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Billy the Kid
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They were larger-than-life Americans, heroes or scoundrels, according to public opinion or perhaps something more complex. People whose choice defined them as outsiders, they were uniquely American. American Experiences's 2012 season presents "The Wild West," a month of films that document the events and legendary figures of the American West.

Billy the Kid

Jan. 10th, 8 p.m.

Just days from being hanged for murder, Henry McCarty, a.k.a. Billy the Kid, electrified the nation with the latest in a long line of miraculous escapes. An outlaw with a deadly reputation, the young man was finally gunned down by the ambitious sheriff Pat Garrett just a few weeks later. Thus began one of the West's most enduring legends. Meet the man behind the myth.

Custer's Last Stand

Jan. 17, 8 p.m.

The massacre of General George Armstrong Custer and his cavalry along the Little Bighorn River was greeted with stunned disbelief. How could America's most celebrated Indian fighter have been struck down by a group of warriors armed with littler mor than bows and arrows? See how his death launched one of the greatest myths in American history.

Geronimo

Jan. 24th, 8 p.m.

On his deathbed, Geronimo said, "I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive." His military resistance in the face of overwhelming odds confounded not only his enemies, but many of his fellow Apaches as well. Geronimo and his tiny band became the last Native American fighting force to capitulate formally to the government of the United States.

Annie Oakley

Jan. 31st, 7 p.m.

She was the toast of New York, Victorian London, Paris and eventually the world. She was "adopted" by Indian Chief Sitting Bull, charmed the Prince of Prussia and entertained the likes of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria. Annie Oakley excelled in a man's world by doing what she loved, winning fame and fortune as the woman who never missed a shot. But who was the real Annie?

Jesse James

Jan. 31, 8 p.m.

Jesse James has been called America's Robin Hood, yet he robbed rich and poor with equal fervor. He was known as a gunfighter, but his victims were almost always unarmed. Less heroic than brutal, James was a member of a vicious band of Missouri guerrillas during the Civil War. See the true story of an outlaw who has captured the imagination of generations of Americans.

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