Wednesday, August 26, 2009

TVXOHOF, 08/2009-D: THE OK CORRAL

No location in the old West has captured the imagination more than the OK Corral in Tombstone, where the most epic 30 seconds of history took place. The shootout has been depicted several times in Television, both fictional and factual, and Toobworld has even seen it recreated on another world twice. (Inner Toob wrote about this missing link between 'Star Trek' and 'Doctor Who' here.)

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was an event of legendary proportion which has been portrayed in numerous Western films. The actual event occurred on October 26, 1881, in a vacant lot, known as lot 2, in block 17, behind the corral, in Tombstone, Arizona (a corral is like a livery stable ; the analogous location in Denver was called the Elephant Corral). Thirty shots were fired in thirty seconds. Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, Virgil Earp, and Doc Holliday fought against Billy Claiborne, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Billy Clanton, and Ike Clanton. Both McLaurys were killed, as was Billy Clanton. Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury are buried in Boot Hill Cemetery, Tombstone, Arizona
The best of the fictional recreations is probably in Hugh O'Brian's series 'The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp', which tried to re-enact the account as described in the transcripts from the Earps' trial.

'Star Trek' (1966)
{Spectre of the Gun (#3.6)}

'The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp' (1955)

"I Married Wyatt Earp" (1983)

'The Deputy' (1959)
{The Big Four (#1.10)}

'Doctor Who' (1963)
{A Holiday for the Doctor (#3.34)}

'Early Edition' (1996)
{Bat Masterson (#1.16)}
'Stories of the Century' (1954)
{Doc Holliday (#1.10)}

'Death Valley Days' (1952)
{After the OK Corral (#12.23)}

'Disneyland' (1954)
{Texas John Slaughter: Range War at Tombstone (#6.12)}

With the presence of modern day reporters during the moments leading up to the shoot-out, this is a blend of the fictional and factual:

'You Are There' (1953)
{The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (October 26, 1881) (#4.8)}
And here are the factual programs about it:

'Days That Shook the World' (2003)
{The OK Corral/St. Valentines Day Massacre}

'Appointment with Destiny' (1971)
{Showdown at O.K. Corral}

UKTV History episode
{The Wild West: Gunfight At The OK Corral}

Unsolved History episode

And so this is why the OK Corral is one of the few actual locations to be chosen this year for induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.....
BCnU!

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