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SOAPY   SMITH
in  the
Arts  &  Media

Star Trek
U_S_S_Jefferson_Smith_color_change_1.jpg
U.S.S. Jefferson Randolph Smith

Listed below are the films, TV shows, plays, biographies and novels that are about Soapy Smith or include an actor portraying him.

It is our hope that in the near future a well done movie will be made about Soapy's adventurous life and death. An author speaking with Randolph J. Smith (Soapy's grandson) once said,

"A movie on Soapy Smith, would be a mixture of, The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

We could not agree more. There are so many components of his life that would make a great film... drama, love, humor, violent confrontations and gunfights. This would be without a doubt a winner of a movie. It's just waiting to be made.



THEATER

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Title
:
The Girl Alaska
Year: 1919
Producer: World Pictures
Actor portraying Soapy: None

Girl_Alaska1.jpgAmerican black and white silent film. Believed to be the first motion picture that portrayed a mention of Soapy on film. The film caused Soapy's son, a newspaper man and political power in St. Louis, Missouri, personal anguish and supposed loss of respect when the film was viewed in his home town theater. In 1919 the son, Jefferson R. Smith, III hired the legal firm of McCarthy, Morris and Sachritz to take up a legal battle of written letters meant to eliminate objectionable parts from the film.  Jefferson felt the film had injured his personal and political standing in the community and wished to sue for malicious libel. At first the film company, George Kleine Motion Pictures was willing to cut offensive scenes out but later reneged on their offer. The one copy of the film that exists at the Library of Congress does not appear to be that offensive and may have had the objectionable scenes deleted.

          

Paul Quinzi saw the film during a visit to the Library of Congress and wrote;
 

The film is the story of a girl called Molly McCrea, 'daughter of one of the lost gold seekers of Alaska.' After having been abandoned by her father at a young age, Molly decides to travel to Alaska herself after reading in the newspaper of 'great opportunities for young men in the north.' Disguised by a pair of overalls and a cap, Molly passes herself off as a boy, stows away on a ship and adopts the slightly more masculine name 'Alaska.' On the ship, Alaska meets Phil Hadley, who is also seeking his fortune, and the two 'boys' become best buds.  

 

The two arrive in Skagway and meet an 'old sourdough' who shows them around the town. They soon hook up with a native who offers to lead them to a good stake. On the way, a huge ice cliff falls on their canoe, killing their guide, leaving Phil and Alaska to their own devices. (No CGI of course; the prelude to the film alludes to the actors 'missing death by a narrow margin' in this scene). They eventually find the stake, but there's no gold to be found. They wander around some more and Phil becomes ill. Alaska saves him by discovering, luckily within a few hundred yards, an old prospector's cabin. Lo and behold, it's the old sourdough from Skagway! He takes them in and offers to let them stay and help work his claim. 

 

Alaska seems to be slowly falling for Phil, who constantly pines for Lorraine, his sweetie back home, a socialite who writes him occasionally. Of course, thinking Alaska is a dude, Phil is totally oblivious to her feelings. One day Alaska, Phil and the sourdough go into Fairbanks, the nearest town, for supplies. Alaska and Phil go into a saloon, where someone tries to rob Phil at the faro table. A great bar fight ensues, in which Phil is roundly beaten and falls out into the street. Alaska rushes to his side, whispers 'I love you' and kisses the unconscious Phil. Then the sourdough collects them and they make a swift exit from Fairbanks. They continue to work the stake, Phil missing Lorraine, Alaska lamenting her unrequited love for Phil. The old sourdough falls ill, and on his death bed asks Alaska to take his share of the claim back to the States and give it to his little girl, Molly! Alaska removes her cap, revealing her curls, and no sooner are father and daughter reunited than they are separated by death. 

 

Phil decides it's time to head back home to Lorraine, and leaves his buddy Alaska to work the claim. He is thrown from his sled and is left alone in the wintry wilderness. The next morning, Alaska wakes to the jingling bells of the returning pilotless dogsled, and goes out to save Phil, which she does, although admittedly still bitter about his having left her for Lorraine. 

