I derpped the locations; CORRECTION: Doc was born in Griffin, Georgia - mostly raised in Valdosta, Georgia - passed away in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
mtman2 : Yeah! "The Cowboys"! That's another great one by Doc right there, as they burst into a hotel (brothel?) "Don't move!"someone says. Doc interjects "Nonsense! By all means,move!" Notice how Doc triggered Billy to go for his gun at the OK Corral? Then blasted him with "the street howitzer"!
mtman2 : I wish that could find some reason to oppose your comments at least once,instead of agreeing with everything you say,but I find myself remembering scenes that are consistent with your comments.The Cowboys were bullies and extortionists. Ike Clanton was a a big mouthed coward, and it seems that he survived "the purge" by the "Immortals"! And the Doc! Would you dare to dump a woman with "I think we need to redefine the nature of our relationship!" Would you dare, after winning all his money, tell an illiterate bully who is backed by a gang of bullies "I know, let's have a spelling contest!" And mock a deadly gunslinger by replicating his display of smooth gun-handling, using a cup! A true loyal, fearless Southern gentleman!
Val Kilmer not getting an OSCAR for his role as ''Doc Holiday'' in Tombstone was one of the biggest snubs in Academy Award history. As he was truly ''a daisy'' in that classic western movie. In fact, he's one of my all-time favorite characters in the movies.
Greg, I agree with you, Kilmer was great! It is funny but I worked with someone who said Kilmer was not the person for Doc, I can't see anybody that would be better. She was the only one that thought that.
Everyone gives accolades to Val Kilmer for the role as Doc Holliday. Watch Val Kilmers interview about the movie. He gives all the credit to Kurt Russell. When Russell took control of the movie directing, Val said he gave up lots of lines and out front appearances to make all the actors shine. Kurt deserves kudos for stepping back so Val and others shine. Very much selflessness on his part. That's one of the reasons I think it's the best Western ever produced.
"You're no daisy." I was curious about this statement after seeing the film. I looked it up in a standard dictionary and it was simply defined as a species of flower etc. But, I had a really old dictionary that had belonged to my great grandmother and there I found the answer. The old dictionary started off with the flower definition, but it also had the slang definition. A "daisy" was a really good marksman. This expression died out, however, there was a make of air rifle made in the 1950's and '60's called the "Daisy." How many of you readers had or remember the Daisy air rifle? Now, how this expression "daisy" went from a flower to a deadly marksman, I don't know. You might have to go through dusty old books to find out. The usage of these two words -- and probably all the dialogue in this film -- shows what a really great script this was and one of Val Kilmer's greatest efforts.
Most badass after this line: Josey Wales: "You a Bounty Hunter?" Bounty Hunter: "Man's gotta make a livin" Josey Wales: "Dying ain't much of a livin' boy" *Proceeds by killing the Bounty Hunter*
Nah...'skin that smoke wagon and see what happens...jerk that pistol and go to work...are you gonna do something or just stand there and bleed' three lines in the same scene, in the same movie, are more bad ass, imo
I'm not even a huge fan of westerns but this is one of my all time favourite films. Val Kilmer literally WAS Doc Holliday for me and acted everyone else off the screen (as brilliant as they all were).
The second time he said it Ringo still thought it was Wyatt so saying I’m your huckleberry was an impactful way of letting Ringo know it was Doc not Wyatt. Doc then refers back to when he said it the first time by saying “we started a game we didn’t finish”.
What you don’t know is that he actually said this to him in real life. And is very well documented as both men were arrested outside of the saloon, as John was threatening Wyatt.
This was actually one of my favorite quotes. Do you find that when you have a favorite movie you begin to use your favorite quotes your self. My husband and I love lonesome dove and we use those good quotes also. And, also UNFORGIVEN (that word is not in the dictionary.) "I RECON SO"
This speaks to the historicity of events as officially documented (Ringgold's cause of death is officially listed as suicide) to the audience, while epitomizing Doc's wit, sarcasm, and modesty; as it appears he offers the narrative that Ringo shot himself to Wyatt, who comes running in after Ringo has already fallen, while obviously being facetious.
Im from Alabama. The term "I'm your huckleberry" is just like saying I'm your man for whatever you need. My grandparents and parents used it a lot in my youth.
I think you're right and that's just what he meant to say both times. The southern part of the USA speech has been influenced, more than people think, by old European ways of speaking. For anyone that doubts that I encourage them to look into the origin of the phrase "Y'all"
Same here, I was born and raised in LA, lower Arkansas. I'm your huckleberry means that I'm your man to get the job done. I'm a child of the early 60's, but was blessed to have my Great Grand Parents around for quite a spell. I learned so much history from them and I still love my history to this day. Thank you though for the video.
I thought exactly the same thing. Val Kilmer should have won an academy award for his portrayal of Doc Holliday. He stole the show! Can't understand the haters. He researched the role and worked with voice expert to get his speech correct, for a southern aristocrat from that time era.
Much of the movie was based on a 1927 book called "Tombstone : An Iliad of the Southwest", which itself, was not historically accurate regarding the events in Tombstone. In the book: ‘They say you’re the gamest man in the Earp crowd, Doc,’ Ringo said. ‘I don’t need but three feet to do my fighting. Here’s my handkerchief. Take hold.’ Holliday took a quick step toward him. ‘I’m your huckleberry, Ringo,’ replied the cheerful doctor. ‘That’s just my game.’ Holliday put out a hand and grasped the handkerchief. Both men reached for their six-shooters.
Doc told Wyatt that he couldn't beat Ringo in a pistol fight. Doc was confident in taking on Ringo. But, Curly Bill knew of Doc's rep (warned of it in the casino) and Curly Bill hauled/dragged Ringo away from a gunfight with Doc, fearing Ringo would get killed by Doc. When Ringo was 'showing off' in the casino, Doc was scoping him out, clocking Ringo's moves and reflexes. Ringo was confident to meet Wyatt Earp by the old oak tree for a pistol fight, but as much as he hated Doc, he was unsure he could beat him. While Doc had been confident when facing Ringo. When Ringo saw it was Doc (not Wyatt Earp) waiting at the old oak tree, he again lost his confidence. Doc was as condident as ever, knowing he could beat Ringo. Ringo could only summon his rage-hate, and duel with him. Doc quickly validated his reputation (and Wyatt Earp's assessment of him being the nerviest, fastest, most lethal gunfighter he'd ever known) and THEN put on a brief show of pistol spinning. Ringo was lots of pistol spinning bravodo, fast gun fighting, and lethal. Doc was faster and hence more lethal, yet more modest in his (also expert) pistol spinning.
Doc would’ve dropped him right there in the street had the cowboys not held a drunken Ringo back- and would’ve still continued his shave afterwards. Doc was ready to go- at all times. 100% American bad ass.
@Drahc Ulia It wasn't just confidence from Holiday, though clearly he was confident in his abilities. He was already dying, and thus had no fear of death. He wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, instead of simply wasting away, but he wasn't going to throw away his life, either. He only wanted to lose to somebody better or as good as he was. That's why he was yelling at Ringo to "come on" after he shot him, and was visibly upset that Ringo was "no daisy" and not as good as Doc hoped he was.
The first time I saw "Tombstone" and heard this exchange, I said " . . . for being born" along with Doc. It was the only thing he could have said. What a great script. What great performances. What a great movie. I love it dearly.
Appreciate your input on this. My take was that when Doc first said it to Ringo that he was telling him I’m your man and I’m ready to go now. In the gunfight scene towards the end of the movie, he repeats the line knowing Ringo would fully understand what was coming. Ringo initiated the fight to the death early on and Doc was there to give it to him. So the line is the same because it was the answer to his challenge and at the end, a reminder that Doc was there to fulfill it. Johnny wanted Wyatt because Wyatt wasn’t the killer that Doc was. Wyatt killed when he had to or was forced to. Doc was a killer and Curly Bill knew it, that’s why he stopped the drunken Ringo from fighting Doc earlier. Curly Bill needed Johnny and his skills to instill fear in the Cowboys and people in general. Once again, just my thoughts and I appreciate your information.
For the movie yes Doc was known as a killer, but historically Doc only is recorded for 2-3 killings before The battle of the OK Corral, even at the end Doc killing Ringo is a fantastic scene for the movie but never happened because he and Wyatt were in Colorado for a court trial the day of Ringo's death
The actor who played Johnny Ringo also deserves special mention. The contrast and similarity between Johnny Ringo and Doc Holiday greatly enhanced the drama. Both educated men, yet stone cold killers. The West was only big enough for one of them. Johnny Ringo was a worthy nemesis...and died with his boots on. Whereas Holiday did not.
@@Tom-tk3du MIchael Biehn. Fantastic in that role. Not to mention Powers Boothe as Curly Bill. Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, and of course the always wonderful Sam Elliot. Movie was filled with such great performances, no wonder it is a classic.
Interesting! The phrase is in the 1927 novel the film is based on. I had always associated the phrase with Tom Sawyers friend and companion, Huckleberry Finn as in "I'm your friend/playmate/guy/sidekick". Twain's novel was written just a few years before the gunfight at OK Corral so I presumed it was referencing Huck Finn's character. When was the phrase first used? Tom Sawyer was published in 1870. Perhaps Huck's name was inspired by the phrase...or vise versa? Are there any references prior to Tom Sawyer? I just looked at enotes which says Twain's Huckleberry suggested "...a lowly person of rustic origins, much like the fruit that resists cultivation."
