Dead Outlaw is based on the weirder-than-fiction true story of Elmer McCurdy, a train robber killed in a 1911 shootout whose preserved corpse ended up being displayed as part of various carnival sideshows and movie sets throughout the 1920s-40s, until eventually rediscovered in the funhouse of a California amusement park in the 1970s.
I keep forgetting about his post-mortem career in movies. I always remember that he was discovered as part of a dark ride because that is exactly the sort of creepshow urban legend people tell one another about the mannequins in amusement parks and then this once it turned out to be true, which is deeply unfair. I'm glad the musical was so good! I have read neat things about it since off-Broadway!
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I keep forgetting about his post-mortem career in movies. I always remember that he was discovered as part of a dark ride because that is exactly the sort of creepshow urban legend people tell one another about the mannequins in amusement parks and then this once it turned out to be true, which is deeply unfair. I'm glad the musical was so good! I have read neat things about it since off-Broadway!
(I am delighted the real-life coroner approves.)