Readers of the Purple Sage Bookstore
John Henry 'Doc' Holliday, DDS
[1851-1887]
 | short profile | ![portrait of 'Doc' Holliday [1851-87]](images/JohnDocHolliday-portrait.jpg "portrait of 'Doc' Holliday [1851-87]") |
"I found ['Doc' Holliday] a loyal friend and good company. He was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long, lean blonde fellow nearly dead with consumption and at the same time the most skillful gambler and nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever knew."
— Wyatt Earp
John Henry Holliday was born 14 August 1851 in Griffin (Spalding County), Georgia, where he received a strong classical education. He left home in 1870 for dental school in Philadelphia, and graduated in March 1872. He stood 5-foot 10-inches and in his youth weighed 160 pounds (at the end of his life he weighed roughly 115 pounds). He joined another dentist as a partner, but within months was diagnosed with tuberculosis (called then 'consumption'), was told that he had only months to live in the wet & cold climate of central Georgia, and was advised to seek the dry & warm climate of the Southwestern U.S. to possibly extend his life a few years.
He arrived in Dallas, Texas in September 1873, and opened a dental practice, but soon realized that his gambling was a better source of income. He got in trouble for some gunplay, and for his gambling, and soon left the state. He spent time in Denver, Cheyenne, and Deadwood, before returning to Fort Griffin, Texas, where he struck up a friendship with Wyatt Earp (and met 'Big-Nosed' Kate Elder, sometimes described as Doc's common-law wife).
Both Wyatt & Doc drifted to the cowtown of Dodge City, Kansas where Wyatt got a job as deputy city marshal. Their friendship was cemented when Wyatt was surrounded by some gunmen and Doc ran them off; Wyatt credited Doc with saving his life that night. Dodge soon became respectable, and Doc and others drifted along. On 19 July 1879, Doc survived a gunfight in Las Vegas, New Mexico; the other man shot first and missed, Doc drew and killed the man, and was acquitted by a jury.
The Earps settled in the silver-mining boom town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory in December 1879; Doc arrived in February 1880, and was soon caught up in the political war for control of the town. The famous Gunfight At The O.K. Corral took place in the afternoon of 26 October 1881; Doc killed Tom McLaury with a shotgun, and sustained a minor bullet wound on his hip. Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton also died of their wounds. Doc and the Earps were put on trial for the gunfight, but were declared justified by the judge.
But the Clanton Gang could not let matters be, and assassins ambushed and crippled Virgil Earp in December, and shot and killed Morgan Earp in March 1882. Doc and Wyatt escorted family members to California, surviving a supposed ambush in Tucson by killing Frank Stillwell. Upon returning to Arizona, the Earps & Doc rode for revenge, in three weeks killing Curly Bill Brocius and at least two other men. With warrants out on them for the Stillwell killing, they fled to New Mexico, where Doc and Wyatt had a falling out; they continued to separate parts of Colorado Territory.
Doc was arrested in Colorado on the Arizona warrants, and jailed for two weeks, but Colorado refused to extradite. He and Wyatt met on friendly terms in Gunnison, Colorado in June 1882. The high altitude of Colorado did not improve Doc's health, and in 1887 he settled in Glenwood Springs, hoping that the local waters would help. He died in bed on 8 November 1887 in Glenwood at the age of 36. Because it was dead winter, John Henry was buried in a temporary grave; the present location of his remains is uncertain.
SIDEBAR: 'Holliday Homicide'
A constable attempted to serve a warrant on 'Mr. Holliday' in Athens, Georgia on Sunday 15 August 1873; Holliday ran off the constable with an axe
and refused to appear in court on Monday; on Tuesday the 17th, a posse of citizens formed and approached the house; Holliday fired on them
and was shot dead by the posse. Holliday was found to be armed with a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, and a bowie knife.
