Not often noticed, Ringo looks worried when Doc is twirling the cup in response to his gun twirl. This is because, even drunk, Doc copies the entire sequence perfectly, showing how dangerous he actually is.
Val Kilmer was so dexterous, I've no doubt he could do it. I remember in Real Genius he was walking, talking and rotating a coin on each hand while he did, no pause or correction, just like it was completely natural
“Doc was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a frontier vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long, lean, ash-blond fellow nearly dead from consumption, at the same time the most skillful gambler and the nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever knew.” - Wyatt Earp 1896
The reason doc thought his dying was funny was because he always believed he'd die with his boots on (gun fight) so dying in a bed barefoot was never in his thoughts of how to leave the world
Nah, it's about him still feeling his toes when about to die in reference to him telling Wyatt earlier he thought when you die your toes go numb. It doesn't quite work as intended since that scene was cut from the finished film. You can see that scene in the extra section on the home video releases.
@@c0rb4n I like both cuts but the theatrical does indeed flow better and the additional scenes don't really add much. You're not really missing much with them cut out. I don't mind the film being longer though as I enjoy the characters so much. So I can easily enjoy either cut really.
Years ago, I came across the court transcripts of the trial of the Earps and Doc Holliday. The most amazing thing to me, from reading the testimonies of the participants, is that from the moment in the film where the Earps and Doc Holliday come around the building into the OK Corral, everything that happens until the fight is over is nearly exactly as it happened in real life, even down to whaat the participants said during the fight ("Don't shoot! I'm not armed!" "The fight's commenced! Get to fightin' or get away!"). It's a case of Hollywood getting things absolutely correct for a change.
Hollywood still took plenty of liberties with this film. I recommend anyone who watches a historical film and wants to know if it's accurate check youtube to see if history buffs has done an episode on the film.
The fight scenes are accurate. The history of Wyatt Earp being a noble superhero is far from truth though, as is their hunting down of all the cowboys.
Doc's last line "This is funny" is a reference to his feet, and an old, old saying about "Dying with your boots on". Dying with your boots on means you died the way you lived - in action, living life, not of old age or illness. Doc found it funny that, in spite of his on-the-edge way of living, he ended up NOT dying with his boots on...literally. At least that's how I interpreted it.
You’re correct. It’s actually what Docs last word in real life were as well according to his bedside nurse. He looked down at his feet, said “this is funny” and passed away
Doc always said he'd die with his boots on. He was in bed, dying, and looked at his bare feet and said that famous line. Also, most of the interesting lines Val said like "I'm your huckleberry" and the conversation in Latin he had in the bar was really said taken from account of more than one witness.
This. Unless you were dying of something like "consumption" (TB) or some sort of acute infection from a wound, it was expected you would probably die with your boots on. He knows he's dying and about to go, and he never thought he would die seeing his bare feet.
Val Kilmer with a performance that goes beyond nominations and awards. It sits atop Mount Olympus with the other top tier roles that didn't get a fair look in their time.
When Kilmer says "I have two guns, one for each of ya", notice he twirls each gun _in opposite directions,_ while holding a cup as well. That's pretty sweet, especially since Kilmer had to do it on camera.
Apparently, Kilmer had a knack for doing those cool moves with his hands. In Real Genius, you can see him twirling a coin constantly around his fingers. Its pretty cool that he could just DO stuff like that anyway. Lol!
A lot of people tend to assume Doc's woman is trying to kill him or something, but I think she merely understands Doc enough to know that he knows there's nothing he can do about his TB and she just wants him to live his life to the fullest now that his days are counted. Since Doc likes to gamble, drink, smoke and all that, she parties with him and pretends there's nothing wrong much like he does most of the time. She knows and respects Doc enough to let him be himself and go out the way he wants to go out, IMO.
Also there's a slight hint of actual fear on her face when she's facing away standing at the window. If Doc took the doctor's advise, she would lose her stability and probably be back working as a prostitute.
Mitchum was intended to play the role of Newman Clanton (Ike and Billy Clanton's father), but was injured in an on-set horse accident and the role was scratched from the movie.
The scene where Ringo flexes on Doc, and Doc replies with his cup, shows two things: Before Doc's response, Ringo was pretty sure of himself, having never really run into anyone faster than him, and he only knew Doc was fast, but not how fast. During and after Doc's counter-flex Ringo's face drops precipitously, as he now knows how fast Doc is by the fact that he matched him spin-for-spin having only seen it once, with an unbalanced cup, and never took his eyes off him the whole time, and he now knows that against Doc, he is hopelessly, helplessly outmatched.
When Doc says "this is funny" I have always thought he ment its funny that that he with the life he lead of drinking and gun fighting would die in bed with his boots off. Not "dieing with his boots on" as the saying goes.
