History Professor Breaks Down the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in "Tombstone" / Reel History
The gunfight (near) the O.K. Corral is among the most infamous showdowns of the American West. Perhaps the most celebrated of its cinematic depictions is 1993's "Tombstone." A much beloved film of the genre, the movie is full of great one-liners. But how does it match to the historical record?
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Reel History delves into historical films to separate fact from fiction. These engaging episodes explore, contextualize, and clarify stories related to the most famous historical movies. In contrast to the more prevalent "reaction" videos, these installments seek not only to entertain but to educate and inform. For host Jared Frederick and producer Andrew Collins, these episodes are a labor of love and a means of expressing passion for the past as well as cinema. Courteous viewer feedback is always welcome. The views expressed are our own and do not necessarily represent our employers or organizations with which we are involved.
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Have viewed hundreds of Westerns and the best gunfight I have seen is the final one from "Open Range." Very dramatic and has the best sound design I have ever heard for a gunfight. Leaving the movie theatre my ears felt like I had been at the gun range. This is totally arbitrary but I would consider a "gunfight" in a western movie to involve two groups of antagonists, while a one on one quick draw confrontation I would classify as a "duel."
That's one of my favorites.
Ill concur.
@@jeffthornton6998, we are very excited to see the forthcoming Costner Western "Horizon."
That’s a real good one. Magnificent 7 was good. High noon. Pale rider and the Rio Bravo trilogy had good cowboys/ Indians gunfights. Young guns was fun. Too many to remember “I recon”
@@brianhammond2832 Those are good. I would add the opening bank robbery gunfight in "The Wild Bunch" (the closing one is expertly filmed but a little too over the top for me). "The Long Rider's" Northfield raid sequence is terrific. A hidden gem for me is the one in "Rough Night in Jericho" which while generally connisdered a flawed western has a great gunfight.
I grew up a forty-five minute drive from Tombstone, and we visited the town every couple of months. Despite this film's inaccuracies, it's still the most accurate film ever about the gunfight at (near) the O.K. Corral. I remember seeing this movie for the first time in 1994. When the Cowboys reach for their pistols, and Doc and the Earps, in unison, slap their holsters with one hand and extend the other hand in a 'stop' gesture, I knew they had really done their homework. There are sketches and drawings by eyewitnesses that all describe this moment.
No its not. Just watch the movie "Wyatt Earp" fron the same year. Its a but more realistic
@@nickste142 I did. The production design wasn't as good, I thought. "Tombstone" was filmed in the mountains of Arizona not far from the real town. "Wyatt Earp" was shot in South Dakota. Seeing all that flat prairie surrounding the Tombstone set, stretching away as far as the eye can see, took me out of the movie a little.
Great video, and I definitely have some comments. First, the vacant lot where the gunfight took place, between Fly's Boarding House and the Harwood House, was actually a lumber yard. But the lumber yard was empty, due to the rapid building going on in Tombstone. And only one person allegedly heard Morgan say to Doc, "Let 'em have it." Just one lady, who was shopping in Bauer's Meat Market, the other side of the boarding house. But the comment might well have been said following "If they go for their guns..." She perhaps only heard part of it. There is plenty of evidence that Sheriff Behan was corrupt. He consistently refused to go after the Cowboys, even when involved in stage robberies and other criminal activities in the county. For that matter, one of Behan's deputies, Frank Stilwell, was also a stage robber. You are correct, there were no buildings burning at the time of the street fight. If there had been, the Earps would've been far more concerned with fighting the fire, which could easily get out of hand and burn the town down. As you said, there was indeed a great fire later that destroyed a good section of the business district. And you are also correct that Ike didn't start shooting from behind the Earps. He ran like a rabbit and never looked back that day. The greatest argument, of course, regards whether the Earps were simply enforcing the law, which prohibited carrying arms in town, and also reacting to death threats from Ike Clanton and possibly Tom McLaury. Or, did they walk down there with the intent of murdering the Clantons and McLaurys? The entire subject fascinates me, and I've spoken with a number of Tombstone residents on both sides of the issue. We may never know for sure. But I lean toward the Earps simply trying to enforce the law. Outstanding video, and I'll be looking for more of your work!
