Tweet

 

Before the Bloods and the Crips… Before the Red Sox and the Yankees… Before Conan and Leno… There were the Hatfields and McCoys!

 

This famous feud, which took place in the back country of Kentucky and West Virginia in the late-19th century, is such a deep-rooted part of American history as to be almost relegated to folklore. Indeed, the facts surrounding the generational rift seem almost mythical in nature, something our grandparents made up to teach us a lesson about honor and pettiness (i.e.: develop the former, avoid the latter). It’s become a by-word for deep-seeded rivalries and resentment between warring factions. But it really did happen, and like so many other things in this world, the truth is much more interesting than fiction.

 

Thus it’s nothing short of appropriate that the History Channel would be highlighting this intriguing and soap opera-esque chapter of our past, with it’s 3-part miniseries, “Hatfields & McCoys”, which premiered last night to phenomenal ratings. But this isn’t just some stodgy old documentary, folks; this is a legit filmmaking endeavor, starring none other than proven old-timey, sepia-toned movie veterans Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves, Wyatt Earp, "Open Range") and Bill Paxton (Tombstone, Frank & Jesse) as the respective heads of these hostile country clans.

 

They say that familiarity breeds contempt. And when you live in a small community like Tug Fork, insolated by the Appalachian Mountains with not much else to do, flare-ups are bound to happen. But nothing quite so on the scale as the Hatfield-McCoy brouhaha, which started as a simple disagreement over a pig and escalated into a full-on blow out between the two tribes, resulting in many unnecessary deaths. Needless to say, it was pretty cray back in the post-Civil War days.

 

Part 1 of the History Channel’s series was pretty epic, so I can only imagine what awaits in Parts 2 (airing tonight) and Part 3! In the meantime, we can all check out these new interviews from the YH Studio with two of the young stars from the series, Matt Barr (Team Hatfield) and Jena Malone (Team McCoy). Both actors describe their experience working on the film and go into more detail about their specific characters. If they can’t convince you to tune in, then you’re as much a lost cause as Jim Vance! (Watch the films to understand that reference… ha!)

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2 of “Hatfields & McCoys” airs tonight (May 29) at 9pm on The History Channel, preceded by an encore of Part 1 at 7pm.

 

 

- Katie Marzullo, YH Staff Editor

katie@younghollywood.com