articles on the archive of the University System of Georgia Library [PDF files that require DjVu browser addon] from the Atlanta Daily Herald newspaper
online front page article 'The Holliday Homicide' of 19 June 1873
online followup/correction story on page 2 of 16 August 1873
★ ★
Doc Holliday entry at Wikipedia
Non-Fiction Books
search books on keywords 'Doc Holliday' {returns 700+ titles} at Amazon
★ ★
 | "Doc Holliday: The Life of The Famous Desparado of The Old West" [1955] by John Myers Myers Long out of print and "perhaps the best biography of Doc ever written" Kindle Edition from Bison Books [12/2013] for $10.49 Bison Books 8x5¼ pb [8/73] for $11.72 Bantam mass pb [1963] out of print/used Little, Brown & Co. hardcover [1955] out of print/used |
 | "Illustrated Life of Doc Holliday: Gentleman, Gambler, Gunfighter" [1966] by Glenn Boyer 63 pages, illustrated with 25 photographs Reminder Publng pb [1966] out of print/scarce |
 | "In Search of The Hollidays: The Story of Doc Holliday and His Holliday and McKey Families" [1973] by Albert S. Pendleton, Jr. & Susan McKey Thomas
Little River Press pb [1973] out of print/rare |
 | "Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp: Their Colorado Careers" [1978] by E. Richard Churchill Western Reflections Publng 8¼x5½ pb [2001] out of print/used Timberline Books 8½x5½ pb [6/78] out of print/used see also pages for Wyatt Earp [1848-1929] and 'Bat' Masterson [1853-1921] |
 | "The Frontier World of Doc Holliday" [1979] by Pat Jahns, Introduction by Roger D. McGrath Bison Books 8x5¼ pb [5/79] for $17.96 Dorset House Publng 8x5½ hardcover [5/97] out of print/80+ used |
 | "And Die In The West: The Story of The O.K. Corral Gunfight" [1989] by Paula Mitchell Marks Univ OK Press 9¼x6 pb [9/96] for $11.75 Touchstone 9¼x6¼ pb [6/90] out of print/used Wm. Morrow hardcover [7/89] out of print/used |
 | "Aristocracy's Outlaw: The Doc Holliday Story" [1994] by Sylvia D. Lynch Iris Press pb [1994] out of print/used hardcover [8/00] out of print/used |
 | "The Illustrated Life & Times of Doc Holliday" [1994] by Bob Boze Bell Treasure Chest Books 10¾x8¼ 2nd edition pb [10/95] for $28.95 Tri Star-Boze 11x8½ 2nd edition hardcover [10/95] for $39.95 author's booksite |
 | "Wyatt Earp Speaks!: My Side of The O.K. Corral Shoot-Out - Plus Interviews with Doc Holliday & 'Bat' Masterson" [1998] Edited by John R. Stephens Fern Canyon Press pb [1/98] out of print/rare publisher book page |
 | "Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait" [1998] by Karen Holliday Tanner, Foreword by Robert K. DeArment Kindle Edition from Univ Oklahoma Press [9/2012] for $9.99 Univ Oklahoma Press 8½x5½ pb [3/2001] for $15.77 Univ Oklahoma Press 9x6 hardcover [4/98] out of print/many used |
 | "Why Doc Holliday Left Georgia" [10/2004] by Gene Carlisle This book is filled with speculation, innuendo, and boring non sequitur courtroom transcripts – and almost NO facts — do not read or buy this tripe |
 | "The Legend of The O.K. Corral" [2005] by Ed Finn includes 35 photographs Rio Nuevo 'Look West' Series 6¼x6 mini-hardcover [8/2005] for $12.95 |
 | "Georgia's Doc Holliday" [2006] by Olin Jackson Whippoorwill Publns 8x5½ pb [2/2006] out of print/used |
 | "Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend" [2006] by Gary L. Roberts
Kindle Edition from Wiley [5/2011] for $0.00 Wiley 8¾x6 pb [8/2007] for $14.37 Wiley 9¼x6¼ hardcover [4/2006] out of print/50+ used |
 | "Hollywood and The O.K. Corral: Portrayals of The Gunfight & Wyatt Earp" [2006] by Michael F. Blake McFarland & Co. 10x7 pb [10/2006] for $39.95 see also 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore's Wyatt Earp Page |
 | "The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of The Shootout at The O.K. Corral - And How It Changed The American West" [2011] by Jeff Guinn Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [5/2011] for $11.02 Simon & Schuster 8½x5½ pb [5/2012] for $14.21 Simon & Schuster 9¾x6¼ deckle-edge hardcover [5/2011] out of print/70+ used |
http://www.amazon.com/Doc-Hollidays-Road-Tombstone-Holliday/dp/1413494978/
http://www.amazon.com/Fistful-Thorns-Michael-Crane/dp/0974591408/
http://www.amazon.com/Holliday-Outlaws-Lawmen-Wild-West/dp/0894905899/
http://www.amazon.com/John-Henry-Holliday-Folk-Heroes/dp/159036077X/
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Gamble-Doc-Holliday/dp/1571974008/
Fiction Books
★ ★
 | "Bloody Season: A Novel of The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral" [1987] by Loren D. Estleman Jove mass pb [7/99] out of print/used Bantam hardcover [1/87] out of print/used |
