# Why did the sheriff hassle Rambo?



## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

In particular, why didn't he seem to like the US flag on Rambo's jacket?
The film was made in 1982 and I'm just wondering if there was anti-military feeling around back then, or is it just Hollywood guff?

_SHERIFF TEASLE- "Morning! You're visiting someone here?"

RAMBO- "No"

TEASLE- "With the flag on your jacket And the way you look you're heading for trouble here, buddy.
Are you going north or south?"

RAMBO- "North"

TEASLE- "Jump in, l'll show you the way. Where are you heading?"

RAMBO- "Portland"

TEASLE- "But Portland's in the south."

RAMBO- "Can l eat here some place?"

TEASLE- "There's a diner about 30 miles up the highway"

RAMBO- "ls there any law against me eating here?"

TEASLE- "Yeah, my law."_


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Rambo had to have some reason to go all...Rambo...on the town; didn't he? Othrtwise, there'd be no plot.

Other than that, I am no help. I grew up in a military town.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

Not sure if your question is serious or how old you are, not a slam either way, just a little history. Where I live is where I grew up in the 60's and 70's, it became extremely taboo to where a facsimile of the US flag anywhere on your person, ESPECIALLY on the back pocket of your jeans. I do not recall when having the flag on a uniform became part of the uniform. This I do remember during the late 60's early 70's, being able to go to the Pot Head shop and buy things like incense, beads, bongs, roach clips, flag patches you could sew onto your clothes, hippy sitar music, anything counter culture or anti government or what ever was popular on the east or west coast in that vein. So since Rambo takes place post Vietnam by I'm guessing mid 70's as a movie setting and he is drifting into Jerkwater WA, the Sheriff is a staunch anti hippy type person and Rambo looks the part of the average protester, long hair and flag on jacket. My theory. And actually this movie has more to do with highlighting the reality of PTSD although little was known about the condition at the time as WWII vets came home from war and just did not talk about these issues and suffered in silence or became alcoholics or both.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

There was a lot of le attitude back then also. Yes some places had LE like that . Much worst now.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

GasholeWillie said:


> ....during the late 60's early 70's, being able to go to the Pot Head shop and buy things like incense, beads, bongs, roach clips, flag patches you could sew onto your clothes, hippy sitar music..


Thanks, it seems the sheriff wrongly assumed Rambo was a hippy.
But he was still a bit heavy-handed with him, and Rambo is partly to blame for having an un-cooperative attitude.
The scene is therefore a good example of how both sides in similar situations should be more diplomatic and handle the situation better to avoid the trouble that came later..

_"In town you're the law, but out here it's me"_


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

The book was far better than the movie.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

When I Was A Kid The Vagrents Would Walk Through Town Like This. You Could Call Them Hippie If You Want. But They Really Were Not In The True Sense. It Would Be Standard Fair For The Ionia County Police To Hassle You Just Like The Movie Right This Day If They Did Not Like What You Were Perceived To Be Doing.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

I Was Picked Up At The Age Of Thirteen Walking To My Brothers House In The Morning To Go Cut Wood. The Officer Said It Looked Suspicion Because It Was Cold Out Side And I Did Not Have A Heavy Coat. So I Was Questioned And Dropped Off Back At Home And Then Continued To WalkBack To My Brothers House.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

I was never a hippy, but my hair was longer than average and I also sported a wispy moustache and stubbly beard, I've got no pic of me from the 60's but I looked much the same as in this later 1974 pic aged 26 (below).
I had no serious run-ins with the law in them days, except for the time a copper stopped me and questioned me during a 90-mile bike ride aged 16 and searched my saddlebag, maybe he'd heard all cyclists were dopers and was looking for drugs ha ha, but I was clean so he had to let me go.
Another time in the 60's a swimming pool attendant wouldn't let me in, he said-"You can't come in here with hair like that!", but his boss overuled him and let me in.










