My Darling Clementine

“My Darling Clementine” is about Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the events leading up to the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Of course, everybody has their version of this now legendary story, but director John Ford claims that his account of the famous gunfight in Tombstone, Arizona is the way it really happened.  And who is to argue with him since John Ford was friends with the real Wyatt Earp?

After his youngest brother is killed by a group of cattle rustlers, Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) vows to get them. He believes that Old Man Clanton (Walter Brennan) did it, so Earp manages to become Marshal of Tombstone so that he can bring the Clantons to justice and avenge his brother's death. The festering hatred between Earp and the Clantons is strong and ultimately leads to a showdown.

In the meantime, Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) comes to town and he and Wyatt Earp develop a friendly respect for each other. And Wyatt Earp finds himself romantically attracted to Holliday's friend, Clementine (Cathy Downs) who is Doc's former fiancee.

More than just a shoot ‘em up film, “My Darling Clementine” is a good-hearted western movie that fans of this genre will enjoy.

• “My Darling Clementine” was the first movie that Henry Fonda starred in after returning from serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  The last movie that he did before going to serve in the military was “The Ox Bow Incident” - another great, classic western movie.

• The director of this movie, John Ford, knew the real Wyatt Earp.  John Ford claimed that his depiction of the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in “My Darling Clementine” is the way it really happened because he got the information directly from Wyatt Earp himself.

• In addition to incorrectly depicting Tombstone as being near Monument Valley, there are also some other “facts” in “My Darling Clementine” that aren’t accurate.  Here are just a few:

• The famous gun battle is depicted as lasting for minutes. The truth is that the famous Gunfight at OK Corral lasted only 30 seconds.
• Doc Holliday is depicted in the movie as being a medical doctor, when, in fact, he was a dentist.
• Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday didn’t meet for the first time in Tombstone, Arizona as shown in the movie.  They actually met years prior to their time together in Tombstone in the town of Fort Griffin, Texas.

• “My Darling Clementine” was selected to be in the U. S. Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1991.  This is a special distinction only given to 25 films every year.