I agree, i always assumed the Tom Sawyer meaning also. "I'm your Huckleberry, that's just my game!" Also, if you've read Twain/Sawyer it makes a lot more sense. As weren't they looking for "Huckleberries" as well? Time for me to read it again.
This dude's wrong as hell. It's a " huckle bearer ". A huckle is a coffin handle and huckle bearer is the the same thing as a pallbearer. A bur is a bur and a prickly thing.
@stevesmith2171 nope val talking about it in a interview and he said it was huckleberry. And it's in the script. Look up stuff before you try to fight about it
The photo you have on the cover is NOT Doc Holliday. It is a photo of John Escapule who also lived in Tombstone. His descendants still live here. Also, the script from the movie "Tombstone" explicitly says, "Huckleberry". That is the context of Val Kilmer's line. I hope this is helpful.
Tombstone's one of my favorite movies and I always wondered about those two lines. Understanding dated language adds so much to the movie, thanks a lot!!
Doc Holliday was a skilled dental surgeon who fixed Wyatt Earp's teeth. He also played classical piano. He was one of the first people to have a cleft surgery. "Doc", by Mary Doria Russell, is an excellent book.
Hello. Thank you very much for clarifying these two terms. Being an English as a third language speaker I was puzzled for many years. I looked up several dictionaries and asked many native speakers and nobody knew it. I become extremely happy when a puzzle is solved. Specifically western cowboys movies are bombarded with these kind of terms. Please do more.
The second, "I'm your Huckleberry" is used as a taunt as well as telling Johnny with whom he was speaking. Doc was identifying himself in a way that Johnny would recognize.
Val Kilmer fans. Check out his performance in a western called "Comanche Moon''. It's part of the 'Lonesome Dove' story and Val does a fantastic job in his role, as usual.
I am from Georgia and have heard it said before that the final nail that seals a coffin is called the huckleberry. If that's a true saying, it fits in the seen in a very cool way. Has anyone else heard of this saying?
No, I haven't heard of that that. But I do know that a huckle is a handle on a coffin, and Doc was actually saying, 'I'm your huckle bearer". In other words - "I will bury you" !!
Its Huckleberry in the original script, and Kilmer also clarified it as Huckleberry. The term was used by Mark Twain, and was also said by Yancy Derringer in a 1959 episode. It's an old expression though not common anymore. But hucklebearer has been thrown around by Tombstone residents wanting to sound like they have the inside knowledge, but dont be duped.
Many years ago I used to watch USA Tuesday Night Fights. There was a boxer who was from the southern U.S., who came out wearing a tee-shirt that said "I'm your huckleberry". He won the fight, so during the post-match interview the announcer asked him about the shirt. He said something to the effect that huckleberries have pointy leaves, branches or something that made them stick or cling to you and and made you itch. So being "your huckleberry" meant he was someone that was going to constantly irritate you and could not easily be shaken off or go away. I don't know if that is what is meant in the movie or if the boxer made it up, but it is always the way I've interpreted it since.
I enjoyed both responses. Me myself, I did not know either, but being raised in Southeastern Louisiana, where Huckleberry bushes grow wild, I came to my conclusion that it meant, "Hey, if you want a fight, pick me.!"
I always interpreted the "You're no daisy" line as revealing Doc's suppressed hope that someone would finally kill him and end his suffering. He knew he was dying, and wasn't looking forward to the process. So he kind of hoped Ringo would be the man to get the job done, and was therefore a bit disappointed when he failed.
Thanks for the interesting comment - I did a follow up to Daisy because it was so interesting. You might like it ( ua-cam.com/video/1gc1ecVy9aI/v-deo.html )
Doesn't Ringo threaten to kill Doc earlier in the film and Doc says "you'd be a daisy if you did."? In which case when Ringo eventually tried to kill Doc and failed, Doc remarked disappointedly that he was no daisy after all.
He did he had a death wish the sooner the better that's why he lived the way he did. When he says you're a daisy if you do it's from the meaning of daisy as a gentleman "you're a gentleman if you do"
I think he meant only 'I'm your Huckleberry ' in both scenes, meaning I'm your opponent, the one you're looking for -- first when Ringo is drunk and the cowboys drag him away, and finally when Doc substitutes for Earp in their shoot-out at the end. The history I've read is that Doc did say to Ringo, after the OK Corral shootout, when Ringo approached him drunk and angry, "I'm your Huckleberry. That's just my game" . However the shootout scene between them at the end was fictitious. It isn't likely that Doc killed Ringo.
i LOVE this movie!!!!! i live in an "Holliday-ian" old west tourist town, and spent 3 years researching Doc. Interestingly, he didn't kill Ringo. Some believe it was suicide, others believe it was another cowboy, but either way, it happened after Doc moved to Colorado. Damn, we have statues of Wyatt Earp but Doc was always more interesting to me. Maybe it was secretly Kilmer. 😉
This was delightful and as someone who admires knights and southern gentlemen, appreciate the derivation. Researching movie quotes brings history to life and adds another dimension to a modern venue. Thank you for that❣️Here’s one for you, if you are still seeking the meanings of phrases. The proof is not “in the pudding” but “The proof of the pudding, is in the eating”. Another way of saying “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover”. A pudding could come off the stove looking perfect but taste terrible when eaten and vice versa!
This movie is historic. Right up there with The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and Lonesome Dove. Valmer is the king! Always steals the show. All good wishes!
All this conjecture is mute... when he said”I’m your huckleberry”the first time he was basically calling his bluff, when he said it the second time he was reminding him that they had unfinished business between them!
Do you have any literary reference or link to anything from "back then" that shows the term "huckle bearer" or "burr", as you pronounce it, was even a real term? This debate has been going on the last 10 years, and I've yet to find it be used as a real term. I get that some say it refers to the handles on the casket being called "huckles", but to say someone was a "huckle bearer" would literally mean they were a "handle carrier". Which makes no sense. A "pall" is a blanket or sheet draped over the casket, so if you're bearing the casket, you're also bearing the pall, so it's obvious where that came from. And we know "huckleberry" is a real term that was used and historically accurate, and we know the "Play for blood" scene is in the 1920's Walter Burns novel about Tombstone, and Doc's line is in the book, word-for-word. "I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game" So whether that's what was said in the movie is not in debate at all, as you mentioned. Val Kilmer has even confirmed this and specifically said he did NOT say "bearer". I would simply love to see any proof at all that "huckle bearer" was even a real term from that time. I've yet to see any reference to that term from literature back then. I've looked through old dictionaries that are online from the late 1800's to the early 1900's and find no reference to it at all. I now believe that the term was simply made up on the internet in the 2000's by someone who didn't understand Doc's deep Southern drawl when he said "Huckleberry".
Yeah I was thinking of that scene. I think he said it to someone at the OK Corral. I think the guy said "I'll kill you" and Doc said "You're a daisy if you do." I.e. he WANTS someone to kill him because he didn't want to die of T.B. So when he says to Ringo "You're no daisy at all", it doesn't say anything about what Doc thinks of himself (in the movie, he doesn't think much of himself. See the discussion at Hooker's Ranch. He's talking about himself as much as Ringo there). "You're no daisy at all" is basically Doc's exclamation of disappointment at not being killed in the gun fight. That's why he kept shouting "COME ON!!!" at Ringo, trying to get him to shoot him. So "You're no daisy at all" is basically a 1800s version of "You SUCK, man."
@@MishaGerrick what a very insightful comment! I think you're right on target too. I was surprised to see your comment hadn't gained more accolades, not that they much matter to you I'm sure, but I also see how recently you shared your thoughts. Cheers😉
New Sub! This was awesome content! There were so many great lines used in this movie and some of the simplest were the best “I Don’t” , “Say when” and “That’s Funny” were among some of the simplest “Rememberable lines” that hit hard! Kilmer was amazing!
Doc Holiday had a dentist's office in Griffin Georgia and when I was growing up there was a pawn shop downstairs and for $5 you could go upstairs and see his dentist's office with all of his dental tools. Not sure if they were his tools, the chair was his I know, but the tools could have been from that time substituted to fill out the office.
I would bet that the "I'm your huckleberry/burr", being so similar had kind of a double entendre. Also, even if the "huckleburr" was originally thought of as the line, the second use of it refers back to the first. Whatever Doc meant in the second instance, he's completing the circle that began when their first confrontation was interrupted.
HUCKLE (The handle on a casket) BEAROR (To carry)..... he said he was going to be the one to kill and carry his casket. Now you won't be able to unhear it
@@FreedomLandscapeBend But it's still wrong. That term can't be found anywhere in literary history pre-2000's on the internet. It didn't exist. Someone who doesn't understand deep Southern accents made it up. And Val Kilmer himself has specifically stated he did NOT say that, he says he only said "Huckleberry"...which is the correct term and period-correct as well. It's also in the 1920's novel Tombstone, which is what the movie was based on.
