Rating Wyatt Earp movies and actors.

[Raylan]

Rating Wyatt Earp movies and actors - if a performance or actor are listed I consider them to have done a memorable or quality performance so not all roles have more than one listing.

Movies

1. Tombstone
2. My Darling Clementine
3. Gunfight at the OK Corral
4. Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp

1. Henry Fonda
2. Kurt Russell
3. Kevin Costner
4. Burt Lancaster

Doc Holliday

1. Val Kilmer
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Dennis Quaid
4. Victor Mature

Curly Bill Brocius

1. Powers Booth


Johnny Ringo

1. Michael Biehn

Virgil Earp

1. Sam Elliot

Morgan Earp

1. Bill Paxton
2. DeForest Kelley

Big Nose Kate

1. Joanna Pacula
2. Isabella Rossellini
3. Jo Van Fleet

Ike Clanton

1. Stephen Lang


Billy Clanton

1. Thomas Hayden Church
2. Dennis Hopper

[Hendo]

Ya forgot James Garner who played Wyatt twice.

[Raylan]

Forgot Old Man Clanton - Walter Brennan

 

Didn't count the TV movies or depictions - too many to count - James Garner was a good actor and enjoyed him in many roles. Don't think he really made Wyatt Earp his role - though he and Jason Robards as Doc Holiday were enjoyable. When I think of Garner I think of Maverick, Support Your Local Sheriff, The Rockford Files, The Great Escape. 

[Hendo]

I really enjoyed Garner as Earp in Sunset, but it was more of a fun movie with a Chinatown twist. (Can't help myself, love them old Bogart movies, too.)

As far as your list, I'd call it a toss up between Fonda and Russell. 

Kilmer and Booth owned their roles and I would argue probably better than anyone else in that movie.

[Raylan]

I would say the overall strength of the cast and characters in Tombstone are what really powers it as a movie, along with good editing that keeps it moving. Especially - Biehn as Ringo, Booth as Curly Bill, Kilmer as Doc, Elliot as Virgil, Paxton as Morgan, Lang as Ike, and Church as Billy. Just such a strong cast overall with quality scenes for all their characters. 

Clementine is all about Fonda with a bit of Walter Brennan shot by the iconic John Ford.

Wyatt is all about Costner with some Dennis Quaid and lots of beautiful cinematography.

Gunfight is all about Lancaster and Douglas with those two legends playing off each other.

But Tombstone is just an ensemble of good actors and actresses playing off one another in scene after scene.

 

[Raylan]

One additional thought:

 

Clementine - created the whole modern Wyatt Earp mythos and the legend of Wyatt Earp on the silverscreen

Gunfight - created fully the legend of Doc Holliday - of Doc and Wyatt as friends to the end one a true blue lawman and the other a sarcastic world weary wit gambler and gunman

Wyatt - an epic bio pic of Wyatt with Doc telling a bit more of Wyatt's legend

Tombstone - adds to the Wyatt Legend and Doc Holliday story by adding the antagonists and fleshing them out more than before - Curly Bill, Ringo, Ike, Billy, and Behan. 

 

I don't think Gunfight would exist without Clementine and the Wyatt Earp mythos.

Gunfight created the Wyatt/Holliday mythos.

Wyatt tried to create a epic bio pic and partially succeeded and reflected the mythos of the earlier two.

Tombstone added to the story with the Cowboys, Curly Bill, and Ringo mythos thus giving the story fun, charismatic bad guys, that one enjoyed and stronger antagonists. 

[Sixgun Sheridan]

From the standpoint of historical accuracy I believe Kevin Costner came the closest to portraying the real Wyatt Earp. Everything I read says that Earp had a personality like a cold fish... just like Costner. Unfortunately the movie itself was pretty bland and ran too long. Tombstone is obviously as much Hollywood as history, but I agree the actors were far more entertaining to watch.

 

While everybody loves Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, Dennis Quaid got the best movie line. When one of the cowboys threatened him and said "I'll be seeing you..." he replied "Seeing you would be a welcome change. I hear most of yours got it in the back!".

[Raylan]

While I think Kilmer's is the best rendition of the Doc Holiday legend, one should give props to Kirk Douglas for essentially creating the iconic silverscreen version of the Doc Holiday character. That said, Dennis Quaid's version of Doc was excellent and his laconic delivery and sarcasm with his gravelly voice a treat. It's hard not to love some of his scenes and lines:

 

Doc Holliday : Dave Rutabaugh is an ignorant scoundrel! I disapprove of his very existence. I considered ending it myself on several occasions but self-control got the better of me.

 

Wyatt Earp : What's wrong with you?

Doc Holliday : What is wrong with me? What have you got? I am dying of tuberculosis. I sleep with the nastiest whore in Kansas. Everyone who knows me hates me, and every morning I wake up surprised that I have to spend another day in this piss-hole world. (To onlookers) All you can kiss my rebel dick!

Wyatt Earp : Not everyone who knows you hates you, Doc.

Doc Holliday : I know it's not always easy being my friend, but I'll be there when you need me.

 

Morgan Earp : I say we just kill 'em all.

Doc Holiday : You know Morg, Wyatt is my friend, but I believe I'm beginning to love you.

 

Doc Holliday : Wyatt Earp? I've heard that name before. Don't know where, but it wasn't good.

 

And my favorite:

 

Doc Holiday : My mama always told me never put off till tomorrow people you can kill today.

[Raylan]

https://clip.cafe/wyatt-earp-1994/my-mama-always-told-never-put-off-till-tomorrow-people-can-kill-today/