One of the most recurrent sounds of Shane (1953) is Joey Sharrett’s “Bang! Bang!” as he imagines his toy gun firing at the bad guys. Shane‘s 1953 debut corresponds to a moment where toy makers exploited this fascination with western violence, and Joey’s mimicking of gun sounds might be seen as a commentary on the toy industry’s capitalizing on the juvenile fascination with western violence. The “cap gun” was one of the most popular toys for American boys from the late 1930s through the early 1960s. These guns were branded with the names of famous cowboy figures in film serials and feature films, from Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Lone Ranger, through popular 1950s television shows like Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Wanted: Dead or Alive, and Have Gun – Will Travel. Images of some of these guns are below, but the Nichols Cap Gun website has a trove of additional images.
