My Darling Clementine (1946)

Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and his brothers are driving some cattle near the town of Tombstone when one of them, James, is murdered. Determined to get to the bottom of things, he takes on the job of town marshal and together with his brothers Morgan (Ward Bond) and Virgil (Tim Holt) soon sets his sights on the Clanton family led by Walter Brennan. Along the way he befriends the erratic, usually drunk, Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) but it's all about the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral at the end. The cast are great here, all working well to the powerfully scripted and paced direction of John Ford. Mercifully (for me, anyway), the eponymous "Clementine" (Cathy Downs) doesn't really feature - except as the basis for the song. Indeed, the film is pretty much devoid of any romance at all. Linda Darnell is effective as Holliday's gal "Chihuahua" - the only one who seems to be able to manage his grumpiness and it is odd, though convincing, seeing Brennan as a baddie for a change. This film really proves how much can be packed into 95 minutes, when great production standards and solid acting talent get behind a really good story.