The book Wyat handed Doc at the end really existed he wrote and published it to remember his friend and it played a large part in cementing Doc's lasting fame.
There was definitely no book. I was in Tombstone shortly after the movie. I had read many books on it. I saw,a pamphlet similar to the movie . People of the town said that one store was ripping people off. Wyatt was interviewed by a San Francisco newspaper and talked about Doc among other things.
“I found him a loyal friend and good company. He was a dentist whom necessity made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long lean blonde fellow nearly dead with consumption, and at the same time the most skillful gambler, and the nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six gun I ever knew.” -Wyatt Earp speaking of Doc Holiday
That's a myth. The booklet is a prop that was made for this movie. I own a copy of it, but it isn't something the real Wyatt wrote. Unfortunately, Wyatt wasn't present when Doc passed. He didn't know until a bit later. Kate has said she was present though, and he passed away in the Hotel Glenwood in Glenwood Springs, CO instead of a sanatorium. There's a shop located on the spot now.
If you guys wants to watch a really good and unique western I recommend “Quigley Down Under” starring Tom Selleck. He plays an American cowboy who travels to Australia in the late 1860s. It also stars Alan Rickman from the Harry Potter movies, Galaxy Quest, and Die Hard.
Val Kilmer's best character of his career. He killed the role. Amazing performance. The main shootout in the film is the Gunfight at the OK Corral, a real historical event involving Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday.
I've seen some translations of the Latin between Doc and Ringo. If you translate word for word, it's kind of hard to get the exact meaning behind what they're saying but this is roughly what was being exchanged between them. Wyatt: He's drunk. Doc (In Latin): There is truth in wine. (Or a different way of saying it) When I drink, I tell the truth. Ringo (In Latin): Do what you do best. Doc (In Latin): I don't think drinking is what I do best. Ringo touches his gun (In Latin): Some people have to learn the hard way. Doc: Rest in peace. (Or a different way of saying it) It's your funeral.
A few things: 1. The events in this story all actually happened, although the timeline is greatly contracted for the film. 2. In real life, there were two additional Earp brothers who were in Tombstone during various periods during these events, and a couple of additional gunfighters who joined Wyatt, Doc, Creek, Texas Jack & McMaster on the Vendetta Ride. 3. Sheriff Behan deputized members of the Cowboys, which is why Ike was wearing a badge. 4. Josephine Marcus-Earp wrote what is considered one of the definitive memoirs about the events in Tombstone and was actually extremely protective of Mattie’s memory despite marrying her husband after she died. 5. The implication at the train station is that Wyatt went back to Marshall Dake, who he met at the train depot in Tucson at the beginning of the movie, and took the job. If you look close during when Wyatt shoots Stillwell and threatens Ike on the train platform, you can see Marshall Dake leaned against a lamp post next to Creek, Texas Jack, Doc & McMaster, implying his (and the federal government’s) approval of Wyatt’s actions.
Though there is no evidence Doc Holliday killed Johnny Ringo. Ringo was found dead of apparent suicide in Arizona. Holliday was in Colorado at the time making court appearances for larceny.
@@AuspexAO Early feds were doing some hella deep cleaning to rid the country of outlaws and gun slingers during those days too so actions against such undesirables were considered somewhat good at times. Crazy to think this kind of stuff was just over 100 years ago.
As mentioned below, Doc's last glance at his bare feet was a reference to the phrase, 'he died with his boots on'. That was thought to be the most honorable way for a man like Doc to die at that time, in that place. It always reminded me of Viking warriors, who thought that dying with a sword in one's hand insured passage to Valhalla. Another outstanding reaction, y'all. Thanks!
To put a finer point on it- if you were a gunman in the Old West, you would *most* certainly die in the street (with your boots on)..To die peacefully in bed would be so anti-climactic.
But I wager that a Valkyrie (probably Kara) took him by the hand and led him either to Valhalla or Volkvangr. And there to party and be at ease, until his skills are needed again. At least, that is what I like to think happened.
Answers: Tombstone is a place and this is “based on history”. As for the guns. The old guns were often not that accurate. Even modern guns are hard to use. I can blow the center ring (a couple inches dia) out of a target at reasonable range. But modern ranges can move the target around and when the target starts moving accuracy drops like a rock. And that is without me moving or anyone shooting at me. Most movies are unrealistic in how accurate the hero is. But the difference between a stationary target and a moving target is HUGE.
Tombstone still exists. It's a tourist attraction with 1800's era businesses and restaurants. They have actors in the streets doing reenactments of events from Wyatt Earp's time.
