What exactly is known about the Wild West?Westernfilms, TV, video games, and, of course, history describe it as one of the most colorful eras in American history. This era was well known for its lack of centralized government, meaning that the Wild West was indeed lawless and rough. Most of America’s folklore and culture come from this Western era. However,only a small bit of it is shownin today’s media.Netflix’sWyatt Earp and the Cowboy Wartakes its viewers to a side of the Wild West that hasn’t been seen in a long time. The fight that Wyatt Earp was part of didembody and alter the Old West, after all. With the western genre increasing in popularity once again, this series is at its peak.Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Warisn’t a piece of fiction, either. This is the gunfight told in a whole new light.
How Is Netflix Telling Wyatt Earp’s Story?
Technically, this isa Netflix documentary series. But it’s not in the proper documentary form. Narrated byEd Harris,Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Wartells the story ofthe legendary feud between Wyatt Earp (Tim Fellingham) and Ike Clanton (Jack Gordon)in the form of vivid reenactments. But there’s more to it than just documenting a fight. This show gives viewers more direct insight into what the West was like in the late 1800s to early 1900s.Other Western films and televisionprovide more focus on the characters and drama.Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Wartakes its audience directly to the Wild West, which is wild indeed. There’smore violence, crime, feuds, and bloodshedthan fictional Western cinema can show.
Who Was Wyatt Earp Exactly?
Wyatt Earp lived an interesting lifewithmany titles secured under his belt. He was born in 1848 in Monmouth, Illinois and was the fourth of eight children between Nicholas Earp and his second wife, Virginia Ann Cooksey. His three older brothers joined the Civil War on the Union side between 1861 and 1862. A young Wyatt tried to sneak away and join the fight, but his father brought him back every time.His family moved between Illinois, Iowa, and Californiathroughout the years before settling down in Lamar, Missouri. Wyatt and his brother Virgil (Ariel Elliaz) worked on the Union Pacific Railroad during that time. Wyatt returned to his family a year later and married in 1870. His father was the constable of the township before he resigned and gave the title to Wyatt. A year later, Wyatt’s wife supposedly died of either typhus or childbirth complications.
Wyatt went down a rather dark path after that. He had taken upgambling, run-ins with the law, embezzlement allegations, and he was even framed for stealing a horse in Arkansas. He was never tried for his crimes, potentially for either fleeing the law or jumping bail. In 1874, Wyatt helped a police officer catch a thief in Wichita, Kansas.This act of heroicsearned him public favor, andhe became a police officer in Wichitaand then an officer in Dodge City.He did some mining for a few years during the gold rush in the Black Hills before returning to Dodge City as assistant marshal in 1879-79.He befriended gunmen like Doc Holliday (Edward Franklin) during his time as a gambler and a lawman. Wyatt eventually moved down to the Wild West town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory. After a certain event that took place between 1881 and 1882, Wyatt settled in California doing various real-estate sales, gambling, police work, and mining. He died at the age of 80 in 1929.
This Michelle Williams-Led Western Shows the True Horrors of the Wild West
They’re not gun-slinging their way out of this one.
What Was the Cowboy War About?
The “cowboy war” that Netflix is adapting is actuallya famous gunfight that happened in O.K. Corralback in October 1881. Back in the day, many cowboy criminals were loosely organized and connected to certain family names. One of these western gangs was led by Ike Clanton. The famous feud between Wyatt and Ike began when Wyatt offered a $6,000 reward for Ike’s help in catching the Cowboys, who were local outlaws in Tombstone. Ike agreed at first but became increasingly paranoid that Wyatt would sell him out to his own gang. The tensionbetween the Earp and Clanton clansescalated to the point of the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. On the Earp side was Wyatt, his brothers Virgil and Morgan (Shane Penhale), and Doc Holliday against Ike and his gang. Supposedly, this cowboy warlasted for about 30 seconds, leaving only Wyatt completely unharmed.
Virgil, Morgan, and Doc were wounded but alive. Three outlaws in Ike’s clan were shot dead while Ike himself ran away. This wasn’t the end of the Cowboy War, however.Ike filed murder charges against the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. Wyatt and Doc were imprisoned for sixteen days. Sometime after that, Virgil was ambushed and wounded by Ike and his clan in December 1881. Then, in March 1882, Wyatt and Morgan were attacked by unknown assassins in a saloon. Morgan didn’t make it out of that fight alive. What started as a war becamea quest for vengeance. Wyatt, his brother Warren, and their friend scoured the area to find Morgan’s killer. They killed at least two possible suspects, maybe even more, beforeWyatt fled Tombstone due to his accusations of murder. It was around then that the Cowboy War ended.
The O.K. Corral gunfight was a crucial moment in Wyatt Earp’s life that still makes him famous today.Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Wardoes a fantastic job of bringing the fight to light in this dramatic reenactment. This miniseries also has interviews with people familiar with Wyatt Earl, his life, the 1881 gunfight, and how the Wild West truly was.
You can watchWyatt Earp and the Cowboy Waron Netflix.
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War (2024)
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War is a 2024 TV docudrama series that explores the infamous feud between Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton, focusing on the events leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and its aftermath. The series uses vivid reenactments and features narration by Ed Harris, with Tim Fellingham and Jack Gordon also starring.