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I believe the death threats had a lot to do with it, that began several months before the O.K Corral incident regarding some stolen army mules.
I agree. BUT, I would add that IF the Earps had gone intending to kill the Clantons and McLaurys THEN Wyatt would NOT have told an unarmed and begging Ike to "Get to fighting or get out". If their intent had been to kill regardless then Ike (being the older and more mouthy Clanton and the one doing the most boasting about killing the Earps) would have been killed with no hesitation - armed or not.
As far as accurate gunfights, I think Appaloosa has one of the best with the showdown at the jail. No talk, no drama, Everett and Virgil role up and everyone just starts shooting. Fight lasts less than 15 seconds and everyone is either wounded, dying, or killed. This is pretty much exactly how most gunfights work, back then and today. There was even the tongue-in-cheek comment by Everett, "That happened quick." almost as a way of acknowledging how different that was compared to what the audience expectation probably was based on most other western movie gunfights.
That's a very underrated movie! Jared has that one in his film library!
"Everyone could shoot."
Great video! I think a video on "Young Guns" would be really cool. The whole Billy The Kid and the Regulators and the Lincoln County War
Oh boy! Cult classic!
I’d love to see you do a video analyzing the same gunfight from the “other” movie (Wyatt Earp).
We all know the best finial fight scene in all of Western movie history is from Blazing Saddles
😆
True !! we need a breakdown on Blazing Saddles-
"I work for Mel Brooks"
Actually one big thing Tombstone got wrong was the weather. It’s wasn’t a warm sunny day, there actually was a light dusting of snow on the ground and had been snow flurries earlier in the day.
I have soft spot in my heart for westerns as it was something I used to enjoy with my dad. Among my favorites are Unforgiven Dances With Wolves Outlaw Josey Wales True Grit (the remake) Open Range
Unforgiven is probably Jared's favorite Western. The Searchers is excellent too.
Even though I heard of the gunfight of O.K. Corral, I never saw this film until the summer of 2022. When I looked up the film, I never thought this was based on a true story. This movie remains one of the best historical Western films I ever saw.
Problem was although depicting a historical events they took liberties with some things. Like killing Jimmy Ringo - that never happened. Ringo did die with in a year of the gunfight but not by Doc Holliday - who was with Wyatt about 5-600 miles away and couldn't have possibly made it to kill Ringo then back to court the next day
Lonesome Dove. Inspired by the Adventures of Ranger Captains Oliver Loving and Charlie Goodnight.
Great information on the event… great review in history
Thanks!
Great vid! And awesome PRR shirt!
Thanks!
John Wesley Hardin hasn't had his own movie yet. He was killed and buried here in El paso. The Four dead in five seconds gun fight also occurred here. It involved to controversial lawman Dallas Stoudemire.
There was also a fire about the day before the gunfight. The gunfight actually occurred outside of some rooms where Doc Holliday was staying. Big Nose Kate claimed to have been an eye witness. Ike's backshooting here is the personification of what would have happened had only 2 Earps shown up. The cowboys did not like even odds, so those that are known, like Billy Claiborne hightailed it. Doc got more shots out of 2 six shooters than just about anybody, even Roy Rogers. Virgil was closer to 38. Morgan Earp got clipped in both shoulder blades, and he still kept shooting. The Earps did not generally have a good reputation among ranch families around Tombstone. It is true even today.
One of my top 5 favorites of all time. I'd say that movie was a peak performance for most of the actors involved. Also one of the most quotable movies of all time.
So true!
Love this movie and it was a blast visiting the actual town when I was stationed at Fort Huachuca several years ago. I learn more through living history at times over traditional classroom lectures. Helps put things in perspective seeing it live in front of your eyes.
