting with his stint at the Pony Express. McMurtry dissects various claims of Cody’s often doubting the veracity of it and noting that Buffalo Bill had a knack for embellishments. Buffalo Bill’s fame was his showmanship, renowned around the world, bringing the Old West to modern America and elsewhere. No matter the fantastic claims, Cody succeeded where others could not and in turn cemented himself as part of the legend of the West.
Yet readers may find McMurtry’s book a little… lacking. Much of the book goes into William F. Cody’s life and his claims which is what is supposed to be, but “Little Missie” is absent until well past the half-way point of the book, and like a crisp, clean shot, is gone and back to Cody. Yet while discussing multiple claims of heroic or unbelievable feats, McMurtry seems to miss the essence of the man, getting bogged down in dismantling Myth and Legend. Annie Oakley’s life does get presented though sparsely, which is probably what Annie wanted. The spotlight is not supposed to be on her but only for a brief moment. This was after all Buffalo Bill’s show. It is a starter book, for those who wish in depth views of Oakley or Cody, other biographies might be better suited. McMurtry, whose novels have captured the West, unfortunately doesn’t quite capture the magic of Buffalo Bill’s show, or the talent of Little Missie; a shot that missed the mark. But like stated this is a good starter in generating interest about the larger than life characters of the West. Of the Native Americans that was encountered and Indian Chiefs that graced the stage, of an era that has receded into the mythos of American History, yet with books, it can generate that interest once again.

2.5/5 stars

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably 2 1/2+, and, because it was McMurtry he got the benefit of the doubt.

Relatively interesting story of the rise of Buffalo Bill Cody, the first superstar, and his biggest star, Annie Oakley. Not really in depth and McMurtry acknowledges the lack of information on certain aspects of their lives. Although I did find it laughable that Mrs. Cody considered Queen Victoria a rival. She did come out of mourning to see him.

McMurtry credits him with becoming the "father" of the rodeo. At least, the rodeo as public spectacle. I'm sure the cowboys would have their own show at various times of the year for themselves. But where people would actually come and pay to see the contests, okay.

He tried expanding into the new movies but he may have tried to do too much too soon. It was too soon to re-create Wounded Knee, both for the victims and the victors. The soldiers realized they looked like the slaughterers that they were and the Native Americans were not yet ready to see the death of Sitting Bull or the massacre on film (or to be a part of the re-creation).

Good or bad, McMurtry is almost always an interesting writer. (I'm sure he must have had some off books.)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry McMurtry won a Pulitzer Prize for Lonesome Dove, and has written quite a few realistic novels, many of them about Texas. In this book he is writing about history, especially as it pertains to Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley. The author has apparently done his research. The resulting book is a fascinating read in spite of the fact that it sometimes reads like a pile of notes that McMurtry thought he would turn into a book someday. The whole concept of achieving enormous success as an author seems to include the idea that you don't need an editor. This book is messy, which is frustrating because it could obviously and easily have been cleaned up. There are repetitive phrases and instances of whole paragraphs appearing more than once in the book. The idea of following a timeline as biographers often do, is thrown out early on and we spend much of the book going back and forth in time.

In spite of the casual approach in putting the book together, by the end I knew more about Cody and Annie Oakley than I did at the beginning. Buffalo Bill Cody, as an American figure in the settling of the West and a founder of a type of live entertainment that was wildly successful and remained as a part of American Culture for many years in one form or another, holds the readers interest throughout this book. It is well worth a read even if it is an uneven effort.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. So fascinating. I'm bummed I went to the Cody Museum & Grave before I read this. I would have appreciated it so much more. Both Cody & Annie were larger than life characters that you can't help but love even all this time later.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of legends and theories about how much is true, in the lives of Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917) and Annie Oakley (1860-1926) and the popularity and culture of Wild West shows throughout the world. Interesting but not as riveting as McMurtry’s fiction.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, interesting but disjointed. The beginnings of superstardom in America.

