Steve McQueen, The King of Cool, and the "Mare's Leg"

 

Wanted: Dead or Alive — The Bounty Hunter Blog

By Jerry Buchanan


Before he was the "King of Cool" on the big screen, Steve McQueen was Josh Randall—a Confederate veteran turned bounty hunter who prowled the West not for the bloodlust, but for the justice. In an era where bounty hunters were usually portrayed as low-life "bounty killers," Randall was a gentleman. He was soft-spoken, respectful to his elders, and famously generous, often splitting his hard-earned rewards with the families of the very men he brought in.

The Weapon: The "Mare's Leg"

You can't talk about Josh Randall without talking about that sawed-off 1892 Winchester .44-40 carbine he carried in a custom leg holster. Dubbed the "Mare's Leg," this one-of-a-kind weapon was as much a star of the show as McQueen himself.

  • The Design: Created by legendary custom-car artist Kenny "Von Dutch" Howard, it featured a 9-inch barrel and a cut-down stock.

  • The "Cool" Factor: Though the gun didn't actually exist in the 1870s (it was a model from 1892), McQueen carried it with such conviction that no one cared.

  • The Kick: McQueen famously said he named it the "Mare's Leg" because "it kicked like a hog’s leg, only harder at both ends."

From The Blob to the Big Screen

The story of how McQueen landed the role is pure Hollywood lore. Producer Dick Powell saw a rough cut of the sci-fi flick The Blob and spotted McQueen’s raw intensity. He immediately cast him in a pilot episode of Trackdown, which served as the "jumping off" point for Wanted: Dead or Alive. The show was a massive hit, and it became the launchpad that allowed McQueen to become the first major TV star to successfully transition into a global movie icon.

The Anatomy of a Bounty Hunter

  • The Code: Randall only hunted those who truly deserved it—and if he found an innocent man on a poster, he’d fight the law to set it right.

  • The Uniform: That iconic hat, the rough-out leather vest, and the custom cartridge belt (which, fun fact, held .45-70 rounds that were way too big for his .44-40 rifle, but they looked better on camera!).

  • The Era: 1870s New Mexico Territory.

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