#red dwarf gunmen of the apocalypse

[shelma32entertainment]

Red Dwarf | 6x03 | Gunmen Of The Apocalypse | REACTION

[pomegranateplumes]

Booty rockin cowgirl come into ma barn ✨

slap me a dollar, cowboy

read my webcomic (new pages on the way 😱)

[gcballet]

Red Dwarf VI as Penguin Classics

<- | ->

[wickerss-s]

The Last Day (s3e6): The crew receive a message from Kryten's manufacturer saying that he must be dismantled within 24 hours, at which time a more advanced mechanoid will arrive to replace him. Lister, Cat, Rimmer and Holly decided to throw Kryten a leaving party and give him one last night to remember.

Gunmen of the Apocalypse (s6e3): Starbug is attacked by a Simulant battleship and infected with a virus which overrides it's navicomp. Lister, Rimmer and Cat use the AR machine to enter Kryten's mind, which has taken the form of the Wild West, in order to fight the virus.

Mechocracy (s12e4): When all the machines on Red Dwarf go on strike, the boys compete in an election against each other to gain control of them.

[betterdeadthansmeg]

[red-dwarfer]

every focused more on the cat than the actual plot

gunmen of the apocalypse - s6 e3

[krumpkin]

Red Dwarf ( S6 - Episode 3 ) Gunmen Of The Apocalypse. This was a great episode, I remember watching this series when it first aired on BBC 2 ( 15th of February 1988 ) It's a show I'll always love. Sci Fi mixed with great comedy and a fantastic cast. 🤓

[freshmangojuice]

In 1993, Danny John-Jules wore this iconic costume in the Red Dwarf episode 'Gunmen of the Apocalypse'

It's such a beautiful costume, I wanted to know where it came from. So I did some digging. This is what I found out... (long post)

To preface, this post is about Mexican cultural dress and design. I am not Mexican and I have no Mexican connections so my existing knowledge is very limited. So although this stuff is new to me, it might be really obvious in general. If you happen to have more insight, please share!

Firstly, there is no information about the Riviera Kid costume itself other than the fact it was thought to be too small for Danny (it was, but luckily he looks good in tight clothes), and was rented for the shoot, which means it was not the work of our beloved Howard Burden.

But whoever made it must have gotten the idea from somewhere, the costume is clearly Mexican-inspired. But do we get that sense because of Hollywood, or is it legitimate cultural dress appropriate for the time period the episode was trying to represent? WELL! Let's see!

To start with, the image below is a gorgeous mariachi suit designed by contemporary Los Angeles tailor Jorge Tello.

Note the four symmetrical faux pockets with embellishment surrounding them, and the same continuous pattern bordering the edges of the jacket as well as patches on the upper arms and going down the side of the pants. And of course the big floppy bow tie. Excepting the details in colour, fasteners, and the decoration, this is the same as the Riviera Kid in terms of shape and style. Okay so it's mariachi dress!

I also found out that this specific suit is called traje de charro and is the traditional dress for horsemen in Mexico, now worn mostly by mariachi performers but also anyone for heritage events like festivals. And its origins come from Salamanca in Spain, though the evolution has brought it a long way from the 16th century. More on that later.

To back this up there are also a lot of results for cheaper costumes that actually have similar designs to the Riviera Kid with the squiggle appliqué.

But these are recent designs, with Tello's from around 2013. Gunmen of the Apocalypse was supposed to represent the 1880s (or thereabouts), is there anything older? Where does the squiggle design actually come from? WELL! (again)

Tracing back the decades, I managed to find some strikingly similar pieces. Including this jacket made in Mexico and worn by Alice Cooper in the 1970s. Yes, the rockstar Alice Cooper.

This jacket is VERY similar to the Riviera kid, down to the four corner knot motif on the arms, the squiggles, and even the fasteners are done in the same braiding technique. Clearly this is the jacket that inspired the one worn in Red Dwarf. Or was it...?

This one was worn by the actor Guy Williams in 1958 and was likely designed by Hollywood costumer Chuck Keehne. It is exactly the same as the one from the 70s. Like, exactly the same. Which leads me to believe the Alice Cooper one was copied from this design.

However, we have to look at the context. The jacket above was made for an actor in a movie (The Sign of Zorro) in the 1950s, and if it was indeed Chuck Keehne behind it, that guy was born in Missouri. Not much there to legitimise the design as Mexican. Nor is there much to suggest historical accuracy since the movie is meant to take place in the 1820s and they looked like this in it.