I visited it a couple times (and went to the reenactment both times!) when visiting my son who was stateside for a bit doing training at Fort Huachuca. What a desolate & beautiful place (Tombstone I mean).
@@CrossTrain, we've heard mixed reviews! Thanks for the input.
I first became aware of the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" on Star Trek!
Nice job Jared!
Thanks!
I’d really like to see a cinematic version of the “Newton Massacre”, an historic event that took place in Newton, Kansas on August 19, 1871. One young man, dying of TB, retaliated for the killing of his guardian in a saloon gunfight, then disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.
I’ve read several books covering this incident and the contemporary accounts are all over the map.
Some of my favorite westerns: The Searchers, How the West Was Won, Tombstone, Shane, Open Range, Dances with Wolves, Unforgiven. Jared: I recently bought a newer book on the OK Corral history, called The Last Gunfight by Jeff Guinn. I have not started reading it yet, but I have read reviews and many consider it one of the better real histories of what happened! So I can't wait to start it, probably later this year! The other mystery to me, outside of the OK Corral fight, is what really happened to Johnny Ringo. No one really knows who actually killed him. Was it Wyatt Earp, or as portrayed in the film Tombstone, Doc Holliday? I don't think so, who knows! We might never know for sure (maybe it's in that book that I just mentioned)! Always great work as always!
Guinn's book is great! Really gives you a much better idea of everything which lead up to the gunfight. He also covers the various eyewitness accounts without ever saying definitively how it went down.
Not so much a movie, but one of my favorites is from the series Godless. The whole show was leading up to this huge gunfight between this gang of outlaws and their leader, played excellently by Jeff Daniels, and a mining town that lost all the men in a mine collapse that is harboring one of the gang's former members. The scene starts off with the tough-as-nails 16 y/o boy, and yes the actor who portrays him is in his late teens or early twenties, who's acting as the town sheriff in his office loading up his cartridge belt and rifle with ammo. He opens the door to head outside for the fight and bam!!! . . . He gets a Bowie knife straight to the chest. He falls backwards with that scared, innocent look of dying in his face while this grizzled outlaw, probably a Civil War veteran and/or former frontiersmen, comes around the corner into view and pulls his knife out of the kid's chest and wipes the blood off on the kid's shirt before taking the kid's guns and moving on to the next building. My other favorite gunfight is from "The Outlaw Josie Wales". The one where he gets all those supplies and is walking to his horse and the snakeoil salesman exclaims "Oh my god it's Josie Wales!" A group of 4 soldiers turns around and Josie spits and says "Well, are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?"
Those are both excellent selections! We love Jeff Daniels. Jared saw his band perform once.
Excellent
Actually. If you look closely right after doc gives Tom the other barrel of the shotgun you briefly see doc stagger back a little bit, as if grazed in the hip as you mentioned
Great video! But only one person testified that Morgan told Doc "Let 'em have it." She was shopping in the Bauer Meat Market, and said she heard one of them say those words. It's entirely possible that the statement was preceded by "If they go for their guns..." I don't believe they walked down there intending to kill the Clantons and McLaurys. I think they were responding to idle threats made by Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury, who had both been buffaloed earlier in the day, Ike by Virgil and Tom by Wyatt. And the latter may have been totally unnecessary. So I think Tom said something like "I'm gonna kill that Wyatt," not really meaning it, and Ike replied that he was gonna kill Virgil. But people who heard this, including one H.F. Sills, didn't know the threats were idle.
Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, Open Range and the 2nd. True Grit make my list of best westerns. The language used in True Grit and the gun fight in Open Range are spot on in my opinion.
Do you like Tombstone or Wyatt Earp more?
@@ReelHistory Wow, tough call, Tombstone by a whisker.
@@hirampritchard5588 surely you mean whiskers? A film with some outstanding facial hair.