In 1834 Davey Crockett dictated his biography. There he used the expression:“This was a hard business on me, for I could just barely write my own name. But to do this, and write the warrants too, was at least a huckleberry over my persimmon”. It is meant to indicate something “beyond”, “over-and-above”, “better”. “Huckleberry over persimmon” appears in several 19th century publications meaning the preferred option. After 1875, after the publication of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry in reference to a person starts to mean “Pal”, “Sidekick”, “Wingman”. I can find no published examples of “Huckle Bearer”. This is not to say that it did not exist. I would love to see a citation of its use for “Pall Bearer”. Doc Holiday, who was educated in Latin, enjoyed word play to taunt his opponents. It is enough for him to be saying “I am the thing that is better than you”. It would not be beyond his character to also be saying: “I’ll bury you”.
Part of the rivalry depicted in the movie focused on how both of them where well read and educated ....hence Shakespearean quotes would seem in character , like a second language shared between them .....
Wild4Games :Copied from Movieweb's "10 Tombstone movie facts that you never knew until now" 2007 by Ryan J. Downey-" In fact, all of the lines spoken by the actors during the pivotal scene at the O.K. Corral are said to be historically accurate, based on different historical sources, like newspaper reports from Tombstone that chronicled the famous shootout. But did Doc ever say, "I'm your Huckleberry?" For that matter, did Val Kilmer even say it? This is a hotly debated topic online. According to True West, the phrase "I'm your Huckleberry" is attributed to Doc in the 1928 book Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns, which was based in part on interviews with old-timers from the area. True West and other sources also contend, "I'm your Huckleberry" is an old Southern phrase meaning, basically, "If you want a fight, I'm your man," or even more patronizingly, "If you want to dance, I'll dance with you." Doc Holliday was born in Georgia and Kilmer certainly gave him a Southern aristocrat's charms. Then there are those who say the line is actually "I'm your huckle bearer," arguing that a "huckle" was a word for the handles on a casket, making a "huckle bearer" a pallbearer. That would make the line, "I'm your huckle bearer" pretty sinister. But we've gone to the source material. We took a look at the screenplay, a fourth draft dated March 15, 1993, to be exact, and it most certainly says "Huckleberry." I have searched but found no record of any Kevin Jarre's interview by E magazine that speaks of any mistake with "huckle bearer"!
halnywiatr ! That is correct but his Latin was limited at best ! Then again just being able to read,and write was a huge accomplishment let alone Latin ! !
"He was one of the first students at the Valdosta Institute, a private school that provided strong classical education in mathematics, grammar, history, Latin and French." valdostamuseum.com/exhibitions/online-exhibits-2/people/doc-holliday/
There’s meme going around Facebook now that says: “In the early 1800s, the handle on a casket was a "huckle" The person that carried it was a "bearer" So what Doc Holliday said was, "I'll be your huckle bearer" Not huckleberry. We now call it a "pallbearer". So I had to research it and your video put me at ease, especially noting the script says “Huckleberry”. Thank you!
Theory is wrong, as you noted. A casket handle was NEVER called a "huckle", and therefore there was never any such term as "huckle bearer". And we could ask Val Kilmer what he thinks about it: "By the way, despite some fans’ contention that in the 1800s the handles of caskets were called huckles and thus the word huckle bearer was a term for pall bearer, I do not say “I’m your huckle bearer.” I say, “I’m your huckleberry,” connotating “I’m your man. You’ve met your match." Val Kilmer, August 2020
Wow! I love the "I'm your huckleberry" explanation! It completely fits even.more and totally suits Doc to reiterate verbatim the "I'm your huckleberry" line, while the subtlety of hucklebur, was implied and played on. I just discovered Tombstone, and I couldn't be happier to have found such a great film. Videos like yours, gives this already great film even more depth. Thanks!!
Thanks for watching - that is one interpretation for sure - Like many words or phrases, they can mean different things or have multiple meanings in different regions or change over time. 💪
Outside of a few modern claims about huckle bearer I can not find any period sources for that phrase. However in the book by Walter Noble Burns Wyatt Earp says that Doc Holliday told Ringo in Tombstone "I'm your huckleberry. That's my game."
Even if they just made it up, and it was completely absent of history, when Doc said "I'm your huckleberry", that was just *COOL!* Who has never repeated that line (rhetorical)!
Cool info.. Kilmer’s best role. I can’t imagine anyone ever topping his performance as Doc Holliday. He undoubtedly was Ringo’s huckleberry. What gets me in that scene was that little motion he did with his cigarette, after he shot him. Passing it under his nose.... Got me the very first time I saw it and every other of the dozen or so times I’ve seen it! Maybe you could find that out?
I can. Randy Quaid's performance, by far, out classes Val's. I like Val, I really do and I love Tombstone. Yet, when I watch that story compared to the Wyatt Earp biopic,, there's no comparison. (Although, those two movies stand above all featuring those two, and that particular incident.) Quaid's mannerisms, voice tonality, body (reminiscent of a disease riddled human). Val didn't cough till towards the end of TS. W. Earp's, Holiday mostly coughed through each screen performance. I can go on and on. Again, I love both those movies and each has its strengths. Thanks.
Tony S A huckleberry is a bluebery according to the dictionary. A cockleburr is actually a"burr" that you would NOT want " under your saddle"...Huckleburr? I don't think so. The term expresses an irritant.Cockleburr is the proper term. I'm from Texas where cockleburrs get stuck in your sox if you walk thru the weeds without boots....
Good job. Thank you. I have watched that great film a dozen times at least, and the highlight clips from it many many more times. Mr Kilmer's memorable delivery made his intentions quite clear, however learning the specific history for the key words, huckleberry and daisy, has been most satisfying. Thanks again.
Loved all of Doc's lines, BUT when Wyatt shouts: "You tell him the Law's coming for him & hell's comin' with me. HELL'S COMIN' WITH ME!" - - gave me goose bumps & a shit eatin' grin on my face! 🤤😨😵
Another great line from that scene: I'm afraid the strain was more than he could bare... Nobody knows for sure how Ringo died. But he was found by a tree dead from a shot to the head, and there are many who think it was self inflicted. Hence, that line hints at that possibility....
In the film, Doc told Ringo to shoot Doc , saying, " You're a daisy if you do.". But poor Ringo, he was not a daisy with Doc's bullet in his brain. The strain was just too much for him.
Chris Phares there is a problem with that. Ringo was already a "daisy", by your take on this. He had a bullet in his head and was already a daisy if he managed to shoot Doc or if he didn't. As a threat, it would have been over the top silly. These kinds of expressions will take on different meanings in different places. I do not think your proposed meaning fits the movie circumstance, at all. That kind of slang almost always has multiple meanings. The term " bimbo" originally referred to useless aristocratic young men, not dumb blondes.
When I first saw the movie, I knew exactly what was being said... (Aaahhhemmm... I was wrong(?) ) In my fuzzy memory, I envisioned Tom Sawyer tricking Huckleberry Finn into whitewashing the fence -- with a little reverse psychology... explaining how enjoyable it was to perform such a craftsman-like job.., and that Huck wasn't able to appreciate the finer aspects of the "Art"... and succeeding in getting Huck to do the job for him, by appealing to his pride. --- And likewise, telling Ringo that he would step up and "do the job" that wasn't really what Ringo portrayed it to be... Oh, well... faulty memory and "a little knowledge..."
In the Huckleberry family, many are edible and some are poisonous. It is very difficult to differentiate. So, when he states, "I'm your huckleberry," he is cautioning Ringo that you better be careful for what you wish for.
One of my top 10 favorite movies. My brothers and I say this line to each other often. I also was in Tombstone Az and got to see the reenactment of the shootout at the ok corral. That was cool!
When I first heard it from Doc Holiday, my interpretation was that he meant: "I'm Your Adversary!" (I'm Your Huckleberry!) Opponent. The one you're looking for; waiting on, etc. And when he said to Johnny Ringo about not being a Daisy, Doc was saying that Ringo wasn't "Special" or no competition, i.e, A Legend In His Own Mind!
I came from a large family with many live e into their 90’s and 100’s. They had lots of old time sayings and phrases including that concerning huckleberries and daisies. The daisy meant youth and vitality. Huckleberry meant a special relationship existed.
We can close this case by just asking what Val Kilmer said about this in 2020: “By the way, despite some fans’ contention that in the 1800s the handles of caskets were called huckles and thus the word huckle bearer was a term for pall bearer, I do not say, ‘I’m your huckle bearer.’ I say, ‘I’m your huckleberry,’ connotating, ‘I’m your man. You’ve met your match.’” And then you can go over to the Idiom Channel on UA-cam and see what the experts there have to say about "huckle bearer" never even existing prior to about 1997-ish. It's never been found in any old text, newspaper, dictionary...nothing. Someone misheard it and made it up. There's not even any evidence that a "huckle" was ever a casket handle, either. Only old dictionary definition of that is "hip" or "bump". Nothing else.
I just watched the movie Tombstone for the first time about 2 weeks ago. I was looking up what "I'm your Huckleberry" meant and I came across your video. Thank you for clarifying. Also the addition of the "You're no Daisy" verse as well.
Richard Boone always gave me the impression that he never really got his big break, that he could have been up there with Wayne McQuuen and eastwood. like life itself it takes many positive things to succeed relatively speaking of course.
mtman2-yeah Richard Boone was solid and played a great villain to Paul Newman's character in the western "Hombre" . I loved that scene where Boone's character approaches the abandoned mine shack where the passenger from the stage coach were holding up. He walks up the hill unarmed , but wants to send a message in his attempt to get the money he stole that was now in passenger's possession. To paraphrase; he threatens them with a tough preamble "I can get water when I want too, come and go when I want too, and you can't leave unless I tell you to". While pointing his rifle out the window, Paul Newman gives a classic response with one simple STFU moment; "I have a question; how you getting back down that hill ?"
