Gunfight at the O.K. Corral poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland ... see more see more... , Lyle Bettger , Frank Faylen , Earl Holliman , Ted de Corsia , Dennis Hopper , Whit Bissell , George Mathews , John Hudson , DeForest Kelley , Martin Milner , Lee Van Cleef , Joan Camden , Olive Carey , Brian G. Hutton , Nelson Leigh , Jack Elam , Dorothy Abbott , William Norton Bailey , John Benson , Don Castle , Joe Forte , Frank S. Hagney , Len Hendry , Charles Herbert , Edward Ingram , Anthony Jochim , Ethan Laidlaw , Gregg Martell , Tony Merrill , Dennis Moore , Richard Reeves , Lee Roberts , Bing Russell , Mickey Simpson , Robert Swan , Kenneth Tobey , Bill Williams , Henry Wills , Trude Wyler , Jim Davies , John Maxwell , Roger Creed , Courtland Shepard , Morgan Lane , Max Power , Harry B. Mendoza

Of the many filmed versions of the October 26, 1881, O.K. Corral shootout in Tombstone, Arizona, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was one of the most elaborate and star-studded. Burt Lancaster plays Wyatt ... read more read more...Earp, the renowned lawman, while Kirk Douglas is consumptive gambler (and gunfighter) Doc Holliday -- the two meet in difficult circumstances, as Earp discovers that Holiday, for whom he initially feels little but loathing, is being held on a trumped up murder charge and being set up for a lynching, and intercedes on his behalf. The action shifts to Dodge City, Kansas, where Earp is marshal and Holiday, hardly grateful for the good turn, shows up right in the middle of all kinds of trouble, this time mostly on Earp's side of the ledger. And, finally, the two turn up in Tombstone, Arizona, where Wyatt's brother Virgil is city marshal, and where Wyatt finally gets to confront the Clanton/McLowery outlaw gang (led by Lyle Bettger as Ike Clanton). Since the time-span of the actual gunfight was at most 90 seconds, the bulk of the film concerns the tensions across many months leading up to the famous battle. As scripted by Leon Uris (from a magazine story by George Scullin), the story involves two unrelated but parallel plot-lines -- a long-standing vendetta against Holliday and the efforts of Earp to bring the Clanton/McLowery gang to justice -- that are eventually drawn together on the streets of Tombstone. Woven into these proceedings are Earp's and Holliday's romantic dalliances with lady gambler Laura Denbow (Rhonda Fleming) and Kate Fisher (Jo Van Fleet), whose switch in affections from Holiday to outlaw fast-gun Johnny Ringo (John Ireland) only rachets up gambler's rage and the reasons behind the bloody climax. There are plenty of bribery attempts, terse dialogue exchanges and "Mexican standoffs" before the inevitable gunfight takes place. Director John Sturges takes some dramatic license with this confrontation, as well, stretching things out to nearly six minutes, but this is after all an "A" production, and a minute-and-a-half of gunfire just wouldn't cut it. The huge cast of western veterans includes Earl Holliman as Charles Bassett, Dennis Hopper as Billy Clanton, Kenneth Tobey as Bat Masterson, Lee Van Cleef as Ed Bailey, Jack Elam as Tom McLowery, and John Hudson, DeForest Kelley and Martin Milner as Virgil, Morgan, and James Earp, respectively. And there's that Dimitri Tiomkin score, pushing the movie's momentum as relentlessly as the two driven heroes, complete with a song (sung by Frankie Laine) underscoring the major transitions of scenes that's impossible to forget, once heard. Sturges himself would produce and direct a more fact-based and realistic version of the story -- focusing mostly on its aftermath -- a decade later, entitled Hour of the Gun, starring James Garner, Jason Robards, Jr., and Robert Ryan, which wasn't nearly as attractive or successful. But after Gunfight At The OK Corral, there would not be so impressive a lineup of talent at the OK Corral again until the twin Earp biopics of 1994, Wyatt Earp and Tombstone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

63% liked it

6,416 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

11 critics

Unrated, 2 hr.

Directed by: John Sturges

Release Date: January 1, 1957

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 22, 2003

Get It:

Stats: 216 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (216)

  • deano
    September 4, 2010
    deano
    The Wyatt Earp-Doc Holliday legend got another going-over in this rather good Western. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas portray these larger-than-life gunfighters, who shoot it out with the nefarious Clanton family in 1881 Tombstone. The movie effectively builds up its tension unt... read moreil the climactic gunfight.
    Believe me in this story is half fictional because of the wife of Wyatt Earp and the battle of O.K. Corral.
  • bottcorecords1
    February 22, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas make an okay movie great. Burt Lancaster is the agressively moral lawman, Wyatt Earp. Kirk Douglas is Doc Holliday, a man whom trouble "just seems to follow" as he goes about from town to town and saloon to saloon, gambling and drinking himself t... read moreo an early grave (he was in fact dying of Tuberculosis). His woman Kate (Jo Van Fleet) has a vicious love/hate affair with him (she loves him, he hates her), that will eventually lead him to the famous gun battle at the O.K. Corral. Historically accurate or not, the film packs quite an entertaining wallup, with even the ensemble cast (a young Dennis Hopper and a young DeForest "Dr. Bones McCoy" Kelley) giving excellent performances. There's the grandeur of an epic here, even if the film itself doesn't live up to it. And as the famous gun battle draws closer, the film stumbles over itself trying to justify the battle taking place at all, falling down to a basic revenge scenario. It's a great battle none-the-less. The most odd thing about the film is the Frankie Laine title ballad, which is so incongruous to the atmosphere of the film it's almost laughable. And yet, I can't get the damn song out of my head. "Ok... Corral..."
  • kenstachnik
    April 14, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Entertaining enough western shot in beautiful Vista vision. It's no My Darling Clementine...but it will do in a pinch
  • garyX
    February 26, 2007
    garyX
    One of the original "buddy" partnerships, Lancaster and Douglas were always great together. One of the best tellings of the Earp story, but nowhere near as good as My Darling Clementine
  • fb704730572
    August 29, 2011
    fb704730572
    Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is a very effective western, featuring great chemistry between Lancaster and the legendary Kirk Douglas, with a good minor role by a young Dennis Hooper. While it has dubious historical value as a representation of the actual gunfight, the script is su... read morerprisingly smart, full of classic western lines. Also made the more charming by a great score and original song. Solid late 50s western.
  • jim222001us
    June 13, 2010
    jim222001us
    In this classic Western with an all star cast, Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) learns to trust Doc Holiday (Kirk Douglas), a sick drunk that's also a dangerous killer. When a gang threatens Marshal Earp and his deputy brothers for not letting them carry guns into town, will a sick an... read mored dieing Doc be able to help ?