Below- by 1981 I was 33 and beginning to look like a werewolf- 









And this is me on vigilante patrol 3 years ago aged 63, the hair's greyer but at least I've still got it..


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

alterego said:


> I Was Picked Up At The Age Of Thirteen Walking To My Brothers House In The Morning To Go Cut Wood. The Officer Said It Looked Suspicion Because It Was Cold Out Side And I Did Not Have A Heavy Coat. So I Was Questioned And Dropped Off Back At Home And Then Continued To WalkBack To My Brothers House.


Haha that reminds me of the time I was stopped by the cops for posting a letter..
It was gone midnight but as it was an important letter to Social Security I hopped on my bike and popped it in the postbox, but on the way back a white police van came up fast behind me and waved me down for having no lights on my bike. 
They questioned me why I was out late and I explained and they let me go with a warning about the lights. Thank gosh they never patted me down or they'd have found the hunting knife I was carrying!
Later I could kick myself for being so stupid as to let their van come up behind me, I could hear it coming way off and should have done a sharp turn down a side street and dived into somebody's front garden with my bike til they'd gone past!


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## just mike (Jun 25, 2014)

1970, Daytona Beach Officer tried to tear the flag sewn onto the shoulder of my blue Jean jacket off. My girlfriend (now wife) stitched it on too well. This led to an in your face confrontation between two officers and myself that lasted about 20 seconds. When the officers realised that 4 to 5 hundred spring breakers had surrounded us and things were going south quickly they shut up turned around and walked off.


Still have that jacket, just too large to fit in it.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Those were the days of "Sailors and dogs stay off the lawn" signs in Norfolk. The Navy put a great deal of businesses on the restricted/off limits list. That ended that nonsense quickly.


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## dsdmmat (Nov 9, 2012)

Lucky Jim said:


> Thanks, it seems the sheriff wrongly assumed Rambo was a hippy.
> But he was still a bit heavy-handed with him, and Rambo is partly to blame for having an un-cooperative attitude.
> The scene is therefore a good example of how both sides in similar situations should be more diplomatic and handle the situation better to avoid the trouble that came later..
> 
> _"In town you're the law, but out here it's me"_


Well we don't legally have to talk to the police, we don't have to show them our ID unless they arrest us. For the most part I avoid LE because I have nothing good to say or feel about them. Especially now that they have become more militarized then ever.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Easy, the fat old sheriff is taking out his aggression on Rambo because his WW2 veteran daddy beat him to conform when he was a kid. Rambo was worthless in "his" eyes for being a hippy or a loser Nam vet. Either still wasn't very popular back then. Daddy taught him to rule with an iron fist. If you lipped off, didn't kiss his [email protected]@ or didn't do exactly what he wanted then and now. You're in trouble by the almighty, overpowering, power hungry sheriff. 

Nothing really changes.


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## shootbrownelk (Jul 9, 2014)

You have to agree though, actor Brian Dehney plays a perfect role as a true "Horse's Ass" in the movie. Also that power crazed deputy who got his ass-kicked and then killed by Stalone. I've seen my share of Deputy Sheriffs that had no business wearing a badge or a gun.
I like the movie, it's a classic. And they sure sold a shit-load of lunch boxes and cheap Chinese knock-off "Rambo Knives" complete with cheesy compass and survival gear stowed in the handle during the time the movie was popular.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

shootbrownelk said:


> ...I like the movie, it's a classic. And they sure sold a shit-load of lunch boxes and cheap Chinese knock-off "Rambo Knives" complete with cheesy compass and survival gear stowed in the handle during the time the movie was popular.


Yeah I bought a Rambo knife myself dead cheap but when I opened the package I was disappointed to find it was little more than a toy, the handle was made of thin plastic with matches and fishing line inside, and the water-filled compass on the end of the handle soon sprang a leak and had a bubble floating around in it.
Later I bought this proper knife to scare zombs, I know it sure scares me!