(Guy Williams and Britt Lomond in The Sign of Zorro)

I can tell you right now that yes the military uniform is pretty 1820s. The details are off, but the silhouette is there, the cut of the jacket is there, the right buttons are there, the right pistol is there. We are in the 1820s. So I have reason to believe that the military uniform, for which I have many references for, is just as historically accurate as the flashy charro. Surely, right?

Eh, not quite. Because after digging some more I'm sorry to say I doubt the squiggle design and sharp cut of the jacket is as old as the 1820s. That just isn't realistic for how fashion changed over time, and I have also found things like this photograph.

Taken in the 1860s, the two men look fabulous, but the man on the left is wearing what appears to be a suit that will eventually evolve into what we see later on. The decorated legs, the length of the jacket and gap in the closure is about all the similarities I can find. So obviously 1820s is very optimistic for what we're talking about.

Which are suits like this!

These lovely ladies were photographed in Mexico c. 1918–29 and they're wearing the squiggles! The jacket of the lady on the right has vertical pockets which is so fascinating to me, but the lady on the left has exactly what I've been looking for all this time. She has the squiggles, the four pockets, the round decorated collar. It's stunning. And it's the earliest version of the design that I can confirm. All that's missing is the four cornered knots, but I'm assuming that comes in 1950s and may even be a celtic reference.

Unfortunately, that's the end of the 'I'm pretty sure this is accurate information' thread, but I've also found other vintage jackets that have been sold online.

The two on the left are listed as being from the 1940s, and the one of the right is listed as a women's matador jacket from the 1920s. How true those claims are I cannot know, their provenance is not given.

Though it would seem that the design that inspired the Riviera Kid is definitely more 20th century. And it's surprising to me how common it actually is! So although it may be a fabrication for the time period, it is very true to life for actual traditional dress and it's not completely made up!

TL;DR

The Riviera Kid costume took inspiration, along with other costume work, from actual Mexican fashion that originate no earlier than the 1910s, although those fashions can trace its roots to around the 1860s, which can trace its roots to Spain in the 1500s.

[reddwarfpoll]

Gunmen of the Apocalypse: Starbug is attacked by a Simulant battleship and infected with a virus which overrides it's navicomp. Lister, Rimmer and Cat use the AR machine to enter Kryten's mind, which has taken the form of the Wild West, in order to fight the virus.

Timeslides: After discovering that they're able to literally step into the past through photographs, Lister resolves to change his past, become a multi-millionaire and never board Red Dwarf. Rimmer however, is less satisfied with this new reality.

Photo IDs by @what--the-helliot

[janamelie]

"Gunmen Of The Apocalypse" Podcast

A podcast to discuss Red Dwarf from the perspective of female and LGBT+ fans.

"Gunmen Of The Apocalypse" with @arcanemoody.

I analyse this fan favourite episode with the help of Western aficionado AM. As well as the various Western tropes the episode plays with, we also examine the film noir opening, Rimmer watching Lister have AR sex, cultural differences between the US and UK and more.

[clippedionianvowels]

It’s tempting to create a poll asking which WIP I should work on… because I really want to do SOMETHING but I’ve got decision paralysis. Ah fuck it, people like to click buttons

[divinecomedienne]

It’s taken my current obsession with The English to give me the epiphany that I have spent my whole life thinking I hate westerns, but I actually love them (I had a similar epiphany about avocados recently too). Well, revisionist ones anyway (westerns, not avocados). There was probably a clue in the fact that “Gunmen of the Apocalypse” was always my favourite episode of Red Dwarf. And the fact that a whole chapter of my thesis was on westerns…

[gcballet]

Red Dwarf VI 'Gunmen of the Apocalypse' S06E03 (1993)

Series six holds so many memories for me bc it's the one we had the most of on VHS. Pretty sure this is where I learnt the word 'xenophobic' lmao

[wickerss-s]

[WINNER] The Best Kryten Episode: Gunmen of the Apocalypse 🎉🤠

thank you everyone for voting!

[mvalana]

Red Dwarf 6x03 Gunmen of the Apocalypse

[vampfucker666]

i dont think theres anything thats particularly bad abt the episode but i just cannot pay attention to gunmen of the apocalypse like. Ever. im making this post while its on RIGHT NOW. youd think seeing the red dwarf guys in silly cowboy outfits would be a life changing experience for me but idk my brain just slides off :(