Tomahawks - Primitive but
effective weapon used by Native American Indians when
defending themselves from other Indian tribes and white
settlers on a number of TV western series.
During an April 29, 1965 installment of the late night show
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, singer Ed Ames who
played Mingo, an Indian friend of frontiersman Daniel Boone
(Fess Parker) on the western adventure DANIEL
BOONE/NBC/1964-70 demonstrated throwing the tomahawk (actually
a hatchet) during the show.
An errant tomahawk hits its mark
Following Johnny Carson's attempt at hitting the
line-drawing shaped like a cowboy, Ed Ames threw his tomahawk.
His throw hit the target directly in the crotch area. This
triggered a wave of sustained laughter. Johnny
Carson seeing the misplaced throw commented, "I didn't even
know you were Jewish" and followed that quip with "Welcome to
Johnny Carson savors the moment
with Ed Ames
One of TVs most amazing scenes featuring a tomahawk like
hatchet occurred on the western adventure KUNG FU/ABC/1972-75
on episode No. 23 "The Tong" (11-29-73).
While protecting a small boy from the underworld clutches
of a slave master, Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine) is
attacked from behind by a henchman who tosses a hatchet at
Shaolin priests back. Miraculously, Caine effortlessly spins
around and catches the hatchet in mid air. The seemingly
mystical act sends a sense of awe down the spine of the
perpetrator and to the viewing audience as well.
TRIVIA NOTE: In the fall of 1991
during the World Series playoffs between the Atlanta Braves
and the Minnesota Twins, the tomahawk became a topic of
controversy. Representatives of Native American Indians
complained that the "Tomahawk Chop," a ritual wherein the fans
of the Atlanta Braves chopped the air with replicas of
tomahawks (or their hands) as they cheered on their hometown
baseball team, was a mockery of the Indian customs and race.
A comment appearing in the 11/1/91 issue of
Entertainment Weekly read: "Some people are sure touchy
about being cheated out of their land, their culture and their
dignity." Addendum: The Atlanta Braves lost the series.
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