My Darling Clementine (1946)

There are 39 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 50,715 times. The latest Post () was by colkid60.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

  • MY DARLING CLEMENTINE


    DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD
    PRODUCED BY SAMUEL G. ENGEL
    20th. CENTURY FOX




    Information From IMDb


    Plot Summary
    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.
    Written by Doug Sederberg


    Cast
    Henry Fonda ... Wyatt Earp
    Linda Darnell ... Chihuahua
    Victor Mature ... Dr. John '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
    Robert Adler ... Stagecoach Driver (uncredited)
    C.E. Anderson ... Townsman (uncredited)
    Don Barclay ... Opera House Owner (uncredited)
    Hank Bell ... Opera House Patron (uncredited)
    Danny Borzage ... Accordionist (uncredited)
    Frank Conlan ... Pianist (uncredited)
    Jack Curtis ... Bartender (uncredited)
    Francis Ford ... Dad, Old Soldier (uncredited)
    Earle Foxe ... Gambler (uncredited)
    Don Garner ... James Earp (uncredited)
    Ben Hall ... Barber (uncredited)
    Aleth Hansen ... Guitarist (uncredited)
    Duke R. Lee ... Townsman (uncredited)
    Fred Libby ... Phin Clanton (uncredited)
    Mae Marsh ... Simpson's Sister (uncredited)
    Margaret Martin ... Woman (uncredited)
    Kermit Maynard ... Townsman (uncredited)
    Louis Mercier ... François, the Chef (uncredited)
    Jack Pennick ... Stagecoach Driver (uncredited)
    Frances Rey ... Woman (uncredited)
    Mickey Simpson ... Sam Clanton (uncredited)
    Charles Stevens ... Indian Joe (uncredited)
    Arthur Walsh ... Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
    Harry Woods ... Luke (uncredited)


    Writing credits
    Samuel G. Engel (screenplay) and
    Winston Miller (screenplay)
    Sam Hellman (story)
    Stuart N. Lake (book)


    Original Music by
    Cyril J. Mockridge (as Cyril Mockridge)
    David Buttolph (uncredited)


    Trivia
    * This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1991.


    * On 28 April 1947 Henry Fonda and Cathy Downs starred in a live radio version of this film, broadcast on the Lux Radio Theatre.


    * Actress Jeanne Crain was scheduled to play Clementine. Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck ruled against her, writing in a memo that the part was so small, Crain fans might be disappointed by not seeing her in more scenes. That's how contract player Cathy Downs got the part instead.


    * Henry Fonda's first production after returning from U.S. Navy service in World War II.


    * Tombstone, Arizona, is not located in Monument Valley. John Ford "placed" it there because Monument Valley is where he liked to film his Westerns.


    * Director John Ford, who in his youth had known the real Wyatt Earp, claimed the way the OK Corral gunfight was staged in this film was the way it was explained to him by Earp himself, with a few exceptions.


    * An alternate "preview" version of this film exists. In the 1970s, 20th Century Fox donated some film to the UCLA Film Archives. In 1994, it was discovered that the UCLA print was different from the one being shown on TV. It was about 8 minutes longer with minor variations throughout and a slightly different ending. Both this archival 103 or 104 minute version and the 97 minute release version are included on the Fox DVD released on January 6, 2004.


    * Reportedly, Lloyd Bacon worked uncredited on this film with Darryl F. Zanuck re-editing this film in deference to preview comment cards.


    Goofs
    * Factual errors: Doc Holliday did not die at the O.K. Corral. He died six years later from tuberculosis.


    * Factual errors: In the film, "Old Man" Clanton (Walter Brennan) is shot and killed after the gunfight. In actuality, "Old Man" Clanton died in August 1881 - before the gunfight - and was not a principal in the gunfight itself or in the events immediately prior to the gunfight.


    * Factual errors: The film shows Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and John "Doc" Holliday (Victor Mature) meeting for the first time in Tombstone, AZ. In reality, Earp and Holliday were good friends by the time they came together in Tombstone, as they had met years earlier at Fort Griffin, TX.


    * Factual errors: Wyatt Earp was never the town Marshal of Tombstone. Virgil Earp was.


    * Factual errors: No mention is made of Tom and Frank McLaury (both of whom were killed in the gunfight), Billy Claiborne (who was at the gunfight, but ran out), and Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo (neither were in the gunfight, but were Clanton Gang members).