 | "The Lady and Doc Holliday" [1989 novel] by Preston Lewis Consumptive gambler 'Doc' Holliday follows faro dealer Lorrie Deno to Griffin, Texas, where he is in turn pursued by the prostitute Big Nose Kate. Diamond Books 9x6 hardcover [10/89] out of print/used |
 | "Doc Holliday: The Gunfighter" [1997] by Matt Braun St. Martin mass pb [8/97] for $6.50 |
 | "The Fourth Horseman: A Historical Adventure" [1998] by Randy Lee Eickhoff Kindle Edition from Forge/Macmillan [11/2013] for $7.59 Forge mass pb [11/99] out of print/many used Forge 9¾x6½ hardcover [2/98] out of print/many used |
 | "Doc Holliday's Gone: A Western Duo" [1999] by Jane Candia Coleman A fictional account told by 'Big-Nosed Kate' Elder of her life with 'Doc' Holliday, after she learns of his death. Leisure Books mass pb [1/2002] out of print/50+ used Gunsmoke Westerns 8x5¼ hardcover [10/2012] out of print/used Five Star 8½x5¾ hardcover [11/99] out of print/many used |
 | "Gunman's Rhapsody: A Novel" [2001] by Robert B. Parker Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, the O.K. Corral, this is most certainly a Western tale; but it is also a deeply-affecting love story. Berkley pb [3/2002] for $7.99 Putnam 9x6 hardcover [6/2001] out of print/many used New Millennium UNABR audio CD [1/2003] for $34.95 New Millennium UNABR audio [1/2003] for $17.00 |
 | "Bucking The Tiger: A Novel" [2001] by Bruce Olds Not a standard Western narrative, but a wild and experimental word-storm that looks at Doc Holliday – the legend and the man – from every possible angle. Picador 8¼x5½ pb [8/2002] for $17.22 FS&G 8½x5¾ hardcover [8/2001] out of print/used |
 | "Dodge City" [2006] by Matt Braun A judge trying to mete out justice in booming cowtown Dodge City, Kansas runs afoul of the Masterson brothers and Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. St. Martin mass pb [5/2006] for $6.99 |
 | "Borrowed Time" [2007] by S.M. Ballard
Kindle Edition from Treble Heart/Sundowners [2007 edition] for $2.99 Treble Heart Books/Sundowners 7¾x5¼ pb [5/2007] out of print/used |
 | "Holliday In Tombstone" [2008] by S.M. Ballard
Kindle Edition from Treble Heart/Sundowners [2008 edition] for $2.99 Treble Heart Books/Sundowners 8x5 pb [3/2008] out of print/used |
 | "Death Takes A Holliday" [2009] by S.M. Ballard Fiction: When John Henry 'Doc' Holliday died at the age of 36, he left behind a son named Henry McKey Holliday. Henry grows up in a changing Arizona Territory, serves in the U.S. Army with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, then returns to Arizona to raise a family. But the West is not yet tamed, and rustlers kill three McKey Ranch cowboys and then longtime family friend Texas Jack Vermillion. Henry seeks justice from the county sheriff and then from the Arizona Rangers, getting no help until the arrival of an old friend. Kindle Edition from Treble Heart/Sundowners [2007 edition] for $3.99 Treble Heart Books/Sundowners 8x5¼ pb [6/2009] out of print/used |
 | "Doc Holliday's Dilemma" short story for Kindle [2010] by S.M. Ballard Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [6/2010] for 99¢ |
 | "Doc: A Novel" [2011] by Mary Doria Russell
Kindle Edition from Random House Digital [5/2011] for $11.99 Ballantine Books 8x5¼ pb [3/2012] for $10.20 Random House 9½x6½ hardcover [5/2011] out of print/many used |
 | "Holliday" graphic novel [2012] by Nate Bowden, Illustrated by Douglas Dabbs Very modern-day retelling of 'Doc' Holliday and the Erps {sic} in Tombstone, Arizona; the Erp brothers are lawmen who are also shaking down the local drug lords for money and drugs for the brothers's personal use; the gritty drawings reflect the noir tone of the tale. Kindle Edition from Oni Press [5/2012] for $9.99 Oni Press 8¾x6 pb [5/2012] for $9.98 |
Prolific and popular sci-fi author Mike Resnick has recently expanded into the genre of Steam Punk Wild West, but his novels featuring
'Doc' Holliday and Wyatt Earp and Ned Buntline and 'Wild Bill' Hickok – plus zombies, dinosaurs, robots, and electric lighting –
really have no place here on a Western bookstore website. For the record the novels are: "The Buntline Special" [2010], "The Doctor
and The Kid" [2011], "The Doctor and The Rough Rider" [2012], and "The Doctor and The Dinosaurs" [2013].
"Southern Son" Trilogy
Author-scholar Victoria Wilcox is an expert on John Holliday's life, which has many gaps that frustrate historians, so she decided
to fill in those gaps by writing biographical novels, a trilogy under the title "Southern Son: The Saga of Doc Holliday".
