My Darling Clementine (1946)

The Earps battle the Clantons at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Samuel G. Engel (screen play), Winston Miller (screen play)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature

3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Henry Fonda	...	Wyatt Earp
Linda Darnell	...	Chihuahua
Victor Mature	...	Doc Holliday
Cathy Downs	...	Clementine Carter
Walter Brennan	...	Old Man Clanton
Tim Holt	...	Virgil Earp
Ward Bond	...	Morgan Earp
Alan Mowbray	...	Granville Thorndyke
John Ireland	...	Billy Clanton
Roy Roberts	...	Mayor
Jane Darwell	...	Kate Nelson
Grant Withers	...	Ike Clanton
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Mac the Barman
Russell Simpson	...	John Simpson

Storyline

Wyatt Earp and his brothers Morgan and Virgil ride into Tombstone and leave brother James in charge of their cattle herd. On their return they find their cattle stolen and James dead. Wyatt takes on the job of town marshal, making his brothers deputies, and vows to stay in Tombstone until James' killers are found. He soon runs into the brooding, coughing, hard-drinking Doc Holliday as well as the sullen and vicious Clanton clan. Wyatt discovers the owner of a trinket stolen from James' dead body and the stage is set for the Earps' long-awaited revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

gunfight at the o.k. corral | arizona territory | arizona | reference to tombstone arizona | billy clanton | 

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Taglines:

She was everything the West was - young, fiery, exciting!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

November 1946 (UK)

Also Known As:

John Ford's My Darling Clementine

Filming Locations:

Shiprock, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 103 min (pre-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Darryl F. Zanuck had sunk about $2 million into the movie's production and was concerned when he saw John Ford's cut. "You have a certain Western magnificence and a number of character touches that rival your best work, but to me the picture as a whole in its present state is a disappointment," he told Ford. "If the picture does not live up to my own personal anticipation, it will not live up to the anticipation of a paid audience."

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Goofs

The gunfight took place in the afternoon, not in the morning.

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Quotes

Granville Thorndyke: Shakespeare was not meant for taverns... nor for tavern *louts*.
Ike Clanton: [Grabbing Thorndyke's arm] Yorick stays here!
[Wyatt Earp pistol-whips Clanton across the forehead]

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Connections

Referenced in John Ford et Monument Valley (2013)

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Soundtracks

The First Kiss Is Always the Sweetest, from Under a Broad Sombrero
(uncredited)
Composer Unknown
Sung by Linda Darnell

User Reviews

no doubt one of the greatest

I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but the info on this from IMDb drew me to watch it when it showed up on American Movie Classics, and I was richly rewarded. This is truly a beautifully done film, and makes one understand John Ford's reputation in this genre. The understated Henry Fonda and the volcanic Victor Mature somehow work well against each other. The script is low-key and naturalistic, allowing the action to stand out. The cinematography is spectacular, both in the wide open panoramas and in the more intimate personal scenes. Interior lighting, in particular, is very skillfully used. Seeing Walter Brennan, playing against type, makes one appreciate how much better an actor he was than in the amiable, doddering bumpkin roles he got so typecast in later on. To use an overworked term, a classic.