en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/325982 Comments by Robert_Smith http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/16/randolph-scott-and-the-lefts-rhetorical-knot/#IDComment15311379 Now I'll have to go back and watch "The Maltese Falcon" all over again. It's tough being mid-50's and naive! But, I went and looked up the word gunsel in my dictionary and it says: "A hoodlum or other criminal, especially one who carries a gun." I have never heard the word used in any other context and I have a hard time believing that a character would use the term. More likely he'd call him "queen" or "fag". Harsh terms in today's polite society, but the norm for the late 30's - early 40's. These were people hardened by the Depression and jaded by the First World War. Using cirmcumlocutions to avoid hurting Wilmer's or Gutman's feelings has a false feel about it. Sorry for the delay, but I had to sign up for this rodeo. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:03:32 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/16/randolph-scott-and-the-lefts-rhetorical-knot/#IDComment15311379