For what it's worth I enjoyed the shorter format. Thanks for the content. I 1st learned about the gunfight from the old star trek episode, so you can imagine how skewed my understanding was.
Glad you enjoyed it. Live long and prosper.
Thanks, Gavin. We are always trying to experiment with varying formats.
Great job Jared! Tom Horne was my favorite, of course that kid McQueen pretty good actor too!
Most realistic gun fight in a western movie is the face off between Viggo Mortenson and Jeremy Irons at the end of Appaloosa
A very underrated film!
I have a distant ancestor Henry Plumer from Maine who was an Outlaw.
There actually was a fire in Tombstone the day of the gunfight. It was mentioned in the daily newspaper.
1883 was great and while fictional it touched on a lot of the Western story from gunfights to western migration It showed a lot.
It's on Jared's list!
So many films at Old Tucson Studios and the Mescal location east of Tucson.
I am a fan of both the Tombstone and Wyatt Earp versions of the gunfight. In Tombstone, I appreciated the chaos of the gunfight. In Wyatt Earp the gunfight was more subdued, like time slowed down. Both are good interpretations of what it would actually feel like for the audience. Wyatt Earp was more accurate but Tombstone was more cinematic while still being, at least to me, surprisingly accurate. I visited Tombstone a few years after both films and the town definitely prefers the Tombstone version, likely for entertainment reasons (the guy that played Doc Holliday did a fantastic Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday). Other western movie gunfights that I enjoy are from The Professionals, The Long Riders, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, Open Range and True Grit (the original - I have visited the filming location in Colorado and it looked exactly the same except it is a smaller area than how it seems in the movie)
Tombstone is more theatrical while Wyatt Earp is more grounded.
for pure Fun & Entertainment it has to be the end gunfight of "Quigley Down Under" With Tom Selleck VS Alan Rickman & his two henchmen Dobkin & O`Flynn , "This aint dodge city & you aint Bill Hickok" , pure Screen Gold😁😁
Sorry, you also asked about great movie gunfights. It’s not historical (so far as I know) but the gunfights in Open Range are really, really well done and seem to be pretty reflective of what a “real” gunfight might have been. Plus it’s a pretty good movie.
Tombstone is a Great Movie....We watched it so much on VHS when I was young. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly being a great Western along side it. Clint Eastwood being a Legendary Actor in the Western movies. Man brings back memories and the scenery just gives you that atmosphere! Perfect.
Ah yes, the two-tape VHS collection! Such memories!
I don't know if it's considered a western but how about "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon"? It stars John Wayne and basically it's a film mostly about the US 7th Cavalry and our conflicts with Indians as we moved further and further out west and I know it takes place a little bit after Custer's Last Stand/Battle of Little Bighorn.
Awesome videos
I really enjoyed 1939s stagecoach when John Wayne finally has the showdown with the 3 outlaws and he is given only 3 bullets to do the job.great film . John Ford was master of using shadows in black and white film days and master of saying alot without words .the searchers you almost have to be detective to understand what's not said great film to .Howard Hawks Red River is my favorite you could not make a western like that today.
As Sheriff of Cochise County, Behan collected 10% of the proceeds of bars and brothels and other similar businesses. He was accused of corruption in that role on numerous occasions. In addition, Behan and Earp competed for the office of Sheriff for the newly formed Cochise County. Behan promised Earp an undersheriff position if he withdrew his name as a candidate for the position. Earp withdrew, but Behan broke his part of the deal. There was more bad blood between the two because Earp was competing for the affections of Sadie Marcus who, for a time, was Behan’s mistress.
The newer 310 to Yuma, has a moment there at the end that I cried.
Silverado, 3:10 to Yuma, High Noon or any of the Rio films are some of my favourites.👍
Great history in tombstone I went to spend 2 days ended up spending 2 weeks. Loved it
Keeping your pistol in your pocket does NOT make for a faster draw. Both the hammer and the front sight can get snagged on the cloth. That's why leather holsters were invented.