A "lunger" is someone who has tuberculosis, which Doc has, that's why he's in Arizona, the dry air is supposed to ease the symptoms. He's originally a dentist from Georgia, hence the accent. I also love how they showed him baiting Johnny Ringo into revealing how fast he was with a pistol, so that Doc could tell if he was faster (he was) :P And yes, Tombstone is a place, it's in Southern Arizona near the border (I live about 45 minutes away in Tucson). It's very, VERY tourist-trapy now though, not much authentic is left.
I was stationed in Ft Huachuca for about 9 months and wife and I made our way over to Tombstone for a day. One of the older gentlemen doing a show looked really familiar to me and I walked up and asked him how I might know him, and he asked me if I had ever seen Raising Arizona. Yes I had, it was one of my favorite movies. He responded "Recidivism..." He was one of the parole board members from the movie.
I vacation in tombstone it was summer but it was raining that day I didn't have a jacket so I bought a duster from the tourist shop. 75 bucks for a cowboy duster. Must be more now since that was decades ago.
Regarding the mention of Wyatt and early Western stars William S. Hart and Tom Mix, Wyatt was a technical consultant on some early Westerns. According to one Hollywood tale, a young fellow named Marion Morrison, while working as a prop man at Fox, met the aging Earp on set. The old man is said to have captivated the Hollywood upstart with tales of his Wild West exploits. That young man went on to have 'some success' as an actor in Westerns, and was quoted as saying, “Earp was the man who had actually done the things in his life that I was trying to do in a movie. *_I imitated his walk; I imitated his talk.”_* That actor's stage name: John Wayne.
One major reason why the Cowboys kept missing Wyatt in the creek shootout was the fact that they were not aiming but shooting. If you watch the scene (any scene where Wyatt and Doc are shooting) the Cowboys were just firing quickly but not trying to aim. Wyatt, on the other hand, was calm and aiming before pulling the trigger. There's a saying amongst snipers and those who shoot for a living: "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."
Fun Facts: In a shooting situation the adrenaline kicks in and anyone will find they suddenly are not as accurate as they are at a gun range. True even today, too. Wyatt was always calm and so hit his mark. The nerves caused the hands to quiver so slightly and so the target is often missed. Also, the guns were not as accurate in those days although from 10 feet you think they would hit something. But the story seen here is basically true except for the dramatic killing spree at the end. Wyatt was much more subtle than that, as he wiped out the Cowboys during the next few years one at a time for real. The town eventually appreciated getting rid of the lawlessness, but the good citizens grew disgusted at his methods, and they removed him as marshal, so he moved to California. One-armed Virgil was sheriff of the little town of Colton, CA near San Bernardino CA and outlived all but Josie.
Eyewitness accounts of when Wyatt killed Curlee in the river (really happened) say that Wyatt waded through a hail of bullets. And was not hit somehow.
I think the film does a great job in showing the difference between Wyatt and Doc versus most of the Cowboys. Wyatt and Doc were gunslingers who knew their way around a firearm and how to use them properly. While most of the Cowboys were just the typical outlaws who had basic knowledge on how to use a firearm.
To clarify, Maddie and Wyatt had a common law relationship; they weren't actually married. And, as others have pointed out, Doc expected to die with his boots on, not in bed with them off. Politics played a major part in a lot of these Western conflicts. As was often the case, both sides had some sort of legal patronage. Corruption was just as big then as it is today.
A common treatment for TB, pre-antibiotics & vaccines, was to send the sufferers to warm, dry climates, as it was known to ease the symptoms quite significantly.
Basically it bought Doc Holliday a lot more time than he'd otherwise have had if he'd remained in Georgia. He lived until he was 36 or 37. He contracted TB when he was 14.
@@filthycasual8187 he didn't live entirely in a temperate warm climate he wrode acrosss the u.s living in many different climates in fact he lived in a moderate climate for years before he was ever diagnosed. as such its not believed that the warm helped him, it was just that he was lucky enough to not be consumed by it as fast
This is one of the most quotable films ever. Wyatt's "Are you gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?" and of course, pretty much every Doc Holliday line.
So did alot of actors at the 1994 academy awards :) Other movies released in 1993: The Piano, The Firm, Philadelphia, In the Name of the Father, The Fugitive, Schindlers List, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, In the Line of Fire
Yes, the outline and location of the movie are historical. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was still core cultural legend when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's. The event is featured in at least 8 movies and tv episodes (including one episode of Star Trek ToS). One reason for the story's longevity is that Wyatt Earp settled around L.A. and ended up living long enough to be an early Hollywood consultant for westerns.
Kilmer's accent is real. He asked his dialect coach for the perfect 19-century Georgia accent. He gave Val a phone number and said "Call this guy and listen to him talk." The guy's natural accent was just what Val wanted. He used it as Doc's, unaltered.
A natural and near extinct ol' Savannah, GA accent which was actually pretty damn accurate. Not many heard it since the Civil War wiped out a full generation. Another reason why Val Kilmer should have won an Oscar.
