Hollywood And the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight And Wyatt Earp [Paperback]

Michael F. Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0786426322 | ISBN-13: 978-0786426324

A lot can happen in 30 seconds. In the case of the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral, 30 seconds found three men dead, left two men wounded and ultimately captured the imagination of generations of Americans. Wyatt Earp, an against-all-odds hero who was literally the last man standing; Doc Holliday, Earp's unlikely crony; the tragic tale of the Earp family--all of these elements make the story of the O.K. Corral irresistible to a great many people. Hollywood filmmakers were quick to recognize the legend's attraction--and its potential. As early as 1939 (with the production of Frontier Marshal), moviemakers were recreating the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and its attendant happenings in Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881. The following decades produced various renderings of the story, some more historically accurate than others but all with the American flair for entertainment. This volume examines eight movie renderings of the legendary gunfight. Produced from 1939 to 1994, these movies each use Wyatt Earp and other real-life characters as their sources. The work focuses on the filmmakers treatment of the history and the skill with which each balances fact with the necessity of entertainment. The ways in which Wyatt Earp is presented in each film and this portrayal's relationship to the period in which the film was made is also examined in detail. Films discussed are Frontier Marshal (1939), Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die (1942), My Darling Clementine (1946), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Hour of the Gun (1967), Doc (1971), Tombstone (1993), and Wyatt Earp (1994). Period photographs are also included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful premise for a book that makes fascinating-and surprising-reading for students of history as well as film." --James Curtis, author of W.C. Fields: A Biography and James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters

"Nobody writes it better than Michael F. Blake, and [this book] is his best--so far." --Andrew J. Fenady, producer and writer of John WayneÂ’s Chisum (1970) and Western Writers of America Owen Wister Award Honoree (2006)

"Fascinating...a must read for western buffs and film aficionados alike." --Dan Gagliasso, documentary film director and Western Writers of America Spur award winner

About the Author

Michael F. Blake, an Emmy-winning makeup artist and leading film historian, has worked in the film industry for nearly fifty years. He has written for American Cinematographer, Performing Arts, Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers (October 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786426322
• ISBN-13: 978-0786426324
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blake's aim is as true as Wyatt Earp's, December 10, 2006

By 

Paul Cool (Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood And the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight And Wyatt Earp (Paperback)

Michael F. Blake's "Hollywood at the OK Corral" nicely fills a gaping hole in the literature on Wyatt Earp's transition from itinerant lawman, gambler, miner, horse thief, pimp, and con man to the iconic, legendary, and nearly mythical character he is today. The same goes for the evolution of the sudden and shocking street fight in Tombstone to today's metaphor for any vicious gun battle, firefight, or other spot where bullets seem to be flying from all sides. This progression for both the "gunfight at the O.K. Corral" and the one participant who remained standing, untouched by lead, and Hollywood's role in building and shapeshifting the legend, has been discussed and argued about at some length in biographies by Casey Tefertiller, Allen Barra, Tim Fattig, Steve Gatto, and others, and in surveys by George McDonald Fraser and others. But this is the first book-length examination, and it is packed with material not published elsewhere.

Right from the start, the O.K. Corral was the stuff of cinema. It was immediately preceded by what must have been one of the most visually arresting images in Western history, the walk down to destiny by Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan Earp and their ally Doc Holliday. That Blake understands this is clear: his book's cover displays the walkdown most familiar to today's audiences, that of four grim and superbly costumed lawmen played Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton from the movie Tombstone.

Blake begins by reviewing the argued-over facts of Wyatt's life, including the OK Corral. In order to accurately compare the "real" to the "reel," film historian Blake understands the importance of getting the history right. This chapter, as do the later ones, benefits greatly from Blake's use of recent historical research, including the Tefertiller and Barra biographies, and Peter Brand's groundbreaking work on Wyatt's Vendetta riders, such as Sherman McMasters and John Johnson (known to filmgoers as "Turkey Creek Jack"). Blake has also sought insight from descendants of the unfortunate McLaury brothers, including writer Pam Potter. Blake next provides an overview of Earp and Hollywood, from the old Westerner's friendship with William S. Hart, through Hollywood's use of Stuart Lake's powerfully influential book "Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal," and on to the pervasiveness of Earp and the gunfight in American and global culture (e.g., the Star Trek episode, "Spectre of the Gun").

The heart and soul of the book are the separate chapters on the making of eight theatrical O.K. Corral films: Frontier Marshal (1939), Tombstone: the Town Too Tough to Die (1942), My Darling Clementine (1946), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Hour of the Gun (1967), Doc (1971), Tombstone (1993), and Wyatt Earp (1994). Here is where this film historian's nearly half-century immersion in the industry comes into play. (Blake is the son of an actor, a childhood actor himself, and an Emmy-winning make-up artist, as well as published film historian.) Wonderful anecdotes came from a variety of sources, including the subjects of Blake's interviews, including Burt Lancaster and James Garner, "Wyatt Earp" screenwriter Dan Gordon, Tombstone" costumer Joseph Porro, and "Tombstone" historical consultant Jeff Morey. Many wonderful on-the-set photos came from archival sources, including the William S. Hart, John Ford, John Sturges, and Hal Wallis collections.