 | "Southern Son Book 1: Inheritance - A Novel" [2013] John Holliday was a teenager when the Confederacy was defeated; his vigilante activism against the 'carpetbaggers' got him into trouble, so he escaped to dentistry school in Philadelphia (1870-72). Kindle Edition from Knox Robinson Publng [5/2013] for $7.69 Knox Robinson Publng 8¼x5¾ pb [12/2013] for $14.15 Knox Robinson Publng 9x6¼ hardcover [5/2013] for $20.96 |
 | "Southern Son Book 2: Gone West - A Novel" [2014] A violent encounter in Georgia sends John Holliday fleeing westward, first to St. Louis then to Texas; his dentistry business fails, while he succeeds at gambling; but repeated violent events bring 'Doc' Holliday to silver mining boomtown Tombstone, Arizona with a reputation for sudden and deadly accurate gunplay. Kindle Edition from Knox Robinson Publng [5/2014] for $9.99 Knox Robinson Publng 9x6 pb [3/2015] out of print/used Knox Robinson Publng 9x6 hardcover [5/2014] for $18.82 |
 | "Southern Son Book 3: The Last Decision - A Novel" [2015] The aftermath of the O.K. Corral shootout has 'Doc' Holliday and his friend Wyatt Earp fleeing for their lives, with warrants out for their capture. Seeking sanctuary in Colorado, Doc is besieged by legal battles and bounty hunters and the negative effects of the mile-high climate. Kindle Edition from Knox Robinson Publng [3/2015] for $9.99 Knox Robinson Publng 9x6 hardcover [5/2015] out of print/used |
 | "When Blood Flowed As Water: A First Tale of Old Tombstone" for Kindle [2019] by B.A. Braxton "By the time the wispy gray gun smoke cleared on that chilly, October afternoon, three men lay dying and three more were wounded on a street in Tombstone. Only Wyatt Earp stood amongst the fallen, unscathed, a cocked Smith & Wesson still planted firmly in his hand." Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2019] for $4.49 |
 | "Except By Continuous Bloodshed: A Second Tale of Old Tombstone" for Kindle [2019] by B.A. Braxton "If Doc Holliday and Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp had been wise, they would’ve left Tombstone as soon as their murder trial was dismissed. But leaving would’ve looked too much like running, and Wyatt wanted no part of that." Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2019] for $4.49 |
Movies & Television
'Doc' Holliday portrayals listed on Internet Movie Database
search for Doc Holliday on DVD at Amazon
★ ★
"The Outlaw: The Story of Billy The Kid"
[United Artists Feb 1943]
![still photograph from "The Outlaw" [1943] with Walter Huston as 'Doc' Holliday and Thomas Mitchell as Sheriff Pat Garrett](covers/ssTheOutlaw-Holliday&Garrett.jpg) | Gunfighter 'Doc' Holliday arrives in Lincoln, New Mexico, looking for his stolen horse. Sheriff Pat Garrett finds it in the possession of cowboy outlaw Billy the Kid. Doc and Billy become friends, the sheriff wounds Billy, and Doc asks his girlfriend Rio to hide Billy. Romance ensues, Billy assumes possession of both the girl and the horse, and the final show-down is expectedly tragic (and non-historical) • Produced & co-directed by Howard Hughes, co-directed by Howard Hawks; cinematography by Gregg Toland; music by Victor Young; starring Jack Buetel {as Billy}, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell {as Garrett}, Walter Huston {as Doc}, Ben Johnson & Mimi Aguglia
full credits from IMDb • watch [1:55:38] free online at Internet Archive Platinum Disc b&w DVD [6/99] for $6.99 R.O.A.N. b&w DVD [10/99] for $12.99 Madacy Ent. b&w VHS [9/97] out of prodn/used Starcuts b&w VHS [4/2002] out of prodn/used |
★ ★
"Law and Order"
[Universal Feb 1932; Realart re-release 1950]
 | Based on the Earp saga, using other names – famous lawman Frame Johnson and three friends arrive in lawless Tombstone, and the town's leaders ask them to take jobs as marshals. After witnessing murders by the ruthless Northrup gang, they accept. After further killings, the lawmen face down the gang at the O.K. Corral. Directed by Edward L. Cahn; based on the novel "Saint Johnson" [1930] by W.R. Burnett; starring Walter Huston, Harry Carey, Russell Hopton, Raymond Hatton, Ralph Ince, Harry Woods, Richard Alexander, Russell Simpson & Andy Devine; re-issued as "Guns A'Blazing" [1950] video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb blue-red 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 blue-white 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 |
★ ★
"Frontier Marshal" [Fox Jan 1934]
 | Directed by Lewis Seiler; adapted from Stuart N. Lake's book; starring George O'Brien {as 'Michael Wyatt'}, George E. Stone, Alan Edwards, Irene Bentley, Ruth Gillette, Berton Churchill, Frank Conroy & Ward Bond
video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 |
"Frontier Marshal" [Fox July 1939]
 | Directed by Allan Dwan; based on Stuart N. Lake's book; starring Randolph Scott {as Wyatt}, Cesar Romero {as Doc}, Nancy Kelly, Binnie Barnes, John Carradine, Edward Norris, Eddie Foy Jr., Ward Bond, Lon Chaney Jr., Chris-Pin Martin, Joe Sawyer, Dell Henderson, Harry Hayden & Ventura Ybarra
