If you get the impression Arizona can sometimes seem a little wacky to the rest of the nation, take heart, at least, that attention-getting shenanigans are nothing new for the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona’s reputation for characters that capture headlines goes way back, and now a dozen almost-too-bizarre-to-be-true stories will come to light in “Outrageous Arizona,” an hourlong TV special airing 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, on Eight, Arizona PBS.
A collaboration between Eight and “True West” magazine, the show’s host is Bob Boze Bell, executive editor of “True West” and a prolific Western history writer and illustrator. State historian Marshall Trimble and historical author Jana Bommersbach also contribute to the tales.
“This unique show is a salute to Arizona’s well-known penchant for attracting outlandish characters, and it premieres appropriately during our state’s centennial year,” said Eight general manager Kelly McCullough in a statement. “You can’t make this stuff up, and we didn’t have to.”
Among the stories are those of a drunken, penniless gambler who wound up on Arizona’s State Seal; America’s only known female stagecoach robber; a feral camel that terrorized Arizonans; a White Mountain Apache grandmother who was sold into slavery in Mexico and escaped; and the sophisticated side of Wyatt Earp’s rough-and-tumble Tombstone.
For information, visit azpbs.org.
Contact writer: (480) 898-6818 or azajac@evtrib.com
