Wyatt Earp - Legacy

Legacy

The character of Wyatt Earp has been a central figure in over 10 films and featured in many more. Among the best-known actors that have portrayed him are Randolph Scott, Guy Madison, Henry Fonda, Joel McCrea, Burt Lancaster, James Garner, Jimmy Stewart, Hugh O'Brian, Kevin Costner, Val Kilmer, and Kurt Russell. His character has influenced the way that movies depict Old West law enforcement.

Earp's life gained nationwide attention with the publication of Stuart Lake's book, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshall. But it was the popular movie Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that brought his life story into popular culture. The movie altered public perception of the Cowboys. In Earp's time they had been outlaws, but in the movies they became the good guys assisting the lawmen.

With the emergence of television in the 1950s, producers spun out a large number of western-oriented shows. At the height of their popularity in 1959, there were more than two dozen "cowboy" programs on each week. At least six of them were connected to some extent with Wyatt Earp: The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Tombstone Territory, Broken Arrow, Johnny Ringo, and Gunsmoke. Hugh O'Brian portrayed Earp on the show Wyatt Earp, which ran for six seasons.