Fox Cinema Archives b&w DVD [6/2012] for $19.98 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Tombstone: The Town Too Tough To Die"
[Paramount June 1942]
 | Directed by William C. McGann; starring Richard Dix {as Wyatt}, Kent Taylor {as Doc}, Edgar Buchanan, Frances Gifford, Don Castle, Clem Bevans, Rex Bell, Victor Jory & Chris-Pin Martin
video/DVD not available • full credits from IMDb |
"My Darling Clementine" [Fox Dec 1946]
 | Greatly-embellished version of the Earps and Clantons in Tombstone, ending with the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral • Directed by John Ford; based on Stuart N. Lake's book (above); starring Henry Fonda, Victor Mature {as Doc}, Cathy Downs, Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, Ward Bond, Alan Mowbray, John Ireland, Jane Darwell & Grant Withers; listed at National Film Registry (1991)
Fox b&w DVD [1/2004] for $7.99 Fox b&w VHS [5/99] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb |
 | "Stories of The Century" Season 1, Episode 10 "Doc Holliday" [March 1954] Kim Spalding portrays dentist Holliday, who wrecks a train with the Clanton Gang; that brings in the railroad detectives and leads to the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone • Directed by William Witney; starring & hosted by Jim Davis; also starring Mary Castle, Frank Richards, James Craven {as Wyatt Earp} & George Eldredge episode credits at IMDb • watch episode online [25:59] at Internet Archive |
"Masterson of Kansas" [Columbia Pictures Dec 1954]
 | "Nobody draws faster than Masterson of Kansas" Filmed in Technicolor™; Kansas cattlemen frame Merrick for murder when he negotiates a treaty with the Indians giving them land that the ranchers covet; Dodge City sheriff 'Bat' Masterson asks for help from Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in locating Merrick before the cattlemen's bounty hunters do • Directed by William Castle; written by Douglas Heyes; starring George Montgomery {as Masterson}, Nancy Gates, James Griffith {as Doc Holliday}, Jean Willes, Benny Rubin, William Henry, David Bruce, Bruce Cowling {as Wyatt Earp}, Gregg Barton, Donald Murphy {as Virgil Earp}, Gregg Martell, Sandy Sanders, Jay Silverheels & John Maxwell
Sony Pictures Choice Collection color DVD [10/2012] for $20.95 full credits at IMDb |
 | "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" TV series [1955-61]
Black-and-white TV series that ran for six seasons. Starring Hugh O'Brian {as Wyatt Earp}, Alan Dinehart III (as 'Bat' Masterson}, Douglas Fowley {as Doc Holliday in 14 episodes) & Paul Brinegar Rhino Theatrical b&w/color DVD [9/2005] 4 disks for $30.99 series credits at IMDb • TV program theme song [runs 1 min. 39 sec.] |
★ ★
"Gunfight At The O.K. Corral"
[Paramount May 1957]
 | Captures the spirit of the legend, if not the facts • Directed by John Sturges; written by George Scullin & Leon Uris; starring Burt Lancaster {as Wyatt Earp}, Kirk Douglas {as Doc}, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Lyle Bettger, Frank Faylen, Earl Holliman, Ted de Corsia, Dennis Hopper, Whit Bissell, George Mathews, John Hudson, DeForest Kelley, Martin Milner & Kenneth Tobey {as 'Bat' Masterson}
Paramount color DVD [4/2003] for $9.98 Warner widescreen color VHS [2/97] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb |
 | "Tombstone Territory" [1957–60] Season 1, Episode 29 "Doc Holliday in Durango" [April 1958] Gerald Mohr portrayed Doc Holliday • episode credits at IMDb |
"Badman's Country" [Warner Aug 1958]
 | Pat Garrett, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday & 'Bat' Masterson try to prevent Butch Cassidy's gang from stealing a gold shipment on the railroad at Abilene, Kansas. Directed by Fred F. Sears; starring George Montgomery {as Garrett}, Buster Crabbe {as Wyatt}, Gregory Walcott {as Masterson}, Neville Brand {as Cassidy}, Russell Johnson {as Sundance}, Malcolm Atterbury {as 'Buffalo Bill' Cody} & Karin Booth
video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb |
"Cheyenne Autumn" [Warner Oct 1964]
 | The Dodge City sequence, with James Stewart as Wyatt Earp, was removed from later theatrical and TV prints, but is restored on the videos & DVDs. A starving band of relocated Cheyenne Indians decides to trek 1500 miles back to their homeland; the U.S. Army officer sent to force them back to the reservation learns to respect them, and decides to help them • Co-produced & directed by John Ford [1894-1973]; script by James R. Webb, adapted from two books; Oscar nom for Best Color Cinematography (filmed in Technicolor™ & Super Panavision 70™); starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, Sal Mineo, Dolores del Rio, Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, Arthur Kennedy {as Doc Holliday}, Patrick Wayne, Elizabeth Allen, John Carradine, Victor Jory, Mike Mazurki, George O'Brien, Sean McClory, Judson Pratt, Carmen D'Antonio, Ken Curtis, James Stewart {as Wyatt Earp}, Edward G. Robinson, Harry Carey Jr., Denver Pyle, Ben Johnson & Mae Marsh; won Western Heritage Bronze Wrangler Award in 1965 The Souix Indian warriors were portrayed mostly by Navajo Indians from the Monument Valley location; they were asked to speak in their language for certain scenes, to make up the dialogue; the joke is that an accurate translation shows them making fun of the 'bluecoat' officers' genitalia. Warner widescreen color DVD [2/2007] for $17.99 Warner color VHS [7/94] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "Cheyenne Autumn" [McGraw-Hill 1953] by Mari Sandoz [1896-1966]
