Such a frustrating disappointment

Simply Perfect

People are voting emotionally.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Copyright 28 July 1939 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 28 July 1939. U.S. release: 28 July 1939. Australian release: 28 September 1939. 6,429 feet. 71 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Wyatt Earp cleans up Tombstone, Arizona.NOTES: Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) was actually not a marshal at this stage of his career, but a deputy sheriff of Pima County, centered in Tombstone, Arizona. Other screen impersonations of him include Walter Huston in Law and Order 31, Richard Dix in Tombstone 42, Henry Fonda in My Darling Clementine 46, Joel McCrea in Wichita 55, Burt Lancaster in Gunfight at the OK Corral 57, James Stewart in Cheyenne Autumn 64, James Garner in Hour of the Gun 67, Harris Yulin in Doc 70. There was also a long-running TV series starring Hugh O'Brian.This movie is actually a re-make of the Lake novel originally filmed in 1934 with George O'Brien as Earp and Alan Edwards as Doc. It was re-made again in 1946 with Henry Fonda and Victor Mature under the title My Darling Clementine. And re-made yet again in 1953 under the title Powder River.Although permission had been obtained from Earp's estate (and a fee of $5,000 duly paid) to use his name, lawyers for the estate sued Fox anyway, claiming that Earp's screen romance with "Sarah Allen" was entirely fictitious.COMMENT: A lavishly-produced western, though most of the money seems to have been spent on the first half of the film. The climax at the O.K. Corral is somewhat skimped - especially in comparison with other versions - and the film as a whole is considerably inferior to Ford's greatly expanded re-make, My Darling Clementine. Still Frontier Marshal, despite the fact that it is largely studio-bound and that its action sequences are not handled as vigorously as in the other Earp films, has some good things going for it in the cast department. Eddie Foy is a stand-out here. His presence alone is worth the price of admission and his absence from the other versions is to be deplored. And this must be the last occasion that Binnie Barnes, who was to continue as a western heroine throughout the early forties, was photographed sufficiently attractively (skilful make-up and costumes also helped) to justify her casting. Randolph Scott does well by Wyatt Earp while Cesar Romero is in many respects a more convincing Doc Halliday than Victor Mature. Nancy Kelly makes an appealing heroine, while John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr and Joe Sawyer make an admirable trio of villains (in fact we should have liked to see more of them, especially Chaney and Carradine). Dwan's direction has some imaginative touches (Scott's suddenly being accosted by the vigilante group; his odd entrance from above) and the musical numbers (including Miss Barnes' delightful rendition of "Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl") are handled with gusto. Charles Stevens plays the same role in this film as he does in Ford's re-make, but otherwise the cast is completely dissimilar. Charles Clarke's photography is consistently a thing of beauty, the art direction is pleasing and other production credits are top-drawer.

The First Time I Knew Anything About The Shoot Out At The OK Corral Was On (Get Ready For This) An Episode Of Star Trek The Original Series Called "Spectre Of The Gun" ... Then I Saw John Sturges' "Gun Fight At The OK Corral" And Thought Wow What A Movie, Then I Saw John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" And Thought It Was Better Than (And It Turns Out More Historically Correct) "Gunfight At The OK Corral" ... Now We Have "Frontier Marshal" And I Am Once Again Thinking Wow What A Movie ... Randolph Scott Plays Wyatt Earp And Cesar Romero Plays Doc Halliday And The Combination Is Excellent ... While The Story Does In Small Ways Veer Off The Actual Events It Is None The Less A Great Story ... Allan Dwan's Direction And Attention To Detail Is Exceptional ... Bit Parts By Eddie Foy Jr (Playing Himself), Lon Chaney Jr, John Carradine Make This Cast Icing On The Cake ... Lovers Of Westerns And History Buffs In General Will Love Watching This Version Of A Classic Story ...

Early version of the Earp-Holliday, OK Corral legend.Thanks to big-budget TCF, this is a well-produced, mid-level Western. Those barroom scenes along with the crowded streets are high energy and appropriate to a boomtown, which Tombstone was. Dwan directs these scenes with flair. Can't say the same for the final shootout that is poorly staged and fleetingly done as if the production had to hurry up to meet schedule. Ford's 1946 remake My Darling Clementine greatly improves on that final showdown with the kind of close-ups and structured tension that're needed.Scott and Romero cut formidable figures as the legendary heroes. The screenplay suffers, however, by failing to spotlight an equally formidable villain to challenge them, spreading the villainy instead across several minor players. Too bad the impressive Carradine is largely wasted in an incidental role. On the other hand, Kelly is very pretty as the good girl, while Barnes shines as the good-time girl. I like the way their rivalry evolves over time.I can see why the estimable John Ford saw so much potential in the characters and story. There's a lot of color in the array of personalities and rivalries, including the show biz Eddie Foy Jr., an entertaining contrast to the frontier types. Of course, Ford's version is clearly superior. Still, this 1939 entry remains a respectable little Western with its own modest merits.

This was the movie which John Ford remade as his classic My Darling Clementine. Here, Randolph Scott plays Wyatt Earp and Caesar Romero plays Doc Holiday, but there are no Clantons or Earp brothers. Instead, John Carradine plays a bad saloon owner heading a gang that is trying to take over Tombstone.Of course, this movie can't directly compare to My Darling Clementine, but it's a pretty good western in its own right. Its one of Randolph Scott's better early roles.Many of the classic scenes in My Darling Clementine were taken directly from this movie, and it's very interesting to compare the two. This version of Frontier Marshal was a remake of an earlier 1933 version, and, of course, this story has been told many times since.The Maltin Guide gives it three stars. Check it out if you're a western fan, or just a fan of My Darling Clementine.