As the Funeral Director who supplied the items for the funeral scene and advised them for the film, I can tell you that there is no such word as "Huckle Bearer ". Coffin handles are called Lugs not Huckles. Also, the photo you used of "Doc Holliday" isn't Doc at all. It's the Great grandfather of the Mayor of Tombstone.
I asked Val Kilmer personally about this in a debate as to whether he said "huckleberry" or "huckle bearer" as some were trying to claim. Val said it was "huckleberry".
dasiy isnt a tough plant nor aterm for a tough guy......is the flowers they put on graves to pretty it up and cover the smell of rotting bodies in shallow graves........he was saying you aint getting any daisies we gonna leave you here to rot and be eaten by scavengers becasue he had failed to kill him doc wanted to die with his boots on being a man not bed ridden and weak
@@RinoGato The European Blueberry or Hurtleberry did not come to be called Huckleberry until the mid seventeenth century. Long, long after what would have been "King Arthur's time."
Your = something that belongs to the person you are talking to. As in, "This is your gunfight. It belongs to you". You're = short for "You are no daisy". The apostrophe indicates that it's a contraction of two words (you + are), and the apostrophe shows that there's a letter missing. I've used two other contractions in the last sentence where the apostrophe indicates missing letters: it's - short for it is, and there's - short for there is. You're welcome for the free English lesson, but I just can't believe how many people must have had shit teachers at school!
Historically, there was no armed confrontation between Johnny Ringo and Doc Holiday. In reality, Johnny Ringo hired Briggs Goodrich, the first attorney in Tombstone, to go and tell the various factions that he, Johnny Ringo, did not want to be involved. He left Tombstone the day before the showdown in the OK Corral.
Thank You for the explanation. Yes I Was Curious for many Years on this & the thumbnail Just popped up To see it. Doc was a playfull Guy, I Think He used the Word for opposite meanings for each 'Show-Down" screen Purpose. He's got That Sly look On His face "Mind-Gaming" His opponents for their attention diversions in each Encounter.. Great Movie superb acting. Time to get It from The library again to each Successive time seeing it extra detail tidbits Are Noticed...
When I researched this year's ago I found out that huckleberries were substitutions for blueberries when not available. Essentially I'm your Huckleberry, meant I'm not the one you want but I will give you what you need. Which makes sense since ringo in both of those instances wanted Wyatt but Doc would step up to the plate.
Also I read somewhere years ago that the your no daisy part was actually intended as technically a compliment maybe because daisies are easy to grow or flowers are usually frail and easy to pick off I don't remember why but it had something to do with Doc showing recognition to the fact that even though ringo got shot in the head he still tried to fight. Sorry that these contradict your findings but that's some alternative prospective for you.
Did anyone else notice the undertaker's shop is right over Ringo's shoulder the first time doc says it. He even knockes over the caskets when drug off. May foreshadow the hucklebarer meaning of the line...
I derpped the locations; CORRECTION: Doc was born in Griffin, Georgia - mostly raised in Valdosta, Georgia - passed away in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
Oh bullshit . All that Doc ment was " im your date , lets dance "
Wild4Games :"Why, Johnny Ringo,you look like somebody just walked over your grave!"
mtman2 : Somebody tells me "Well I wasn't, and this time it's legal",with them crazy eyes and tremblin' cigarette lips, I'd be crapping my pants too!
mtman2 : Yeah! "The Cowboys"! That's another great one by Doc right there, as they burst into a hotel (brothel?) "Don't move!"someone says. Doc interjects "Nonsense! By all means,move!" Notice how Doc triggered Billy to go for his gun at the OK Corral? Then blasted him with "the street howitzer"!
mtman2 : I wish that could find some reason to oppose your comments at least once,instead of agreeing with everything you say,but I find myself remembering scenes that are consistent with your comments.The Cowboys were bullies and extortionists. Ike Clanton was a a big mouthed coward, and it seems that he survived "the purge" by the "Immortals"! And the Doc! Would you dare to dump a woman with "I think we need to redefine the nature of our relationship!" Would you dare, after winning all his money, tell an illiterate bully who is backed by a gang of bullies "I know, let's have a spelling contest!" And mock a deadly gunslinger by replicating his display of smooth gun-handling, using a cup! A true loyal, fearless Southern gentleman!
Val Kilmer is still owed an Oscar for this role. That he didn't win easily is a testament to the silliness of the Academy.
I agree completely!
@@Wild4 Couldn't be more true.
no it's a testament to he arrogance and stupidity of the academy selection group.
@@Wild4 This snub and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction were the two worst snubs of that era.
Tommy Lee Jones 1994 Best Supporting Actor award for "The Fugitive" was not silly.
Val Kilmer not getting an OSCAR for his role as ''Doc Holiday'' in Tombstone was one of the biggest snubs in Academy Award history. As he was truly ''a daisy'' in that classic western movie. In fact, he's one of my all-time favorite characters in the movies.
Agree - he was stunning in the role 💪
Are you guys on dope! That was one of the most pathetic, gayest portrayals of Doc Holiday I've ever seen. I'm sure the real Doc would have shot him.
Greg, I agree with you, Kilmer was great! It is funny but I worked with someone who said Kilmer was not the person for Doc, I can't see anybody that would be better. She was the only one that thought that.
@@allenmartin6536 BOOOOOO
Greg Ines I totally agree
Everyone gives accolades to Val Kilmer for the role as Doc Holliday. Watch Val Kilmers interview about the movie. He gives all the credit to Kurt Russell. When Russell took control of the movie directing, Val said he gave up lots of lines and out front appearances to make all the actors shine. Kurt deserves kudos for stepping back so Val and others shine. Very much selflessness on his part. That's one of the reasons I think it's the best Western ever produced.
Not the best ever but definitely one of the best of all times in my humble opinion
@@user-rq2cz2dl6y, Clint Eastwood and Charles Brunson Western movies would be up there as well, and I’m not trying to diminish Tombstone.
I agree.
Silverado and once upon a Time in the West with Charles Bronson was great
Tombstone is an amazing film! Val Kilmer should have won the Oscar that year. It was one of the best performances of all time.
Oh for sure
Absolutely... brilliant role and how played out!
He got robbed big time
Given what kind of trash wins Oscars, I'd say an Oscar would be insulting
Yes, he was great in this movie! It actually was an all star cast as far as I'm concerned!
Great performance by Kilmer. He actually looked sick and bad-assed. An excellent performance by all the cast. One of my favorite westerns.
One of mine as well. So many great characters and great performances in this film!
This is the only movie I can ignore all of the ridiculous stuff (no reloading, ect) and still enjoy the hell out of it.
Ironic considering he sick he got in real life.
Touche'
Judging by the fact that he was sweating throughout the whole movie I think it is evident that he indeed looked sick ASF.
"You're no daisy." I was curious about this statement after seeing the film. I looked it up in a standard dictionary and it was simply defined as a species of flower etc. But, I had a really old dictionary that had belonged to my great grandmother and there I found the answer. The old dictionary started off with the flower definition, but it also had the slang definition. A "daisy" was a really good marksman. This expression died out, however, there was a make of air rifle made in the 1950's and '60's called the "Daisy." How many of you readers had or remember the Daisy air rifle? Now, how this expression "daisy" went from a flower to a deadly marksman, I don't know. You might have to go through dusty old books to find out. The usage of these two words -- and probably all the dialogue in this film -- shows what a really great script this was and one of Val Kilmer's greatest efforts.
That's very insightful thanks for sharing. I think Doc Holiday my be one of Val Kilmer's best performances.
Daisy air rifles havent disappeared their everywhere
Wow! Love this fact!
"Pushing up daisies" still exists so I can see the correlation.
Great find. Keep that old dictionary.
The most bad ass lines of any western. Val killed it in that movie. The tin cup holster routine in the bar was genius.
Most badass after this line:
Josey Wales: "You a Bounty Hunter?"
Bounty Hunter: "Man's gotta make a livin"
Josey Wales: "Dying ain't much of a livin' boy" *Proceeds by killing the Bounty Hunter*
Nah...'skin that smoke wagon and see what happens...jerk that pistol and go to work...are you gonna do something or just stand there and bleed' three lines in the same scene, in the same movie, are more bad ass, imo
Tin cup was weighted with lead to facilitate the spinning.
I'm not even a huge fan of westerns but this is one of my all time favourite films. Val Kilmer literally WAS Doc Holliday for me and acted everyone else off the screen (as brilliant as they all were).
The second time he said it Ringo still thought it was Wyatt so saying I’m your huckleberry was an impactful way of letting Ringo know it was Doc not Wyatt. Doc then refers back to when he said it the first time by saying “we started a game we didn’t finish”.
That makes sense! I just watched that scene and didn't get it as it's been years since I saw the movie - love it!
The look on Ringo's face when he realizes it isn't Wyatt. Subtle but said a bunch.
@@Kenobi_Cowboy it looked like someone had just walked over his grave.