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

McMurtry fleshes out this double biography with a lot of context. The book is more context than biography. The context information is a mix of hints about dull things McMurtry discovered during research and plain narrative. Some needless dull facts were sprinkled in places that distracted from the main narrative, for example, there were lots of fellows who called themselves Buffalo Bill back then, and there were also lots of Texas Jacks. Poor Annie Oakley really got short shrift.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

Having attained celebrity himself by popularizing the Old West in countless works of fiction, from Lonesome Dove (1986) to The Berrybender Narratives (2002-2004), Pulitzer-Prize winning McMurtry should offer more insight into the West's enduring appeal than he ever attempts to do. Although he does support the subtitle's premise that superstardom began with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, his comparisons to today's pop stars (Martha Stewart, Courtney Love) are sometimes forced. The Colonel and the Little Missie doesn't always sidestep myth and contributes little to history, but McMurtry writes an entertaining, full-volume essay on these two legendary icons, and the book should be approached with that understanding.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting, if disjointed look at the life of Buffalo Bill Cody, with a good deal of history thrown in. Annie Oakley gets a bit of short shrift, IMHO, and I've noticed a lot of repetition - sometimes the same exact sentence/phrase, it seems. Still worth a listen/read if you're interested in the myth of the Wild West & how it started.

[Pete Iseppi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a strange book. Small anecdotes from the lives and careers of Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, with nothing that connects them together. The information is not interesting enough for readers of casual interest to enjoy, and not in depth enough for readers that are seriously interested.
Not one of McMurtry's finer efforts.

[Alice (; · Rating 1 out of 5]

THE most boring book i have ever read!! if you look in the back and look at the picture of the author... HE EVEN LOOKS BORED! I only read that book for my book report i had to do in my history class. UGH!

[Mike Cuthbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without doubt, the funniest, most engaging biography and history that I can ever recall reading. McMurtry obviously loved both of his subjects, though he spends the most time on Buffalo Bill. But most of all the work represents his lifelong love of the Old West, a love he captured most distinctly in Lonesome Dove. Buffalo Bill was, as we all sense if not know for a fact, largely a legend; much of his derring-do never really happened, while much that he actually did was exaggerated into legend. Annie Oakley, on the other hand, (nee Phoebe Ann Moses) became a legend on the basis of her actual skill: shooting a shotgun at small and large targets. McMurtry’s casual and beguiling study of both of them is tied to superstardom; they were among, if not actual, the first superstars. At once time it is estimated that Buffalo Bill Cody was the most famous and admired man in the world. His Wild West (it was never called a “show”) toured the world and entranced millions, including his most famous fan, Queen Victoria, with whom Mrs. Cody suspected her husband had an affair! It might have happened, given Cody’s history of misbehavior, but it most likely did not. Victoria was more entranced by one of the Indians in his troupe, Red Shirt, an Ogalala Sioux. Little stories such as that attraction of Victoria for a tall Indian are scattered throughout the book. It is one of the few books of any genre that I must admit I laughed aloud several times during the reading. Buffalo Bill was a scout for many years, he did ride for the Pony Express and he did kill at least two Indians, but more interestingly, he killed a lot of horses. His method in fighting Indians was to shoot at their horses—much easier to hit than a mounted Indian!—and deal with the Indian on the ground. He also had several narrow escapes from Indians, yet he was also the savior of many of them by giving them roles in his Wild West. His financial life was harrowing, his creativity boundless and his rosy expectations for all of his adventures remarkable, but in the end, he died almost penniless thanks to giving Lulu, his wife, money to buy real estate in Nebraska which she did, registering all the deeds only in her name! Sometimes it is depressing to strip away the mask of legend and see the tawdry person underneath, but in this book, it becomes a joy. It’s such a good read that I wish I had been young enough to see them both just once. Seeing them just once was often the dream of their contemporaries, so I feel I’m in good company.

