Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Leon Uris (screenplay)
George Scullin (suggested by an article by)

Release Date:

30 May 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Plot Keywords:

Gunfight | Tombstone | Cattle | Showdown | Gunfight At The O.k. Corral

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Wyatt Earp
Kirk Douglas	...	Doc Holliday
Rhonda Fleming	...	Laura Denbow
Jo Van Fleet	...	Kate Fisher
John Ireland	...	Johnny Ringo
Lyle Bettger	...	Ike Clanton
Frank Faylen	...	Cotton Wilson
Earl Holliman	...	Charles Bassett
Ted de Corsia	...	Shanghai Pierce (as Ted De Corsia)
Dennis Hopper	...	Billy Clanton
Whit Bissell	...	John P. Clum
George Mathews	...	John Shanssey
John Hudson	...	Virgil Earp
DeForest Kelley	...	Morgan Earp
Martin Milner	...	James Earp
Kenneth Tobey	...	Bat Masterson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Ed Bailey
Joan Camden	...	Betty Earp
Olive Carey	...	Mrs. Clanton
Brian G. Hutton	...	Rick (as Brian Hutton)
Nelson Leigh	...	Mayor Kelly
Jack Elam	...	Tom McLowery
Don Castle	...	Drunken Cowboy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Abbott	...	Girl (uncredited)
Tom Arnold	...	Barrel-Rolling Boy (uncredited)
William Bailey	...	(uncredited)
John Benson	...	Rig Driver (uncredited)
Frank Carter	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Roger Creed	...	Deputy / Killer / Townsman (uncredited)
James Davies	...	Card Player (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Joseph Forte	...	Tombstone Card Player (uncredited)
Paul Gary	...	Killer (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Charles Herbert	...	Tommy Earp - Virgil's Son (uncredited)
Edward Ingram	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Anthony Jochim	...	Old Man (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Gamgling Croupier in Saloon (uncredited)
Jack Kenny	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Ann Kunde	...	Woman at Dance (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Morgan Lane	...	Killer (uncredited)
Gregg Martell	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
John Maxwell	...	Merchant at Dance (uncredited)
William Meigs	...	Wayne (uncredited)
Harry Mendoza	...	Frank Loving - Dealer (uncredited)
Walter Merrill	...	Mario - Dodge City Barber (uncredited)
Dennis Moore	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Max Power	...	Card Player (uncredited)
Richard Reeves	...	Pierce's Foreman (uncredited)
Lee Roberts	...	Finn Clanton (uncredited)
Bing Russell	...	Harry - Griffin Bartender (uncredited)
Court Shepard	...	Card Player (uncredited)
Mickey Simpson	...	Frank McLowery (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Man at Dance (uncredited)
Glenn Strange	...	Pierce Henchman in Saloon (uncredited)
Robert Swan	...	Shaugnessy Man (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Henry Wills	...	Alby (uncredited)
Trude Wyler	...	Social Hall Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
John Sturges

Writing credits
Leon Uris		(screenplay)
George Scullin		(suggested by an article by)

Produced by
Paul Nathan	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	producer
Joseph H. Hazen	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Charles Lang		(director of photography) (as Charles B. Lang Jr.)

Film Editing by
Warren Low		(uncredited)

Casting by
Paul Nathan		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Hal Pereira
Walter H. Tyler		(as Walter Tyler)