 

Spring comes, and one day Phil spies Alaska secretly frolicking by the lake, naked as the day she was born, highlighting the fact that she's a she (no CGI here, either, but shot from far away). Later that day, some prospectors happen by the cabin and leave off some newspapers from the States. Phil picks up one only to read, 'Prominent socialite Lorraine Dower weds New York millionaire.' Next morning, Phil takes Alaska to Fairbanks, ostensibly to file a new claim. Instead, he takes her directly to the chapel (pastored by the Rev. U.R. Blest), whereupon he announces that they want to be married, to which Alaska coyly consents. THE END.

 

So what about Soapy? 

 

Of course, the reason I wanted to see this film in the first place was to see the first on-screen portrayal of Soapy Smith. My understanding of the connection to Soapy was that his son was so embarrassed and offended by the film that he threatened to sue the producer for libel if he did not remove the objectionable scenes. I have concluded that either he succeeded, or that the lawsuit itself may have been Soapy's last con - from beyond the grave.

 

First, there is no Soapy character, or even a character loosely based on Soapy (a la Candy Johnson in Honky Tonk, Sheriff Gannon in The Far Country) in the film. The only mention of Soapy is an approximately 15-second scene when Phil and Alaska arrive in Skagway. The entire part plays exactly like this:

 

Slide: The old sourdough takes Alaska and Phil to the grave of the notorious gunman, Soapy Smith.

 

Screen: [Shows Soapy's tombstone, circa 1919, tattooed with graffiti] Jefferson R. Smith, died July 8, 1898, aged 38 years.

 

Slide: 'This fellow tried to shoot up Skagway. They buried him with his boots on.' 

 

Of course, it's possible that some original version had a somehow more sinister depiction of Soapy and after being threatened with a lawsuit, the director removed it, leaving only the cut I saw. But the film is set in 1919, so it's unlikely that there would have ever been a Soapy character included in it.

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Title: Call of the Wild
Year: 1935
Producer: Twentieth Century Pictures
Actor playing Soapy: Harry Woods

Call_Of_The_Wild.jpgAn American black and white film adaption of Jack London's book of the same name, about a prospector heading north to the Klondike gold rush who rescues a sled dog from its cruel master. Clark Gable and Loretta Young star.

The Turner Classic Movies website writes the following synopsis for the film.

In Skagway in the Yukon, in 1900 during the gold rush, prospector Jack Thornton plans to return to his hometown of Chicago but loses all his money in a card game. "Shorty" Hoolihan, a New Yorker just released from jail after a six-month sentence for tampering with the mail, tells Jack about a letter he read that was sent by an ill prospector, Martin Blake, just before he died to his son John in San Francisco, which contained a map showing the location of a gold mine. Shorty has drawn the map from memory, and although he concedes that it may be faulty in spots, he talks Jack into becoming his partner after telling him that John Blake and his wife left Skagway that day in search of the mine. While buying a dog team, Jack and Shorty encounter a wealthy, sadistic English prospector, Mr. Smith, who wants to buy an untamed St. Bernard named Buck, so that he could shoot him. Jack, who admires the dog, buys him instead, and although Buck runs away once he is freed on the trail, he returns at night in the whirling snow and curls up beside Jack. After they come across Blake's wife Claire surrounded by wolves, she explains that Blake has been gone two days searching for food. Believing that Blake is dead, Jack forces Claire to come with them to Dawson. He and Claire grow fond of each other on the trail, and at Dawson, Claire agrees to become partners with them to find the gold. Although they need money to buy an outfit, Jack, after having lost most of their provisions crossing a river, refuses to sell Buck to Smith; however, after Jack gets drunk and brags that Buck can pull a sled loaded with 1,000 pounds 100 yards, Smith wagers $1,000 against Buck that he cannot. Jack accepts and Buck barely succeeds before he collapses in Jack's arms. As they leave Dawson, Blake, unknown to them, is brought in barely alive. At night, Jack pensively stares at Claire by the fire and explains his acceptance of the "Law of the Klondike" -- if there is something you need, you grab it -- which Claire does not accept. Soon they find the gold, and Shorty is sent to file a claim. As the winter approaches, Buck is tempted by the call of nearby wolves, while Jack and Claire, alone in an isolated cabin, acknowledge and consummate their love. Meanwhile, Blake leads Smith to the gold. When they find the cabin, Smith orders one of his men to knock out Blake. Smith then takes the gold from Jack and Claire at gunpoint but dies with his men when their canoe overturns in rapids and the gold weights them down. After Buck finds Blake, Jack carries him to the cabin, where he and Claire nurse him to health. Although Jack tells Claire that he is keeping her, he relents after she explains that although she loves him, Blake needs her and that she lives by a different law than Jack. After the Blakes leave, Buck joins the wolves and becomes a father, and Jack is left alone for the winter, but in the spring, Shorty returns with an Indian woman, whom he won in a crap game, to be their cook.

