I thought This Was Pretty Interesting

[Bruce Tackett]

I was watching a show on TV last night and in the early days of Hollywood an old guy was hired as an advisor on some movies. At the same time, a 17 year old kid was hired to move things around, stock things, etc. During breaks and lunches this kid began hanging out with the old guy and they became friends. The kid loved to listen to the stories the old guy had to tell. The old guy was Wyatt Earp and the kid was John Wayne.

[pierinifitness]

Wyatt Earp was a bad ass.  I visited Tombstone Arizona a couple years ago during Wyatt Earp Days, a weekend event.  It sure was fun.  Talked to the guy who played Wyatt Earp and if I recall correctly, he was a very distant relative or so went his story.  Would like to go back there again.  

Tombstone Arizona was a booming city in the wild wild west,  If I recall correctly, it was the third largest city west of something; can't exactly remember what.

[Bruce Tackett]

It was the third largest city west of Bronx River Parkway.

I was once in Tombstone, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed being there. The street is much as it was in 1881. Yes, Wyatt Earp was a genuine bad-ass. He is the only one of the ok Corral gunfight who was unscathed. He had bullet holes through his coat. The only other one who was unscathed was Ike Clanton who took off running.

Well, that Wyatt Earp you spoke to wasn't descended from Wyatt Earp, as he never had any children. Maybe one of Earp's brothers.

In the show, they said that John Wayne sometimes made recommendations for his Westerns based upon what he had heard from Wyatt Earp.

Sort of off the subject, but somewhat related. My great-grandfather, Morgan Hastings, fought in the Civil War. I remember my mother speaking about him. He died when she was 7 years old. She said his rifle hung over a fire place in some house in Connecticut. Anyway, imagine in this day and age actually having known someone who knew someone who fought in the Civil War!

[doomfarer1]

Thank you Bruce - when watching the movies about that era of the West, you don’t rightly think that Wyatt would have had a direct connection to the movie era that kept his legend alive and brought it to each successive generation. He did live into his eighties I think however. And to think he had a friendship with John Wayne is even more interesting. When my dad was a kid in the 40s/fifties, the most played game was Cowboys and Indians...the mythic aura of the Old West had yet to wear off.
What was the name of the show?

In college I took a class called The Western Movie. It was terrific.

Also, for the record: Dennis Quaid’s Doc Holiday role in Wyatt Earp trumps that of the more popular, more charismatic Val Kilmer role in Tombstone! It is Quaid’s greatest character role, in my opinion.

[pierinifitness]

Bat Masterson was an interesting character who had many talents beyond shooting it out in the Wild Wild West.

[Bruce Tackett]

The name of the show was "Gunfighters". This particular one featured Wyatt Earp.

Cowboys and Indians was our favorite thing when I was a kid in the 50's. TV was inundated with Westerns. My favorite was Cheyenne. We all had complete arsenals of cowboy guns and rifles. I had a Fanner50 with leather holster and bullets, and a Mattel Winchester.

And most importantly, thanks to Gordon Anderson, we learned that Alois P. Swoboda migrated to the Eastern shore of the United States in the same year that the gunfight at the OK corral occurred.

COINCIDENCE?!

YOU DECIDE!!

[mr potatohead]

Mar 21, 2020 19:53:23 GMT Bruce Tackett said:

..... thanks to Gordon Anderson, we learned that Alois P. Swoboda migrated to the Eastern shore of the United States in the same year that the gunfight at the OK corral occurred.

COINCIDENCE?!

YOU DECIDE!!

The NERVE FORCE was strong with that one!