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Arthur Krams

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Hedy Mjorud	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Leonora Sabine	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Jack Stone	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Richard Blaydon	....	unit production manager (uncredited)
Frank Caffey	....	production manager (uncredited)
William Davidson	....	assistant unit manager (uncredited)
Curtis Mick	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael D. Moore	....	assistant director
Ralph Axness	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Clem Jones	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Gary Nelson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Romaine Birkmeyer	....	prop shop (uncredited)
Robert Goodstein	....	props (uncredited)
Cline Jones	....	prop shop (uncredited)
John Keever	....	labor (uncredited)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
A. Peterson	....	laborer (uncredited)
Dwight Thompson	....	props (uncredited)
Dee Turner	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Winston H. Leverett	....	sound recordist (as Winston Leverett)
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist
R.D. Cook	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
George Dutton	....	sound director (uncredited)
Archie Gardiner	....	boom grip (uncredited)
Tom Hadley	....	boom grip (uncredited)
Hayden Hohstadt	....	mike grip (uncredited)
Seymour Kline	....	sound cableman (uncredited)
Jim Miller	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Gordon Palmer	....	mike grip (uncredited)
Bob Simpson	....	sound boom (uncredited)
Bob Simpson	....	stage engineer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Paul Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Benson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lynn Borden	....	riding double: Rhonda Fleming/Jo Van Fleet (uncredited)
Roger Creed	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alfred Alexander	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
George Almond	....	electrician (uncredited)
Bill Avery	....	still photographer (uncredited)
C. Bell	....	grip (uncredited)
Mal Bulloch	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Elmer Cannon	....	electrician (uncredited)
Frank Carroll	....	grip (uncredited)
Ed Crowder	....	grip (uncredited)
C.D. Drew	....	head electrician (uncredited)
Pat Drew	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Gordon Fleming	....	grip (uncredited)
C.F. Girard	....	generator operator (uncredited)
S. Gross	....	electrician (uncredited)
Warren Hoag	....	electrician (uncredited)
Al Kelly	....	camera mechanic (uncredited)
L. Kirpatrick	....	electrician (uncredited)
Kenneth Meade	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Kyme Meade	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
J. Moore	....	camera loader (uncredited)
Harry Whittingham	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Gary Fifield	....	casting (uncredited)
Bill Greenwald	....	casting (uncredited)
Olive Long	....	casting secretary (uncredited)
Bert McKay	....	casting (uncredited)
Tony Regan	....	casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John A. Anderson	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Grace Harris	....	wardrobe: ladies (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Warren Low	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Lucien Cailliet	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
John C. Hammell	....	music editor (uncredited)
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Michael Heindorf	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert Taylor	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Thomas Conroy	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
Bob Fender	....	publicist (uncredited)
Bill Lord	....	location auditor (uncredited)
Foster H. Phinney	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Jack Saper	....	assistant to producer (uncredited)
Marvin Weldon	....	secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as A Paramount Picture)
• Wallis-Hazen (as Hal Wallis' Production of)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• Les Films Paramount (1957) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount Film Service (1957) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1957) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Argentina Video Home (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• ClassicLine (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (Canada) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1983) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Works Editora (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Hall Wallis' Production of Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | West Germany:16 (nf) | Netherlands:6 | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | USA:Approved (PCA #18134) | Ireland:PG | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (2006) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | South Korea:12 (2006) | UK:PG (tv rating) | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Dennis Hopper, who plays Billy Clanton, was born and raised in Dodge City, Kansas, where Wyatt Earp was once sheriff.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Wyatt Earp was not the marshal of Tombstone. Virgil Earp was.

Quotes:

James 'Jimmy' Earp:Awful quiet. Too quiet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hi-de-Hi!: Carnival Time (#3.2)" (1982)

Soundtrack:

Buffalo Gals

Excellent Archetypal Western

This film has everything going for it : magnificent music score introduced at regular intervals throughout, superb sets and lighting, deep blue skies, parched yellow fields, cactus, mountainous backdrop, gunfights, romance, tension, saloon bars ..... what more could a western lover want ?

In spite of it two hours' duration, this is a magnificent archetypal western, if I wanted to criticise negatively something in it, I would say that the female presence, and consequently romance could have been a little stronger with more romantic and passionate scenes to offset the shooting and violence !

I notice that some jerks on IMDb are criticizing "historical inaccuracies" the film ! This mad me laugh to death. Who really cares a TINKER'S CUSS whether the film is historically accurate ? This is not a documentary about the Wild West, it is CINEMA !! And good cinema it certainly is ! The final shoot-out at OK Corral is magnificent ( better that that of OPEN RANGE ! ). The combination of Frankie Lane's theme tune plus those deep blue skies and yellow parched fields will always remain foremost in my memory as regards this film.

Kirk Douglas plays an interesting character, not always easy to fathom out as compared with the straight and righteous character of Burt Lancaster, who looks magnificent in this film. Unfortunately we do not know whether he meets up with his loved one at the end but we suppose he will ( Cf Doc Holliday "She'll Be Waiting For You ....... ).

So far only available from the USA on DVD with English subtitles, it cannnot be found in Europe unfortunately, though I have seen it a couple of times on both English and French TV. No doubt Paramount will probably bring it out on DVD over here too in the coming months .....