I Love the quote at the end of this scene: "poor soul, he was just too high strung! The strain was more than he could bear."
Oh my too. Such a great follow up to that moment 💪
What you don’t know is that he actually said this to him in real life. And is very well documented as both men were arrested outside of the saloon, as John was threatening Wyatt.
This was actually one of my favorite quotes. Do you find that when you have a favorite movie you begin to use your favorite quotes your self. My husband and I love lonesome dove and we use those good quotes also. And, also UNFORGIVEN (that word is not in the dictionary.) "I RECON SO"
This speaks to the historicity of events as officially documented (Ringgold's cause of death is officially listed as suicide) to the audience, while epitomizing Doc's wit, sarcasm, and modesty; as it appears he offers the narrative that Ringo shot himself to Wyatt, who comes running in after Ringo has already fallen, while obviously being facetious.
That was a nice line, loved it!
Im from Alabama. The term "I'm your huckleberry" is just like saying I'm your man for whatever you need. My grandparents and parents used it a lot in my youth.
Charles Edmonds Thanks for the information.
I think you're right and that's just what he meant to say both times. The southern part of the USA speech has been influenced, more than people think, by old European ways of speaking. For anyone that doubts that I encourage them to look into the origin of the phrase "Y'all"
Same here, I was born and raised in LA, lower Arkansas. I'm your huckleberry means that I'm your man to get the job done. I'm a child of the early 60's, but was blessed to have my Great Grand Parents around for quite a spell. I learned so much history from them and I still love my history to this day. Thank you though for the video.
There's the phrase "my huckleberry friend" from the evocative Moon River song in Breakfast At Tiffany's.
Always wondered about that.
The only time I heard the word was from the , the old cartoon "Huckleberry Hound"
"Why Johnny Ringo, you look like someone just walked over your grave"
They should have used "You look like a possum just walked over your grave" if they wanted to spin it really Southern.
"I was just kidding Holiday ..."
"I wasnt"
Its on.
Say When ,,,,,
You're no daisy. No daisy at all
That’s one of the coolest lines ever!
Best Val Kilmer scene, by me, was his mock gunplay with his drinking cup; great tension, pure bravado. Both Kilmer and Michael Biehn aced their roles.
I thought exactly the same thing. Val Kilmer should have won an academy award for his portrayal of Doc Holliday. He stole the show! Can't understand the haters. He researched the role and worked with voice expert to get his speech correct, for a southern aristocrat from that time era.
And spent hours every day practising spinning that metal shot-cup!
Makes one wonder how knowledgeable the script writer was to even include those phrases in the movie's dialogue. Certainly added more authenticity.
I agree completely thanks for watching!
Much of the movie was based on a 1927 book called "Tombstone : An Iliad of the Southwest", which itself, was not historically accurate regarding the events in Tombstone. In the book:
‘They say you’re the gamest man in the Earp crowd, Doc,’ Ringo said. ‘I don’t need but three feet to do my fighting. Here’s my handkerchief. Take hold.’
Holliday took a quick step toward him.
‘I’m your huckleberry, Ringo,’ replied the cheerful doctor. ‘That’s just my game.’ Holliday put out a hand and grasped the handkerchief. Both men reached for their six-shooters.
My favorite Kilmer/Holliday lie: "Nonsense, I have not yet begun to defile myself"
Ha ha ha - I totally love that line too 💪
Nonsense. By all means, move.
Me when I’m out with my friend for an evening of whisky and cigars
Max Brazil mines “im your huckleberry
I will not be pawed at, thank you
Love the movie. Val's portrayal of Doc is forever etched as legendary in modern western movies.
one of the better shows of our time. Well researched and well depicted. Kilmer's performance as Doc Holiday was captivating.
Thanks for watching
I loved how Ringo went from being smug to being "oh shit, it's Holiday"
Doc told Wyatt that he couldn't beat Ringo in a pistol fight. Doc was confident in taking on Ringo. But, Curly Bill knew of Doc's rep (warned of it in the casino) and Curly Bill hauled/dragged Ringo away from a gunfight with Doc, fearing Ringo would get killed by Doc. When Ringo was 'showing off' in the casino, Doc was scoping him out, clocking Ringo's moves and reflexes. Ringo was confident to meet Wyatt Earp by the old oak tree for a pistol fight, but as much as he hated Doc, he was unsure he could beat him. While Doc had been confident when facing Ringo. When Ringo saw it was Doc (not Wyatt Earp) waiting at the old oak tree, he again lost his confidence. Doc was as condident as ever, knowing he could beat Ringo. Ringo could only summon his rage-hate, and duel with him. Doc quickly validated his reputation (and Wyatt Earp's assessment of him being the nerviest, fastest, most lethal gunfighter he'd ever known) and THEN put on a brief show of pistol spinning. Ringo was lots of pistol spinning bravodo, fast gun fighting, and lethal. Doc was faster and hence more lethal, yet more modest in his (also expert) pistol spinning.
@@drahculia3579 Historically tho…😆🫢
Doc would’ve dropped him right there in the street had the cowboys not held a drunken Ringo back- and would’ve still continued his shave afterwards. Doc was ready to go- at all times. 100% American bad ass.
@Drahc Ulia It wasn't just confidence from Holiday, though clearly he was confident in his abilities. He was already dying, and thus had no fear of death. He wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, instead of simply wasting away, but he wasn't going to throw away his life, either. He only wanted to lose to somebody better or as good as he was. That's why he was yelling at Ringo to "come on" after he shot him, and was visibly upset that Ringo was "no daisy" and not as good as Doc hoped he was.
Greatest line in any film:
Doc(talking about Ringo) he wants revenge.
Wyatt: Revenge for what.?
Doc: for being born.
The first time I saw "Tombstone" and heard this exchange, I said " . . . for being born" along with Doc. It was the only thing he could have said. What a great script. What great performances. What a great movie. I love it dearly.
Appreciate your input on this. My take was that when Doc first said it to Ringo that he was telling him I’m your man and I’m ready to go now. In the gunfight scene towards the end of the movie, he repeats the line knowing Ringo would fully understand what was coming. Ringo initiated the fight to the death early on and Doc was there to give it to him. So the line is the same because it was the answer to his challenge and at the end, a reminder that Doc was there to fulfill it. Johnny wanted Wyatt because Wyatt wasn’t the killer that Doc was. Wyatt killed when he had to or was forced to. Doc was a killer and Curly Bill knew it, that’s why he stopped the drunken Ringo from fighting Doc earlier. Curly Bill needed Johnny and his skills to instill fear in the Cowboys and people in general. Once again, just my thoughts and I appreciate your information.
For the movie yes Doc was known as a killer, but historically Doc only is recorded for 2-3 killings before The battle of the OK Corral, even at the end Doc killing Ringo is a fantastic scene for the movie but never happened because he and Wyatt were in Colorado for a court trial the day of Ringo's death
Great research, thank you!
(Noteworthy : Val Kilmer should have been nominated AND won for such an unforgettable performance. Period. )
Thank you for the kind words. And 100% yes, Val's performance was top-notch in this role. One of his many great roles 💪 - Thanks for watching.
He was totally ROBBED of an oscar. I mean hands down robbed.
The actor who played Johnny Ringo also deserves special mention. The contrast and similarity between Johnny Ringo and Doc Holiday greatly enhanced the drama. Both educated men, yet stone cold killers. The West was only big enough for one of them. Johnny Ringo was a worthy nemesis...and died with his boots on. Whereas Holiday did not.
@@Tom-tk3du MIchael Biehn. Fantastic in that role. Not to mention Powers Boothe as Curly Bill. Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, and of course the always wonderful Sam Elliot. Movie was filled with such great performances, no wonder it is a classic.
Every line he said was pure gold👍👍👍🌟
Interesting! The phrase is in the 1927 novel the film is based on. I had always associated the phrase with Tom Sawyers friend and companion, Huckleberry Finn as in "I'm your friend/playmate/guy/sidekick". Twain's novel was written just a few years before the gunfight at OK Corral so I presumed it was referencing Huck Finn's character. When was the phrase first used? Tom Sawyer was published in 1870. Perhaps Huck's name was inspired by the phrase...or vise versa? Are there any references prior to Tom Sawyer?
I just looked at enotes which says Twain's Huckleberry suggested "...a lowly person of rustic origins, much like the fruit that resists cultivation."
I agree, i always assumed the Tom Sawyer meaning also. "I'm your Huckleberry, that's just my game!"
Also, if you've read Twain/Sawyer it makes a lot more sense. As weren't they looking for "Huckleberries" as well? Time for me to read it again.
This dude's wrong as hell. It's a " huckle bearer ". A huckle is a coffin handle and huckle bearer is the the same thing as a pallbearer.
A bur is a bur and a prickly thing.
@stevesmith2171 nope val talking about it in a interview and he said it was huckleberry. And it's in the script. Look up stuff before you try to fight about it
The photo you have on the cover is NOT Doc Holliday. It is a photo of John Escapule who also lived in Tombstone. His descendants still live here. Also, the script from the movie "Tombstone" explicitly says, "Huckleberry". That is the context of Val Kilmer's line. I hope this is helpful.
Tombstone's one of my favorite movies and I always wondered about those two lines. Understanding dated language adds so much to the movie, thanks a lot!!
