“I’m your huckleberry.”
It’s hard to believe that thirty years have passed since Tombstone hit the big screen. In celebration of the film (and Jurassic Park and Dazed And Confused), I’m posting content all year long. Today, I’m taking a look at my personal favorite quotes from the Tombstone. There are many more than just these ten that I love, but these are the best of the bunch in my opinion. Let me know your favorites in the comments section.
10. “Well, bye.”
In a tense moment after the murder of Morgan Earp, Wyatt, Virgil, and their families are leaving the town of Tombstone. While leaving the town, the Earps stop in front of the Cowboys. Wyatt tells Curly Bill Brocius that their conflict is over. Curly Bill replies with the very callous, “Well, bye.”
9. “In vino veritas.”
When Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo first meet in the film, the pair square off against one another with a duel not of pistols, but of Latin. The entire sequence is amazing, but it’s Holliday’s opening line, “In vino veritas,” (“In wine is truth) that sets things in motion. The line isn’t even directed at Ringo, whom Holliday just stated that he’s sure that he hates the gunslinger, but at Wyatt Earp, who tells Ringo and Curly Bill that Doc is drunk (and that they should just ignore him).
8. “You tell’em I’m comin’, and Hell’s comin’ with me!”
Once he sees that Virgil and the rest of the Earp family is safely aboard a train leaving Tombstone, Wyatt pulls a shotgun on an unexpecting pair of Cowboy ambush members, kills one of them, and then tells the survivor, Ike Clanton, that revenge is coming for the Cowboys.
7. “Skin that smokewagon and see what happens!”
When the Earps first arrive in Tombstone, Wyatt takes it upon himself to find work for the family. He enters the Oriental Saloon and ends up in a confrontation with the resident Faro dealer, Johnny Tyler. Tyler attempts to threaten Earp by going for his sidearm. Earp shows no fear, slapping Tyler, and utters one of the best lines in all of Tombstone.
6. “All right, lunger. Let’s do it.”
Expecting to see Wyatt Earp in Turkey Creek Canyon, Johnny Ringo is surprised when it is Doc Holliday who appears on the scene. The pair, in a final duel that was foreshadowed throughout the film, trade numerous lines during their standoff including Holliday’s “Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave,” but the most memorable one for me is Ringo calling Holliday a lunger, a slang term for a person suffering from tuberculosis. In reality, Ringo’s murderer is unknown. His death was ruled a suicide, but Wyatt Earp claimed that he shot him. While a stretch, it is slightly possible that Holliday could have made the journey to the oak tree in Turkey Creek Canyon in order to kill Ringo. The truth will never be known.
5. “Smell that, Bill? Smells like someone died.”
In a continuation of the scene in which Curly Bill callously says, “Well, bye,” to Wyatt Earp. Johnny Ringo shows even less mercy than Curly Bill when he smiles and says, “Smell that, Bill? Smells like someone died.”
4. “You know, Frederic f#cking Chopin.”
While playing a nocturne by Chopin, Doc Holliday is interrupted by Billy Clanton. Clanton asks Holliday if he’s playing a song by “Stephen stinkin’ Foster,” to which Holliday replies, “Ah, yes. Well, this happens to be a nocturne.” Billy replies, “A which?” and Doc replies with, “You know, Frederi f#cking Chopin.”
3. “He’s got the look of both predator and prey.”
The future Mrs. Wyatt Earp, Josephine Marcus, spies Wyatt across the street and asks her companion and fellow actor, Mr. Fabian, who the “tall drink of water” is. Fabian then goes into a lengthy and artistic description of Earp, “My dear, you’ve set your gaze upon the quintessential frontier type. Note the lean silhouette, eyes closed by the sun, though sharp as a hawk. He’s got the look of both predator and prey.”
2. “You gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?”
In a continuation of the scene involving Wyatt Earp and Johnny Tyler, Earp continues to brutally slap Tyler, daring him to pull his gun. Eventually Tyler begins bleeding from his mouth. He stares in fear at Wyatt and Earp questions him, saying, “You gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?”
1. “I’m your huckleberry.”
Let’s be honest. This entire list could be filled with Doc Holliday quotes. Portrayed by Val Kilmer, Holliday stole every scene that he was in throughout the film. He utters his famous line, “I’m your huckleberry,” twice in the film. The first time we hear it is when a drunk Johnny Ringo confronts the Earps in front of a barber shop. The second time is when Ringo, expecting to see Wyatt Earp, is instead greeted by Doc Holliday for their final standoff. The line is quite possibly the most popular line in the entire film and it’s definitely my favorite.
Looking for more memorable quotes from Tombstone? Visit the Old West page to see twenty-nine memorable quotes from the film. Tell me your favorite quotes from the the film in the comments section!
Thanks for checking out my post. More Tombstone memories to come!
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