The movie was originally to be directed by writer Kevin Jarre. His original script was allegedly more historically accurate (for example Doc is wounded at OK Corral.). He had never directed before and was removed from the director's chair three weeks after the filming began. George S Cosmatos (action movie director of Rambo II and Cobra) was brought in and ramped up the action scenes, for example adding the "violence montages" during the "vengeance ride." Jarre's original script also developed more of the characters making it much more a ensemble piece. Love Tombstone but think it could have been even better if they stuck to the original script.
Very fair points!
George S Cosmatos was suggested to Kurt Russell By Sly Stallone , but its now said that kurt actualy did most of the Directing himself..
@@brianjones7907 Yes, I heard that Russel did a bunch of the actual directing.
Hey Prof, love your channel... Long time viewer, first time poster. Have an idea for one of your shorts.... The Glenn Miller story (with Jimmy Sterwart) has a WWII screen where he's entertaining the troops when a Buzz bomb goes oeverhead. The spiders all duck for cover, but the Orchestra keeps playing and the guys erupt in cheers! My dad was a pilot in WWII and a huge GM fan, I grew up listening to him. So did that scene really play out that way in real life? Continued success, I learn so much from your commentary, thanks so much!
Spiders is supposed to be Soilders.... 👍
Such a good movie. Not sure if the event in questions actually happened, though his band was indeed stationed in "Buzz Bomb Alley."
Yes, please watch and contemplate more westerns and other films that explore the American west narratively or atmosherically (or both).
we will for sure!
As far as Wyatt Earp, I always preferred Costner's film over Tombsone. Great video.
It's more accurate but less entertaining.
While stationed at Fort Huachuca, had the chance to visit Tombstone. It was typical tourist oriented but it was fun to walk the streets, visit the museum, and what the gunfight in the street.
Watch the gunfight...
According to court/trial records Wyatt stated he used a 44 Russian at the gunfight which has a much shorter barrel than his peacemaker which makes sense I don’t think he’d stick a 10 inch pistol into his pocket
For me, the "behind-the-back" quick draw scene (which never happened in reality in the real American west ) from Tarentinos "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" western filming sequence. I thought this was an original idea until I came across the same thing in an old western
The movie is not entirely accurate, but it had a fantastic cast. Especially Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday. Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp came out around the same time, but was never as good/fun as this movie.
This was the only version where Doc Holliday actually looked as if he was suffering from tuberculosis as he was in real life. But to alter a line from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valemce, when the legend becomes fact, show the legend.
The Earps all carried their handguns in their coat pocket or in the small of their back, per the inquest records. There was no 10 barreled handgun at this fight. The buildings were almost new and would have looked it. Newly painted or new bare wood, not like the movie with all run down buildings.
@lelandnanny967: According to Wyatt Earp himself (speaking shortly before his death), Doc Holliday only ever used a shotgun once (not at the OK coral) and hated it so much that from that time onwards he only ever used a pistol.
@@paganphil100 OK.
One of my favourite films is Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969), mostly for William Goldman's script, and although more fictional I also remember watching the TV series Alias Smith And Jones (1971-73) growing up in the '70s. I always thought that when the railroad company's posse reached the fork in the trail where the gang split up and they all followed Butch and Sundance, and Butch shouts at them "what's wrong with those guys!?" - those guys were Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry making their successful getaway into TV stardom!
I caught that series a few times when it was on repeat in the 90s great stuff
"Think that was enough dynamite there, Butch?"
@@ReelHistory - "Woodcock? Is that you?"
Thank you. I should like to see a realistic film about Wild Bill Hickok who was, I think, the first of the famous gunfighters. He teamed up, for a short time, with Buffalo Bill Cody. Which reminds me that we need a really good historical movie about Annie Oakley.