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Title: Honky Tonk
Year: 1941
Producer: Metro-Goldwyn Mayer
Actor portraying Soapy: Clark Gable

HONKYTONK_HANDBILLJPGw300h236.jpgAn American black & white film starring Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Frank Morgan, Claire Trevor and Chill Wills. MGM purchased the rights to the book, The Reign of Soapy Smith, by William Ross Collier and Edwin Victor Westgate and transcribed into a cinema play by Ann Lee Whitmore and Tom Sellers, with Clark Gable playing the lead (L.A. Times, 04/29/1940. p. 8). The film was to be about Soapy, but according to Jeff, his grandfather, Soapy's son, (Jefferson Randolph Smith, III) threatened to open a lawsuit against MGM if they used his father's name and story. 

Soapy's son still had rights over usage of his father's name. Rather than scrap the movie, which had already begun filming, MGM just changed the names around. Soapy Smith became Candy Johnson, a con man, played by Clark Gable. Candy Johnson, tired of running from town to town, sets his mind to have a town of his own. A very fun film with great comical dialogue and a few shootouts thrown in for flavor.

At the start of the film there is a beautiful rendition on three-card Monte, the game that was instrumental in the real Soapy's death. In the film Gable, as Mr. Johnson, for the sake of a woman, decides to use his huckstering skill to build a small-town church, but soon he's up to his old tricks, again, managing a dance hall and gambling emporium. There is a happy ending.

Below is the opening scene for Honky Tonk showing Clark Gable as Soapy doing three-card Monte.

By Douglas Churchill Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.


HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 28, 1940--Clark Gable will play the lead in "Soapy Smith," which Pandro S. Berman will produce for Metro, the studio announced. The story, based on "The Reign of Soapy Smith," by Edwin Victor Westrate and William Ross Collier, deals with the ...


LOS ANGELES TIMES, April 29, 1940--Clark Gable will be the star in one of the earliest pictures produced by Pandro Berman for the M.G.M. studio. The film scheduled for this star features Soapy Smith, one of the characters celebrated in early Colorado history. "The Reign of Soapy Smith," written by William Ross Collier and Edwin Victor Westgate, has been purchased by the studio and will be transcribed into a cinema play by Ann Lee Whitmore and Tom Sellers, two of the younger writers at the establishment.

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Title: The Great Jesse James Raid
Year: 1953
Producer: Jezebel Productions
Actor portraying Soapy: Earl Hodgins

Jesse James (Willard Parker), retired and living under an assumed name in St. Joseph, Missouri, agrees over the protests of his wife Zee (Barbara Woodell) to join Bob Ford (Jim Bannon) and Sam Wells (Richard Cutting)in a Colorado gold raid. Jesse rounds up gunman Arch Clements (Tom Neal); demolition expert Elias Hobbs (Wallace Ford), with suspect credentials as he later blows himself up; and get-away wagon driver Johnny Jorette (James Anderson). They rendezvous at Ford's saloon in Creede, Colorado, where Ford's girlfriend Kate (Barbara Payton) joins the gang. Sam guesses Ford's plan to double-cross Jesse and collect a reward and Ford kills him. Lots of other people die before Jesse and Ford ride off in opposite directions.  Written by Les Adams

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Title: The Far Country
Year: 1955
Producer: Universal International Pictures
Actor portraying Soapy: John McIntire

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In 1896, Jeff Webster (James Stewart) sees the start of the Klondike gold rush as a golden opportunity to make a fortune in beef...and woe betide anyone standing in his way! He drives a cattle herd from Wyoming to Seattle, by ship to Skagway, and (after a delay caused by larcenous town boss Gannon, loosely, but clearly and unmistakably, based on Soapy, played by John MacIntire) through the mountains to Dawson. There, he and his partner Ben Tatum get into the gold business themselves. Two lovely women fall for misanthropic Jeff, but he believes in every-man-for-himself, turning his back on growing lawlessness...until it finally strikes home. Written by Rod Crawford.