A proud band of relocated Northern Cheyenne leaves the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in 1878 to return to their ancestral homeland in Yellowstone, a trek of 1500 miles. Bison Books 8x5 2nd edition pb [10/2005] for $13.22 Bison Books 8x5¼ pb [2/92] for $12.71 Tandem Library 8¼x5½ hardcover [10/99] for $24.55 "The Last Frontier" [1941] by Howard Fast [1914-2003] M.E. Sharpe/North Castle 9x6 pb [2/97] for $23.95 |
★ ★
"Hour of The Gun" [Mirisch/United Artists Nov 1967]
 | Considered by some a sequel to Sturges's 1957 movie (above), this version of the Earp saga begins with the famous Tombstone gunfight and shows the aftermath of tragedy, self-doubt, and court trials endured by the Earps. Produced & directed by John Sturges; written by Edward Anhalt; cinematography by Lucien Ballard; music by Jerry Goldsmith; starring James Garner {as Wyatt}, Jason Robards Jr. {as Doc}, Robert Ryan, Albert Salmi, William Windom, Lonny Chapman, Larry Gates, William Schallert, Bill Fletcher, Karl Swenson, Austin Willis, Monte Markham, Richard Bull, Sam Melville, Frank Converse & Jon Voight M.G.M. widescreen color DVD [5/2005] for $12.99 M.G.M. color VHS [9/98] out of prodn/used Varese Sarabande soundtrack CD [5/2005] for $15.98 full credits from IMDb |
"Doc" [United Artists Aug 1971]
 | Consumptive gambler & gunfighter Doc Holliday and his companion Kate arrive in the town of Tombstone and find old friend Wyatt Earp employed as the town marshal • Produced & directed by Frank Perry; written by Pete Hamill; starring Stacy Keach {as Doc}, Harris Yulin {as Wyatt}, Faye Dunaway, Michael Witney, Denver John Collins, Dan Greenburg, Richard McKenzie, John Bottoms, Ferdinand Zogbaum, Penelope Allen & Philip Shafer; won Spur Award for Best Western Script
M.G.M. Home Video color DVD [6/2009] for $9.49 M.G.M. Home Video color VHS [11/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb screenplay: Paperback Library mass pb [1971] out of print/used |
★ ★
"Wild Times" TV movie [indep Jan 1980]
 | Filmed in New Mexico; 2-part color TV movie of 3 hours & 15 minutes based on Brian Garfield's 1978 novel; Dennis Hopper portrays 'Doc' Holliday, who is the heavy ('bounty hunter and killer') attempting to capture Wild West show star Col. Hugh Cardiff (Sam Elliott) amid the madness of his travelling show • Co-produced & co-adapted by Don Balluck; directed by Richard Compton; also starring Ben Johnson, Bruce Boxleitner, Penny Peyser, Timothy Scott, Trish Stewart, Harry Carey Jr., Buck Taylor, Pat Hingle, Geno Silva, Marianne Marks, R.L. Tolbert, Cameron Mitchell, Leif Erickson & L.Q. Jones
Anchor Bay color VHS [12/89] out of prodn/used Prism Home Ent. color VHS [2005] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
 | "Wild Times: A Novel - The Truth and Authentic Life of Col. Hugh Cardiff" [1979] by Brian Garfield Kindle Edition from Open Road Media [12/2011] for $4.39 Simon & Schuster 9½x6¾ hardcover [1/79] out of print/50+ used |
"I Married Wyatt Earp" TV movie [N.B.C. Jan 1983]
 | The sheriff and the town marshal of wild Tombstone, Arizona vie for the love of a pretty saloon singer • Directed by Michael O'Herlihy; starring Marie Osmond, Bruce Boxleitner {as Wyatt}, John Bennett Perry, Ross Martin, Alison Arngrim, Jeffrey DeMunn {as Doc}, Joe Rainer, Dee Maaske, Earl W. Smith, Randy Wells, Joe Corcoran, Charles Benton & Tom Assalone
Legacy Ent. color DVD [3/2005] for $4.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Tombstone" [Hollywood Pictures Dec 1993]
 | A local gang of cowboy outlaws fights back when the Earp brothers enforce the law in Tombstone; story covers the arrival of the Earp clan & Doc Holliday, the famous gunfight, and the aftermath vendetta • Directed by George P. Cosmatos; cinematography by William A. Fraker; starring Kurt Russell {as Wyatt}, Val Kilmer {as Doc}, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, Jon Tenney, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, Dana Delany, Paula Malcomson, Lisa Collins, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Joanna Pacula, Harry Carey Jr., Billy Bob Thornton, Tomas Arana, John Philbin, Robert John Burke, Billy Zane, Peter Sherayko, Buck Taylor, Terry O'Quinn
Disney Video widescreen Director's Cut color DVD [1/2002] 2 disks for $22.99 Disney Video widescreen color DVD [12/97] for $14.99 Disney Video color VHS [11/94] for $8.99 Intrada Records soundtrack CD [2/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie posters at AllPosters.com |