Other problems with this film. Doc fires three times (count them) with a double-barreled shotgun, but he never reloads (indeed, he can't reload -- Virgil gives him the shotgun, but no extra shells). There is testimony that the first person from the Earp party who fired was using a nickel-plated gun. Most people assume this was Doc Holliday, the gambler, but it was almost certainly Wyatt, using a nickel-plated .44 caliber Smith & Wesson Model 3 that had been presented to him (by the citizens of Dodge, if I recall correctly). Trust me, no one armed with a shotgun in a close range gun fight would choose to use any other weapon until after the shotgun was empty. According to testimony in court, Wyatt and Billy Clanton shot first, so closely together "that it sounded like a single shot". We don't know who Billy aimed it because he missed everybody. Wyatt aimed at Frank McLaury, regarding him as the most dangerous gun handler (by his own testimony in court), and dealing McLaury a stomach wound that would, in practice, be mortal, but take the better part of a day to finish him off. For some reason, perhaps because Ike Clanton was in the line of fire, Frank chose to try to kill Doc Holliday instead of Wyatt. But Doc killed him first.
Oops! Frank succeeded in shooting Doc in the hip and he went down hard. Morgan, down on the ground because of his own wound, shot Frank in the temple.
Don't forget about the Star Trek version of the Shootout at the OK Corral.....
Once Upon a Time in the West is probably the best Western I've ever seen, in terms of the quality of the film (a bit on the long side though). Also quite fond of Quigley Down Under and Stagecoach. McLintock & Blazing Saddles are great too, although I don't think those are the kind of Westerns you're talking about. 😁
All great selections.
Quigley Down Under is a criminally-underrated and overlooked film. I will always be a fan of Tom Selleck because of his performance in that movie, and Alan Rickman's performance as the villain was one of the best ever.
If you look at the scene in the film "I will turn your into a canoe " when it's raining. Look down the street. Not raining. Only raining directly over the actors not 20 metres down the street.😀
I've always liked the gun fight in the bar at the end of Unforgiven. When Clint's double barrel shotgun misfired is very accurate of late 19th century firearms. Also Gene Hackman talked about the Colt Walker revolver blowing up and injuring a shooter's hand that also actually happened alot with that model of Colt. Something Colt would later fix with its next version the Dragoon. There's the slow cocking of the hammer in between shots in the scene too since most revolvers of the time were single action and everyone ain't doing the stupid fanning of the hammer. Also there's alot of smoke in the room because of black powder since smokeless powder cartridges didn't exist then. The firearms are also historically accurate too. Something that always bothers me about alot of western films is they would take place in the 1870s and yet you see cowboys with 1892 Winchester rifles for some reason.
Thanks Jared, it was very interesting. What little guy hasn't seen himself in his fantasy as Wyatt Earp? Are you interested in doing a reaction to "Hell on Wheels"? Or "Deadwood"?
Jared is a huge fan of Hell on Wheels. He needs to revisit Deadwood though.
Fun fact, Tombstone hosts Emmet Kelley Days every year. Emmet Kelly lived in tombstone at one time. Very strange to see clowns on Allen Street instead of cowboys!
I'm fond of Wyatt Earp's depiction of the gunfight, apart from moving the action 90 degrees the distances, timing and injuries are far more accurate. I also have a soft spot for Quaid's version of Doc Holiday. Other than that I like 3:10 to Yuma and True Grit, but my favourite gunfight is the showdown at the end of the Good the Bad and the Ugly.
Quaid lost like 40 pounds for that role!
The gun fight took place in an alley by the OK Corral and from a distance of 6ft when the shooting started
Wyatt was 32 at the time and Virgil was 38.
It’s a great story and/or myth, and Hollywood has made the most of it. On the one hand, if it was actually depicted as it really happened, in what could almost be called just an alley or side entrance, it would lose a great deal of its grandeur. None of the movie depictions get anywhere close to that, all going to the other extreme instead. On the other hand, the thought of a gunfight in such an enclosed area is just horrifying - surely nobody would survive an encounter at such close range. That Wyatt Earp emerged unscathed, and the rest of his group suffered random wounds but nothing fatal, is very remarkable. Perhaps they just had the element of surprise on their side?