[Cindy Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much as I love Larry McMurtry, I love his fiction much more. This attempt to delve into history and biography - even though it's his area of expertise - the West and the cowboy mentality - this just wasn't my favorite McMurtry or my favorite biography - not even close.

Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill (or as they called each other The Colonel and Little Missie) are certainly fascinating characters in US history, and McMurtry makes a solid argument that they were the first "Superstars." Heck Mrs. Cody seriously was jealous of Queen Victoria as a rival for Buffalo Bill Cody's attentions. She did come out of mourning to watch out of his Wild West shows, but the thought that she would take up with him? He was a well known philanderer and caused years of heartache for Lulu, his wife - even though they stayed "together" for forty years.

McMurtry admits there is little known about Oakley and Cody's personal lives, yet he tries . . . I appreciate that he doesn't fill in gaps with imagined realities, but it does make for a bit of a frustrating read. The book seems to focus much more on Buffalo Bill and I would have like to learn much more about Annie Oakley - but perhaps that is because there is much less known about Annie. She is sure an enigma I would like to know more about. Her relationship with her husband, which remained childless, seems puzzling to McMurtry and others but he appropriately doesn't imply anything. Her childhood was horrific and at one point he does let the reader assume that perhaps she was the victim of abuse when under the "care" of the "Wolves" but for the most part he sticks to the facts he knows.

The relationship with the Indians Buffalo Bill hired to participate in his Wild West shows is interesting and ironically he seems to have a relationship of mutual respect for the most part. Until he starts to get into the movies toward the end of his life and very callously asks them to recreate Wounded Knee for the movies.

An interesting read, but not fascinating. . .

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a brief look at the lives of two famous figures from the Wild West days: Colonel William Cody and Annie Oakley. It was really interesting to see how both people, especially Annie, found their claim to fame. They were able to have some really neat career experiences, and they met some other notable figures along the way. It also painted a pretty good picture about what life was like during this particular time period.

The author of this book also wrote Lonesome Dove, so if you are a fan of that, you may like this book. I am not personally very interested in the history of the United States, certainly not the history of the "Wild West", but I did find this one on sale for .75 at my local used bookstore. This wasn't a very long book, so it did not feature an amazingly in depth detail about William Cody and Annie Oakley. Despite the fact that it wasn't very long, there were plenty of details in it about both people and their careers together and separately. I did enjoy this book, even if it isn't my main area of interest. I also think it is good to sometimes read outside of one's comfort zone/area of interest.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Colonel and Little Missie was much more about the west than I expected - the shows that made Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley famous take second billing to the places and adventures that made them. In some ways, this was disappointing, as I found the most interesting parts of the book were those that dealt with the mounting of Buffalo Bill's Wild West - the 80+ car train, the hundreds of performers borne across the ocean and through Europe, the show that stole a bit of thunder from Chicago's World Fair.

A far greater amount of ink is devoted to "the colonel" than is devoted to "little missie," but in fairness (to McMurtry), Annie Oakley seems to have done her best to live as quiet a life as possible for a mega-star, and despite her skill with a gun, McMurtry clearly had less to work with as pertains to Phoebe Ann Moses Butler. As an aside: is it any wonder she adopted a stage name?

The Colonel and Little Missie is a very quick read, enriched by the many photographs McMurtry has included.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is interesting to take a walk through the times when one's grandparents or great grandparents or great great grandparents were alive, and in many ways disturbing. These two "stars" lived during the years when the Native American people were side-lined, putting up their final resistance, and then becoming employed as actors in the big shows.

Buffalo Bill Cody was definitely a larger-than-life character, sort of the Elvis of his time, and he was generous, decent, and even sympathetic towards his Native American acquaintances. It was sort of like swimming upstream in a downstream world.

Annie Oakley could have been billed as a true feminist, but she was dead set against trousers or even, (escpecially?) bloomers, on women.

