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Kurt Russell > Kevin Costner. I don’t care which film is more not full of shit, Tombstone is the better movie. I’m your huckleberry. Anyway, the Earps were not heroes. They were cops, and dick cops at that. The criminal Clanton-McLaury cowboy gang were all fuck da police!
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: October 26, 1881--
Tombstone exploded. In population, that is. Someone found a shiny silver rock near the southern Arizona town and everyone and their dog and bartender and sex worker moved in. Lotta preachers moved into town too. I personally have a lot more respect for those who worked the brothels. At least you get what you pay for.
The gunfight at the OK Corral took place on October 26, 1881, several doors down from the OK Corral. It was next to a photo studio where you had to hold still for a long time because the technology was shit. Anyway, it’s more the story of Wyatt’s older brother Virgil, played by Sam Elliot who definitely beats Kurt in the sexy voice department. Continues below …
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Virgil was the real lawman. He’d fought for the Union in the Civil War and knew a lot about killin’ people from the South. Already an experienced cop, in Tombstone he held the title of Town Marshal as well as Deputy U.S. Marshall. Younger brother Morgan Earp was Virgil’s deputy, also having experience in law enforcement. Wyatt also had lawman experience but was known more as a gambler and possible pimp. It was a fictional “biography” of Wyatt published in 1931 that put him front and center as the hero of this tale.
But the lot next to the photography place down the street from the OK Corral had no heroes that day. Just a bunch of trigger-happy dicks with competing interests. The Earps, representing “law & order,” were known as a group of power-hungry thugs who aligned their interests with local businesses rather than having any desire to actually protect and serve the public. The cowboy gang was compiled of known thieves and murderers, so probably worse than the Earps, a bit. Rival gangs fighting each other for control. Allegedly, the Earps (and Doc Holliday, a friend of Wyatt’s who was deputized for the shootout) went to “disarm” the gang, but what happened next is a subject of debate.
The Earps said drop your weapons and the cowboys said kiss our intergluteal clefts and pulled out their guns. Or, they tried to surrender, and Virgil said nah fuck these guys and just up and shot Billy Clanton in the chest then Doc said fuck yeah let’s do it and blew away Tom McLaury with his shotgun. The fact that the Earps (and Doc) got away with a few injuries and the cowboys were blown to shit with three dead strongly suggests the Earps shot first with intent to kill.
Then came all the back-and-forth reprisals, but that’s another story for another day. For now, I’m gonna go watch Tombstone for the forty-eleventh time. Join me? You’re a daisy if you do.
Thanks to Bob for the suggestion of today’s topic.
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Silly childhood story: I grew up falling asleep under restaurant tables listening to my Dad sing Country & Western in themed establishments. In 1987, one such place was in Bannister Road in Fremantle named The Lone Star. Fremantle was jumping. Alan Bond had sunk millions into infrastructure so we could defend the America's Cup. People had come from all over to cash in, including the owner of the Lone Star who served the dishes she grew up with and beer. Many of her clientele were US ex-pats who wanted authentic tunes with their food - hence my Dad. The owner's name was Donna Clanton. I can't remember which Clanton she was a descendant of (my Dad will remember, I must ask) but to this day, I'm still intrigued by how we all crossed paths. My Dad studied a lot about the American wild west and was certainly fascinated to find out who Donna was related to, and how she ended up on the other side of the world as a restaurant owner sharing her story.