"A temperance drink developed by a pharmacist in Georgia. A mixture of the coca leaf from Peru and kola nut from West Africa! Sparks the energy. It's called 'Coca-something...' The kids love it!"
—Rebecca Stanton

Karen E. Wright plays Rebecca, the Doctor's Wife. She is best known for her role as "Colonel Wolford" in Alex Cox's Repo Chick, and "Magda Lovison" in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She also co-stared in a sketch with Chelsea Handler on the 'Chelsea Lately' Show. She also co-starred in The Last Brown Beret, directed by Del Zamora.

Karen studied Meisner at Gately Poole Studios in New York City and completed training at The Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational and sketch comedy training center and theatre founded by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh, in Los Angeles. She trained privately with vocal teachers: Rita Altay (NYC Met) and Richard Hilty (NYC RH Vocal Studios). Karen began her career touring in the lead role of "Maria" in Theatre Works USA's musical production of Lady Liberty. As for this film, she says: "so thankful to shoot a western, with a creative legend!"¹ She added that it's her "first timme my name is on the poster! Wow. Super proud."²

As a trained singer she also appeared in numerous NYC clubs as Cherilyn Horner in The Idolls, produced by Peitor Angell (Frixion Records).

More recently, Karen is the lead actress performing rap in several mega hit music videos; YNW Melly's 223, and King Von's Took Her To The O.

In the 19th Century, Americans experienced a revolution in gender. The doctrine of "separate spheres" maintained that woman's sphere was the world of privacy, family, and morality while man's sphere was the public world—economic striving, political maneuvering, and social competition.

But the 1890s were was a time of change for women. The decade prior had been the wild, lawless days of Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Sitting Bull and Geronimo in which only the strong survived (and men in those primitive times were usually stronger). White, black and Asian women in the West had been greatly outnumbered by men; Now, this had its advantages: A woman among so many men could afford to be choosey, so Rebecca could hold out until she found a respected doctor to marry. Men, on the other hand, could not be; no fewer than three of Wyatt Earp's four wives had been prostitutes, as had Doc Holliday's common-law wife "Big Nose" Kate Cummings. But by 1890, the Wild West was shrinking and the population had grown over 25% in the previous ten years. By 1890, women finally made up 40% of the West's non-Native population and were joining the (non-prostitutional) workforce. In 1893 the US economy crashed thanks to railroad overproduction and the collapse of the silver market, so women had to pitch in to help make ends meet.

Of course, marriage and motherhood were still considered the most important job for women according to societal standards, but unlike just a few decades earlier, a woman's standing in her community was not solely hinged on her starting a family. Married women lived a very restricted life; wives were expected to cater to the needs of their house and husband. If a family was wealthy, they would be able to hire someone to care for the home. This, however, did not mean a wife had the opportunity to pursue other interests. It was considered a show of wealth for a wife to have no responsibilities at all.

But women like Rebecca Stanton were changing that: The 1890s saw a huge surge in volunteerism in women's rights groups who wanted a say in government (like, say, getting to vote, even). Women alone rarely if ever held public office. (How could you if you couldn't even vote for yourself?) But charity groups, suffragettes, and alcohol temperance organizations finally began to demonstrate their clout, and became a politically influential. In 1890, the two largest women's suffrage organizations merged to create the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The group was led by the famous Susan B. Anthony among others.

By the turn of the century, the Old West would be gone: The Temperance Movement would give birth to Prohibition (18th Amendment, 1919), as well as (eventually) Rebecca's right to vote (19th Amendment, 1919). The Stantons would live in a home that was illuminated by light bulbs instead of lamps, could order furniture from Sears & Roebucks mail order catalogs, and could take a bath and relieve themselves inside their home (although why they were so close in proximity, I have no idea). Not only that, Coca-Cola finally figured out that coca leaves were bad for kids (hopefully before Themistoclius and Alcides got too strung out).

NOTES ON THIS PAGE

¹—https://www.instagram.com/p/DCSt9_dpWEs/

²—https://www.instagram.com/p/DOuVb7OEY_5/