Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957)

Wyatt Earp has been a popular movie subject since the 1930s and has been played by everyone from Randolph Scott to Kevin Costner. The most beloved version is John Ford’s MY DARLING CLEMENTINE but I’ve always found it one of Ford’s weaker efforts. I’ve always preferred John Sturges’ take on the Earp and Doc Holliday legendary gunfight. It’s glossy and bears little resemblance to the actual facts but it’s a grand entertainment and a solid entry in the canon of Earp westerns. You’d think a film starring both Burt Lancaster (as Earp) and Kirk Douglas (as Holliday) would be a scenery chewing contest of monumental proportions. Surprisingly, they manage to restrain themselves yet still maintain their intensity as actors. The most interesting aspect of the film is the love/hate relationship between Holliday and his mistress (Jo Van Fleet) and their sado-masochistic dependency upon each other. Dimitri Tiomkin provides one of his very best scores and the Frankie Laine title song is almost as good as Tiomkin’s HIGH NOON contribution. The strong supporting cast includes Rhonda Fleming (as Earp’s love interest), John Ireland, Dennis Hopper, Martin Milner, Earl Holliman, Lee Van Cleef and Lyle Bettger.