He said the phrase the same way again so Ringo would get the shock of knowing it was Holiday and this time there was no one to stop him.
I was going to make the same point and then I read your comment. You put a perfectly no need for me to add on to it. You're 100% correct.
A call back to the first confrontation
Doc Holliday was a skilled dental surgeon who fixed Wyatt Earp's teeth. He also played classical piano. He was one of the first people to have a cleft surgery. "Doc", by Mary Doria Russell, is an excellent book.
Hello. Thank you very much for clarifying these two terms. Being an English as a third language speaker I was puzzled for many years. I looked up several dictionaries and asked many native speakers and nobody knew it. I become extremely happy when a puzzle is solved. Specifically western cowboys movies are bombarded with these kind of terms. Please do more.
The better line was next. " Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave."
burnhippiesforfuel...I personally love It when he says - "say when..."
Fights not with you Holiday
Or when he invites ike to a spellin bee.
@@frangiscucustanza3442 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
"Its okay, i got two guns. One for each of ya!"
Its "huckleberry"
Doc's portrayal in Tombstone had little to no respect for Ringo, you can tell by their 1st encounter in the saloon.
One of my favorite scenes. Thanks for watching!
Not true. He actually says that Ringo reminds him of himself. He was hoping that Ringo would kill him. Doc wanted to die in a duel. Not sick in bed.
@@vortex_1336 excatly
he had the utmost respect and at the same time the utmost contempt for Johnny Ringo
He did mention he hated Ringo.
Isn’t it hucklebearer?
The second, "I'm your Huckleberry" is used as a taunt as well as telling Johnny with whom he was speaking. Doc was identifying himself in a way that Johnny would recognize.
Val Kilmer fans. Check out his performance in a western called "Comanche Moon''. It's part of the 'Lonesome Dove' story and Val does a fantastic job in his role, as usual.
I whole-heartedly agree that this line is one of the most-badass lines in movie history.
Great video!
Thanks for watching!
I am from Georgia and have heard it said before that the final nail that seals a coffin is called the huckleberry. If that's a true saying, it fits in the seen in a very cool way. Has anyone else heard of this saying?
Really - That is super interesting. I didn't see anything like that when I was digging through research. But I like that tid-bit, thanks for sharing 💪
I choose to believe this interpretation. Too badass to ignore.
No, I haven't heard of that that. But I do know that a huckle is a handle on a coffin, and Doc was actually saying, 'I'm your huckle bearer". In other words - "I will bury you" !!
Kilmer puts to bed the Huckle Bearer rumor to hed in his memoir 'I'm Your Huckleberry'
I've also heard the term Huckle-bearer because the individual handles on a coffin were called Huckles in those days.
Me too! In other words he was saying "I'll take you up on that .. and I will carry your coffin by the huckle and I will bury you!"
I always thought he actually said huckle-bearer with his accent, then I started hearing people say huckleberry
Thank you! It's what in hear!
Its Huckleberry in the original script, and Kilmer also clarified it as Huckleberry. The term was used by Mark Twain, and was also said by Yancy Derringer in a 1959 episode. It's an old expression though not common anymore. But hucklebearer has been thrown around by Tombstone residents wanting to sound like they have the inside knowledge, but dont be duped.
@@benboru9013 Thanks
Many years ago I used to watch USA Tuesday Night Fights. There was a boxer who was from the southern U.S., who came out wearing a tee-shirt that said "I'm your huckleberry". He won the fight, so during the post-match interview the announcer asked him about the shirt. He said something to the effect that huckleberries have pointy leaves, branches or something that made them stick or cling to you and and made you itch. So being "your huckleberry" meant he was someone that was going to constantly irritate you and could not easily be shaken off or go away. I don't know if that is what is meant in the movie or if the boxer made it up, but it is always the way I've interpreted it since.
"I'm your Huckleberry" basically mean "I'm the man you're looking for"
Actually it means I will make you famous.
Actually, the term was originally "I'm your huckle bearer"
It's odd the things a person says when they go "10 feet tall and bullet proof"
@Ravendarke 777 Why would I be kidding about something that is a fact? look up the term.
@@jpsandberg they are talking about the movie. And yes in the movie it means, = I'm the man you're looking for.
The line "I'm you Huckleberry" was spoken by actor Jock Mahoney in the role of Yancy Derringer in 1958 in the first episode of that series.
I enjoyed both responses. Me myself, I did not know either, but being raised in Southeastern Louisiana, where Huckleberry bushes grow wild, I came to my conclusion that it meant, "Hey, if you want a fight, pick me.!"
That is a great interpretation thanks for sharing! Thanks for watching!
I always interpreted the "You're no daisy" line as revealing Doc's suppressed hope that someone would finally kill him and end his suffering. He knew he was dying, and wasn't looking forward to the process. So he kind of hoped Ringo would be the man to get the job done, and was therefore a bit disappointed when he failed.
Thanks for the interesting comment - I did a follow up to Daisy because it was so interesting. You might like it ( ua-cam.com/video/1gc1ecVy9aI/v-deo.html )
Interesting insight. I can see that.
Doesn't Ringo threaten to kill Doc earlier in the film and Doc says "you'd be a daisy if you did."? In which case when Ringo eventually tried to kill Doc and failed, Doc remarked disappointedly that he was no daisy after all.
He did he had a death wish the sooner the better that's why he lived the way he did. When he says you're a daisy if you do it's from the meaning of daisy as a gentleman "you're a gentleman if you do"
@@yeolderooster8050 He was like the guy in Lethal Weapon.
"Why, Johnny Tyler! You madcap!" Just cracks me up every time!
I think he meant only 'I'm your Huckleberry ' in both scenes, meaning I'm your opponent, the one you're looking for -- first when Ringo is drunk and the cowboys drag him away, and finally when Doc substitutes for Earp in their shoot-out at the end. The history I've read is that Doc did say to Ringo, after the OK Corral shootout, when Ringo approached him drunk and angry, "I'm your Huckleberry. That's just my game" . However the shootout scene between them at the end was fictitious. It isn't likely that Doc killed Ringo.
i LOVE this movie!!!!! i live in an "Holliday-ian" old west tourist town, and spent 3 years researching Doc. Interestingly, he didn't kill Ringo. Some believe it was suicide, others believe it was another cowboy, but either way, it happened after Doc moved to Colorado. Damn, we have statues of Wyatt Earp but Doc was always more interesting to me. Maybe it was secretly Kilmer. 😉
Ha ha ha - Thanks for the comment and sharing 💪
"I'm your huckleberry." said in that slow sexy drawl always makes me smile.
This was delightful and as someone who admires knights and southern gentlemen, appreciate the derivation. Researching movie quotes brings history to life and adds another dimension to a modern venue. Thank you for that❣️Here’s one for you, if you are still seeking the meanings of phrases. The proof is not “in the pudding” but “The proof of the pudding, is in the eating”. Another way of saying “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover”. A pudding could come off the stove looking perfect but taste terrible when eaten and vice versa!
Thanks for the awesome comment
This movie is historic. Right up there with The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and Lonesome Dove. Valmer is the king! Always steals the show. All good wishes!
Silverado too!
Kil Valmer? 😅
All this conjecture is mute... when he said”I’m your huckleberry”the first time he was basically calling his bluff, when he said it the second time he was reminding him that they had unfinished business between them!
*Moot
Do you have any literary reference or link to anything from "back then" that shows the term "huckle bearer" or "burr", as you pronounce it, was even a real term? This debate has been going on the last 10 years, and I've yet to find it be used as a real term.
I get that some say it refers to the handles on the casket being called "huckles", but to say someone was a "huckle bearer" would literally mean they were a "handle carrier". Which makes no sense.
A "pall" is a blanket or sheet draped over the casket, so if you're bearing the casket, you're also bearing the pall, so it's obvious where that came from.
And we know "huckleberry" is a real term that was used and historically accurate, and we know the "Play for blood" scene is in the 1920's Walter Burns novel about Tombstone, and Doc's line is in the book, word-for-word. "I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
So whether that's what was said in the movie is not in debate at all, as you mentioned. Val Kilmer has even confirmed this and specifically said he did NOT say "bearer".
I would simply love to see any proof at all that "huckle bearer" was even a real term from that time. I've yet to see any reference to that term from literature back then. I've looked through old dictionaries that are online from the late 1800's to the early 1900's and find no reference to it at all.
I now believe that the term was simply made up on the internet in the 2000's by someone who didn't understand Doc's deep Southern drawl when he said "Huckleberry".
"You’re a daisy if you do!"
Ha ha ha - Thanks for watching 💪
Yeah I was thinking of that scene. I think he said it to someone at the OK Corral. I think the guy said "I'll kill you" and Doc said "You're a daisy if you do." I.e. he WANTS someone to kill him because he didn't want to die of T.B. So when he says to Ringo "You're no daisy at all", it doesn't say anything about what Doc thinks of himself (in the movie, he doesn't think much of himself. See the discussion at Hooker's Ranch. He's talking about himself as much as Ringo there). "You're no daisy at all" is basically Doc's exclamation of disappointment at not being killed in the gun fight. That's why he kept shouting "COME ON!!!" at Ringo, trying to get him to shoot him. So "You're no daisy at all" is basically a 1800s version of "You SUCK, man."