"The Making of Tombstone" video [2002]
included on the 2-disk DVD above;
full credits from IMDb
★ ★
"Wyatt Earp" [Tig/Warner June 1994]
 | Less about Tombstone and the famous gunfight, and more about Wyatt's life from childhood and the strong family dynamic of the Earps. Co-produced, co-written & directed by Lawrence Kasdan; co-produced by & starring Kevin Costner {as Wyatt}; also starring Dennis Quaid {as Doc}, Gene Hackman, David Andrews, Linden Ashby, Jeff Fahey, Joanna Going, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Pullman, Isabella Rossellini, Tom Sizemore {as 'Bat' Masterson}, JoBeth Williams, Mare Winningham, Rex Linn, Randle Mell, Adam Bald-win, Lewis Smith, Betty Buckley, Alison Elliott, James Caviezel, John Dennis Johnston, Norman Howell, Gabriel Folse & Kris Kamm; won Spur Award for Best Western Script; locations included Chama, Galisteo, Santa Fe, Abiquiu, Las Vegas, Rancho de Los Golandrinas, and the Santa Clara, Tesuque & Zia pueblos of New Mexico • full credits from IMDb Warner widescreen color Blu-ray [9/2007] for $9.99 Warner widescreen color Special Edition DVD [5/2004] 2 disks for $25.49 Warner widescreen color DVD [5/2006] single disk for $6.99 Warner widescreen color Expanded Edition VHS [4/95] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used Warner color VHS [6/95] 2 tapes - out of prodn/many used |
"Wyatt Earp: Walk With A Legend" 'making of ...' TV short [Tig/Warner 1994]
Written & produced by Meg Staahl; included on the 2-disk DVD above;
full credits from IMDb
"It Happened That Way" 'making of' video [Warner May 2004]
Produced by Raúl Dávalos & Elizabeth Dollarhide; included on the 2-disk DVD above;
full credits from IMDb
★ ★
 | "Wyatt Earp: Return To Tombstone" [indep July 1994]
Starring Hugh O'Brian {as Wyatt}, Bruce Boxleitner, Paul Brinegar, Harry Carey Jr. & Bo Hopkins; using colorized footage from the TV series of Douglas Fowley {as Doc}, John Anderson {as Virgil Earp}, Ray Boyle {as Morgan Earp}, Rayford Barnes, Steve Brodie, Lloyd Corrigan {as Ned Buntline}, Bob Steele & others DVD not available • Orion Home Video color VHS [8/94] out of prodn/used credits from IMDb |
 | "A&E Biography: Doc Holliday" documentary [A&E Biography 2004] A&E Home Video DVD [4/2006] for $24.95 episode credits at IMDb |
 | "Wyatt Earp's Revenge" [Sony Home Video release March 2012]
Wyatt Earp & 'Bat' Masterson & Doc Holliday team up against the bad-guys in a Dodge City, Kansas that has mountains in the background (filmed in Agoura and Santa Clarita in California) • Co-produced & directed by Michael Feifer; starring Val Kilmer & Shawn Roberts {as Wyatt}, Matt Dallas {as Bat}, Levi Fiehler {as Bill Tilghman}, Wilson Bethel {as Doc Holliday}, Diana DeGarmo & Trace Adkins Sony Pictures Home Ent. widescreen color DVD [3/2012] for $7.83 full credits at IMDb • watch official trailer [1:38] at YouTube |
"Wild Guns" 
[Hollywood Gang/Warner Bros. release someday?]
Announced 4/2011: spec script by T.S. Nowlin; shortly after the Civil War, legendary gunslingers Wyatt Earp
& Doc Holliday team-up to rescue Sitting Bull's daughter, who has been kidnapped by a powerful shaman
with mysterious powers • still in development 2017 • latest info at IMDb
Other Media
® ®
 | "Sundown: The Musical" [2004] A musical stageplay version of the Gunfight At The O.K. Corral. First Western U.S. staging in April 2008 at the Adobe Theatre Company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Music by Peter Link, lyrics by Larry Rosler, book by Joe Bravaco & Larry Rosler |
 |
"Sundown" musical play soundtrack [2004] with the cast from a production at York Theatre Company in New York City; music by Peter Link, lyrics by Larry Rosler, book by Joe Bravaco & Larry Rosler Original Cast Records music CD [12/2004] for $16.95 |
 | "Outride The Devil: A Morning With Doc Holliday" A terrific one-man stage show: Frail but feisty Doc Holliday [1851-87] recounts his life to the other patients one morning at a Colorado nursing home; filmed live performance at Arlington, Texas Directed by Brian Greene; written by & starring John Christopher 'Kit' Hussey V.C.I. widescreen color HD-DVD [1/2007] for $13.49 full credits at IMDb |
 | "Doc Holliday" British one-album band [1973] While American guitarist Frank Carillo was in London in 1973 to work with Peter Frampton, he formed this psychedelic rock band and produced a vinyl album of 8 tracks; the album may have been just a demo as only two 'radio copies' are known to exist. Fanpage on Angelfire includes one MP3 file {with sound problems}. Old Ereck's In-A-Gadda-Da-Records "Doc Holliday" fanpage |
 | Southern rock band "Doc Holliday" [1981-2011] search CD albums on keywords 'Doc Holliday' {returns 24 titles} at Amazon band entry at Wikipedia |
Friends & Family
John Henry Holliday was born in Georgia in 1851 and died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1887 at age 36.
