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 Because //My Darling Clementine// was generally more focused on plot, it was not the most historically accurate movie – certainly not compared to some of the others we have covered. However, there were still definitely some accurate portrayals of certain aspects of the West during this period. One of my favorite examples that I noticed (and most subtle) was the allusion to the railroad and the ability to buy and sell goods across the country. The movie alluded to this through the barber shop owner who kept bragging about how he was getting new items from Kansas City, Chicago, and such. --Emma F.
+I think that, although the movie took fairly severe liberties when telling the story of Wyatt Earp, the general feel of the movie was fairly accurate. There were typical old Hollywood movie tropes and plots such as the romance between Doc and Clementine, which then turned into Wyatt and Clementine. It also had the cliche western tropes not uncommon in old Hollywood such as dramatic fights where the hero was always victorious. However, the general feel of a southwestern town in the late 1800s was captured. It shows a fairly desolate town in what seems like nowhere, with saloons, bars, brothels, barber shops and theaters, that were all common fixtures of a western town and usually the first building built. - Emma Galvin
+Some details in the movie were accurate to the time. When Doc Holliday performs surgery, he washes first and then sterilizes his hands in alcohol. Germ theory was more widely recognized in the 1880s and surgeons were beginning to implement handwashing. Outside of the medical field, it wasn't until the early 1900's that handwashing became more commonplace. Even though the story takes place in the wild west, this detail shows the changing medical field and advancement in the understanding of public health toward the end of the 19th century. With Doc being a trained medical professional (we see his degree in his bedroom and he did receive one in real life), he would have known this protocol. -Jennifer
+My Darling Clementine does a somewhat accurate job portraying the key figures and events that lead up to the gunfight at the OK Corral. Wyatt Earp is depicted as a lawman in Tombstone alongside his brothers Virgil and Morgan, who were also involved in law enforcement. Their close ally, Doc Holliday, is included, reflecting his real-life friendship with Wyatt and involvement in the gunfight. The film also correctly shows the Clanton gang as the main antagonists. The Clantons were notorious outlaws in the Tombstone area, and their conflict with the Earps eventually led to the infamous gunfight. These core relationships and events are true to history, capturing the tension that made the OK Corral shootout so legendary. -Sam B
+The film seemingly cherry picks what information it wants to include in it. It fails in accurately portraying events (the events in the film happened a year prior) and completely ignores or writes out certain characters (like Wyatt Earp's common-law wife Josephine who is replaced with Clementine). Despite many of its inaccuracies, the film does do well in showcasing themes associated with the Wild West such as the lawlessness in this era. Additionally, its depiction of frontier towns during this time period was fairly accurate, showcasing the types of establishments present like saloons and barbershops, as well as the general incomplete nature of buildings. -Vumiliya V.
+My Darling Clementine has a lot of themes that are historically accurate like lawless towns or how towns removed from the railroad were dead or basically forgotten. This is shown by the barren town with just saloons, barber shops, and brothels. Additionally, the film reflects the transitory nature of frontier life, with towns often incomplete or under construction, as seen in the depiction of Tombstone. -Ryan K
 ====== Problems with historical accuracy? Errors in fact? ======
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 This movie took a lot of liberties in terms of accuracy. Firstly, two of the main characters did not actually exist in real life: Clementine and Chihuahua. Both were inserted in as very unoriginal archetypes, showing what the Western woman acts like compared to the “proper” American woman. Also, the gunfight outside of the O.K. Corral did not kill Doc Holliday, as his death was caused by tuberculosis. —Allie
+The costuming in this movie had some historical inaccuracy, especially in regard to the women and the townspeople. The fashion styles were all over the place. In the 1880's, clothing styles had changed drastically from what they had been 20 years before, but many of the garments used in the film hearkened back to the Civil War. Several other garments that the extras wore just looked like stereotypical "olde tyme" costumes, and not necessarily based on the period. On top of it, the 1940s influence was still quite visible and added to the inaccuracy. For example, the women's hairstyles were more like forties does 1800s, and the glamour eyebrows and falsies were another give away. The men's clothing and hairstyles were not as offensive, as they got away with more basic looks, which can be timeless. -Jennifer
+While My Darling Clementine captures some historical elements, it has significant inaccuracies. The film simplifies characters, portraying Wyatt Earp as a clear-cut hero, while historical accounts suggest he had a more complicated reputation. Doc Holliday is also romanticized as a straightforward hero rather than the complex figure he truly was. The Clanton gang is shown mainly as direct antagonists, downplaying their broader criminal activities and the social struggles of the time. Lastly, the gunfight itself is dramatized, emphasizing action rather than the truth. Historical accounts indicate that the fight actually happened indoors and only lasted about thirty seconds. The fight also involved many more shots than what was depicted. -Sam B
+A major issue with historical fact in My Darling Clementine is the timeline. They moved up the actual events that happened, such as the shootout at the O.K. Corral which happened in 1881 and not 1882 like in the film. Doc (who had been a dentist and not a surgeon) didn't die as a result of this shootout either, instead dying a few years after this event due to tuberculosis. Same with James Earp who is killed off within the first 20 minutes of the film, he is also depicted as being the youngest of the Earp brothers when in actuality he both lived a fairly long life and was one of the oldest brothers. His death was the leading motivation in the movie for Wyatt due to him wanting revenge against the Clanton's. This leads to a highly dramatized film that takes inspiration from the actual events but strays significantly from historical facts. -Vumiliya V.
+My Darling Clementine takes numerous liberties with the historical accuracy. This is shown around Wyatt Earp and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Also the portrayal of women were far from historically accurate. Moreover the film often favors Hollywood tropes over a faithful representation of real events and characters. This shown by the compressing of the timeline and altering of key events, basically prioritizing drama of factual details. -Ryan K
 ====== How does the film’s overall interpretation(s) deviate from scholarly historical sources? ======
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 The movie does a good job depicting the disorder and criminality (or just disregard for the law) fairly well. Where the movie begins to deviate is in its specific depiction and types of the violence that were present at the time. Most of the violence shown in the movie was direct gun violence (and not just hitting each other with them), which was not very accurate in reality. Most of the time when people were using guns, it was for threats, demonstrations of power, or to hit each other with. There were not many deaths from shoot-outs either, as there were not many shoot-outs to begin with. --Emma F.
+I think that, although the movie took fairly severe liberties when telling the story of Wyatt Earp, the general feel of the movie was fairly accurate. There were typical old Hollywood movie tropes and plots such as the romance between Doc and Clementine, which then turned into Wyatt and Clementine. It also had the cliche western tropes not uncommon in old Hollywood such as dramatic fights where the hero was always victorious. However, the general feel of a southwestern town in the late 1800s was captured. It shows a fairly desolate town in what seems like nowhere, with saloons, bars, brothels, barber shops and theaters, that were all common fixtures of a western town and usually the first buildings built. - Emma Galvin