@@MishaGerrick what a very insightful comment! I think you're right on target too. I was surprised to see your comment hadn't gained more accolades, not that they much matter to you I'm sure, but I also see how recently you shared your thoughts.
Cheers😉
New Sub! This was awesome content! There were so many great lines used in this movie and some of the simplest were the best “I Don’t” , “Say when” and “That’s Funny” were among some of the simplest “Rememberable lines” that hit hard! Kilmer was amazing!
Thanks for the sub! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Doc Holiday had a dentist's office in Griffin Georgia and when I was growing up there was a pawn shop downstairs and for $5 you could go upstairs and see his dentist's office with all of his dental tools. Not sure if they were his tools, the chair was his I know, but the tools could have been from that time substituted to fill out the office.
Thanks for sharing!
I would bet that the "I'm your huckleberry/burr", being so similar had kind of a double entendre. Also, even if the "huckleburr" was originally thought of as the line, the second use of it refers back to the first. Whatever Doc meant in the second instance, he's completing the circle that began when their first confrontation was interrupted.
I like this point of view thanks for sharing it.
He has already stated in his Memoir that he was just saying "Im your Huckleberry" in a Georgian accent, the expression meaning "I'm your man".
HUCKLE (The handle on a casket) BEAROR (To carry)..... he said he was going to be the one to kill and carry his casket. Now you won't be able to unhear it
@@FreedomLandscapeBend But it's still wrong. That term can't be found anywhere in literary history pre-2000's on the internet. It didn't exist. Someone who doesn't understand deep Southern accents made it up.
And Val Kilmer himself has specifically stated he did NOT say that, he says he only said "Huckleberry"...which is the correct term and period-correct as well. It's also in the 1920's novel Tombstone, which is what the movie was based on.
In 1834 Davey Crockett dictated his biography. There he used the expression:“This was a hard business on me, for I could just barely write my own name. But to do this, and write the warrants too, was at least a huckleberry over my persimmon”. It is meant to indicate something “beyond”, “over-and-above”, “better”.
“Huckleberry over persimmon” appears in several 19th century publications meaning the preferred option. After 1875, after the publication of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry in reference to a person starts to mean “Pal”, “Sidekick”, “Wingman”.
I can find no published examples of “Huckle Bearer”. This is not to say that it did not exist. I would love to see a citation of
its use for “Pall Bearer”.
Doc Holiday, who was educated in Latin, enjoyed word play to taunt his opponents. It is enough for him to be saying “I am the thing that is better than you”. It would not be beyond his character to also be saying: “I’ll bury you”.
This is awesome - Thanks for sharing your all these awesome facts - Super interesting 💪
Part of the rivalry depicted in the movie focused on how both of them where well read and educated ....hence Shakespearean quotes would seem in character , like a second language shared between them .....
Wild4Games :Copied from Movieweb's "10 Tombstone movie facts that you never knew until now" 2007 by Ryan J. Downey-" In fact, all of the lines spoken by the actors during the pivotal scene at the O.K. Corral are said to be historically accurate, based on different historical sources, like newspaper reports from Tombstone that chronicled the famous shootout. But did Doc ever say, "I'm your Huckleberry?" For that matter, did Val Kilmer even say it? This is a hotly debated topic online. According to True West, the phrase "I'm your Huckleberry" is attributed to Doc in the 1928 book Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns, which was based in part on interviews with old-timers from the area. True West and other sources also contend, "I'm your Huckleberry" is an old Southern phrase meaning, basically, "If you want a fight, I'm your man," or even more patronizingly, "If you want to dance, I'll dance with you." Doc Holliday was born in Georgia and Kilmer certainly gave him a Southern aristocrat's charms. Then there are those who say the line is actually "I'm your huckle bearer," arguing that a "huckle" was a word for the handles on a casket, making a "huckle bearer" a pallbearer. That would make the line, "I'm your huckle bearer" pretty sinister. But we've gone to the source material. We took a look at the screenplay, a fourth draft dated March 15, 1993, to be exact, and it most certainly says "Huckleberry." I have searched but found no record of any Kevin Jarre's interview by E magazine that speaks of any mistake with "huckle bearer"!
halnywiatr ! That is correct but his Latin was limited at best ! Then again just being able to read,and write was a huge accomplishment let alone Latin ! !
"He was one of the first students at the Valdosta Institute, a private school that provided strong classical education in mathematics, grammar, history, Latin and French."
valdostamuseum.com/exhibitions/online-exhibits-2/people/doc-holliday/
There’s meme going around Facebook now that says:
“In the early 1800s, the handle on a casket was a "huckle"
The person that carried it was a
"bearer" So what Doc Holliday
said was, "I'll be your huckle bearer"
Not huckleberry. We now call it a
"pallbearer".
So I had to research it and your video put me at ease, especially noting the script says “Huckleberry”. Thank you!
Theory is wrong, as you noted. A casket handle was NEVER called a "huckle", and therefore there was never any such term as "huckle bearer".
And we could ask Val Kilmer what he thinks about it:
"By the way, despite some fans’ contention that in the 1800s the handles of caskets were called huckles and thus the word huckle bearer was a term for pall bearer, I do not say “I’m your huckle bearer.” I say, “I’m your huckleberry,” connotating “I’m your man. You’ve met your match."
Val Kilmer, August 2020
Wow! I love the "I'm your huckleberry" explanation! It completely fits even.more and totally suits Doc to reiterate verbatim the "I'm your huckleberry" line, while the subtlety of hucklebur, was implied and played on. I just discovered Tombstone, and I couldn't be happier to have found such a great film. Videos like yours, gives this already great film even more depth. Thanks!!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and sharing your input!
i always thought when DOC said "IM YOUR HUCKLEBERRY"..he was letting Ringo know...."i accept your challenge..kill me if you can"!!!!
Thanks for watching - that is one interpretation for sure - Like many words or phrases, they can mean different things or have multiple meanings in different regions or change over time. 💪
Outside of a few modern claims about huckle bearer I can not find any period sources for that phrase. However in the book by Walter Noble Burns Wyatt Earp says that Doc Holliday told Ringo in Tombstone "I'm your huckleberry. That's my game."
Even if they just made it up, and it was completely absent of history, when Doc said "I'm your huckleberry", that was just *COOL!* Who has never repeated that line (rhetorical)!
Definitely one of the coolest lines from one of the coolest characters!
Cool info.. Kilmer’s best role. I can’t imagine anyone ever topping his performance as Doc Holliday. He undoubtedly was Ringo’s huckleberry.
What gets me in that scene was that little motion he did with his cigarette, after he shot him. Passing it under his nose.... Got me the very first time I saw it and every other of the dozen or so times I’ve seen it! Maybe you could find that out?
Yeah Val was the best pick for sure - I will have to take a look at what I can find for your question 😝
I can. Randy Quaid's performance, by far, out classes Val's. I like Val, I really do and I love Tombstone. Yet, when I watch that story compared to the Wyatt Earp biopic,, there's no comparison. (Although, those two movies stand above all featuring those two, and that particular incident.) Quaid's mannerisms, voice tonality, body (reminiscent of a disease riddled human). Val didn't cough till towards the end of TS. W. Earp's, Holiday mostly coughed through each screen performance. I can go on and on. Again, I love both those movies and each has its strengths. Thanks.
Actually it’s Dennis Quaid who played Doc Holliday in the movie Wyatt Earp, and yes. I agree it was a much more realistic portrayal.
Tony S
A huckleberry is a bluebery according to the dictionary. A cockleburr is actually a"burr" that you would NOT want " under your saddle"...Huckleburr? I don't think so. The term expresses an irritant.Cockleburr is the proper term. I'm from Texas where cockleburrs get stuck in your sox if you walk thru the weeds without boots....
djohn3d ddd
Cool... Been to Texas many times. One of my favorite places.
Excellent info. Thanks for researching "I'm your huckleberry"
Good job. Thank you. I have watched that great film a dozen times at least, and the highlight clips from it many many more times. Mr Kilmer's memorable delivery made his intentions quite clear, however learning the specific history for the key words, huckleberry and daisy, has been most satisfying. Thanks again.
Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching 💪
GCNavigator whatever do you mean?
Loved all of Doc's lines, BUT when Wyatt shouts: "You tell him the Law's coming for him & hell's comin' with me. HELL'S COMIN' WITH ME!" - - gave me goose bumps & a shit eatin' grin on my face! 🤤😨😵
That is a great line too 💪
My shit eatin grin has never gone away since the first time I saw this magnificent film!!!.🌹✊🕊️🙏🇬🇧💎😎
I love when he slices his face with his spur!!! LET'S GO!!!!
Another great line from that scene: I'm afraid the strain was more than he could bare...
Nobody knows for sure how Ringo died.
But he was found by a tree dead from a shot to the head, and there are many who think it was self inflicted.
Hence, that line hints at that possibility....
In the film, Doc told Ringo to shoot Doc , saying, " You're a daisy if you do.". But poor Ringo, he was not a daisy with Doc's bullet in his brain. The strain was just too much for him.
Chris Phares there is a problem with that. Ringo was already a "daisy", by your take on this. He had a bullet in his head and was already a daisy if he managed to shoot Doc or if he didn't. As a threat, it would have been over the top silly.
These kinds of expressions will take on different meanings in different places. I do not think your proposed meaning fits the movie circumstance, at all.
