Talk:Buford Pusser

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The stick[edit]

Moved from the article:

Although many believe he carried a "big stick" to bash criminals in his own form of justice, he did not. The big stick was a fictitious part of the movies about his life.

A reader has commented (via e-mail) that this stick is not fictitious and can be seen at the Police Museum in Pigeon Forge. I found a link confirming the existence of the stick [1] but it says there that the stick was "used in personal appearances" - suggesting it may have been a prop adopted later, rather than something he used before the publicity. Perhaps someone can clarify and replace if necessary -- sannse (talk) 23:58, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Somebody sent you an e-mail rather than just removing it or stating it here on talk? Sometimes you'd forget this was a wiki...oh well, good catch on his or her part. Everyking 03:58, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
He carried a few sticks, but rarely on his person. Often he simply carried one in his vehicle or kept one at his house. Most were axe handles, minus the actual head of the axe. --Robbyappleton 16:36, 15 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The stick should be mentioned in the article in any case. It is featured in the Museum website listed at the bottom of the article.--Jack Upland (talk) 09:32, 25 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm from McNairy County, and by all accounts, the stick is Hollywood fiction. The fact that it appears in a museum on the other end of the state proves nothing. That doesn't detract from Pusser's toughness. He roughed up plenty of people while he was sheriff, but from what I've read, he generally did it bare-knuckle. 67.45.112.174 (talk) 13:31, 16 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Controversy[edit]

What is it with the statement about him being corrupt? Does anyone have a source for this, because otherwise, it should be removed. Any takers? Alex43223 Talk | Contribs | E-mail | C 05:54, 22 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]


There are a few books on Buford Pusser that have not been mentioned, and yes, one of his major quarrels with "toehead" was based on a woman whom they both shared relations with. The books are as follows: "The State-Line Mob" "The Twelfth Of August" These may be beneficial to to your queery about him being corrupt. My family is from Michie, TN, right outside of Corinth, MS. There is a "museum" for Mr. Pusser in the basement of the McNairy Co. City Hall, located in Selmer, which consists of some police trade tools, a few pictures, and some literature. I beleive it is his old office. VERY interesting, because it is also where parts of the movie were filmed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.43.255.202 (talk) 23:40, 15 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Carl "Toehead" White[edit]

Carl "Toehead" White, not "Towhead". Carl was called "Toehead" because of the swift kick to the head that he would use during fights.


Basic Training versus Boot Camp

I am loathe to change the original text, but Marines go to Boot Camp, soldiers go to Basic Training. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.118.91.242 (talk) 05:48, 30 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reassess[edit]

  • This article is seriously lacking in references and needs a lot of work on its tone before it can be considered a "B" class article. I've reassessed it to reflect this. bwmcmaste (talk) 06:19, 22 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"Drunk"?[edit]

If they did no autopsy on Pusser, how did they know he was drunk when he was killed? I don't think there was any foul play involved in his death, but that doesn't mean he was drunk. The highway where he was killed has a lot of twists and turns. It's easy to have a wreck there if one is not careful, and most people who knew Pusser said he drove like a maniac. In all likelihood, he simply had a wreck and killed himself. 67.45.112.174 (talk) 13:35, 16 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]