TV SERIES · 1996– · USA
Dead Man's Walk
17 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (17)
- #001
Although most of the characters here are fictional, William "Bigfoot" Wallace was a real person and one of the most famous Texas Rangers in real life. In real life he survived the "Black Bean Incident" and went on to command his own Texas Rangers unit. He later took part in the Mexican-American Monterrey War and the Comanche Wars. During the Civil War he helped defend the Texas frontier against Comanche attacks. In fact he survived all of these wars and died of natural causes in 1899 at the age of 82.
- #002
Buffalo Hump was a real person and was the leader of the Comanche nation at the time these events took place. He is best known for leading the Great Raid of 1840. In response to the government of the Republic of Texas massacring many of the Comanche nation's leaders under the pretext of a sham meeting to discuss the terms of a treaty, Buffalo Hump led 400 Comanche warriors and attacked settlements stretching from the western Texas plains to the Gulf of Mexico. This was the largest raid carried out by Native Americans on white towns and the only Indian raid in Texas to reach the ocean.
- #003
Although the expedition at the center of this film includes fictional characters, it is based on a real expedition ordered by Texas President Mirabeau Lamar in 1841 to annex New Mexico to the Republic of Texas. The use of black and white beans to decide who would be executed and who would be spared was borrowed from the Mier expedition, which took place the following year.
- #004
This is the second Lonesome Dove series to feature Julius Tennon (Sam). In the original Lonesome Dove series he played the outlaw Frog Lip.
- #005
Actor Ray McKinnon went on to reprise the role of Long Bill Coleman in Comanche Moon (2008).
- #006
Jonny Lee Miller plays the role that Jon Voight had played in the unofficial sequel Return to Lonesome Dove (1993). At the time this film aired, Miller was married to Voight's daughter Angelina Jolie.
- #007
When Woodrow is thrown to the ground after overturning the general's carriage, the bottoms of his boots are visible. It is clearly apparent that his boots have hardened Vibram soles rather than the smooth leather typical of boots of the period. Vibram was not invented until 1937, and rubber soles were not common on boots until 1850-60. Dead Man's Walk is set in the early 1840s, specifically around 1842, during the period of the Republic of Texas.
- #008
This 5-hour (including commercials) miniseries was originally broadcast as two parts, one of 2 hours and one of 3 hours. When it premiered on DVD in 2010, it was restructured into three roughly equal-length parts.
- #009
Charles Goodnight appears alongside a white man he calls Bill and a black man he calls Bose. The latter was probably Bose Ikard, on whose gravestone he had an epitaph engraved when Ikard died in 1929: "Served with me four years on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, never shirked a duty or disobeyed an order, rode with me in many stampedes, participated in three engagements with Comanches, splendid behavior." This is almost word for word the epitaph Call writes for Joshua Deets (also a black scout) in Lonesome Dove. Bill is probably Bill Wilson, who accompanied Goodnight and Oliver Loving on a cattle drive. Wilson was at Loving's side when Loving was mortally wounded, and Wilson rode back to the herd to inform Goodnight. This inspired Pea Eye Parker's journey with Augustus McCrae in Lonesome Dove.
- #010
Charles Goodnight appears in this series as an adult, but in reality in 1842 he was only six years old and would not move to Texas with his mother and stepfather until four years later.
- #011
Harry Dean Stanton had previously appeared alongside the original Augustus McCrae, Robert Duvall, in The Godfather Part II.
- #012
In the miniseries Lonesome Dove, Charles Goodnight was immortalized in the role of Captain Woodrow F. Call, played by Tommy Lee Jones. In fact, in real life Charles Goodnight was far more impressive than the fictional Woodrow Call.
- #013
A few months after this series aired, Jonny Lee Miller became better known to American audiences for his role in Trainspotting. His co-star Ewan McGregor became known for his role in another prequel, the new Star Wars trilogy.
- #014
Brian Dennehy had previously appeared in Silverado with Rosanna Arquette, David Arquette's sister. James Gammon, who played Charles Goodnight in Streets of Laredo, also appeared. The set of the town of Silverado was also reused for Ogalalla in the original Lonesome Dove.
- #015
David Arquette's career has other parallels with that of his predecessor Robert Duvall. As noted elsewhere, in this film Arquette appears alongside Harry Dean Stanton, Duvall's co-star in The Godfather Part II. Just a few months later, Arquette would become known for his role in the Scream series. In Scream 3 he works with Roger Corman, another member of The Godfather Part II. He had previously appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Donald Sutherland, Duvall's MASH co-star. Duvall came to prominence in films directed by Francis Ford Coppola, particularly The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. In the former he worked with James Caan, while Arquette appeared with Scott Caan in Ready to Rumble. Arquette also appeared in The Outsiders, adapted from a film directed by Coppola. Arquette replaced Emilio Estevez, whose father Martin Sheen worked with Duvall on Apocalypse Now. The original Outsiders film also featured Diane Lane from the original Lonesome Dove.
- #016
Charles Goodnight is played by Chris Penn, the brother of Sean Penn, who appeared with Robert Duvall in Colours.
- #017
David Arquette was born in Virginia. Robert Duvall moved there and spent his final years there.
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