It's fairly similar to the accent of the late author and Civil War historian Shelby Foote. Sadly, that non-rhotic accent is nearly extinct, which is really a shame, since it's a lot more euphonious than the various rhotic southern accents, which are alive and well.
@@Hibernicus1968 I wouldn't characterize Foote's as similar but it does have a bucolic quality that others don't. We rhotic Southerners tend to perceive the non-rhotic as ostentatious, elitist, and - more recently -caricaturish. We absolutely hated when it was the default Southern accent in all portrayals regardless of the actual setting. That's probably contributing to its demise.
@@puppetmaster8551 I've heard that that was what Craig was shooting for with the accent he used in that film. I have to say, I don't think he got very close. Like _at all._
Id like to recognize the outstanding acting by the "cowboys". With what they had to work with, they nailed their parts. Stephen Lang who played Ike Clanton was very convincing. Powers Boothe seemed to be an outstanding casting decision as well. His look, alone, as a grinning devil with a pistol was hella powerful. They must have had a blast making this one.
what's also interesting is the last guy to die in the OK Corral fight, the actor was actually Wyatt Earp's fifth cousin Direct, even has the last name Earp
Wyatt Earp's character took a bit of a backseat and had less dialogue because Kurt Russell ended up directing the film himself. They had a director, but the guy did not know what he was doing and was destroying the film so Russell essentially took over and told the director what to do each day. Since he was basically pulling double duty for most of the film and didn't want people to think he was self-aggrandizing, he cut back on his own scenes to let the other actors shine. Pretty crazy. Love this movie!
@@jp3813 that makes it all the more impressive. Watch the special features on the Blu Ray or look up any interview - everyone is unanimous in giving Russell directing credit for this, even if it's not official.
Also, he let the "director" have the director's credit. Maybe a classy move, but it also avoided the delay of release because it kept the film out of court...
I always thought Doc Holiday's last line of "That's funny" is because he always thought he'd die with his boots on, but he ended up dying in the hospital barefoot
No, it was because his toes didn't go numb. However the scene setting that up earlier in the film was cut. In that scene he tells Wyatt his belief that your toes go numb before you die. This scene is available to watch along with other cut material on the DVD as an extra.
You should check out a couple of Val Kilmer's interviews about the scene. He says doc is laughing in that scene because because he always thought he'd die with his boots on.
"I'll be damned this is funny" those were Doc Holliday's last words... he said that because, when he looked down at the end of the bed and saw his bare feet sticking out, it struck him as funny, because he always thought he'd die with his boots on. Either in a saddle on horseback or in a gunfight. Aka ...A blaze of Glory...
Something that was almost too outlandish to be in the movie, but his coat was filled with bullet holes. He had a bullet hole in the butt of his shotgun, and one of his boot heels got hit.
At this time, becoming marshal was exactly like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. The movie was based around the gunfight at the OK Corral, a real event, real people but yes, embellished.
the major gunfights were shown as they happened...the fight at the OK corral had many witnesses and has been diagrammed second by second, move by move...the fight at the river was also shown as it occurred...
You can go to Boot Hill just outside of Town and see their Graves! you can also see the Caskets with the Glass Windows used in the Film at the Birdcage Theatre!
In response to your question, Yes, Tombstone is an actual place -- a small town in southern Arizona founded during a silver mining boom. Beyond that, All the characters in the story are real, and the gunfight at the OK corral was a real event. This was essentially a true story as told by Wyatt Earp (thru his children). For a slightly different retelling of the same story, check out Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp -- that one is more focused on Earp, from his early years until after the Gunfight, so provides more background information. Some people say it's slow but I liked it at least as much as this one. (Although, Kilmer's Doc Holliday was much better here.)
Kilmer's Doc Holliday is going to be a really tough mark for anyone to ever beat. I like the Costner movie for more back story, as you said, but overall I prefer TOMBSTONE.
"I'm afraid the strain was more than he could bear" Is one of my favorite lines of all time, he didn't want to insult Wyatt by showing he killed Johnny when he knew Wyatt couldn't so he just tells him that Johnny killed himself.
It also fits with history. He actually was found against a tree with a single round fired and bullet wound in his upper right temple. They ruled it as a suicide but even then, it was rumored it was Wyatt or Doc that shot him. The history behind the movie is even more interesting, in my opinion. They did a great job weaving in small historical details and ways to make certain scenes have two different viewpoints to line up with the history
Twirling a revolver was how gunfighters trained skill, dexterity and draw speed. The subtle undershadowings of the bar scene between Johnny and Doc is that in a fit of envy, anger, jealousy, Johnny showed Doc exactly how fast he was at the draw and how skilled he was with a revolver. Doc, while drunk and barely paying attention, memorized and repeated all Johnny's moves, with a drinking cup, not giving away his own skill, but at the same time showing Johnny that he was much, MUCH better... while drunk.
