Movie Connections

I have a weird brain for movies. I can remember lines and characters from movies even if I only saw them once fifteen years ago. And often when I watch movies based on historical events, especially when I’ve seen them before, I watch with a Google window open (or Bing or DuckDuckGo for those who hate Google) so I can learn more about the real history and assess rthe degree of accuracy of what is being presented by Hollywood.

So I was watching TOMBSTONE and I found myself wondering how Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp first met… so I ran to the internet. I discovered that as a young lawman, Wyatt was pursuing an outlaw named “Dirty” Dave Rudabaugh. Doc had once been a gambling associate of Dave’s and gave Wyatt the info that led to Dave’s capture. Later they became friends.

Well, my weird movie brain reminded me that Chritstian Slater played “Arkansas” Dave Rudabaugh in YOUNG GUNS 2. Turns out they were the same guy. I assume the filmmakers dropped the “Dirty” from Dave’s name in YG2 because one of Billy the Kid’s riding mates in the original YOUNG GUNS was “Dirty” Steve. So, anyway… there’s your interesting movie connection for the week. One of Billy the Kid’s YOUNG GUNS 2 riding mates was the man who first brought Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp together pre-TOMBSTONE.