Doc [1971] Stacy Keach Faye Dunaway

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'Doc' (1971)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067003/

Doc is a 1971 American western, which tells the story of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and of one of its protagonists, Doc Holliday. It can be defined psychological in tone, and revisionist and outlaw in texture. It stars Stacy Keach, Faye Dunaway and Harris Yulin. It was directed by Frank Perry, while Pete Hamill wrote the original screenplay. The film was shot in Almeria, Spain.

Stacy Keach ... Doc Holliday
Faye Dunaway ... Katie Elder
Harris Yulin ... Wyatt Earp
Michael Witney ... Ike Clanton (as Mike Witney)
Denver John Collins ... The Kid
Dan Greenburg ... Clum, Editor Tombstone Epitaph
John Scanlon ... Bartlett, Saloon Owner
Richard McKenzie ... Tombstone Sheriff John Behan
John Bottoms ... Virgil Earp
Ferdinand Zogbaum ... James Earp
Penelope Allen ... Mattie Earp
Hedy Sontag ... Alley Earp
James Greene ... Frank McLowery
Antonia Rey ... Concha, Whore
Philip Shafer ... Morgan Earp (as Phil Shafer


The depiction of the shoot-out at the OK Corral repeats some of the errors of the 1946 John Ford western, My Darling Clementine. The OK Corral is depicted as being on the outer edge of town with the wilderness on three sides: in fact it was surrounded by streets and blocks of buildings. Wyatt Earp is the marshal. There are seven bad guys and all of them are killed. Morgan Earp is also killed but Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday are uninjured. The entire Earp group begin shooting with shotguns, with Doc switching to a revolver to finish off one of the villains. In reality, the confrontation began with five opponents - but Ike Clanton and Billy Clairborne immediately ran out without drawing their guns - whereupon the remaining three "villains" were killed. Morgan, Virgil (who was the marshal) and Holliday were wounded to various degrees. Doc was the only shotgun in the crowd, possibly because he wasn't credited with much gun skill.

Before the duelling biopics of "Tombstone" and "Wyatt Earp" in the 1990's, this 1971 effort had already decided to set the record straight about John "Doc" Holliday, Earp's best friend and participant in the gunfight at the OK Corral.

Just over an hour and a half, this film skips a lot of the epic western cliches and goes right into its meaty story. Doc Holliday buys prostitute Katie Elder (Faye Dunaway) from local bad boy Ike Clanton, and takes her to Tombstone, Arizona. He meets up with his best friend Wyatt Earp, played by Harris Yulin. Earp has political aspirations in the territory, and wants to control the law while Holliday would control the gambling. Elder and Holliday break up briefly, but then shack up on the edge of town, much to the chagrin of Earp's upstanding wife.


A few scenes are played a little too quietly, and move a little too slowly. The real success here is with the lead actors, professionals all. Stacy Keach is excellent as a Doc Holliday we have never seen before. His physical moves are smooth and suave, like a professional gambler should be, and Keach takes us along on an acting job that looks effortless on his part. Faye Dunaway is Katie Elder, the lifelong prostitute who finds it hard to change herself just to please everyone else's idea of what a couple should be. Dunaway is unglamorous, and never trips into the "hooker with a heart of gold" stereotype. Harris Yulin, who is better known as a character actor today, is great as Wyatt Earp. He is mean, delivering threatening lines with menace, and also not a clearcut hero. His speech to the crowd after the gunfight, as he stands near his brother's body and renews his promise to clean up Tombstone, is great.


Western Writers of America
1972 Won Spur Award Best Movie Script Pete Hamill