For a gun-slinging hero who kept players and sporting men as his constant companions, Wyatt Earp’s character had a sharp tongue. Referring to silver miners in “Tombstone” who had gotten very rich mining the area, Earp says, “They’ll all be richer than Croesus.”
It’s an idiom of the time, but it refers to a legendarily wealthy king who reigned over Lydia in Western Asia Minor from 560 to 546 B.C. His reserves overflowed with gold pouring from the mines. He was the first king to use gold to make coins. Silver coins were made out of Tombstone’s silver mines.
The Kaloma Photograph
There is a particular scene in the movie that is worth referencing as it is taken from a real-life story. Just before the shoot-out at O.K. Corral, there is a scene where Josie — Wyatt Earp’s love interest, played by the actress Dana Delany — refers to the famous Kaloma Photograph. In the scene, she briefly sees the photo at Fly’s Photographic Studio. The Kaloma Photograph is, in fact, real and pretty famous. It depicts the image of a nude woman who has draped herself in a sheer cloth.
There is a dispute over who the mystery woman in the photograph is. Some think it might be Josephine Marcus Earp, while some historians have questioned whether the photograph is in fact authentic. Some claim it to be just a showgirl from the East Coast. Historians also believe the photograph to be dated between 1913-1914 which would not match the timelines of the events in "Tombstone", so it is unlikely actually to be Josephine Marcus Earp.
A Name Game
Both actresses who portrayed Wyatt Earp’s love interests had the same name. As a funny coincidence, Earp’s character fell in love with Josephine and Matty, but in real life, they are both named Dana. Dana Delaney played Josephine and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson played Mattie.
Mattie was Earp’s second common-law wife who he met after his first wife passed away. Josephine became his third common-law wife after things with Mattie fell apart.
An Ill-Fated Love Scene
The love scene between Wyatt Earp and Josephine ended up on the cutting room floor. It’s the part when Earp and Josephine happen to meet each other while horseback riding.
Director Cosmatos didn’t want to rush into a steamy scene with the couple so early into the film, so he cut it. This, despite the fact that a clip of it is featured in the movie trailer.
Tombstone Might Have Been Directed by John Carpenter
Director John Carpenter revealed in an interview in the late-1990s that he had an interest in directing the movie. Carpenter has often noted his affinity to Westerns and his hope to make one. During the interview, he says that he almost directed "Tombstone".
It’s not surprising that the collaboration was a possibility. Carpenter’s friendship with Kurt Russell goes back a long time. Since Russell starred in the film, it’s easy to imagine Carpenter manning the director’s seat.