John Henry “Doc†Holiday was an American dentist that has made his place in the history books. He did not do it through new dental techniques or outstanding service; he did it through gunfights, through blood, and through legend. As well as his life being well documented through history books, Doc has been the highlight of many films, one of the most popular being Wyatt Earp[3]. This movie highlights the friendship between Doc and the famous sheriff/outlaw Wyatt Earp. The film portrays an elaborate and complex Holiday who goes through many ups and downs throughout his life. But is this a true depiction of Holliday? The only way to find out is to dig through the information and sort fact from fiction.
The first thing you notice about any character, either in a book or on a screen, is their appearance. It is known that Doc Holiday did not live a very long life, mainly due to his struggle with Tuberculosis [1]. In fact it was this disease that brought Doc Holiday to meet Wyatt Earp, and simultaneously helped him enter the history books. Because damp air makes Tuberculosis worse his doctors suggested that he leave his native Georgia in turn for the drier air of the south [2]. When we meet Holiday in the film, the disease is affecting him quite greatly. Although this disease takes a toll on his body, the film in which he is featured portrays him as a much older man [3]. Historical accounts do show Holiday with his long handlebar mustache but he still has a generally younger face. Holiday only lived to 36 [1], but in his film appearance, which was when he was in his late 20’s, he looks nearly forty.
This was most likely not done by mistake either. In most westerns the characters persona is one of a tough rugged man. This older weathered appearance gives him more credit of being a western outlaw. A young fresh faced boy does not play the part of an old grizzly dying bandit as well as someone who really looks that part. However, one aspect that the movie did portray correctly was Doc’s wide variety of occupations and aggressiveness.
Although originally a dentist, once Doc moved down south he began to drink large amounts of whiskey to combat his illness and started gambling at a large rate. Eventually Doc would own his own saloon and begin to profit off this gambling [2]. But Doc was no one to just sit back and own an establishment. Once joining the Earp’s he became greatly involved in the matters including shootouts and Earp’s vendetta ride which included the O.K coral [3]. As for his behavior, Doc seemed to be a quirky man to say the least. Because of his condition he seemed to not have any real direction. Doc moved with what worked; that could be gambling, gunfights, exploiting miners, whatever would help him get by.
With any movie that is based of true historical events there is always some room for interpretation. Wyatt Earp was no exception, some parts definitely were embellished. It seems that the truth and falsity can be divided into two groups, appearance/action and personality. As stated earlier, Doc looked much older than he most likely was, and he was involved in a lot of physical action which would have been more stressful for a man in his condition than it appeared in the movie. As for the personality, the filmmakers seemed to have been able to capture his unique antagonist free spirit mentality. When combined with the steadfast determination of Wyatt Earp, he often is used in the movie to either start or deflect conflict. Doc Holiday lived a short life, but in this short time he was able to impact history in a larger way most likely than he even thought.
Author: Spencer Dinsmore
Bibliography:
[1] Traywick, Ben. “Doc Holliday.” Wild West (1997): n. pag. Web. 5 Nov 2009.
[2] “Doc Holliday- Deadly Doctor of the West.” Legends of America. 2009. Legends
of America, Web. 5 Nov 2009.
[3] Gordon, Dan, Script. Wyatt Earp. Dir. Lawrence Kasdan. Warner Brothers: 1994, Film.