    I consider Tombstone a classic and before seeing this film, I was thinking that it was the best film about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. I do still love Val Kilmer's great over the top work as Doc Holiday, but Kirk Douglas is just as good in the role. Douglas' Holiday is just as fun of a performance, but it's kind of better since he doesn't try as hard to appear drunk and disorderly. While Burt Lancaster is also one of the best Wyatt Earp's I have seen. If you liked Tombstone, then give Gunfight at the O.K. Corral a chance as well.
  • Ivan6655321
    June 1, 2010
    Ivan6655321
    Many versions were made about the infamous gunfight, but this is the first variation of the story that I have seen. Wyatt Earp, although a real-life western figure, was a generic clean-cut hero, and is played by Burt Lancaster with the standard hero persona. But Doc Holiday, one ... read moreof the grittiest western characters ever, was the trickier of the two to portray, and putting Kirk Douglas, a very talented actor, in the role was a very great move, as he has done justice to the gambling-addicted ally of Earp. Of course, many people watched the film solely for witnessing the eponymous set piece, and I have to say, it was a great build-up to the anticipated climax. The said shoot-out was directed by John Sturges without any music to let viewers feel the raw ferocity of the ricochets and gunshot sounds. Another high point of the film is its theme song, which is although corny-sounding today(I bet even back then), does not fail to accompany all our LS syndrome, with me ending up humming a tune or two.
  • jonnycrumley
    March 12, 2009
    jonnycrumley
    OK Western. Lancaster and Douglas are a great partnership, and both give strong performances as Earp and Holliday. But the storytelling is very dull, and the gunfight was an anticlimax. I prefer Tombstone any day.
  • DrLappos
    September 3, 2007
    DrLappos
    I am a huge western fan. Great film.
  • TonyPolito
    June 4, 2010
    TonyPolito
    Good acting, good viewing, good fibbing.

    Good acting because when Lee Van Cleef ('Bad' in "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly") and Dennis Hopper are filling out third-tier bit parts, you know the boat's loaded with talented craftsmanship. Watching Bert Lancaster (as Earp) and Kirk Do... read moreuglas (as Holliday) deliver strong is the best reason to see this film. Even the no-names and the "oh-I-remember-him" players are on-point.

    Good viewing because Vistavision's used well here on a fairly consistently basis - and (like many mid-Century films) the Technicolor's still looking lovely and lush. When the Earp clan pow-wows at the dinner table, you simultaneously see every person, every reaction, close-up. When the stagecoach turns onto Main Street, you see the coach and all its six galloping horses. Not much in the way of Monument Valley here, but plenty of blue sky. Above average quality set-pieces and the Technicolor brings out the best in them.

    Good fibbing because Leon Uris' screenplay is a work of total fiction, except for basics such as people and places. Funny, Uris was quite historical when writing "Exodus."

    Acts I & II are a 75-minute fabrication of Earp & Holliday's uneasy camaraderie, first in Fort Griffin (Texas) then in Dodge City, where Earp's the town sheriff (not really). Act III rides 'em down to Tombstone where the viewer is shown entirely inaccurate reasons as to why the Earps and Clantons have their 10-minute sunrise showdown. (Actually, it was 3pm and 30 seconds.) Even the list of Corral Gunfight participants is not historically correct.

    But hey, why should a mid-Century Saturday matinee oater be bothered by truth and accuracy anyway? No DVD extras.

    RECOMMENDATION: As an-above average 1950s Western, worth viewing, but not anywhere near close to a history lesson.

View All Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Reviews

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum
February 22, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Handsome production based on oft-told Wyatt Earp confrontation...Lancaster and Douglas are outstanding.

Dennis Schwartz
January 3, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

At best an effective Western. Full Review

June 20, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Jules Brenner
October 20, 2005
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals

No review available.

Chuck O'Leary
September 21, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
June 17, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Philip Martin
January 27, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Robin Clifford
November 19, 2004
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Tombstone
    Tombstone (81%)
  • They Died with Their Boots On
    They Died with Their Boots On (0%)
  • Stagecoach
    Stagecoach (50%)
  • Rio Bravo
    Rio Bravo (100%)

More Movies like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Gunfight at the O... : Watch Free on TV

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Trivia

  • I have starred in Airport Atlantic City Birdman of Alcatraz Field of Dreams From Here To Eternity Gunfight at the OK Corral Kentuckian The Professionals Moses The Train Twilight's Last Gleaming   Answer »
  • Which of the following westerns does not feature the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral?  Answer »
  • What western movie did not include ?The Gunfight at the OK Corral??  Answer »
More Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Gunfight at the O.K. Corral to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?