This recounting of their lives and careers references other more thorough biographies but goes a long way to whetting the appetite to know more, if one is so inclined.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outside of performing in my high school's rendition of "Annie Get Your Gun", I really did not know very much about either of these legendary wild west icons. I felt like the book was too Buffalo Bill heavy, often referring too much to the same incidents. I would have liked to have learned more about Annie Oakley, but this could simply be due to information and record availability. Cody was much more the self-promoter.
It was interesting to discover, though not surprising, what an exaggerator Cody was, claiming continually to certain feats that really did not appear possible. He sure did seem to put on an entertaining show, however. For Annie Oakley, I was surprised to read how different she was to my assumptions of her. She detested bloomers, refused to ever wear pants, insisted on a female mortician to prepare her for burial, and was firmly against women's suffrage. If her legend rings true, her 20 minute performances would have been something to see.

[Denis Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Larry McMurtry authoring, this is an order of magnitude better than most of the books out there regarding western lore. Bill's books, essentially authored by him and family, with professional editorial help, are to a large degree promotion and advertising. The action and adventure is emphasized, perhaps somewhat enhanced. After all, Bill learned early on that the truths of one's heart are best held close to the vest in an uncertain, lawless and violent community. He also learned from the Dime Novelists and Playwrights, with whom he worked and collaborated, the use of hyperbole. The strenghts of Bill's biographies were intimate details of family roots and the chronology of his storied career.

Larry gets into business deals, and takes an objective view of Bill's personal and professional life. Larry's writing is downright entertaining, even without outsized characters like Bill and Annie. I definitely recommend this one.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading Larry McMurtry's books in the past. This is his light review of the lives of Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley and their influence on popular culture as two of America's first big superstars. Buffalo Bill comes across as a sympathetic character, despite his personal flaws (attraction to booze and women and poor management of his money). It is easy to see why he was so beloved - he was generous (to a fault) and kind to those he employed. The most interesting fact that I gleaned about Annie Oakley is that she was born and lived for a time in Darke County, Ohio, the birthplace of my father. It makes me wonder if any of my ancestors knew their home town celebrity.

This was a light and easy read and worth a look into the lives and careers of these two American heroes of the Wild West (despite Annie's Ohio birth).

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very educational. There was far more info about Buffalo Bill than about Annie Oakley, but it was still interesting. Bill Cody began working at age 11 and at age 15 he was riding hundreds of miles for the Pony Express! He knew the prairie lands like the back of his hand. He is billed as the world’s first superstar. Annie was close behind him in stardom. She began her life as a hunter to earn money to support her family.

There is a lot of data about the history of show business and the entertainment industry. Just like today so much of it was driven by the need to make money - greed. Speaking of greed - there are also many stories about Bill’s work for the military during the Indian wars and the white man’s greed for land. Sad.

[Deborah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen a lot of two-and three-star reviews for this book. I think most of the ones writing these reviews usually read novels. This is a non-fiction book about the first superstars in America. It is not a biography of either Buffalo Bill Cody or Annie Oakley. It is part history, part biography, and part commentary on the characters who settled the West. I found it very interesting and entertaining.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting enough look at the how and why the Wild West cowboy culture became a form of entertainment and Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley the superstars of the show. I found the writing a bit repetitious and disjointed. I did however appreciate how many details from the writers research and knowledge cross over into his other books. ( eg the Berrybender Trilogy)

[jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitiveness and disjointedness mars an otherwise interesting and wide-ranging dual biography of Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley. The anecdotal stories of brushes with other historical characters and events livens up the story, well narrated by Michael Prichard.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would've like a more chronological book. He skips around in time which bothered me. Still fun to read about Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody.

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love what this author writes, But this book is disjointed. I did learn more about Annie Oakley though.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant look at celebrity in America, from the very beginnings of our infatuation with Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill. McMurtry at his finest.

[Jonathan D Kopplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disjointed, but the book provides good insight into Cody and Oakley's personalities.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first McMurtry non-fiction.
Very heavily Bill Cody and only intermittently Annie Oakley.
Somewhat rambling and disjointed throughout.