    * Factual errors: The ages of the Earp brothers is reversed. In the movie, James is in his late teens, Virgil is in his twenties, Wyatt is about thirty, and Morgan is well into his thirties. In actuality, at the time of the OK Corral gunfight, James was 40, Virgil was 38, Wyatt was 33, and Morgan was 30.


    * Factual errors: In the film, the OK Corral gunfight happens in 1882. It actually happened on October 26, 1881.


    * Factual errors: The gunfight took place in the afternoon, not in the morning.


    * Continuity: When Wyatt is playing poker, Chihuahua puts her leg up on a chair showing her dark stockings. A few minutes later, when Wyatt catches her signaling the gambler, he pulls her outside and pushes her in a horse-trough and she's no longer wearing stockings.


    * Factual errors: The movie shows James Earp killed (murdered) with his marker showing "born 1864 died 1882". However, James Earp was actually born in 1841 and died in 1926 of natural causes. It was Morgan Earp who was murdered on 18 March 1882.


    * Factual errors: The movie shows Virgil Earp killed (murdered - shot in back) by Old Man Clanton. However, in actuality, Virgil survived being shot from ambush on 28 December 1881, but never fully recovered from the wound in his left arm. He lived until 1905, succumbing to pneumonia at age 57.


    * Continuity: At the beginning of the film when Wyatt Earp is preparing for a shave, the lather is yet to be applied by the barber. A second after the gunshot strikes the mirror, Earp's entire chin is lathered, even though the barber is still "preparing" to apply it.


    * Errors in geography: Monument Valley is used as background in many of the scenes, and the town of Tombstone is depicted as located near Monument Valley and within view of the mesas and buttes there. In reality, the town of Tombstone, Arizona is located approximately 340 miles south of Monument Valley, far too distant for any of Monument Valley's mesas and buttes to be visible.


    * Factual errors: The film has Ike, Phin and Sam Clanton being killed in the gunfight. Neither Phin nor Sam were present (Phin died on Jan. 5, 1905). Ike was at the gunfight, but ran out of the fight claiming he was unarmed. He was killed in a shootout on June 1, 1887, six years after the gunfight.


    Filming Locations
    Arizona, USA
    Devil's Tower National Monument, Devil's Tower, Wyoming, USA
    Kayenta, Arizona, USA
    Moab, Utah, USA
    Monument Valley, Arizona, USA
    Monument Valley, Utah, USA
    Utah, USA


    Previous discussion:-
    My darling Clementine

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 4 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • My Darling Clementine is a 1946 American western film directed by John Ford
    and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp during the period leading up to
    the gunfight at the OK Corral.
    The ensemble cast also features Linda Darnell, Victor Mature,
    Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, and Ward Bond.


    The title of the movie is borrowed from the theme song "Oh My Darling, Clementine",
    sung in parts over the opening and closing credits.


    The screenplay is based on the fictionalized biography
    Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal by Stuart Lake, as were two earlier movies,
    both named Frontier Marshal (released in 1934 and 1939, respectively).


    My Darling Clementine is regarded by many film critics as one of the best Westerns ever made.



    I thought this was one of the better 'Earp' movies,
    brilliantly directed by John Ford.
    Although Ford claimed that he had based the script,
    from Earp's own account of the story,
    there are as usual, in most movies, variations from the truth!
    Indeed, in this movie, there are , factual errors.


    However, this does not distract from a fine film
    and a wonderful portrayal of Earp, by Henry Fonda.
    Victor Mature was good as Doc, but nowhere near as inspirational
    as Val Kilmer's in Tombstone

    Great supporting characters, incuding Walter Brennan,
    favourite Ward Bond, and a few of the John Ford stock company,
    Jack Pennick and others.


    I enjoyed the movie, and even Ford's slant
    on making Clementine the central character,
    does not distract, from a memorable film.


    User Review


    John Ford's Most Poetic View of the West...
    17 August 2003 | by benburgaff (Las Vegas, Nevada)


    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • I enjoyed the picture of Henry Fonda sitting on the porch.
    I like how he alternated his legs on the post in the movie.
    I believe, and you can correct me if I am wrong, that he
    ad -libed doing this.

  • I enjoyed the picture of Henry Fonda sitting on the porch.
    I like how he alternated his legs on the post in the movie.
    I believe, and you can correct me if I am wrong, that he
    ad -libed doing this.


