The suit, bow tie and neat hair suggest “bank vice president,” which is helpful, because R.D. Melfi is a Denver bank vice president. But then there are the dark cowboy boots. And the Van Dyck-style beard – a goatee with a florid mustache – that is decidedly not bank vice president.
These are helpful in Melfi’s other life, the one where he stomps around stages dressed up as Buffalo Bill, the life in which Melfi says he nearly communes with the spirit of the Old West showman.
It’s helpful too that Melfi found Barbara Melfi and that she agreed to marry him. Because Barbara Melfi’s alter ego – an ego she inhabits as often as possible, onstage, armed and wearing fringed clothing – is sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
The Melfis, both of whom grew up in Denver (and both of whom are fourth-generation Coloradans), may be the only husband-wife team in the world that spends its free time portraying Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley. Both of them are considered tops in the circuit of folks dedicated to re-enacting Wild West characters. They perform at least a few times a month in different venues and states.
Catch them Saturday during the Buffalo Bill Days celebration in Golden.
What possesses people to dedicate their lives to the historical lives of dead folks? We chatted with the Melfis to find out, beginning with Barbara.
– Douglas Brown,
Denver Post staff writer
BARBARA MELFI
Why do you spend so much time dressed as Annie Oakley? When I was very small, I loved anything Western. I still have a pair of chaps that my grandfather gave me on the day he died. I moved away from here for a little bit, but even when I was gone, I had that link. I went to the University of Michigan, and I’d wear Western outfits there, and people in Detroit would walk up to me and say, “Are you a cowgirl?”
I like Annie Oakley because she was pretty self-made. She had a very hard life as a child. Her father froze to death. She had two step-
fathers; the first one wasn’t at the house for long; he was in a farm accident and died. She lived in an infirmary. There she learned how to sew and embroider; she made all of her costumes.
She was the consummate lady. And I think that’s nice.
How did you get into it? One of the first times I thought I’d really do it, other than dressing up for Halloween parties, was when we were dating and we’d gone to Buffalo Bill’s grave, and on the day we showed up was the day they had Buffalo Bill’s burial. They re-enacted the burial of Buffalo Bill. They had people in costumes come up and (judges) would ask them questions about the character. I thought it was really neat. I had on a Western outfit, and I said I’m going to get involved with the contest. I went to Buffalo Bill’s teepee and read a book (about Annie Oakley) for about 15 minutes, memorized a bunch of it, and entered the contest. My husband was totally shocked. I thought it was a lot of fun.
How long does it take you to get into your costume and get your makeup on? About an hour and a half.
R.D. MELFI
Why Buffalo Bill? From the time I was a little kid, I was (entranced) by the man himself, his look, his cavalier attitude. As a young man, I was excited by his life. He did things all little kids want to do, especially kids in Colorado. The thing I like best about him is he was for real. The truth is, he did everything he said he did. He was one of the most generous human beings I’ve ever encountered. He was one of the first people to treat American Indians as equals. … He treated everybody with respect and dignity and he never asked people to be anything other than what they were … He was the first American superstar.
You’ve been doing this for a long time. Have things changed? There are less and less opportunities for us to perform these characters. We are losing history faster than we are gaining insight into what happened 150 years ago. People are more interested in Birkenstock sandals and Starbucks cappuccinos than what went on out here in the West.
Do you want to do more performing? Now there is a show in Branson, Mo., and they are building a $30 million Wild West complex to do the Wild West show every day, 380 performances a year. Hopefully, we will be able to be a part of that. We are going out in a couple of weeks to promote the groundbreaking ceremony. We love to perform.
How do you become one with the spirit of Buffalo Bill? I have about half a dozen scripts, and Barb has extensive scripts. But now most of it is in our heads. I spend a lot of time going back through the books (about Buffalo Bill and Western history). I have a deep interest in making sure I get that right. When I get into the character, I feel like I’m Buffalo Bill, and I present the story as if I’m telling you a story about my life.
How long does it take you to get into your costume and get your makeup on? If the bank would let me grow my hair long, it would take less time. It takes about 45 minutes to get totally prepared.
BUFFALO BILL DAYS IN GOLDEN
Coloradans used to celebrate Buffalo Bill with an annual commemorative trail ride to his grave atop Lookout Mountain, led by the Buffalo Bill Saddle Club.
These days, celebrating the Wild West showman tends to swirl around Parfet Park in downtown Golden.
This year, Buffalo Bill Days gets going with a shotgun-start golf tournament Wednesday at Fossil Trace golf course.
The public fun starts on Friday, with a fair and entertainment that runs 5-10 p.m. at Parfet Park. There’s a pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by a parade that steps off from Eighth Street and Washington Avenue at 10 a.m., and the activities just keep rolling – think rides, and car shows, and bands and a duck race from there, until the entertainment shuts down around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For a complete schedule, visit .