Someone noticed the sidesaddle! Growing up around horses, I was always both horrified and impressed that Josephine rode a horse full speed down a steep hill that way. Sidesaddle is a death trap if a horse falls.
@@Malo-Hombre71 If I remember correctly she was riding normally and a prop leg was used but I don't recall if it was a stunt-person or not. Now I gotta' look it up to be sure.
One of my favorite lines of the movie, "I wasn't" to Ringo is still gives me chills. Just a straight up response. No sarcasm. No jokes. Also, stellar cameos. Not so much at the time, but even the small time part players went off to make and contribute to some great movies.
Such an amazing epic western with an all star cast! Kurt Russell,Val Kilmer, Micheal Biehn Powers Booth, Dana Delaney, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Jason Priestley, Billy Zane, Stephen Lang, John Corbett, Joanna Pacula, Jon Tenney, Harry Carey Jr, Billy Bob Thornton, and Charlton Heston. Narrated by Robert Mitchum. This is one of my favorite westerns and it was the first I saw on VHS.
I've watched a few of these reactions and no one has spotted Charlton Heston! How is that even possible? These folks (not just Simone and George) are supposedly movie fans.
Val Kilmer was phenomenal as Doc Holliday and he should have won the best supporting actor award. My favorite western movie of all time. You both always do such an amazing job with all your reactions.👍😃.
Many people believe that Val Kilmer deserved the Oscar that year for this role. The Best Supporting Actor category of the 66th Academy Awards is perhaps the most stacked in history: Tommy Lee Jones as Samuel Gerard in "The Fugitive" Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göth in "Schindler's List" John Malkovich as Mitch Leary in "In the Line of Fire" Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe Conlon in "In the Name of the Father" Other snubs include Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern in "Schindler's List", Sean Penn as David Kleinfeld in "Carlito's Way", certain actors in "True Romance", etc...
It's a stack alright, but I still think Val trumps them all with this performance. Maybe Fiennes, but Holiday is such a masterclass in riding the fine line.
As I'm sure you've seen by the comments, this movie is NOT fiction. I've been to Tombstone several times. The OK corral is still there and much of this movie was shot on location. Tombstone was famous for its silver and gold mines nearby. (Mostly silver) and all of the Earp brothers originally came there for that reason. The OK corral was just an empty lot between 2 buildings. Although it's kind of a tourist attraction now, all the original buildings still exist also. Wyatt and Virgil lived well into the 20th century. Virgil Earp became a sheriff in California and died in the 1940's. Wyatt worked in Hollywood as a technical advisor for movies and died in 1929. His last recorded words were...."Fast is great, but accuracy is lethal." Tombstone is located a few miles north of the Mexican border in Arizona.
I lived there for the first 14 years of my life, when this movie was filmed and came out. It was not filmed there at all. It was filmed in Tucson. At Old Tuscon.
As I understand it, there are a few major discrepancies (for example, IIRC Doc was known to be in another city hundreds of miles away when Ringo died). But yeah, _most_ of the details are taken from eyewitness accounts. Even then, "history is written by the victors", and Wyatt himself published a lot of the written material about the events. To me, the most important bit is that *_the overwhelming majority of the one-liners are direct quotes_* ... which means I'll forgive almost everything else.
It’s faictionalized, let’s say. The surviving Earps faced a day in court after all the shooting stopped. The part of the gunfight where the one guy throws his hands up and says “I don’t have a gun!” actually happened and Wyatt letting him go is what saved him in court. It proved, in court, that the Earps didn’t come to murder.
I always loved the way Ringo's expression shifts in his final scene, he's scared but then he thinks "Alright then, let's do this!" and decides to take Doc on man to man.
Yes it was Powers Boothe. And yes, it was Billy Bob Thornton and yes it was Billy Zane. Powers Boothe was a distant cousin of mine. Unfortunately he passed away before I got the opportunity to meet him. My dad talks about meeting him. He was a good man and an even better actor. Lunger is what they called those with tuberculosis. And you're correct, it was pretty much called consumption back in those days. And yes, shooting a priest wasn't often done because most people back then did believe in the Christian God, even the outlaws. They were laughing after Ringo shot the priest because they were just amazed and amused that Ringo would do something so bold. The thing that Doc says right before he died, the thing about seeing his feet.......Doc expected to die with his boots on, as most gunfighters do. So he was amused to actually die without his boots on.
If you're going to watch more western movies, "The Unforgiven" is an absolute must. But maybe after a few other Clint Eastwood westerns as it's kind of a deconstruction of his previous roles.
The Unforgiven is a must see, but I do agree it should be done near the end of a series of westerns. One should have a pretty good background of 'standard' western fare to really appreciate what Clint did with the movie.
