The Gunfighters
Story 25
Written by Donald Cotton
Transmitted April 30 - May 21, 1966
So fill up your glasses
And join in the song
The Law's right behind you
And it won't take long.
So come, you coyotes,
And howl at the moon
Till there's blood upon the sawdust
In "The Last Chance" Saloon.
After breaking a tooth on a boiled sweet in a previous adventure, the Doctor is in dire need of a dentist. Irony of ironies... the TARDIS lands in the middle of the Old West. Not just any location either, but the eve of the historic gunfight of the O.K. Coral. Ensnared by a case of mistaken identity, the Doctor, Steven and Dodo soon find themselves part of history's bloody web and are incapable of getting themselves free.
A highly unusual story for many reasons (a comedic historical with musical numbers), The Gunfighters supposedly came about due to the suggestion of actor William Hartnell. On a whim, the actor suggested that a western adventure may prove interesting. Later, Hartnell admitted that this marked the only instance that he made such a suggestion and that The Gunfighters had the lowest viewing figures of his time on the program (actually, this ins't true). Amused at his blunder, the actor agreed to keep his trap shut regarding plot ideas from that point forward. In 1966, Hartnell was finding himself in the unfortunate position of being against the production team. The only remaining member of the 'old guard,' he strongly disagreed with the direction that producer Innes Lloyd and Shaun Sutton wished to take that would see Doctor Who play to a more sophisticated adult audience. Hartnell also found the rise in violence distasteful and yearned for the simpler fanciful tales. In short, he had reached the end of his relationship with Doctor Who.
While I strongly regard Ian Chesterton as the ideal dashing hero that one wishes he could be if he had been chosen to travel with the Doctor, Steven Taylor was the harsh reality of what most of us would be like. Headstrong, clumsy and brave to a fault, Steven is nonetheless entertaining to watch during his short time on screen (most of the stories featuring Steven including the epic Dalek Master Plan are sadly lost). Steven and the Doctor butt heads but on a very basic level. It seems that most of the time the Doctor just wants to be rid of him and wanders off. That's not to suggest that he and Steven don't have any chemistry or fondness for each other, but they are chalk and cheese in so many ways; the genius and the buffoon, the brilliant tactician and the brave lone hero, etc.
Acting alongside Peter Purves (who played astronaut and panda bear enthusiast Steven Taylor), Hartnell was dismayed at the steady stream of dolly birds that the producers threw at the program, the latest of which was Dodo Chaplet. While Purves was an experienced TV actor and entertainer, Jackie Lane was a much younger actress and the subject of much hand-wringing at the BBC who could not agree what her character was all about. Her accent and demeanor changed from scene to scene and in the end, she makes very little impact, so little in fact that she disappears off screen in the War Machines a few stories later.
Both Steven and Dodo are overjoyed to find themselves in the Old West and disappear back into the TARDIS to get more appropriately dressed. They emerge in the most flamboyant costume versions of period clothing and the Doctor for a moment forgets his dental agony. In what looks to be a glossy silk Western-style shirt with sewn on stars on the chest, Steven whips out a pair of six-shooters and loudly declares that he is actually Dead Eye Steve... attracting nearby lawman Wyatt Earp who promptly arrests all three to keep them out of trouble.
Seeing no other recourse, the Doctor concocts a cover story for the law that he and his friends are entertainers, providing stage names Steven Regret, Dodo Dupont and Doctor Caligari. This somewhat pleases the sheriff, but they are warned to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble finds them. Dropping off the Doctor at Holiday's place of practice, Dodo and Steven giggle to themselves that their friend is on for a shock when he discovers the 1600's has not seen the advent of aesthetic. Retiring to the nearby saloon, the pair find themselves in the company of the Clanton Brothers, eager to find and kill Doc Holiday for their kid brother's murder. With very little description of Holiday to go one, they decide to sit and wait it out in the saloon until the boozing gambler shows himself. Meanwhile, Steven and Dodo are forced to live up to their cover stories and perform the dreaded Ballad of the O.K. Coral.
Recovering from his tooth removal, the Doctor is accosted by one of the Clanton Brothers, no doubt tired of waiting for Holiday to show himself. He misidentifies the Doctor as Holiday and challenges him to show his face at the saloon. Being an English gentleman, the Doctor no doubt thinks that he has just been invited for a drink and accepts. Seeing a way out of facing his just deserts and of wiping his past clean away, Holiday arms the Doctor and sends him on his way to the Saloon.
