My Darling Clementine (1946)

One of the great American myths is the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which took place in the small Western town of Tombstone, Arizona in 1882. While the shootout did take place, the event has served mainly as a starting point for endless Hollywood dramatizations that have little in common except for the names of the leading characters. Perhaps this is as it should be, since historical accuracy and storytelling are not one and the same. A good story does not need to be technically accurate, it merely needs to seem that way.

"My Darling Clementine" interprets the famed gunfight not so much as a grudge between stern lawman Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and crafty killer Old Man Clanton (Walter Brennan), but as a soap opera starring self-pitying gambler, gunslinger, lover, saloon owner and doctor John Holliday (Victor Mature). Earp becomes a disapproving big brother to Holliday, courting his spurned wallflower love interest Clementine (Cathy Downs) partly to demonstrate the error of his ways.

What keeps the film from greatness is the characters. Mature's endless pathos becomes unintentionally comical. Also in that category is his erstwhile girlfriend, fiery saloon girl Chihuahua (Linda Darnell). Brennan's character merits more screen time, and we don't see enough of Clanton's sons or Earp's brothers to associate their faces with their names. Down's character appears to have been introduced as an explanation for the title.

Still, "My Darling Clementine" is a very good film. Legendary director John Ford knows how to tell a story. The scenes of Fonda dancing and balancing himself on a chair are well done. The cast is excellent, and so is the black and white cinematography (Joe MacDonald).

Surprisingly, "My Darling Clementine" was not nominated for any Academy Awards. However, it has since staked a reputation as one of the best Westerns, perhaps due more to the story and the Ford and Fonda names than for its script and characters. (73/100)