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Title: The Klondike Fever
Year: 1980
Producer: CFI Investments
Actor portraying Soapy: Rod Stieger


This film is supposed to chronicle Jack London's epic journey from San Francisco to the Klondike gold fields in 1898. Soapy Smith is a main character but it is obvious that the writers either never picked up a history book on the gold rush or chose to ignore everything they read.

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TELEVISION

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Title:
The Alaskans
Year: 1959 - 1960
Producer: Warner Brothers
Actor portraying Soapy: John Dehner


When gold was discovered in the Yukon in the 1890's, thousands of hopeful prospectors headed north for a chance at becoming rich. The easiest passage to the Yukon was through the small Alaskan port town of Skagway, which quickly exploded into a sprawling boom town, offering almost everything a miner could want, for a price. Adventurers Silky Harris and Reno McKee have arrived in this town looking to make their fortunes. Not mining for gold, but by catering to and fleecing the hardy, hard-living miners who pass through town. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher.


Several episodes included Soapy in some form of dishonest mayhem. One of the episodes, "Remember the Maine" tells the story of Soapy and his volunteer army.

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Title: Alias Smith and Jones
Year: 1971 - 1972
Producer: Universal TV
Actor portraying Soapy: Sam Jaffe

SoapyOnSmithAndJones1.jpgAmerican TV show based on two outlaws (Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry) trying to go straight with the law. They are popular with everyone except the railroads and the banks. They are offered an amnesty on condition that they stay out of trouble for a year and that they don't tell anyone about it. With a view to keeping their noses clean they adopt the identities of Smith and Jones and use all of their ingenuity keeping out of the way of the law.

Sam Jeffe plays the part of Soapy in three episodes:



      1.) The Great Shell Game (aired February 18, 1971)
      2.) A Fistfull of Diamonds (aired March 4, 1971)
      3.) Bad Night in Big Butte (aired March 2, 1972)

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Title: Deadwood
Year: 2004 - 2006
Producer: HBO
Actor portraying Soapy: Gil Gayle


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Title: Treasure/The Saga of Soapy Smith
Year: 1968
Producer: Burrud Productions
Actor portraying Soapy: Unknown

Burruds_Saga_of_Soapy.jpgThe Saga of Soapy Smith aired on Bill Burrud's Treasure.  Well done portrayal of his Skagway days leading up to his death. The question arises as to the where Soapy's wealth went after his death. It is hard to fathom that Soapy died broke when at the height of power. His widow claimed he was worth millions.



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THEATRICAL PLAYS

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Title:
The Ballad of Soapy Smith
Year: 1983
Producer: Micheal Weller
Actor portraying Soapy: Denis Arndt

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A wonderful play written by Michael Weller and premiered in Seattle, Washington in 1983. It was performed in New York and years later in a college university in California, where Jeff Smith had the pleasure of seeing the play and meeting Mr. Weller.

BALLAD OF SOAPY SMITH - Play in three acts by Michael Weller, directed by Robert Egan, scenery by Eugene Lee, costumes by Robert Blackman, lighting by Spencer Mosse, songs by Michael Weller, score by Norman Durkee, produced by the Seattle Repertory Theater, Seattle, Wash., through Nov. l9. 

SEATTLE - Michael Weller's "The Ballad of Soapy Smith" is a Gold Rush melodrama about a legendary con man known - rather more staidly - as Jefferson Randolph Smith (l860-l898). If, in its world premiere at the Seattle Rep, Weller's sprawling epic seems perfectly suited to its rustic but sophisticated Northwestern setting, that's not by accident. The script was developed last year during a Seattle Rep workshop, then chosen to open the company's impressive new $l0-million theater. Beyond this cosy provincialism, "Soapy Smith" is a rip-roaring play about megalomania and power, a Wild West show with something more on its mind than six-shooters and revenge. 

Weller picks up his charismatic hero just a year before his death. As a somewhat mysterious presence in the Klondike, Smith arrives in Skagway, Alaska, alert to the town's possibilities. (Memorably described by Jack London, Skagway was a way-station leading to the Yukon gold fields.) Perfectly willing and eloquently able to pan gold dust out of the palms of prospectors, Smith elects a more devious plan. With steady assurance and easy reliance on hypocrisy, he becomes - or appears to become - a benevolent townsman, "Good Citizen Smith." By any definition he's the ultimate politico, a grafter sliding by on charm while grasping everything in reach. The subtext of Weller's play is an instant-history on the making of a politician. As someone says of him, Soapy Smith bends "truth into shapes never before seen on this earth." 