    Hello Captain Dan,
    We can watch the same scene in "Two Rode Together" acting by Jimmy Stewart.
    and according to the book"John Ford"written by Scott Eymann,the fact is follows.

    Henry Fonda was bored between set-ups,so he stareted balancing
    on the back two legs of his chair,switching his legs on the post.
    Ford saw this and decides to incorporate itnto the scene.
    It is a "grace note",a poetic moment that serves no purpose of plot,but
    adds to character.
    After World War Two,Ford was confident enough to add many more grace notes to his films.

    regards,
    H.sanada

    Sometimes kids ask me what a pro is. I just point to the Duke.
    ~Steve McQueen~

  • This Western is a favorite of mine as well. The cast was superb and this movie just flowed very gracefully from beginning to end.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • Hi

    A very good book on the film is called My Darling Clementine. It is edited by Robert Lyons and published in 1984 by Rutgers University Press. 30 College Avenue New Brunswick New Jersey 08903.

    The copy I have is a paperback 191 pages.

    Besides containing a complete transcript of the film, the book opens with an article entitled My Darling Clementine as History and Romance by the editor which lays out the truths and untruths of the film. A biographical sketch of John Ford.

    Interviews Reviews and Commentaries.

    An article entitled The Old Horseman Rides Again John Ford talking about Westerns The New York Times Review and the New Movies Review of the film and much much more.

    If you come across the book and liked the film this is a must have, although it might be difficult to get. I was lucky enough to come across this in a second hand bookshop and paid three pounds for it.

    I also recently bought a DVD of the film it is released by 20th Century Fox Premiere Reserve and describes itself

    ' The Cinema Reserve DVDs are 2-disc Metal box editions with the most comprehensive special features and unique inserts. All films have been restored to bring purists as close to the original theatrical experience as possible. They have pristine film transfers, enhanced digital picture quality, superb restoration process, maximised bitrate and upgraded sound.'

    Regards

    Arthur

    Walk Tall - Talk Low

  • Nothing much to say about this film other than one word GREAT. I have always said that the westerns of John Ford including Stagecoach, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon were pretty good prose as they literally flowed gracefully from scene to scene. But in this film Ford set the standard above anything he had done prior and maybe only arose to twice after, the afore mentioned She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and The Searchers. As I said these movies were all pretty good prose, but when compared to My Darling Clementine well this one was just pure POETRY!!!!!

    Regards
    Ethan

    Don't Believe In Surrenders!!!!!

  • Came across an old thread about 'Clementine',
    so I thought I'd copy the important posts here,
    to bring it all under one roof.



    Quote

    January 7th, 2004,
    itdo


    They still have those bat doors from the "Clementine"-Saloon at the museum at Goulding's in Monument Valley - anybody ever been there? The town of Tombstone was built close to Goulding's (where the main road actually divides and leads up to the valley) - the same place where many Ford scenes were filmed, like a portion of the fort in "Yellow Ribbon".



    Quote


    January 8th, 2004,
    itdo

    As always, Ford never talked much about his films - but in the case of Clementine, he was really quiet. I guess it's because the film is regarded as a masterpiece - and not as a film that was chopped up by a studio. Why? It was filmland's wonderboy Darryl F. Zanuck who did the changing, and he was no fool. What he did is very well documented in the book "Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck" which has Zanuck's writings and orders, word by word. Ford mentioned the changing of the end to Peter Bogdanovich, and that he was forced into it.
    Hondo, the set - the town of Tombstone - was pulled down after the filming (note that Ford put in some fake cactus that doesn't grow in Monument Valley). What you can find today is the exact spot, and the only thing left in Monument Valley is, as I said, the bat doors at the museum




    Cheers, Hondo B)

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • One of the best westerns ever! It's such a beautiful movie ... :teeth_smile:

    "You're too good to give a chance to." John Wayne as Cole Thornton in El Dorado (1966)

  • This is my favorite Wyatt Earp film, I didn't know about all the errors. I liked Henry
    Fonda and Victor Mature in this film. Better them the 1994 film. I thought the 1994
    had some odd dialog.


    Hats off to John Ford also, a great film maker and this is one. I like Monument Valley also in
    so many of the pictures.

    "A people that values their Privileges above it's Principles. Soon looses both." Dwight Eisenhower

    Edited once, last by colkid60: Had another thought. ().