In the film Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, the audience sees a unique relationship between the alpha male cowboy and his sidekick. In this film, Doc Holliday plays the role of the sidekick to the alpha male Wyatt Earp. The duo began once Wyatt saved Doc’s life, and thus Doc pledged his allegiance to Wyatt in hopes of returning the favor.
Generally, the sidekick is portrayed as sometimes the younger, less experienced man who is not as brave or courageous as the sidekick. Doc is special because he is older, dependent, loyal, and has a dark past, which on paper with those characteristics alone might define him as an alpha male. Doc may seem too strong of a character to be a sidekick, but he is not an alpha male because he is controlled by his vices of gambling and drinking, and is too old and sick. Doc Holliday is not an alpha male in this film because he is a prisoner of his vices and has failed, and in doing so he gave up his place when he honored his debt to Wyatt.
In the film Gunfight at the OK Corral, the audience sees a unique relationship between the alpha male cowboy and his sidekick. In this film, Doc Holliday plays the role of the sidekick to the alpha male Wyatt Earp. The duo began once Wyatt saved Doc’s life, and thus Doc pledged his allegiance to Wyatt in hopes of returning the favor.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, the sidekick is portrayed as sometimes the younger, less experienced man who is not as brave or courageous as the sidekick. Doc is special because he is older, dependent, loyal, and has a dark past, which on paper with those characteristics alone might define him as an alpha male. Doc may seem too strong of a character to be a sidekick, but he is not an alpha male because he is controlled by his vices of gambling and drinking, and is too old and sick. Doc Holliday is not an alpha male in this film because he is a prisoner of his vices and has failed, and in doing so he gave up his place when he honored his debt to Wyatt. Doc also appears to show more violent streaks towards women, as Wyatt was not for he was just doing what he thought was right. Typically, the sidekick is present in Western films in order to foil the alpha male cowboy and show the alpha’s strengths and masculinity. In the film Gunfight at the OK Corral, Doc is depicted as a killer who is very good with the gun, but due to his vices, health and age is not the alpha male cowboy and thus fills the role of the sidekick.