They should probably do at least one of the 'Dollars' trilogy and then maybe one of Clint's other Westerns before Unforgiven (no 'The' on my DVD). Although not a great film, The Quick and the Dead might be a good one to have for the contrast just before Unforgiven.
George: I wonder if this is an actual place? Yes sir it is. Tombstone, Arizona. Sometime in the last two weeks, a few of the remaining stars reunited there to meet fans and sign autographs, sadly I missed out
Val Kilmer IS amazing and I would really recommend Kiss Kiss Bang Bang written by Shane Black (writer lethal Weapon, director Iron Man 3) and co staring Robert Downey Jr; It's credited as being the film that helped re-launch Downey's career and is very funny.
I visited Tombstone AZ while on vacation once. The main street is preserved like the movie and they have (had) regularly scheduled gunfights on the streets to entertain the tourists.
I used to live in Phoenix in the 80s and when friends visited (usually in the dead of winter when it was 80°) often we'd go to Tombstone. Touristy but fun for kids.
Both the "evilness" of the Cowboys and the "goodness" of the Earps were exaggerated for the film. The truth is, both groups were closer in attitude than you might suspect, and were fighting mostly because the two sides were interloping on the other's livelihoods. Johnny Ringo, for example, occasionally worked as a local sheriff when he wasn't helping to rustle cattle and hold up stagecoaches, and by all accounts was a conscientious and effective law officer during those times he wore the badge. The shooting of town marshall Fred White was, in fact, an accident. Even Wyatt Earp testified to that effect at Curly Bill Brocious's trial. Brocious and White were good friends, and Brocious had no reason to want White dead. In fact, if you listen to Brocious right after the shooting, he's begging Fred to get up, and the tone of his voice makes it clear that he's traumatized by the shooting.
Fred White was only 30 when he died. I'm not exactly sure why they cast an older man (audience sympathy?) It took him two days to die from the groin wound. Fred said it was an accidental shooting by Curly Bill.
According to the director, all of the lightning and mustaches in this movie are real. Also, every line of dialogue uttered during the Shootout at the OK Corral scene was really said at the actual shootout, according to multiple eyewitnesses.
@@craigmactak1839 Not according to Val Kilmer who said this about the issue: "Cosmatos actually did direct it, but it was Russell who did the lion’s share of behind-the-scenes work that made the film’s completion possible, and he is “solely responsible” for its success. I’ll be clear, Kurt is solely responsible for Tombstone’s success, no question. I was there every minute and although Kurt’s version differs slightly from mine, the one thing he’s totally correct about is, how hard he worked the day before, for the next day’s shot list, and tremendous effort he and I both put into editing, as the studio wouldn’t give us any extra time to make up for the whole month we lost with the first director (Kevin Jarre who was fired before Cosmatos was hired to direct).”
I don’t know about the dialogue but the Earps had there day in court. The Cowboys had supporters and there were two newspapers that were both partisan. The two accounts are radically different. “In a cowardly act, the Earps….” vs. “The brave Earps confronted the lawless….” You get the idea. The Earps had their day in court and it was established that Ike Clanton did throw his hands up and say he was unarmed and Wyatt told him to leave. That fact was all the court needed to prove it wasn’t out and out assassination.
There weren't any actual EYEwitnesses. Today there would be, but in that environment everyone had enough sense not to stand around gawking when a hundred bullets or so were about to start flying in all directions. The dialogue comes from Wyatt's testimony when he was on trial for murder.
sam12six According to the accounts, Ike did flee through a building but, if memory serves, produced a firearm and shot through a window once clear of the engagement in the movie. Based on the accounts, though, he never reengaged, just hightailed it.
Tombstone, Arizona does really exist and to this very day it still is a small town, and tourist attraction that in Tombstone they re-enact the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The 'Tombstone' film is loosely based on true events. Doc Holliday was a very well educated and attended Valdosta Institute, in Georgia where he received a classical education in rhetoric, grammer, mathematics, history and languages; principally Latin, some French and Ancient Greek. In 1870 at the age of 19, Doc Holliday went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the College of Dental Surgery. On March 1, 1872, at age of 20 he graduated in 5 months and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery before his 21st birthday, but the College held his degree until he turned 21, the minimum age to practice dentistry. The Marshal that was shot and killed by Curly Bill Brocius was not charged because before the Marshal died he said it was an accident. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral only lasted 30 seconds. The gunfight at the river, that really happened and Wyatt Earp did walk away unharmed. The showdown between Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo did not happen. Even though Doc Holliday was a suspect, he was quite a few miles away in another town. Johnny Ringo's death was presumably by suicide, which that was the ruling. Doc Holliday did pass away of tuberculosis at the Hotel Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Springs, Colorado at the age of 36 on November 8, 1887. His mother and an adopted younger brother both died of tuberculosis when Doc Holliday was young. Also Wyatt Earp became a technical adviser for Hollywood silent western films. And his older brother Virgil did become a sheriff in upper Northern California with the use of only one arm.
