Frontier Marshal (1939)

Earp agrees to become marshal and establish order in Tombstone in this very romanticized version of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral (e.g., Doc is killed by Curley before the actual battle and Earp must do the job alone).

Director:

Allan Dwan

Writers:

Stuart N. Lake (based on a book by), Sam Hellman (screen play)

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly, Cesar Romero

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Randolph Scott	...	Wyatt Earp
Nancy Kelly	...	Sarah Allen
Cesar Romero	...	Doc Halliday
Binnie Barnes	...	Jerry
John Carradine	...	Ben Carter
Edward Norris	...	Dan Blackmore
Eddie Foy Jr.	...	Eddie Foy
Ward Bond	...	Town Marshal
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Pringle
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Pete
Joe Sawyer	...	Curley Bill
Dell Henderson	...	Dave Hall (as Del Henderson)
Harry Hayden	...	Mayor Henderson
Ventura Ybarra	...	Pablo
Charles Stevens	...	Indian Charlie

Storyline

Early low budget version of the famous Gunfight at OK Corral with Scott as Wyatt Earp and Romero as Doc Holiday. Remade by John Ford as "My Darling Clementine" in 1946 and by John Sturges as "Gunfight at OK Corral" in 1957

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Plot Keywords:

gunfight | wyatt earp | gunfight at the o.k. corral | boot hill | fast draw | 

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Taglines:

BIGGER THAN ALL OUTDOORS - Too thrilling for words! (original print ad)

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Genres:

Biography | History | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 July 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'aigle des frontières

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Stevens, who plays a drunken Indian, repeats the role in director John Ford's remake, My Darling Clementine. Stevens, who is half Mexican and half Apache, is the grandson of legendary Apache warrior Geronimo.

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Goofs

The famous gunfight at the OK Corral is shown as being between Wyatt Earp on one side and Curly Bill Brocius and several of his gunmen on the other side, in which everyone on Brocius' side was killed. The fact is that Earp was not alone, being accompanied by his brothers Morgan and Virgil and his friend Doc Holliday; Curly Bill Brocius was not at the gunfight; Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne, two of the Earp factions' opponents, ran when the shooting started and survived the fight.

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Quotes

Curley Bill: [as Earp goes toward he saloon for a showdown with Indian Joe] You know who he is?
Ben Carter: No, we'll find out at his inquest.

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Connections

Version of Frontier Marshal (1934)

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Soundtracks

"Rock-a-Bye Baby"
(1886) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Effie I. Canning
Sung by Margaret Brayton a cappella

User Reviews

The raw material for My Darling Clementine.

There is no way but to compare Frontier Marshal with My Darling Clementine. Charles Stevens plays the same part of the drunken Indian in both films. The story in both films comes from Sam Hellman and Stuart N. Lake. I liked Cesar Romero as Doc Holliday more than Victor Mature. Eddie Foyt Jr playing his father adds to the film more than the Shakespeare of Clementine. As for the women, Nancy Kelly and Binnie Barnes seemed better than Cathy Downs and Linda Darnell in Clementine. Randolph Scott has one of his best performances as Wyatt Earp. John Ford and Henry Fonda had greatness in them, it is impossible for Scott and director Allan Dwan to compete with that, but they made quite a good western very enjoyable even nowadays. In his version Ford added a touch of poetry, also he was more technical in the sequence of the gunfight. Frontier Marshal is a must for all those who think they have already seen everything about Wyatt Earp and the O.K.Corral.