I think the most interesting Western gunfight in movie history is the death of Davie in Unforgiven. The scene has a brutality designed to deconstruct the whole trope, and both Clint and Morgan Freeman are horrified at their task of finishing off their helpless victim as he crawls for cover. Eastwood shows that we like gunfights way too much.
Well said!
Wyatt Earp in his later days said that Doc or Morgan didn't shoot first it was he and Billy Claton who did simultaneously. The Gun Fight lasted 30 seconds. People should read the documents from the Tombstone inquiry.
In the movie Doc walks away unhurt ,That wasn't true he was shot in the leg, Wyatt was the only one who didn't take a bullet , I thought the 1994 movie " Wyatt Earp" was much more accurate .
Open Range has an action packed gunfight. Silverado’s last gunfight is entertaining. And they both star Kevin Costner. Also Big Jake with John Wayne mixes in some new technology for the early 1900s
We are looking forward to Costner's future western.
It will be great if the whole fight scene is reenacted in exactly like the real fight at the OK Coral with actors look alike , dress alike, and some slow motion so that the audience can capture the whole scene completely.The gunfight suppose to last 15 seconds. Everything happened so fast.Have some introduction and a few scenes before to the gunfight. It is the best of all wildwest gunfight and is documented.
Another good western is "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon." still good today
Classic Duke.
Best- Tombstone Accurate- Hostile(in terms of gun handling), in terms of nonfiction The Assassination of Jesse James Lively- The Magnificent Seven 2016 Entertaining- Django Unchained Suggestion- Young Guns
Nice list!
Wyatt Earp did not use a "Buntline Special" Colt at the OK Corral. That gun did not exist at that time. The Colt Company has no record of Ned Buntline ever ordering any such firearms or of any of them being made before the western explosion of the 1950"s. Actually Wyatt is reported to have used a Smith and Wesson American that John Clum had given him.
The gunfight at the end of Open Range is really good
Agreed!
Kevin Jarre wrote this and Glory where he had a cameo. He also began directing this film but was fired from that role.
Yeah, there was a lot of drama. Russell himself directed a lot of the film.
@@ReelHistory And did a really nice job!
Excellent show. I've rarely seen a Western that is mistake-free. Film editing is not the Western's friend. The single action Colts & Smiths all seem to miraculously fire more than 6 shots in a scene and even dbl barreled Coach Guns can fire 3rds, but that's entertainment.
Best gunfight "Open Range."
How about Blazing Saddles? :-)
NOW & THEN - 10-10-23 The Texas restaurant shooting the patron fired multiple times at fake gunman. WYAT fired multiple times at Billy Clanton who continued to fire back.
The gun fight in open range is my favorite
In terms of the actual fight as far as the tight space and the actual seconds of the fight Kevin Costner’s “Wyatt Earp” is a far more accurate depiction of the Ok Corral Incident.
By far, the best shootout was at the end of Open Range. It's more realistic, with most shots missing.
I loved this movie 🍿👍😁but the Alamo with John Wayne is the one I’d like to see you do. It’s another one that I liked a lot and would love your opinion on how historically correct it is. 👍😁
In Spirit, very, factually, hardly at all
If you read Davy Crockett’s book John Wayne’s portrayal fits rather well personality wise but not in appearance
@@gijoe508, well said.
Although "Wyatt Earp" was a much less effective movie, its version of the OK Corral gunfight was much closer to what was reported in reality. Also, Denis Quaid's portrayal of Doc Holliday was excellent. kzhead.info/sun/h9VtpqWkf3NorWw/bejne.html
Agreed!