Realizing that the Clanton brothers are in town with only one purpose, Wyatt Earp and Marshal Bat Masterson decide to play their cards close to their chests and use the Doctor as a lure, drawing the Clantons into a trap. Unfortunately, Dodo and Steven get taken hostage and the dreaded gunslinger Johnny Ringo arrives in town for a piece of the action. For once, the Doctor has no interest in preserving history at all, he just wants to get his friends out of trouble to the safety of the TARDIS!
I have to be honest in saying that for the longest time I regarded the Gunfighters as the kind of thing parents threatened their children with if they wouldn't eat their veggies. But after reading favorable reviews, I was intrigued enough to give a second, third and fourth try. This review took me ages to get to but it had nothing to do with procrastination. It was a test of nerves and I passed... eventually.
Part of the problem is that many of the actors are distracted by trying to stick to their accents, a feat that proves to be too much sometimes as dialog gets garbled and an already strained plot is made nearly unintelligible. The first meeting of the Clanton brothers is intended to be a nail-biting tension-filled moment building up the danger, but the poor actors can barely make it through the scene of exposition for fear of tripping over their 'authentic' old west idioms!
A flawed adventure, The Gunfighters is helped by an outstanding cast including the late Anthony Jacobs as the scheming Doc Holiday. As soon as it is established that the story is set in the O.K. Coral of the Old West, the action shifts to Doc Holiday, hardly the vicious character of historical record, as he is depicted a nervous and retired gun-shooter trying to set up business as a (wait for it) dentist. His lady friend and former lady of ill repute Kate watches over him uneasily as Holiday polishes his examination chair and hangs the sign outside of his newly established place of business, just as the local law keeps a watchful eye in his every move, missing the no-good band of hoodlums riding into town to take brutal revenge on Holiday.
Anthony Jacobs is only one member of a superb supporting cast in this story, but some of the other actors may slip you by as they are more well known for their vocal talents than their faces. David Grahan, for instance, who plays the shaky barman Charlie, is the voice behind Brains from Gerry Anderson's Super Marionation saga, Thunderbirds. An accomplished character actor was almost cast as the 'deadeye' Johnny Ringo, but proved unavailable... Patrick Troughton.
Anthony Jacobs as Doc Holiday
I am a big fan of the historical Doctor Who adventures and of the comedic ones as well. Cotton's other efforts in this direction (The Romans and The Mythmakers) are good examples of how to get this right. Unfortunately, a massive monkey wrench is thrown into the mix in this case in the form of a musical lament played incessantly throughout all four parts. The lyrics were written by Cotton and series director Rex Tucker and while it may be charming and whimsical once, hearing it sung by characters on screen (at gun point) and as part of the narration is far too much. Even Shaun Sutton dismayed the overuse of the tune, stating that the poor American accents and slow direction were further hamstrung by that damned song turning up over and over, causing the action to come to a complete stop each time.
A polished actor with a deep love for the stage, Hartnell clearly relishes the light comedy here and plays the part of the reluctant deputy and of Holiday's first dental patient (or victim) to the hilt. There are some pearls of dialog throughout the story as the Doctor is handed a firearm at least three times and asks out loud why people keep giving him guns. This is no doubt an attempt to off-set the oncoming violence that the 'Ballad of the O.K. Coral' reminds us is coming.
With so many classic adventures missing, it is remarkable that of all stories, The Gunfighters remains perfectly intact (what about Marco Polo, The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve? Galaxy Four, even!). The production values are top notch (with some wonderful camera direction and use of actual horses thrown in to make things interesting), but it is far too long. Classic Doctor Who is no stranger to a contrived run around, but this is a standout case thanks to the repeated Ballad of the O.K. Coral that opens, closes and bridges each of the four installments. A fun and light adventure, The Gunfighters also features some rather chilling gun battles, an oddity for Doctor Who at the time.
Earthstory (The Gunfighters and The Awakening) DVD Trailer
watch?v=E6xFf3JGdSM
Inexplicably packaged with the Fifth Doctor story, Awakening, the Gunfighters will be released on DVD in the U.K. next week (it will be released on its own in the US on July 12th). I am very interested in revisiting this story in DVD format and am curious what kind of light the production notes, commentary and documentaries can shed on this one.
Pre-order Doctor Who: The Gunfighters (released 7/12/11)
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