Settlement of accounts at the OK Corral : a legend of the West
Western enthusiast, known in particular for The seven mercenaries (1960), John Sturges also stood out Settlement of accounts at the OK Corral (1957). Brought to you by Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, the feature film follows Wyatt Earp, a sheriff who travels to Fort Griffin in hopes of arresting Ike Clanton and his clan. There he discovers that the latter has escaped and that Sheriff Cotton Wilson let him. Then he meets Doc Holliday, a poker player who is initially reluctant to sympathize with the sheriff. In the end, one will help the other and together they will return to Dodge City, Wyatt’s town, where Clanton is still talked about.
On paper, this story is nothing more memorable than those of other Westerns. But this story actually relates the real duel between the Earp clan and the Clanton clan. A comparison that has also inspired several films. In fact, before producer Hal B. Wallis became interested in the legend of West Wyatt Earp, John Ford had already told, in a completely different way, the opposition of the two clans in The hellish chase (1946). Settlement of accounts at the OK Corral it deviates significantly from real history focus on the relationship between Wyatt and Doc Holliday. This allows Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas to impress once again with this surprising, dark and rather depressing western.
A true story and an expression
Although the famous showdown of the film’s title occurs only at the end and is rather rushed, this confrontation remains one of the most famous in the history of the conquest of the West. It just lastedabout thirty seconds, on October 26, 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona, near the Old Kindersley Corral (OK Corral). It was there that the shooting broke out between the Wyatt brothers, Morgan and Virgil Earp, accompanied by Doc Holliday, and Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Billy Claiborne, Ike Clanton and Billy Clanton. Although Ike and Billy escaped this fight, the McLaury brothers were killed. When faced, Morgan and Virgil Earp, as well as Doc Holliday, were simply injured.
The winners of this duel were initially accused of murder, before the charges against them were dropped. However, their victory thereafter was short-lived numerous assassination attempts occurred subsequently, giving rise to a series of retaliations. It was then, a few months later, that Virgil and Morgan were murdered. Wyatt, for his part, died years later, in 1929, after starting a two-week journey to find his brothers’ killers.
This story has become so legendary, and with it John Sturges’ film, that the phrase “settling scores at the OK Corral” has become a common expressionmeaning “a very angry point between two opposing parties,” he recalled FranceInter on his podcast.
Source: Cine Serie
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