Page 98 - All About History - Issue 12-14

TOMBSTONE

Director: George P Cosmatos Starring:
Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer Country of
origin: USA Year made: 1993
This popular movie depicts the events
surrounding the Gunfight at the OK Corral, What they got right
The film correctly depicts
but how does the Hollywood treatment fare that the tension between
the cowboys (particularly
the Clantons and McLaurys)
in a showdown against historical accuracy? and the Earps gradually
escalated through a number of
confrontations, which ultimately
WHAT THEY GOT WRONG… led to the shoot-out at the OK
Corral. As the film also shows,
Wyatt Earp did indeed have a
glorious moustache.
The cowboys who had the Although Wyatt Earp’s Wyatt was hardly repelled Tombstone shows the The injuries of at least two
01 town under their heel wear 02 second wife Mattie is known 03 by the idea of policing the 04 cowboys being led by Curly 05 of the gunfighters at the
red sashes to designate themselves to have died from an overdose of town – quite the opposite. He might Bill and Johnny Ringo, but while OK Corral were different in reality:
as a part of the ‘gang’, but this what was known as laudanum have turned down some job offers as Bill had some followers, there was Morgan Earp was actually hit in
didn’t happen. Writer Kevin Jarre – tincture of opium – in later life, peacemaker, but he rode shotgun on no strict hierarchy. In fact, they the back of his left shoulder, not
got the idea from the LA ‘Bloods’ there’s no evidence that she was a stagecoaches and was made deputy were a pretty disorganised band the front of his right, while Frank
gangs, who wear red colours in habitual user over the course of the sheriff in Tombstone a year before and that was probably just as well McLaury was shot through his right
gang neighbourhoods. events depicted by the film. the famous gunfight. for Wyatt and his posse. ear, not his forehead.

© Alamy

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