My Darling Clementine (1946)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Samuel G. Engel (screenplay) and
Winston Miller (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 December 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Western

Tagline:

The Roaring West At Its Reckless Best!

Plot:

A Western retelling the tale of the Shoot-out at the OK Corral.

Plot Keywords:

1880s | Shootout | Cult Western | Rainstorm | Tuberculosis

Awards:

2 wins

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Aug. 2

10:30 AM

AMC

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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)

Directed by
John Ford

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

Produced by
Samuel G. Engel	....	producer

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

Cinematography by
Joseph MacDonald		(director of photography) (as Joe MacDonald)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
James Basevi
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
René Hubert		(as Rene Hubert)

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Eckhardt	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Jack Sonntag	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Fred J. Rode	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Jack Montgomery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Alfred Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	music arranger: orchestral arrangements (as Edward Powell)

Other crew
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	presenter
Barlow Simpson	....	double: Russell Simpson (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Allianz Filmverleih (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Centfox (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Key Video (video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

John Ford's My Darling Clementine (USA) (complete title)
Faustrecht der Prärie (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Pasión de los fuertes (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Tombstone (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A Paixão dos Fortes (Portugal) [pt]
Aavikon laki (Finland) (reissue title) [fi]
Erämaan laki (Finland) [fi]
Laglöst land (Sweden) [sv]
Mein Liebling Clementine (Austria) [de]
Meva estimada Clementine, La (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Miasto bezprawia (Poland) [pl]
My Darling Clementine (Denmark) [da]
Paixão dos Fortes (Brazil) [pt]
Poursuite infernale, La (France) [fr]
Sfida infernale (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

97 min | 103 min (pre-release version) | Spain:102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | Norway:16 | South Korea:12 (2003) | USA:Approved (certificate #11591) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (re-rating) (1995) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

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.

Quotes:

[At his brother's grave]
Wyatt Earp: 1864, 1882. 18 years. You didn't get much of a chance did you James? I wrote to Pa and Cory Sue. They're gonna be all busted up over it. Cory Sue's young, but Pa. I guess he'll never get over it. I'll be comin' out to see you regular James. So will Morg and Virg. I'm gonna be around here for a while. Can't tell. Maybe when we leave this country young kids like you will be able to grow up and live safe.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Alien Nation: The Night of the Screams (#1.6)" (1989)

Flawless acting, direction and photography combine to produce the pinnacle of the western genre.

Absolute perfection. Without a doubt, `My Darling Clementine' has secured its place in film immortality, resting proudly at the top of the list of the finest westerns ever made. It represents the genre at its peak and the career high point of all involved, including director John Ford and star Henry Fonda. `Clementine' achieves the difficult blend of drama, action, romance and occasional comic relief necessary to appeal to all viewers. This is the kind of film at which Ford excelled - straightforward and powerful, sentimental but never maudlin. It is needless to say that this is the definitive portrayal of Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral. It may not be the grittiest, most penetrating or historically accurate rendition, but it mixes just the right quantities of realism, legend and Hollywood magic. Its characterizations leave no room for improvement. Henry Fonda was born to play Earp. His folksy, unpretentious demeanor, coupled with the hard edge of a man who must occasionally deal out justice through the barrel of his gun, produce a multidimensional performance that others approaching the role could only dream of. With his portrayal of the tubercular Doc Holliday, Victor Mature forever shed his light image and began a series of solid dramatic roles. Other actors have played Holliday as flamboyant and eccentric, but Mature is effective in approaching him as a fatalist who has relinquished his aspirations of greatness and now lives life one day at a time. He forms an alliance with Earp because he has nothing better to do, and nothing else to live for. Walter Brennan's Old Man Clanton is a study in evil personified, and will certainly shock viewers who know him only as the crotchety but lovable grandfather he played on so many occasions. The rest of the cast is uniformly fine, featuring many members of Ford's `stock company' which followed him throughout his career. Ford's direction is strong and sure-footed. Although this was familiar territory for him, he was careful to instill each scene with a certain degree of uniqueness so the film would never appear routine. In this he was entirely successful, and a brief glance at his filmography confirms that this holds true throughout his body of work. The cinematography is breathtaking. Vast outdoor imagery and intimate gatherings of people are conveyed in an equally compelling manner. Earp's soliloquy at his brother's gravestone, a church dance sequence and the gunfight itself are among the film's many highlights. Only so much praise can be given in a review such as this; it must be seen to be appreciated.