John Ford’s My Darling Clementine. I couldn’t spot the connection between the title and the story. Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) becomes Marshall of Tomb Stone along with his brother Morgan as law enforcer after their brother James is murdered by the Clayton gang and their cattle is stolen. Although Wyatt assumes the charge of Marshall bringing some order and discipline to a chaotic town, his pursuit is for the killers of his brother James. In the saloon of Tombstone, he spots Doc Holiday a heavy weight of the town, who has kept everyone in awe of his persona with his swagger and reclusiveness.But he is actually flying away from society. He is affected by TB and would like to maintain that elusive grandeur.
When Wyatt detects the silver cross, stolen from James on the night of the killing with the local saloon singer, she reveals that it is given to her by one of the Clayton gang members. The legendary Ok Corral fight ensues in which all the Clayton family except the father are killed. Doc Holiday out to avenge the death of Chihuahua, his love interest and the saloon singer is killed in the fight too. Wyatt leaves town musing about the name ‘Clementine’ for whom he has developed love and admiration. Clementine is the former fiancée of Doc Holiday who comes to town in search of the Doc. But the Doc asks her to forget him and leave the town saying, ‘There is not a vestige of the old Doc left in him now.’ As such, she has no apparent connection with the plot, whereas the saloon singer Chihuahua is the link for Wyatt’s discovery of the identity of his brother’s killer. Clementine then has to be John Ford’s tribute to the Old West; a time when the simple, honest, hard working folk lived along side greedy, lawless, gangsters; a time when values of order and decency were being cultivated by a population who were spurred more by natural instinct and force.
John Ford captures this in several beautiful scenes. The scene when the Marshal stands up to offer help to the newly arrived Ms.Clementine, when he escorts the travelling drama troupe’s chief actor who speaks only in lines from Shakespeare, when he disarms a drunk Indian going berserk with his gun, when he is groomed to a ‘T’ by the town barber, when he pacifies an agitating town hall crowd. Doc Holiday who has never been a Doctor becomes Doctor Holiday to revive Chihuahua who is fatally wounded. There are several such scenes which capture a way of life, the camaraderie of a culture, yet untouched by outside influence.
From films such as these what has remained is not only an enduring image of the West, but also John Ford’s vision of it. Popular culture has a remarkable influence on public imagination and the ‘Western’ by John Ford will never yield space to another. The acting is dignified and subdued, highlighting an inherent ability of the characters to face struggle, strife and danger. And “Oh My Darling, Oh My Darling” will keep ringing.