As a cover he owns and operates a restaurant, Jeff Smith's Oyster Parlour. His coterie includes con artists like himself, and the town's madame. He forms his own "army" as a force against the moralizing (yet murderous) Skagway vigilantes. He wins friends and influences people, including an upstanding citizen named Burke Gallagher who, despite his admiration of Smith, sees him for what he is. As Weller has constructed his play, Gallagher is Smith's nemesis; in vague Pirandellian shadows, he's also Smith's dormant conscience. Although Smith never rises beyond self interest, never advances so much as a small step toward nobility, he eventually becomes troubled by his lack of soul. At one point he says, "If I'm truly no more than what I am now, it's been a sorry little journey indeed." He knows his life has been "bullshit" and: "All the way to hell he sees clearly what he is." 

Michael Weller tells Soapy Smith's story through the device of a narrator, Paul Anthony MacAleer, a minor poet given to doggerel. (Weller credits MacAleer's verse as part of the play's inspiration.) The device is effective principally because MacAleer is not just an outside observer, not just someone bearing witness; instead, as an "uncultured dirt-farmer from Nebraska," he's a fully developed character whose life in Skagway is pivotal to the plot. MacAleer's thickly sentimental poem about Smith is, finally, revealed for what it is, dumb, sugary versifying, the opposite side of the far more complicated, vinegary truth. This revelation, by the way, is made by MacAleer's subject himself. Soapy Smith has been educated, he knows "The Aeneid," and he's brash enough to describe poetry as good propaganda. But when he hears MacAleer's couplets, he describes them as "rhyming flapdoodle." 

Beneath the often familiar scenes of Weller's play (backroom skulduggery, streetside brawls, political meetings, whispering whores, hang-'em-high justice), there's a still familiar but sharply dramatic focus. "The Ballad of Soapy Smith" is not merely about "the vital spirit that marks the adventurous beginnings of the Pacific Northwest," as one Rep press release has it. In a very real sense Weller's play is about the contradictions that are the basis for the whole country. Weller's play begins in easy, beguiling myth (MacAleer's awful honorific) and ends in brute reality (Soapy Smith's murder). What we witness en route is not America's coming of age but, rather, the repetitions of history as old as the con artistry of Julius Caesar and as new as the bunko oratory of Ronald Reagan. Michael Weller finds raucous splendor in his epic (that's the come-on, the entertainment), then, to his credit, he plays it cool, cynical, straight.

Under Robert Egan's direction "The Ballad of Soapy Smith" has been given exactly the bustling production it needs. Eugene Lee's set is an open-rafter marvel (with a huge blow-up of the snow-capped Klondike just up a center-stage ramp), a variant copy of other timbered sets Lee has done for the Trinity Square Repertory. Denis Arndt is wonderful as Soapy Smith; spellbinding, in fact, and good enough to make us care about this corrupt and venal man. Denis Arndt catches Soapy Smith's larger-than-life radiance and plays it for a kind of low voltage ease. Ted D'Arms is fine as Burke Gallagher, whose goodness owes a debt to a dark secret. Christopher Cooper is fine, too, as MacAleer, and there's good work from Kate Mulgrew, Paul Hofstetl, Kevin Tighe. The cast has 33 actors, and there are some less than ideal performances but the level of acting is pretty admirable. 

The Ballad of Soapy Smith is probably too big, too populous for Broadway, and it doesn't belong there in the first place. As an example of homegrown regional theater, it has its own weight and conviction. It sings a variant song of a man - and a country - trapped in his own myth and inevitably paying the price. It's the Faust legend echoing from purple mountain majesty, from sea to shining sea.  Kevin Kelly of The Boston Globe,  November 16, 1983.

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Title: The Days of '98 Show
Year: 1925 - Present
Producer: Gold Rush Productions (Jim Richards)
Actor portraying Soapy: varies

Although we are great fans of the show we are not affiliated. For ticket & general information please see their website. DAYS OF '98 SHOW

The Days of 98 Show in Skagway, Alaska is a one-hour historic musical comedy drama based on the Skagway adventures of Soapy Smith. The show is seen each summer by thousands of tourists.

