The Life and Legend of Hugh O’Brian
An outrageous interview with the actor who is almost as legendary as the man he portrayed.
By: Henry Cabot Beck 06/01/2009
As I was watching your show, I started to realize that the movie Tombstone pulled a lot from the series.
I think they did a great job with both of those movies. Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner were both very good. The [films] were both very well done.
I’ve heard people say that they wish the series had a different Doc Holliday, or that your relationship with Holliday had been written differently.
I never heard that. Doug Fowley did the original on the show, and I thought he was very, very special. The next one—can’t think of his name right now [Myron Healey]—but he was not as tough and b----y as the real Doc. I thought that Doug had the right snazzy b----iness to be Doc Holliday.
When you look at Doc Holliday, he had his own agenda. And in many ways it’s a good thing that [he and Wyatt] befriended each other. They were totally opposite of each other, but they respected each other, and that’s the important thing. That’s why I think Doc came to his assistance.
Kirk Douglas once told me he saw the Doc and Wyatt story as a kind of a love story between those two guys.
I don’t think so—I think—depends on if you rephrase love story as respect. I think they understood each other’s territory, and they basically stayed out of that.... Wyatt Earp let Doc have his space, and I think that Doc understood that and respected him for that.
A normal guy would have kicked Doc Holliday out of town. For whatever reason, Wyatt saw his friendship in practical terms. From a business point of view, Wyatt was smart enough to want to have somebody on the other end on his communication list. He appeased Doc in many situations, because Doc had a contact, a communication, with the other elements. I think Wyatt was smart enough to embrace that and take advantage of it.
Do you mean that he had a conduit into the underworld through Holliday?
I think underworld is the wrong [term]. There were many people who went from city to city who were opportunists, and there were many people who lived there who weren’t crooks, but they would do things to make a buck. I think that Doc provided [Wyatt] a sounding board for the reality of what was in town and what was not in town. Doc spent a lot of time in the saloon; Wyatt did not.... Doc would be honest with Wyatt and say, “Hey man, you gotta watch out. There’s a new team in town and they are out to f--- anybody, so keep your eyes open.”
I think they had a very practical working relationship, and each of them got something from it.
Since Earp died in Los Angeles in 1929, you must have met people who knew him.
A lot of people came on the set who knew Wyatt, people he befriended or who befriended him. He had a lot of friends and spent his last days living here.
Comments (5)
Adam,
Hugh O'Brian is extremely accessible to his fans, and he is known to personally autograph every item. If you have a photograph of Wyatt Earp that you would like Hugh O'Brian to sign, I believe he charges $20.00 for that. You can contact him, and find out more information about his merchandise, on his website: http://hughobrian.me
Cheers,
Meghan Saar
Managing Editor
True West Magazine
Would Hugh O'Brian ever sign Wyatt Earp's name on a photo or take a photo having Earp's signature next to it?
Hey: Great interview. Brings back memories of the days I watched it on the t.v I was always trying to make my own version of the Buntline out of wood scrapes
Great to see such an icon interviewed. When is the Earp series going to be properly released so we can see it again?
Hey good interview & honest responses
by Hough. Enjoyed it immensely!
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