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## big paul (Jul 14, 2014)

give me a decent Bowie knife any day.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

If we regard Rambo First Blood as a 'survival movie', can we pick up any useful tips from it on how to do (or not do) things?
For examp, Johnny played his first encounter with the sheriff VERY badly in my opinion because he was surly, uncooperative, unsmiling, and even LIED about whether he was going north or south.
Then when the sheriff dropped him off at the end of the bridge, he turns round and starts walking back into town, no wonder the sheriff was p'd off! 
Sheesh Johnny you were just ASKING for trouble from the word go by breaking one of the first rules of survival-
_*"The greatest warrior is the one who never has to fight a battle"- Gen. Sun Tzu 600 BC*_
But on second thoughts maybe you WANTED to get arrested so you'd get a good meal in your cell, in which case you're smarter than I thought..

PS- I had a small run-in with a security guard here in Plymouth last week, I noticed a crowd of people with cameras outside the entrance of the Grand Hotel and thought "what the hell are they hanging around for?", and I had to step out in the road to walk round them. 
At that instant Prince Charles and Camilla came out of the hotel with their entourage and "royal protection officers", and one of them tapped me on the shoulder and said "Can you move back please?" because I was only about 10 feet from Charlie and had my small rucksack on my back which might have contained a bomb for all they knew!
So I went into apology mode, and said with a smile "Oh sorry, I didn't know Prince Charles was coming out", and the guy smiled back and I moved on.

I COULD have gone into "offended" mode when he tapped my shoulder, and caused a scene by refusing to move and said something like "Who the hell do you think you are, telling me to move? This is a public highway" blah blah, but that's not my style.
Anyway if I'd caused a scene I'd probably have been arrested and detained for questioning and searched, and they'd have found my survival knife!
Hey Charles if you're reading this, I got no beef with you and your missus..


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Incidentally, the sheriff said to Rambo early on- 
_"you wouldn't like it here, it's a quiet place. Some would even call it boring. But we like it that way"_

yet the police station had a big cell block in the basement and about 10 cops on duty which is a helluva lot for a quiet, boring town!
And when Rambo started going crazy in the block and a shot was fired, he wouldn't have been able to get out if a cop hadn't opened the door at the top of the stairs!
His good luck continued when he ran into the street and was able to commandeer a motorbike which just happened to be passing!
But of course anyhing can happen in Hollywoodland to keep the storyline going..

From a prepper/survivalist point of view, maybe Johnny later made the mistake of holing up in a disused mine, whereas if I'd have been him I'd have kept moving and circled back towards town after dark to scavenge for warm clothes and look for food at the back of restaurants. What would PrepperForum members have done?
Going static by holing up anywhere means dogs or whatever might track you down eventually. 
For example Gaddafi was dragged out of this culvert-










And Saddam was dragged out of his hole-










Marines on Okinawa set fire to brushwood at the mouth of a cave and wait for Japs to run out-


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## big paul (Jul 14, 2014)

Jim, had a run in with a security guard in Dingles in Plymouth back along, friend and his new girlfriend were told "we don't want your sort in here"..seems the security guard didn't like Bikers, he came and told me and 3 of us went back..full leathers and "cut offs", the security guard took one look and decided to take an early lunch break!!!!


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Ha ha yeah bikers can get hassled sometimes, for example my brother-in-law was a Hell's Angel up in Leicester, he called to visit my sister at our family home there in 1968 but my mother wouldn't let him in! 
It backfired on her though because it made my sister feel sorry for him and love him all the more, and a couple of years later they got married and had two kids, ha ha!
My parents eventually liked him because he was a nice bloke, and i liked him too.
He died of cancer a couple of years ago in his 60's.

PS- His two daughters are proud because their dad was a real-life Hell's Angel, not many kids have got bragging rights like that..


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## big paul (Jul 14, 2014)

yeah, my "brother" is a Hells Angel a true 1%er, I've been around HA and bikers for most of my life, did you know the safest place for any kid to be is a HA or Bikers camp site...like the Bike Show at Shepton Mallet for instance or The Bulldog Bash??? its true.


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