Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone (TV) (1994)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
Combining colorized footage from the television series 'The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'
with new scenes shot in Tombstone, Az in 1994-this movie shows the return
of the legendary former Marshal to his old stomping grounds.
He visits old friends, teaches bad guys some manners
and reveals secrets about his early life.
Written by Pfyre

Full Cast
Hugh O'Brian ... Wyatt Earp
Bruce Boxleitner ... Sam, Sheriff of Cochise County
Paul Brinegar ... Jim 'Dog' Kelly
Harry Carey Jr. ... Digger Phelps
Bo Hopkins ... Rattlesnake Reynolds
Alex Hyde-White ... Woodworth Clum
Martin Kove ... Ed Ross
Don Meredith ... Clay the Bartender
Jay Underwood ... Jack Montgomery
Douglas Fowley ... Doc Holliday / Doc Fabrique (flashback sequences) (archive footage)
John Anderson ... Virgil Earp (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Ray Boyle ... Morgan Earp (flashback sequence) (archive footage) (as Dirk London)
Rayford Barnes ... Ike Clanton (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Steve Brodie ... Sheriff John Behan (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Lloyd Corrigan ... Ned Buntline (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Nancy Hale ... Miss Sally (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Trevor Bardette ... Old Man Clanton (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Norman Alden ... Johnny Ringo (flashback sequence) (as Norm Alden) (archive footage)
William Phipps ... Curley Bill Brocius (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Ralph Reed ... Billy Clanton (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Stacy Harris ... Mayor Clum (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Gregg Palmer ... Tom McLowery (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Bob Steele ... Deputy Sheriff Sam (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
George Wallace ... Frank McLowery (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Tori Bridges ... Town Girl #1 (as Tori Prince)
William Tannen ... Gyp Clements / Deputy Hal Norton (flashback sequences) (archive footage)

Writing Credits
Daniel B. Ullman (as Dan Ullman)
Rob Word

Produced By
Kate Edelman .... associate producer
Louis F. Edelman .... executive producer: flashback sequence (as Louis Edelman)
Phil May .... producer
Phil May .... producer
Roy Rowland .... producer: flashback sequence
Stanton Rutledge .... executive producer
Joseph J. Shields .... producer
Robert Sisk .... executive producer: flashback sequence (as Robert F. Sisk)
Mark J. Webb .... coordinating producer (as Mark Webb)
Rob Word .... producer

Original Music
Dana Walden

Cinematography
James W. Roberson

Filming Locations
Arizona, USA
Old Tombstone, Tombstone, Arizona, USA
Tombstone, Arizona, USA

Watch the Making of

[extendedmedia]

In this made-for-TV Western drama, Wyatt Earp (Hugh O'Brian) revisits the town of Tombstone, AZ
as he recalls his adventures with gunfighters, cowboys, and fellow lawmen a quarter of a century
after the shootout at the O.K. Corral made him a living legend.
This unusual feature was built around clips from the once-popular TV series
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, which ran from 1955 to 1961;
the show's star, Hugh O'Brian, filmed new footage as Earp in 1994
that was used to link together the material from the television series,
which were presented as flashbacks. Bruce Boxleitner is second-billed
among the actors in the new sequences; the recycled clips from the television episodes
feature Harry Carey Jr., Bo Hopkins, and Don Meredith.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi

User Reviews

Quote

Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave, courageous and bold..., 13 September 2009
7/10
Author: heathentart

Long live his fame and long live his glory, And long may his story be told.

I can remember the theme to this day. The original TV program was a regular stop on my viewing schedule as a kid. My adulation of the legendary lawman composed of many hours pouring over books about Wyatt Earp and those wild West days.

Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone is a nice walk back in memory, but it doesn't play half as well as during the Western craze on American TV. It's wonderful seeing the old series, interspersed in new footage with an older, wiser Hugh O'Brien, BUT, it would work so much better if they just bring back the old series in its entirety.

The "current" story just doesn't ring true, hence, the entire film is choppy and uneven. Too bad, IMO, as "Wyatt Earp" was one of the best TV shows ever produced.

I give it 7/10 because of the old footage, but would've given it a 9/10 if the "current" story was better.

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Quote

"...and long may his story be told"., 24 July 2010
7/10
Author: classicsoncall from United States

Hugh O'Brian was seventy years old when he made this picture and though it was good to see him once again, he looked almost out of place revisiting the scene of Western history's most famous gunfight. I like to remember him as the strapping Western hero Wyatt Earp of the Late Fifties TV show. Segments from that series are put to good use here, colorized for a modern day audience that would find it hard to appreciate the days of glorious black and white. But you have to admit, the acting from those days was pretty wooden and the villains didn't seem to be all that menacing. The way the story plays out here tends to be confusing at times with the back and forth blame game between the Clanton's, McLaury's, Johnny Ringo and Curly Bill Brocius. In fact, the latter two weren't directly involved in the historical events leading up to the OK Corral, so their inclusion in the story was one more question mark for viewers to consider.

Interestingly, most of the actual gunfight as presented in the reworked TV footage comes as close to historical accuracy as possible. The real deal only lasted about thirty seconds with thirty one shots fired between both factions. Knowing this I kept track of the shots fired in the picture and I came up with twenty three, but I certainly could have missed a few. If I ever get this on DVD, I'll be certain to replay it for more accuracy.

The outcome of the battle was also historically correct. The McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton died in the fight, while Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran away. Morgan and Virgil Earp, along with Doc Holliday were wounded, while Wyatt Earp came out without a scratch. This undoubtedly further fueled his reputation as a feared gunfighter.

Old time fans like myself will get a kick out of seeing the original players from the TV show - John Anderson, Trevor Bardette and Paul Brinegar to name a few, along with the highly unusual casting of dandy Don Meredith as a bartender in one of the 1914 'modern' segments. The story itself however does plod along at times, and trying to keep up with events in the second half might glaze your eyes over. But it's worth your while to get another take on the famous Gunfight, one that's about as close as you'll get to the real thing.

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