I’m only halfway through this video, and I’m tapping out. I’ve been an Earp nut since I first saw this film a couple of years after its release. I’ve read all of the scholarship, including transcripts of the hearings, etc., and have visited the town and surrounding area several times. Even had a nice chat about 10 years ago with Ben Traywick in his book shop. This host’s claims that there was no evidence that Behan was corrupt is just flat-out incorrect, and Doc’s quip, “You’re a daisy if you do” (in the movie…in the witness testimony, he actually said, “You’re a daisy if you have”) is not “purportedly” or “up to speculation”. It’s in the court transcripts. That lost me. It’s not that I’m an Earp apologist, either. For instance, apart from the threats on their life, I’ve never understood how the Clantons & McLaurys were expected to get out of town unarmed if they were permitted to retrieve their guns before mounting up, which was the practice. That’s always been a gap for me. In any case, this host needs to dig deeper before opining on the events if he wants to be taken seriously.
Unforgiven saloon fight I believe to be very accurate and entertaining
I would have to say “the Ballad of Buster Scruggs” had some pretty dang entertaining gunfights/duels
A very good anthology!
sOMETHING id like to see, is 2 walls 15ft apart with the 7 shooters in them standing in the same places as in the shootout shooting with black powder
If you ever go to Tombstone beware its a tourist trap on par with Mister Ed's Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium... ok its not that bad but its rough mostly bc everything is interpreted through the lens of this movie.
"I'm your huckleberry."
The only other movie besides Open Range that was a good gun fight there was a movie with John Wayne The Cowboys (1972) just because John Wayne has done a lot of westerns and seem to put more into the movie than you would find nowadays.
A classic!
I've been to Tombstone twice on business. I've read some of the trial testimony from Wyatt and Doc's trail. The movie Tombstone comes closest to actual events. I was disappointed to see Ike Clanton shown shooting from Flys photography. This did not happen and I'm not sure why the director would allow it. The movie and even some of the dialogue was close to accurate. Overall, I consider Tombstone the best Western ever, with The Searchers a close second.
@@nicksterj Such is Hollywood. Still a great movie as long as you don't count bullets. A minor thing. In the scene where Curly Bill fires 16 shots in the air and they don't show him reloading. Once again, during the gunfight. Doc fans the hammer and fires five shots into Billy Clanton. Then , he fires as many into the window at Flys photography. Then, supposedly he offers Frank McLaury his chance to shoot him" you're a daisy if you do" and still has one bullet for McLaury. Morgan Earp also shoots McLaury in the head. Lots of bullets. I call it Hollywood reload.
I agree with other comments, appolloza is by far one of the most accurate for gunfighting, it's dirty, who's first and most accurate, getting hit by 8 gauge shotgun fking ouch
I live in a place.with the original decendants and they have stayed in law enforcement in oklahoma...it is not pronounced "urp" it is pronounced "arp" come to northeast Oklahoma, follow the history.
I love this movie. But I hate the inaccuracy of the gunfight itself. This is one of the most iconic moments in western history, yet they couldn't get it right. At the end of the shootout Wyatt Earp was the only man standing. But in the movie, somehow Doc is not only standing, but becomes the hero on the fight. This is disappointing. I really wish they could reshoot these scenes and get it right. The reality of the moment was exciting enough. It doesn't need to be over dramatized.
Do you prefer the Costner version in "Wyatt Earp?"
For your shorts consideration, A Man Called Horse. The Tribal Sweat Lodge ritual. That would rule !. Semper Fi
Thank you! Jared has seen A Man Called Horse!
@@ReelHistory Jared had already seen Tombstone. There's a lot of people who haven't seen A Man Called Horse. They just might if Jared broke down the scean. Just like the OK corral. To compare Historical events to Film. I thought that is what this channel is all about. Say the Trial of Sir Thomas Moore. In a Man for All Seasons. The Triumph prade in Cleopatra or the Slapping incident of General Patton on a Solider. Keeping your viedo short, one subject informative and entertaining. Could take this channel a long way. Just some constructive criticism. Semper Fi