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| Ed Wood must have been fascinated by the store of Mary Katherine "Big Nose Kate" Horony. |
Ed Wood sometimes drew inspiration from real-life historical figures for his work. We all know, for example, that his debut feature Glen or Glenda (1953) was partly based on the highly-publicized story of transgender woman Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989). Generally, though, Eddie's movies are profoundly fictional. Sorry, folks, but the events of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) and Bride of the Monster (1955) exist only in the world of imagination. And don't expect to visit the spooky yet sexy mansion of Madame Heles from Necromania (1971) either.
It's through his writing, his innumerable books and articles, that Ed Wood gets to indulge in his interest in history. Think of his fairly straightforward 1973 story "Pearl Hart and the Last Stage," which recounts the career of America's first and last female stagecoach robber. In his book Bloodiest Sex Crimes of History (1967), Eddie writes about the monstrous exploits of Albert Fish, Elizabeth Bathory, and other real-life evildoers. Other such personages are namechecked throughout the nonfiction articles collected in When the Topic is Sex (2021).
But there is at least one prominent historical figure in Ed Wood's writing I have so far overlooked, and it's because I had no idea until recently that she was based on an actual person. What can I say? When it comes to history, I'm kind of a dummy. (And I say that as the son of a history teacher!) This one completely slipped past me. Let's correct that today.
Ed Wood wrote numerous short stories for the 1973 compilation Tales for a Sexy Night, Vol. 2 from Gallery Press, including a memorably grotesque Western yarn called "Calamity Jane Loves Hosenose Kate Loves Cattle Anne." Although as fictional in its events as Plan 9, this story at least uses the names of several real-life people from the Old West. A brief summary: In Deadwood, South Dakota, 1876, Calamity Jane mourns the death of her lover, Wild Bill Hickok, and visits a saloon called the High Dyke to drown her sorrows in drink. There, she talks to the cheerfully vulgar owner, Hosenose Kate, who informs Jane that Bill was also having an affair with a woman named Cattle Anne. Ultimately, Jane and Anne meet, and, instead of killing each other in a duel, break down in tears and mourn Wild Bill Hickock together. Despite the title, there is no indication that these characters "love" each other.
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| The grave of Big Nose Kate. |
In a rare example of continuity, Ed Wood also mentions Hosenose Kate (though he now spells it "Hose Nose Kate") in his 1973 story "Wanted: Belle Starr." There, two more real-life Western characters, Belle Starr and Sam Bass, briefly talk about Kate during a post-coital conversation. According to Belle, she's still running a saloon and serving as a madam, making money "any way she can." If there are further references to Hosenose (or Hose Nose) Kate in Ed Wood's writing, I haven't found them yet.
Even as a non-history buff with no background in the Old West whatsoever, I instantly recognized the names Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickock, and Belle Starr in these stories, namely because of their portrayals in pop culture. I also figured (correctly) that Sam Bass was real, too. So was Cattle Anne, though the historical outlaw Anna Emmaline McDoulet (1882-1978) was actually known as Cattle Annie, not Anne. Ed Wood famously loved Western movies and Western lore, so he'd probably grown up hearing about the exploits of all these colorful people. In all likelihood, what he heard was a combination of truth and wild embellishment. (Let's say 80% embellishment and 20% truth.) It's only natural he'd want to incorporate these towering figures into his work.
But what really threw me for a loop was when I learned of the existence of a Hungarian-born outlaw, gambler, and prostitute named Mary Katherine Horony (1850-1940), better known as Big Nose Kate. A tough-talking, hard-drinking, and defiantly outspoken hooker in the Old West? Now that's the kind of character Ed Wood couldn't have resisted. How had I never heard of her before? I feel like this is one of those things everyone else knew but me. I'm sure Horony—later known as Mary Cummings when she got married—was on Ed's mind when he devised Hosenose Kate in the early 1970s.
As with many figures from the Old West, Big Nose Kate's story is often confusing and contradictory, with fact and fiction freely intermingled. Historians have a vague outline of her eventful and lengthy life, but many of the details have been lost to time. We know (or think we know) that she was born in Hungary circa 1850 and emigrated to America with her family when she was around 10. She was orphaned at 15 and thereafter moved from city to city—St. Louis, Fort Griffin, Valdosta, Tombstone, etc.—supporting herself through various jobs. Prostitution seems to have been her most consistent, albeit not only, occupation. She lived an absurdly long time, finally expiring at the age of 89, and was buried in Prescott, Arizona. You can still visit her grave today while you're down there.
I'm sorry to report to you that the story of Big Nose Kate does not seem to include Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Cattle Annie, Sam Bass, or Belle Starr at all. Instead, Kate is most famous for her long, stormy romantic relationship (and possible marriage) with legendary gunfighter John Henry "Doc" Holliday (1851-1887), a dentist by trade. As every Western fan knows, Doc Holliday was a close companion of the equally legendary Wyatt Earp (1848-1929). Even though these two men broke as many laws as they ever enforced, pop culture remembers Doc and Wyatt as heroes, largely thanks to their participation in the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881 against the Ike Clanton Gang. Kate claimed to have been there, too, watching the historic events from a boarding house window.
Much more has been written about Big Nose Kate than I care to relate to you today. Just Google her name or search for her on YouTube, and you'll find plenty of information, some of which may even be true. What I want to know is, do the real-life Big Nose Kate and Ed Wood's Hosenose Kate have a lot in common? Or did Eddie have her all wrong?
Based on my preliminary examination of this woman's extraordinary life, I'd say that Eddie slightly mischaracterized Kate, albeit in service of one of his most entertaining short stories. The real Big Nose Kate was indeed an outspoken, brash woman who did not shy away from violence or from strong drink. And she did what she had to do for money, legal or otherwise. But I see no evidence that she was the profane, slovenly, and gluttonous wretch that Eddie depicts. Nor was she physically unattractive. According to most of the accounts I've read, her nickname referred not to her oversized proboscis but to her tendency to stick her nose into other people's business. She was nosey. Get it?
My guess is that Ed Wood encountered the name "Big Nose Kate" at some point in his life while reading about the Old West and remembered only that she was an outspoken prostitute with a funny, perhaps unflattering nickname. Years later, when he was churning out stories for publisher Bernie Bloom at a breakneck pace, that distant memory of Mary Katherine Horony, ladylove of Doc Holliday, came back to him. I think the "Hosenose Kate" character is actually more of a stand-in for Eddie himself, and he simply transferred some of his most unappetizing traits to her. I wonder if he knew her saloon in Tombstone is supposedly haunted? That might've been good for another story.
P.S. I was a little nervous when posting this article, because (as I stated earlier) I am not a historian in any way and have very little knowledge of the Old West. And, sure enough, I quickly heard from reader Corey Recko, who made this objection via Facebook:
Just so you know, that photo is NOT of Big Nose Kate. (I have a side career as a Western history author/historian.) It's an unidentified antique store find. The owner of the photo tried to push this and other photos as being of famous Western figures to increase their value and posted them on sites such as Wikipedia and Find a Grave, hoping people would see them enough that they'd become accepted. It's sad how quickly these misidentifed photos spread.
Sorry, Corey. No harm intended. This article was intended strictly for entertainment purposes and was not presented as any kind of definitive historical statement. If you're looking for accurate information on Big Nose Kate, please go elsewhere.