The lawmen in this movie refers to different levels of law enforcment. Marshal White was the town marshal of Tombstone. The Earp brothers also were town marshals/deputies. Sheriff Behan was the County Sheriff for Cochise County, which is why he was also a tax collector. In the scene where Wyatt tells Ike "You see that, it says United States Marshal" he is referring to the United States Federal Marshals, with jurisdiction in all US states and indian territories. The movie doesn't show how he got such an appointment but it would likely have come from the Federal Marshal for the Arizona Territory.
If you're going to do more westerns, in addition to any number of classics that often get suggested (most of which star Clint Eastwood), I suggest the slightly more grounded True Grit (2010) -- directed by the Coen brothers -- and the slightly more cartoonish The Quick and the Dead (1995) -- directed by Spider-Man/Doctor Strange 2 director Sam Raimi. Both are great.
you should also look at Shane .. all westerns can be divided into before and after Shane .. the old ones are pretty racist, and have clear themes of good and evil .. the newer ones are super brutal, and morally grey .. Shane is the pivot point, the revolutionary western
@@tommywalker3746 Having read the original book this year that both movies are based on, I can't agree. I don't mind the John Wayne version, and he's obviously an iconic Western star. However, on top of thinking the Coen film is the smarter, more beautiful, and better-acted movie, it's also an impressively faithful adaptation of the novel, and all the choices made by the Wayne movie to be less like the book -- namely, not focusing on Mattie as the driving force of the story -- are detrimental ones.
I went to Tombstone last year. Cool cute little town, but it's just a tourist destination mostly, so it's kind of like a fair attraction. The location of the shootout is shockingly small. I'm a New Yorker, but I did love it out there in Arizona, having to make several trips over these past couple of years.
When I went, a few years back. I'd just watched this movie to get in the right mood. I didn't pay the $5 to see the fight, still had a good/interesting time.
Tombstone is indeed a real place and the events and people depicted in the movie are real as well. You can still visit the OK Corral and some of the businesses shown in the movie. I live in Tucson and it's an easy day trip to go visit Tombstone. The timeline of the events in the movie was compressed for the sake of storytelling and of course there's dramatization but Tombstone is surprisingly accurate with a lot of the historical details. All the major characters in the Cowboy gang really existed, they really did shoot Virgil, assassinate Morgan, and attempt to ambush Wyatt at the Tucson train station. And Wyatt Earp really did deputize Doc Holliday and several of their friends and ride all over Arizona killing Cowboys. The biggest part the movie leaves out is that arrest warrants were issued for Earp and his posse in response to his extrajudicial killings so he and the others fled the Arizona Territory after finishing their vendetta mission.
One of the best westerns you will ever see, obviously many comments below will answer questions you have about the movie. As for the Gunfight, it was actually pretty much on point with what happened according to eyewitness accounts, including Doc shooting in the air to spook the horse and shoot the guy behind it. Val Kilmer was robbed honestly for not being nominated for an Academy Award. Glad you both enjoyed it.
While on the topic of western, I highly recommend The Ballad of Buster Scruggs! It is more of a compilation of short stories, but still an excellent watch with lots of great actors and themes!
One of my favorites of the new wave of westerns that started in the 80's is Silverado. It also had a stellar cast including: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Rosanna Arquette, John Cleese, Kevin Costner, Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum and Linda Hunt. It was directed and co-written by Lawrence Kasdan. who also directed "Wyatt Earp", the Kevin Costner movie that told much of the same story as Tombstone. He was also the screen writer of a couple of little movies called raiders of the lost ark and the original star wars trilogy.
John “Doc” Holliday was a dentist from Georgia that moved west to ease his tuberculosis. Kilmer played the southern gentlemen turned gambler/gunman perfectly. BTW - "This is funny” …he was barefoot and was expecting to die with his boots on.
The reason for the blowback from the OK Corral was iirc, Wyatt and his brothers were viewed as provokers. You've seen it in the movie numerous times before hand, and I thiiiink, the reason being was the Cowboys weren't really bothering anyone, and most of the town was under the impression Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan went there specifically to look for a fight / escalated something that didn't need to be escalated. Also love the fact the throwaway line from the priest in the beginning describes Doc killing Ringo. Pale rider, and hell followed with him. Later said by Wyatt at the train station.