Jim Richard's says in an interview with the local radio station, "We are taking a little artistic license by putting a show on in Soapy’s saloon, which would be more or less indicative of the shows that were put on during the 1890’s with appropriate turn of the century music. We run through the demise of Soapy Smith. We get his name going first; we let people know about how he got his name. Then it switches immediately to his bar here in Skagway. And it’s his last day, and he’s absolutely losing it, and he goes off and gets killed."
 

Where:

 

The Eagles Hall (Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie 25) at Sixth and Broadway, Skagway, Alaska. The show has been performing in the Hall for over 25 years. The Eagles Hall was built using the sides of the Mondimen Hotel, in which Soapy lived. It is said that the Eagles Hall is haunted by the ghosts of gold rush era. The Eagles Hall is also host to the annual Soapy Smith Wake held every July 8 in honor of the day Soapy was shot.

When:

 

18 to 20 shows a week during the summer months when tourism is at its' peak. The evening shows are often preceded by mock gambling with "Soapy's money." The competition is high at the original roulette table, black jack, dice game and faro. Performances are schedule to match the arrival and departure of the cruise ships.
 

History:

 

The production has been running for over 80 years which makes it the longest running show in Alaska. The show has been a tradition for most of its 80-plus years. The show got its beginnings as dances staged at the White Pass Athletic Club for visitors in the 1920s to raise money for the hockey team. When the club shut down, the back bar and the show moved uptown to the Eagles Hall. Many charter Auxiliary members were part of the original cast of musicians and can can dancers. The show has evolved from a cast of Eagles volunteers to paid professionals.

Jim Richards and Gold Rush Productions, the owners of the show, take pride in the fact that they hire only professional actors and musicians for the show. Richards has been apart of the show for nearly three decades.

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ELECTRONIC GAMES

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Title: Gun
Year: 2005
Producer: Neversoft & Activision Inc.
Actor portraying Soapy: Computer generated 

Gun is a western-themed video developed by Neversoft and published by Activision for the Xbox 360, Xbox, GameCube, PC, PSP and PSP2. It was released in North America on November 8, 2005 and in mid-to late November in Europe. Soapy Jennings is one of the characters in the game named after Soapy Smith. It is unknown why they changed his name but one rumor states it was in honor of one of the creators friends.

As Colton White, players must straddle the line between good and evil as they showdown against corrupt lawmen, a murderous preacher, renegade army psychopaths, merciless outlaws and unforgiving Native Americans, while waging war on horseback, collecting bounties, and commandeering trains.  Players travel through an action-packed landscape of high mountain wilderness, deserts and bustling territorial towns in an epic story of betrayal, greed, and revenge.

Soapy (voice by Dave Wittenberg) is a safe-cracking card cheat and the main characters (Colton) closest ally. Soapy is a little too smart and cocky for his own good. Though he's a smooth talker, he tends to get himself into trouble, where as Cole is constantly bailing him out.

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Title: The Yukon Trail
Year: 1994
Producer: The Learning Company
Actor portraying Soapy: Computer generated

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The Yukon Trail

A Windows/Mac computer game in which the player is a Klondike gold rush stampeder trying to get to Dawson and the gold fields to make a fortune. In Skagway the player runs into Soapy Smith, his saloon, a crooked shell game and a card cheat.

The Yukon Trail begins in July 1897 on the wharf in Seattle, Washington, the jumping-off point for thousands of stampeders. If you're smart, persistent, and just a little lucky, you'll make it to Dawson City, headquarters of the gold rush. There you can set out on your own to dig for gold.

Along the way, all kinds of people will want to give you advice. But be careful who you listen to! Some people have valuable advice. Others don't know what they're talking about. And still others are trying to cheat you.

Meet actual historical figures, like Soapy Smith, as well as fictional characters that represent the types of people you might have encountered.

 

 

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Title: Conker, Live and Reloaded
Year: 2005
Producer: Rare Ltd.
Actor portraying Soapy: Computer generated squirrel

Conker: Live and Reloaded is an Xbox game, that Jeff played with his son Jefferson. When in the "Total War" portion of the game, players team up against a sea landing force of enemy squirrels. The names of each character is visible in white letters above the heads for identification purposes.