One of Blake's most important themes is this: "History and Hollywood have never been synchronous when it comes to facts. At best they are civilized adversaries and, at worst, churlish rivals." Blake explains why "historical" films are and must be ahistorical, however much that maddens "buffs" of any historical topic.

Each chapter colorfully reveals the usually difficult gestation of a film, from starry-eyed conception, through arguments over scripts, budgets made and busted, lawsuits threatened, and on-set shouting matches (and at least one angry golf-cart destruction derby), to marketing successes and failures and make-or-break film critic reviews. Each chapter is a delight, precisely because Blake knows how to identify and draw out the conflicts inherent in movie making. In this regard, the making of "Tombstone" was probably the diciest affair. Here Blake's book benefits from the cooperation of Jeff Morey, who helped Kevin Jarre develop perhaps the greatest O.K. Corral script. But each project was an eye-opener. I for one wish the "Doc" chapter had been longer, because one wants to know every detail of how such an abysmal film could ever be made.

The book has a few typos and, as one reviewer noted, at least one miscaptioned picture. The font is a little small for some aging eyes. My biggest complaint is that I wish the book had been bigger. I know Blake must have left some additional good stories out to save space for what's here.

This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in Wyatt Earp, the O.K. Corral, Westerns, and how Hollywood makes any movie.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Print the Legend, December 11, 2006

By 

James A. Dunham (Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood And the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight And Wyatt Earp (Paperback)

As John Ford's character in "A Man Called Liberty Valance" said, "This is the West, sir. When legend becomes fact, print the legend!" The movies have never tried to be accurate history. Time and money and often good story telling requires that some people and events will have their appearances altered by the film maker. But, the viewer seldom is in on the reasons changes are made and how the process took place. Michael F. Blake has changed all that, at least as far as the Earp/ Clanton street fight near the O.K. Corral.

This excellent new book not only tells you about the true history as compared to the movie versions, but gives a film maker's insite to many of the problems that happened before and during the filming schedule. With help from top Earp historian, Jeff Morey, Blake reveals for the first time in print the extreme dificulties incured during the making of the 1993 film, "Tombstone." This is a must own book for anyone interested in Western films. Bye the way, the few typos that slipped by proof readers, are not a reflection of the writer not knowing, but rather as in most books the first printing escapes with a few missed identifications or spelling errors.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When the truth becomes legend..., February 25, 2007

By 

Mark Dworkin (Thornhill, Ontario) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood And the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight And Wyatt Earp (Paperback)

If you can't enjoy this book, then you either don't enjoy the history of the Old West, or you have no interest in Hollywood westerns. Anyone who does enjoy western americana will find Michael Blake's fascinating study of Hollywood's Wyatt Earp and the O. K. Corral revealing, and downright fun. The story of the Earp/Tombstone legend in film is a recapitulation of how images of arguably the most famous gunfighter and the most famous gunfight have evolved. The author demonstrates how historical forces have changed interpretations on celluloid. Blake, author of the previously well-received Code of Honor: The Making of Three Great American Westerns (comprising of High Noon, Shane, and The Searchers) takes the reader through eight feature films covering the years 1939 to 1944.

McFarland, publisher of numerous fine books in the western film genre, does its usual fine work in presenting Blake's book in a high-quality trade paperback 7 x 10 format. The opening chapter of the book is a capsule history of events leading up to October 26, 1881, and what followed, including Earp's vendetta ride and later life. Blake incorporates the most recent scholarship in Earp studies into this eighteen page essay. Chapter 2 is a discussion of Hollywood's discovery of Wyatt Earp by, among others, silent film western star William S. Hart. It also introduces the influence of Stuart N. Lake's popular biography Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal. Lake's shadow will loom large in later productions. This chapter also includes a look at fictional Earps- Gunsmoke's Matt Dillon and Hugh O'Brian in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

The eight movies examined in detail are as follows:

1. Frontier Marshal (1939)

2. Tombstone: The Town Too Tough To Die (1942)

3. My Darling Clementine (1946)

4. Gunfight at the O. K. Corral (1957)

5. Hour of the Gun (1967)

6. Doc (1971)

7. Tombstone (1993)

8. Wyatt Earp (1994)

Each movie gets a chapter wherein the film is examined in detail as to script, plot, casting, direction, production values, acting, authenticity, problems during filming, clashing egos and even music for each film. The author fearlessly gives his well-thought out views on all aspects of each movie, and while you may not agree with every assessment, you know they have been carefully considered. Blake places each movie in its historical context, and in gives them an overall review, rating them from the well-crafted and well-performed (Tombstone) to the failed (Wyatt Earp) to the execrable (Doc). Blake's own background as an Emmy Award winning makeup artist (he has written three books on Lon Chaney), period stills, film posters, many from his personal collection, his first-person interviews, all bring the reader as close as one can imagine to the production of each individual film. Hollywood legends like John Ford, Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, James Garner, Kevin Costner and others walk the pages of the book. Even the much maligned performance of Victor Mature as Doc Holliday in My Darling Clementine is seen in a new and more positive light. Many western movie buffs admire the movie Tombstone, and with the help of historian and film consultant Jeff Morey who worked for a time on the film, Blake tells the behind-the-scenes story of how Kevin Jarre's script became a cult classic.

In this candidly written and enjoyable book we see how the legends of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the O.K. Corral gunfight became household names through their Hollywood images on the silver screen.