There are a couple of good books about Tombstone. One is I married Wyatt Earp by Josephine Marcus Earp. She actually lived with Johnny Behan who had 12 year old son she was 19. She remained close to the son. She described the cowboys and Curly Bill did laugh alot and was affable. He was at an opium den when he shot Fred White outside the Birdcage Theater andwho was about 30 not 70. Fred lived long enough to say it was an accident that's why Curly Bill got off. The absolute best book about Tombstone was And Die in the West by Paula Mitchell Marks. She described how originally everyone was on good terms then political rivalry started. The cowboys were democrats which aligned with the Confederacy and the Earps and friends were republicans and fought in the northern army. At least Virgil and an older brother fought. This gives great insight.
I really like how Curly Bill is taken aback by Ringo killing the priest, though he laughs it off in front of his men. It's subtle but it shows how Ringo crossed a line that he wouldn't.
Wyatt and his younger brother were town marshals(local law), which are different than federal marshals. The other guy Behan was a county Sheriff. Which is why he kept using the line, this is a town issue. But since he was friends with the Cowboys, because he didn't want trouble or to actually put his own life in danger, he wanted to arrest Wyatt's family instead. I think at one point you can see people on both sides wearing badges, sheriff deputies and town marshal deputies. I think something similar happened in Young Guns. Except the good guys became federal possemen deputies, which were like marshals/federal bounty hunters. The second half of the movie you see Wyatt become a US Marshal which gives him authority to go after corrupt Sheriffs and deputies.
Yeah i think that is something this movie does well. In older westerns they tend to misunderstand the roles of Marshall's vs sheriffs and tend to confuse their jurisdictions a lot.
At the beginning Johnny Ringo quoted the priest, “…the pale horse and hell followed him” At the train station when Wyattt let Ike go, he said tell him “hell is coming with him” meaning that Wyatt (who is a white guy) symbolized as the “pale horse” Tombstone is a real place in Arizona. It’s famous for the shootout at the OK Corral….in history it’s between the Earps and Clantons (Ike) and Mclaury (another cowboy). If you notice in the movie, there is a quick glimpse of a sign that says OK Corral in one of the scenes
Always great watching you two experiencing new movies. If ya all gonna be doing the western thing you need to watch:once upon a time in the west and Clint Eastwoods Spagetti trilogy: the good, the bad and the ugly; a fistful of dollars; a few dollars more. It’ll be great to follow those three up with Unforgiven, as the first 3 are him as a young buck and Unforgiven is about an old and grizzled former gun slinger… thus quite apt. Oh yes, True Grit (the 2010 version) and the original The magnificent seven (a Hollywood remake of The seven samurai - a must see film for any film buff) are also well worth the watch
I second all of those. Nice to see someone else recommend the recent version of True Grit I watched it again recently and I kind of forgot just how awesome it is even though I really loved it and remembered it as a great film.
@@malcolmrowe9003 yeah I can understand that. I saw it in the cinema and it was all the better for it. Some of the scenes are amazing and the score is excellent
The reason why for arresting people here is that the town had a law stating that no one could enter the town with guns. They had to be dropped off at the sheriff's office entering and leaving town. Thus what actually started the shootout and the legend of the O.K Corral.
She puts a cigarette into his mouth and then George, you say 'Is she trying to kill him quicker?', ok, so ummm, the connection between ill health and tobacco, was waaaaay much later. In WWI for example, soldiers rations included cigarettes. Doctors promoted cigarette brands. Without going into the full history, as late as 1960 only one third of doctors were convinced of the causal link between lung cancer and cigarettes.
Yeah, back in the day cigarettes were advertised as a great way to clear out the lungs if you have a respiratory problem. The events of this movie were even before THAT so they probably thought of it as a sort of medicine.
When you said you were a bit disappointed that none were riding a pale horse...Figuratively speaking, Doc was the pale horse, the man who sat on him was Death (Wyatt Earp) Because they were such close friends, Doc followed Wyatt because of that friendship, so that prophecy/scripture was true in a way.
Yes! I was actually just HOPING you both would watch this! Absolutely love this movie and Val Kilmer's part in it, so was curious to see your reactions. -knowing he was dieing from TB Doc wanted to go out fighting instead of in bed, but he ended up being TOO good at it. Hence why he found it funny. -Val's accent was actually very authentic for what he was going for. Southern Aristocrat style -yes Tombstone is an actual place and the film itself is actually very accurate to actual events, though timelines are interchanged
The question of who was "in the right" here is actually an interesting one, and there's lots of differing perspectives on the real life events. If you're interested, definitely suggest looking into the actual history more, it's a lot more complex than the movie makes it out.
Larry true and the funny thing is is that if it was in a state and not a territory the like Arizona was at the time they would have been well within their rights to keep their guns, as it is constitutional. but territorial law I think would take priority I'm not entirely too sure on that part
Another classic review guys, Val kilmers doc was so entertaining - like jack sparrow before there was a jack sparrow, if you liked this and you havent seen them yet, should have a look at young guns 1 and 2.
