''Frontier Marshal'' is a 1934 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Lewis Seiler Lewis Seiler (September 30, 1890 – January 8, 1964) was an American film director. He directed more than 80 films between 1923 and 1958. Seiler was born in New York City, and died at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, Los Angeles. Partial fi ...

and starring George O'Brien. Produced by

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...

and Sol M. Wurtzel, the film is the first based on Stuart N. Lake's enormously popular but largely fictitious "biography" of

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

, '' Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal''. A second version of the film, also produced by Wurtzel, was made in 1939, and a third interpretation by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

entitled ''

My Darling Clementine ''My Darling Clementine'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp during the period leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The ensemble cast also features Victor Mature (as Doc Holli ...

'' was released in 1946. He supposedly wrote the book with Earp's input, and it portrays Earp as a fearless lawman. But before the first movie was released, his widow Josephine Earp sued

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

for $50,000 in an attempt to keep them from making the film. She said it was an "unauthorized portrayal" of Wyatt Earp. She succeeded in getting Earp's name completely excised from the movie. His character was renamed "Michael Wyatt," and the movie was released as ''Frontier Marshal''.

Plot

Wandering lawman Michael Wyatt rides into a lawless town and runs into conflict with the local boss, Doc Warren.

Cast

* George O'Brien as Michael Wyatt * Irene Bentley as Mary Reid * George E. Stone as David 'Abe' Ruskin * Alan Edwards as Doc Warren *

Ruth Gillette Ruth Gillette (August 16, 1906 – May 13, 1994) was an American actress. She appeared in numerous films, TV series and theatrical productions from the 1920s to the 1980s. Early life Gillette was born in Chicago in 1906, the daughter of Mi ...

as Queenie LaVerne *

Berton Churchill Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Early years Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law at nigh ...

as Ben 'Hiram' Melton * Frank Conroy as George 'Oscar' Reid *

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert th ...

as Ben Murchison *

Edward LeSaint Edward LeSaint (January 1, 1871 – September 10, 1940) was an American stage and film actor and Film director, director whose career began in the silent film, silent era. He acted in over 300 films and directed more than 90. He was sometimes ...

as Judge Walters * Russell Simpson as Editor Pickett

Production

Actor

appears in three films based on the

story and Lake's spurious book: this film, the 1939 version and

's ''

'' (1946), playing different roles in all three.

References

External links

* * * 1934 films American black-and-white films 1934 Western (genre) films Films directed by Lewis Seiler American Western (genre) films Cultural depictions of Wyatt Earp Fox Film films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language Western (genre) films {{1930s-Western-film-stub