That kind of slang almost always has multiple meanings.
The term " bimbo" originally referred to useless aristocratic young men, not dumb blondes.
Macnutz420 .annnnnnnnd ....my ...take is also correct,,,,
I do not doubt that it is. These phrases take on numerous meanings. I am just talking about the context, in that movie.
Actually, the line, "You're a daisy if you do," was delivered during the gunfight at the OK corral, not in the fight with Ringo.
poor soul.. he was too high strung
Awesome! Tombstone was my fav and Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday was total badass and became one my fav actors...
When I first saw the movie, I knew exactly what was being said... (Aaahhhemmm... I was wrong(?) )
In my fuzzy memory, I envisioned Tom Sawyer tricking Huckleberry Finn into whitewashing the fence -- with a little reverse psychology... explaining how enjoyable it was to perform such a craftsman-like job.., and that Huck wasn't able to appreciate the finer aspects of the "Art"... and succeeding in getting Huck to do the job for him, by appealing to his pride. --- And likewise, telling Ringo that he would step up and "do the job" that wasn't really what Ringo portrayed it to be... Oh, well... faulty memory and "a little knowledge..."
Thanks for watching and for sharing!
In the Huckleberry family, many are edible and some are poisonous. It is very difficult to differentiate. So, when he states, "I'm your huckleberry," he is cautioning Ringo that you better be careful for what you wish for.
Very interesting interpretation I hadn't thought about it like this before.
@@Wild4 Thanks for your response. Keep up the great work!
It's an old southern saying, like "you're Daisy if ya do", or "I'm right right as the mail"
Yessir.
big thing lately... Val says his original script said Huckleberry
One of my top 10 favorite movies. My brothers and I say this line to each other often. I also was in Tombstone Az and got to see the reenactment of the shootout at the ok corral. That was cool!
That is awesome - It is easily one of my favorite films too 💪
Even in the Latin sequence, Doc holiday says “its your funeral” which lends backup to your pall bearer idea.
That makes sense
If you read the book I’m Your Huckleberry, Val Kilmer clearly states what said and what it meant.
When I first heard it from Doc Holiday, my interpretation was that he meant: "I'm Your Adversary!"
(I'm Your Huckleberry!)
Opponent. The one you're looking for; waiting on, etc.
And when he said to Johnny Ringo about not being a Daisy, Doc was saying that Ringo wasn't "Special" or no competition, i.e, A Legend In His Own Mind!
Doc is such a cool character! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the knowledge, one of my all time favorite movies, so many great one liners!
Mine too & thanks for watching 💪
I had also heard he may have said, 'I'm your huckle bearer'...a huckle is the handle on the side of a casket.
I've heard this interpretation a few times although I had never really considered it before. Thanks for sharing!
I appreciate your explanation of the term "daisy" along with the "huckleberry" reference .
Very cool.
Thanks for watching 💪
Great film all the way around. Hope Val can make a complete recovery, love to see him in film again.
I agree. He has some of my favorite performances!
I came from a large family with many live e into their 90’s and 100’s. They had lots of old time sayings and phrases including that concerning huckleberries and daisies. The daisy meant youth and vitality. Huckleberry meant a special relationship existed.
I find it astonishing that the name Mark Twain never comes up in the discussion about this movie line.
Funny
Huckleberry Finn
We can close this case by just asking what Val Kilmer said about this in 2020:
“By the way, despite some fans’ contention that in the 1800s the handles of caskets were called huckles and thus the word huckle bearer was a term for pall bearer, I do not say, ‘I’m your huckle bearer.’ I say, ‘I’m your huckleberry,’ connotating, ‘I’m your man. You’ve met your match.’”
And then you can go over to the Idiom Channel on UA-cam and see what the experts there have to say about "huckle bearer" never even existing prior to about 1997-ish. It's never been found in any old text, newspaper, dictionary...nothing. Someone misheard it and made it up. There's not even any evidence that a "huckle" was ever a casket handle, either. Only old dictionary definition of that is "hip" or "bump". Nothing else.
I just watched the movie Tombstone for the first time about 2 weeks ago. I was looking up what "I'm your Huckleberry" meant and I came across your video. Thank you for clarifying. Also the addition of the "You're no Daisy" verse as well.
A badass line indeed, But I still favor Tuco's from The Good The Bad and The Ugly; " If your going to shoot, shoot Don't talk".
That is a great line and a stunning film 💪
Richard Boone always gave me the impression that he never really got his big break, that he could have been up there with Wayne McQuuen and eastwood. like life itself it takes many positive things to succeed relatively speaking of course.
mtman2-yeah Richard Boone was solid and played a great villain to Paul Newman's character in the western "Hombre" . I loved that scene where Boone's character approaches the abandoned mine shack where the passenger from the stage coach were holding up. He walks up the hill unarmed , but wants to send a message in his attempt to get the money he stole that was now in passenger's possession.
To paraphrase; he threatens them with a tough preamble "I can get water when I want too, come and go when I want too, and you can't leave unless I tell you to". While pointing his rifle out the window, Paul Newman gives a classic response with one simple STFU moment; "I have a question; how you getting back down that hill ?"
Javier Gonzalez ! Yeah I’m Hispanic also,and that was the best line from Tuco in the entire movie ! !
swmita ! I agree totally that was to me a Classic movie ! !
SUBSCRIBED! This showed up on my recommended list, caught my attention and what the hell. I learnt sumthin. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching 💪
I agree 100 percent!!! He should have won an Oscar for sure!!!! That was the best part Val ever played!!!!
As the Funeral Director who supplied the items for the funeral scene and advised them for the film, I can tell you that there is no such word as "Huckle Bearer ". Coffin handles are called Lugs not Huckles. Also, the photo you used of "Doc Holliday" isn't Doc at all. It's the Great grandfather of the Mayor of Tombstone.
Kurt Russel mustache deserves an Oscar..
I agree completely!
I disagree.
Hahahhahhahaahaha NICE
Yes. Still.
I asked Val Kilmer personally about this in a debate as to whether he said "huckleberry" or "huckle bearer" as some were trying to claim. Val said it was "huckleberry".
100%
I watched a documentary about Tombstone, the term 'Daisy' meant a tough guy, one who could stand up to a challenge.
Seems about right 💪
dasiy isnt a tough plant nor aterm for a tough guy......is the flowers they put on graves to pretty it up and cover the smell of rotting bodies in shallow graves........he was saying you aint getting any daisies we gonna leave you here to rot and be eaten by scavengers becasue he had failed to kill him doc wanted to die with his boots on being a man not bed ridden and weak
Huckleberry is a New World plant and would not have been known in "King Arthur's" time.
@@RinoGato
The European Blueberry or Hurtleberry did not come to be called Huckleberry until the mid seventeenth century. Long, long after what would have been "King Arthur's time."
Watch the daisy scene again... He sounded more disappointed than taunting. I think he actually was upset that he won.
You may be right. Doc is one of my favorite characters. Thanks for sharing!
Your no daisy, no daisy at all ❗
Your = something that belongs to the person you are talking to. As in, "This is your gunfight. It belongs to you".
You're = short for "You are no daisy". The apostrophe indicates that it's a contraction of two words (you + are), and the apostrophe shows that there's a letter missing. I've used two other contractions in the last sentence where the apostrophe indicates missing letters: it's - short for it is, and there's - short for there is. You're welcome for the free English lesson, but I just can't believe how many people must have had shit teachers at school!
@@elizabethwhiteoak5291 I was thinkin' the same thing. That John Denver's full a shit, man!
@@elizabethwhiteoak5291Congrats, You are as SMART as a third grader...!!
The script and the book both say Huckleberry!
Historically, there was no armed confrontation between Johnny Ringo and Doc Holiday. In reality, Johnny Ringo hired Briggs Goodrich, the first attorney in Tombstone, to go and tell the various factions that he, Johnny Ringo, did not want to be involved. He left Tombstone the day before the showdown in the OK Corral.
I liked it when Wyatt told that old boy he would turn his head into a canoe.
They had such a way with words back then.
Thank You for the explanation. Yes I Was Curious for many Years on this & the thumbnail Just popped up To see it. Doc was a playfull Guy, I Think He used the Word for opposite meanings for each 'Show-Down" screen Purpose. He's got That Sly look On His face "Mind-Gaming" His opponents for their attention diversions in each Encounter.. Great Movie superb acting. Time to get It from The library again to each Successive time seeing it extra detail tidbits Are Noticed...
One of my favorite movies for sure 💪
When I researched this year's ago I found out that huckleberries were substitutions for blueberries when not available. Essentially I'm your Huckleberry, meant I'm not the one you want but I will give you what you need. Which makes sense since ringo in both of those instances wanted Wyatt but Doc would step up to the plate.
Also I read somewhere years ago that the your no daisy part was actually intended as technically a compliment maybe because daisies are easy to grow or flowers are usually frail and easy to pick off I don't remember why but it had something to do with Doc showing recognition to the fact that even though ringo got shot in the head he still tried to fight. Sorry that these contradict your findings but that's some alternative prospective for you.
LOL thanks for the video two badass lines
Thanks for watching 💪
Did anyone else notice the undertaker's shop is right over Ringo's shoulder the first time doc says it. He even knockes over the caskets when drug off. May foreshadow the hucklebarer meaning of the line...