Talk:Al Swearengen

Kill the HBO Show references please
Referencing the show Deadwood in the first paragraph makes about as much sense as immediately referencing Oliver Stone's movie JFK in the John F Kennedy article. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.113.163.66 (talk • contribs).
 * Your comparison to JFK makes no sense because nobody played JFK in the film. You'll notice that a lot of entries have sections entitled "____ in fiction" or "_____ in pop culture". Note the large "Media" section in the Bill Hickok entry. There's no reason for this entry NOT to have a section of his portrayals in media at the bottom. 74.76.142.137 (talk) 15:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Apples and oranges. I don't think it'd be too much of a stretch to say that most people know Swearengen from the HBO show. It deserves a mention.--CyberGhostface 02:14, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree with CyberGhostface. How many people would be looking up JFK for the first time because they heard about him in an Oliver Stone film and want to know more? Now compare that to the case of Swearengen.

Here's a very minor question, though: in the HBO show, he identifies himself as "Albert". The real guy was named Alfred. So, should the sentence about Alfred being the basis for the TV character really say (as it does currently) that the character is "of the same name"? Figureground 22:23, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Good question, but this article is wrong (on several counts). Al's real name was "Ellis Albert Swearingen", not "Ellis Alfred Swearengen". Al was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa and so was I - he's my great great granduncle. ASwearingen 23:42, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Well, that answers my question! Although it raises 3 new technicalties: (1) Did Al go by SwearEngen or SwearIngen? (2) If he went by the former, should it be mentioned that he changed the original spelling, or is that too insignificant? (3) If he went by the latter, should the article be changed into "Al Swearingen", with "Swearengen" searches redirected?

Here's a better question: you don't happen to have a better picture of him in the family album, do you? Figureground 02:53, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Photo
Any chance there's a photo? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.64.188.255 (talk • contribs).
 * Not if you're hoping for one of his real self. The only found picture of him is a picture of the Gem Saloon. At the bottom corner is a buggy that might have him in it.--CyberGhostface 02:14, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

Fictional
I ended up reverting my own edits; this article is very confusing -- is it about the fictional Al Swearengen on Deadwood, or the real Al Swearengen, the settler? -- Mikeblas 17:54, 26 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Its about the real one, although the fictional is given a mention. If it gets too confusing we should make seperate sections.--CyberGhostface 00:49, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Just looked at the article. Whats so confusing? HBO is mentioned once.--CyberGhostface 00:52, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Canny or uncanny alliances or both?
"Swearengen's talent for making canny alliances"

Should be uncanny, but could also be both!--Simon19800 (talk) 00:34, 1 October 2016 (UTC)

Middle name: Albert or Alfred?
Alfred is used in https://truewestmagazine.com/bad-to-the-bone/, Albert in https://www.deadwood.com/history/infamous-deadwood/al-swearengen/. There was just a change to this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Al_Swearengen&type=revision&diff=851019407&oldid=850983397&diffmode=source. I'm not sure where to find an appropriately authoritative reference. Runner1928 (talk) 17:34, 19 July 2018 (UTC)