One day, Jefferson and I were in the heat of battle in the game. we were the bank of a trench when, in a blur I something that caught my attention.  A squirrel flew by in a blur just below us, in a trench.  I startled my son by yelling, "Did you see that?"  Before he could answer, I took off chasing the squirrel down the winding trench.  My son, now mad and yelling at me for deviating from the game, was trying to keep up.  Finally, I trapped my prey in a cul-de-sac.

 

Look at the name of the character I was chasing, Jeff! I hollered excitedly. The name above my captives head read "Soapy."  Not really knowing, or caring whether "Soapy" squirrel was friend or foe, I did the only thing I could do in that predicament...I shot "Soapy squirrel" dead.  

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MUSIC


  • The Ballad of Soapy Smith,  1981, written by Al Oster.
  • The Ballad of Soapy Smith,  1987, written by Tim Martin.
  • The Bloody Ballad of Notorious Bad Man Soapy Smith’s Wretched and Violent Demise, 2008, written by Ed Parrish.

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BOOKS

NON-FICTION

  • Clifford, Howard, Uncrowned King of Skagway, Sourdough Enterprise, 1997. Well published with common mistakes. Has a different perspective of Soapy's death and who shot him. Howard is a friend of the Smith family having met John Randolph Smith and Jeff Smith in 1973.
  • Haigh, Jane, King Con: The Story of Soapy Smith, Friday501, 2006. Book review.
  • Pullen, Harriet S., Soapy Smith Bandit of Skagway: How He Lived; How He Died. Stroller's Weekly Print (Elmer J. White - believed to be a member of the Soap Gang). early 1900s (unknown publication date).
  • Robertson, Frank G. and Beth Kay Harris, Soapy Smith: King of the Frontier Con Men, Hastings House, 1961. Probably the best biography made to date.
  • Shea & Patten, The Soapy Smith Tragedy, Daily Alaskan Print, 1907 (this is the Daily Alaskan newspaper which published Soapy's death in July, 1898).
  • Westrate, Edwin Victor and William Ross Collier, The Reign of Soapy Smith: Monarch of Misrule, Doubleday, Doran, 1935. The first complete biography. No footnotes, resources given.

FICTION

  • Walt Disney Comics, Uncle Scrooge, Marvel, June 1994. This is the story of how Scrooge McDuck (Uncle Scrooge) obtained his riches, all thanks to Soapy Slick (Soapy Smith). Scrooge goes to Skagway where he buys a fraudulent mine claim from Soapy. When Scrooge finds gold on the claim Soapy tries to claim the mine back.
  • Fats, A. Conan, The Adventure of the Grace Ghost, Greater Grace Daily Online Gazette. A. Conan Fats, a descendant of English mystery writer A. Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes stories, continues the family tradition of writing. This time Soapy is the villain in The Adventure of Grace Ghost.
  • Ford, John M., How Much For Just The Planet? Pocket Books, 1987. Soapy is not a character in this book, but a Star-trek Federation Starship in the year 2268. The U.S.S. Jefferson Randolph Smith (NCC-29402, Sulek-class) is a Federation resource exploratory ship under the command of Captain Tatyana Trofimov. From the same novel there are other ships named after the Klondike era, such as the U.S.S. Dawson City. It appears John did a little research into mining for the novel. It also appears Ford had a sense of humor.
  • Miller, Mike, Soapy, Alaskabooks, 1970. A fun fictional paperback read.
  • Markstein, George, Tara Kane, Stein & Day (Scarborough House), 1978.

  • Fats, A. Conan, The Adventure of the Grace Ghost, Greater Grace Daily Online Gazette. A. Conan Fats, a descendant of English mystery writer A. Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes stories, continues the family tradition of writing. This time Soapy is the villain in The Adventure of Grace Ghost.
  • Ford, John M., How Much For Just The Planet? Pocket Books, 1987. Soapy is not a character in this book, but a Star-trek Federation Starship in the year 2268. The U.S.S. Jefferson Randolph Smith (NCC-29402, Sulek-class) is a Federation resource exploratory ship under the command of Captain Tatyana Trofimov.

    From the same novel there are other ships named after the Klondike era, such as the U.S.S. Dawson City. It appears John did a little research into mining for the novel. It also appears Ford had a sense of humor.
  • Miller, Mike, Soapy, Alaskabooks, 1970. A fun fictional paperback read.
  • Markstein, George, Tara Kane, Stein & Day (Scarborough House), 1978.

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Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel

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