Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Legal drinking age in 1963?

(1/1)

moremojo:
Howdy, folks--

A little question I have here, pertaining to the authenticity (or potential lack thereof) of one detail in our story, both in Proulx's original and in the film adaptation. Ennis and Jack meet in 1963, at a time when neither, according to the original story, is twenty (implying that both boys are nineteen, perhaps soon to turn twenty). In the published screenplay, Ennis is described as being twenty at the time of his arrival in Signal, with the implication that Jack is around the same age, perhaps slightly younger.

My question is this: Was it legal in Wyoming in 1963 for those under the age of twenty-one to purchase and openly consume alcoholic beverages? Jack and Ennis both repair to a bar in Signal on their first day there, and purchase and openly drink beer. And Jack had to get the bottle of whiskey from somewhere, presumably having purchased it before arriving in town. Was eighteen indeed the legal drinking age at this time and place? If not, were the bar owners (and some alchohol vendor somewhere) just lax in complying with the law? Can anyone answer this question authoritatively?

Thanks in advance for any replying.

Scott

ProwlAmongUs:
Scott,
I'm searching for the information, and I have a couple of leads. I may have an answer soon. I CAN tell you that Wyoming and S. Dakota were the LAST states to raise the age to 21 in 1988 -- four years after the federal government threatend to cut back highway funding for states who kept the legal age under 21.

maggiesmommy GayLee:
can't remember..isn't that wierd?? i was a senior in high school in 1963, and i can't REMEMBER!!! but ya know what...never stopped any of us....we found a way to drink, whatever, whenever....must be why i can't remeber..i was either  too drunk or it didn't matter cuz it didn't stop me!!! that was in Kansas
 

TJ:
I cannot document it now but, in the annieproulx.com discussion forum I brought up a similar question.

The response was that in 1963 in the state of Wyoming, it was legal for 18 year olds to purchase and consume alcohol.

silkncense:
Don't know if Wyoming is the same as Colorado, but when I lived there, I think there were two strengths of beer (3.2% & 5% ?).  One if you were 21 or over & one if you were 18 and over. 

Also, in Colorado (just a side note) I lived in a very small town & received all my mail via General Delivery.  :)

Navigation

[0] Message Index