Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Leon Uris (writer)
George Scullin (article)

Release Date:

30 May 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Plot Keywords:

Doc Holliday | Showdown | OK Corral | Gunfight | Blackjack

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Burt Lancaster	...	Marshal Wyatt Earp
Kirk Douglas	...	Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday
Rhonda Fleming	...	Laura Denbow
Jo Van Fleet	...	Kate Fisher
John Ireland	...	Johnny Ringo
Lyle Bettger	...	Ike Clanton
Frank Faylen	...	Sheriff Cotton Wilson
Earl Holliman	...	Deputy Sheriff Charles 'Charlie' Bassett
Ted de Corsia	...	Shanghai Pierce - Cattleman
Dennis Hopper	...	Billy Clanton
Whit Bissell	...	John P. Clum - 'Tombstone Epitaph' Editor
George Mathews	...	John Shanssey - Griffin Saloonkeeper
John Hudson	...	Virgil Earp
DeForest Kelley	...	Morgan Earp
Martin Milner	...	James 'Jimmy' Earp

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | West Germany:16 (nf) | Netherlands:6 | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | USA:Not Rated | UK:PG (1988) (video rating) | Ireland:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | South Korea:12 (2006) | Finland:K-16 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In July 1957, this film was released to many drive-in theaters on a double bill with Destination 60,000 (1957).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the gunfight when Wyatt asks Virgil to cover him, he runs around the back of the wall. As he peeks around the wall he is shot at and the wall is hit. You then see the wires and charge used to create the effect fall and dangle from the wall.

Quotes:

Wyatt Earp: Look, Holliday, as long as I'm the law here, not one of those cowpokes is going to cross that deadline with a gun. I don't care if his name *is* Shanghai Pierce.
Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday: Well spoken. I'll repeat those words at your funeral.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Monty Python's Flying Circus: Salad Days (#3.7)" (1972)

Soundtrack:

The Fountain in the Park

Burt and Kirk Take on the Clantons!

'Gunfight at O.K. Corral' is one of the many films that have told the tale of the famous showdown between the Earps and the Clantons, but setting this version apart is the ideal casting of Burt Lancaster as the straight-shooting Marshal Wyatt Earp, and Kirk Douglas as the sardonic, dying gambler, Doc Holliday. As in all their pairings, there is a chemistry between them that makes even mundane scripts seem magical!

Lancaster, continuing his rule of alternating between heavy drama and action films, researched the historic Earp extensively, speaking to many who knew him, and his performance is restrained and assured. Douglas, on the other hand, fresh from playing Vincent Van Gogh in 'Lust for Life', knew he needed a splashy hit film, and played Doc Holliday as larger than life, swaggering, diseased, and charismatic. His portrayal is far closer in spirit to the interpretations of Holliday by Val Kilmer, in 'Tombstone', and Dennis Quaid, in 'Wyatt Earp', than Victor Mature, in John Ford's 'My Darling Clementine'.

The film, co-written by Leon Uris, author of 'Exodus', is a historically fanciful but very entertaining exploration of the friendship between Earp and Holliday, as the lawman moves from Dodge City to Tombstone, followed by the gambler, covering a 'blood debt', after Earp saves his life. The climax is, naturally, the infamous gun battle between the Earps (with Holliday) versus the Clanton family and their allies. While purists will quickly note that the shoot-'em-up presented is totally fabricated (watch 'Wyatt Earp' or 'Tombstone' if you want accuracy), it certainly is rousing!

Other aspects of the film to enjoy...Dimitri Tiompkin's magnificent musical score, highlighted by Frankie Laine's unforgettable performance of the title tune, throughout the film...Excellent supporting players, including Jo Van Fleet as Holliday's mistress, John Ireland as evil Johnny Ringo, a young Dennis Hopper as Billy Clanton, and Rhonda Fleming as the gambler girlfriend of Wyatt (based on Earp's actual wife, Josie)...Cameos by Kenneth Tobey as Bat Masterson, DeForest Kelley as Morgan Earp, Martin Milner as James Earp, and Frank Faylen as the corrupt sheriff.

The director, John Sturges, revisited the Earp saga some years later in 'Hour of the Gun', with James Garner as Earp, and Jason Robards as Holliday, but while the later film may be more correct, historically, 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' is a far more enjoyable film.

I strongly recommend it to any western fan!