fellow lawman & gambler Wyatt Earp [1848-1929]
fellow lawman & gambler William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson [1853-1921]
Holliday's cousin by marriage was Atlanta-born Margaret Mitchell [1900-49], who wrote "Gone With The Wind"
companion Mary Katharine 'Big Nose Kate' Horony Elder Cummings [1850-1940]
met Doc in 1877, split up circa 1882
Kate's entry at Wikipedia •
Arizona Pioneer Home biography of Mary Cummings
 | "Doc Holliday's Woman" [1995] by Jane Candia Coleman A reworking of the 1930s interviews by Boyer & Bork, told with the skills of a novelist. Warner Books mass pb [9/96] out of print/used Warner Books 9x6 hardcover [5/95] out of print/50+ used |
 |
"On the Paper Trail of Big Nose Kate" [2008] by Angel M. Brant
|
 | "Kate" short story [2010] by S.M. Ballard Fiction based on the lives of 'Doc' Holliday and 'Big Nose Kate' Elder; not a straight Western short story, but one drawn in the soap opera and women's romance genres. Kindle Edition from Goose Flats/Blue Moon [1/2010] for $2.99 |
gambler Lottie Deno {among many names} [1844-1934]
Carlotta J. Thompkins was born in Kentucky; her father was a wealthy horsebreeder and gambler, who took his daughter on trips and taught her how to gamble; during the Civil War, Lottie worked along the Mississippi River. She arrived in San Antonio, Texas in 1865 and paired up with fellow gambler Frank Thurmond; they worked around Texas during the frontier's bison hide boom, including Fort Griffin, where she took on the name 'Lottie Deno' (short for 'dinero') and associated with 'Doc' Holliday and the Earps. Lottie & Frank settled in southwest New Mexico Territory in 1877; they married in 1880, moved to Deming, New Mexico in 1882, gave up gambling, and became prominent citizens.
Lottie's entry at Wikipedia
 | "The Story of Lottie Deno: Her Life And Times - The Mysterious Aristocrat Who Became A Lady Gambler and Female Daredevil" [1959] by J. Marvin Hunter
Kessinger Publng 9x6 pb [9/2010] for $11.87 Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2010] for $31.96 The 4 Hunters 9x6¼ hardcover [1959] out of print/used |
 | "Lottie Deno: Gambling Queen of Hearts" [1994] by Cynthia Rose includes contemporary accounts and rare period photographs Clear Light Publng 8½x5½ pb [2/94] for $8.00 Clear Light Publng 8¾x5¾ hardcover [2/94] for $17.99 |
 | "Pistols, Petticoats & Poker: The Real Lottie Deno, No Lies or Alibis" [2009] by Jan Devereaux, Introduction by Robert G. McCubbin High-Lonesome Books 9x6 hardcover [2/2009] out of print/used publisher's bookpage |
L i n k s
'Doc' Holliday entry at Wikipedia
'Doc' Holliday portrayals listed on Internet Movie Database
search for Doc Holliday on DVD at Amazon
Gunfight at The O.K. Corral website
Gunfight at The O.K. Corral 125th Anniversary Celebration [Oct 2006] website
Online Guide to Historic Leadville, Colorado - article on 'Doc' Holliday after Tombstone
Doc Holliday Society website [last update 2003] based in Griffin, Georgia
defunct Doc Holliday Days [1998-2003] were held in Holliday's birthplace of Griffin, Georgia
Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum [built 1859, restored 2003] in Fayetteville, Georgia
S a l o o n s
Big Nose Kate's Saloon [built 1881], 417 E. Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona
Doc Holliday's Saloon, 517 E. Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona
Doc Holliday's Steakhouse & Saloon, 950 No. Grand Canyon Blvd. in Williams, Arizona
Doc Holliday's Saloon [2011-2013], 138 Calistoga Road in Santa Rosa, California 94509
Doc Holliday Casino [2008-2013?], 131 Main Street in Central City, Colorado
Doc Holliday Saloon/Tavern in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
J. Henry's Restaurant (features pictures & memorabilia of Holliday) in Historic Griffin, Georgia
Doc Holiday's {sic} Saloon & Grill [est. 10/2011], 9510 No. Government Way in Hayden, Idaho
Doc Holliday's Saloon & Steakhouse, 308 W. MacArthur Drive in Cottage Hills, Illinois
Doc Holliday's Saloon, 2551 Anthem Village Dr in Henderson, Nevada 89052
Doc Holliday's Saloon, 9310 So. Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas, Nevada
Doc Holliday's, 141 Avenue A in the East Village, New York City
Doc Holliday's Saloon & Grill, 110 Limekiln Road in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
Doc Holliday's Saloon, 112 Second Ave North in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Doc Holliday's Saloon, 5354 Doniphan Drive in El Paso, Texas
★ ★
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