Martin Bradley Allan Dwan's "Frontier Marshal" is a classic western, very much of the old school and is one of the least known of all the movies to chronicle the exploits of one, Wyatt Earp, played here by Randolph Scott as his noble best, and that legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It's beautifully shot in black and white by Charles Clarke and superbly designed and the cast includes Nancy Kelly, Cesar Romero, (as Doc Halliday), John Carradine and Binnie Barnes with Eddie Foy Jr playing his own father. If the plot feels overly familiar it's because John Ford remade it as "My Darling Clementine" with just a few alterations which may be one reason why this film has been largely forgotten. It may not be quite in the same class but it's still hugely entertaining and a worthy addition to the western genre.

Michael_Elliott Frontier Marshall (1939) *** (out of 4)Another telling of the infamous Tombstone battle where Wyatt Earp (Randolph Scott) and Doc Halliday (Cesar Romero) try to run the outlaws out of town. This film shares a lot of the same scenes and dialogue as John Ford's remake but overall this film can't come close to what Ford did with the story. There's a lot to enjoy here but there are also a few major flaws, which really hurt the movie. The best parts of the performances from Scott who once again delivers a strong performance as the hero. It's Romero who steals the show however with a very dark turn as Halliday. The director makes his character very dark and moody, which is a better take than some of the other versions where he comes off more charming than anything else. The dark and moody Halliday also leaks over into the rest of the film, which is one of the problems. The film is shot with some incredibly dark scenes where it's hard to tell what's going on. This makes for a couple good shots but overall this style really hurts the film as sometimes it's hard to make out what's going on. The supporting cast is also very impressive and includes John Carradine, Joe Sawyer, Lon Chaney, Jr., Nancy Kelly and Ward Bond. Charles Stevens plays a drunk Indian here and repeated the role in the Ford version.

Poseidon-3 A popular subject for westerns throughout the years, this is an account of Wyatt Earp and the legendary Gunfight at O.K. Corral, though the showdown here is pretty far afield from what most of the other movies depicted. Scott plays the newly appointed marshal, taking the job after proving that he could handle it and then some, and after being told that there was no more room in Tombstone for his original plan of a instituting a stage coach line. His primary antagonist in this rendition of the story is underhanded saloon owner Carradine. He also has to contend with headstrong dancehall girl Barnes. Aiding him is his TB-stricken pal Romero, who is equally handy with a gun and who lashes out at everyone whenever he's feeling poorly (which is often!) Kelly, a long lost love of Romero's, comes into town to persuade him to give up his gunslinging ways and return to her. Scott and Romero work hard to rid the town of corruption, though they hardly get off scott-free. Scott is stalwart in his role and easily convinces the viewer that he means business. Romero is brooding, yet strangely charming, and makes a nice counterpart to Scott. Barnes has an out of place accent, but manages to convey the pushy, common aspects of her character. Kelly is lovely, demonstrating an understated, appealing quality that was almost completely absent from her later, Oscar-nominated role in "The Bad Seed." Foy, jr. (playing his own father who was allegedly and entertainer in town the day of the gunfight) performs a mostly unintelligible song and overstays his welcome. Carradine is appropriately slimy, but isn't given a chance to really make a strong impression as the villain. Bond appears briefly as an intimidated sheriff. It's a short movie, which makes it pretty easy to get through, though some viewers may be bored by the musical numbers. Nothing about it makes it stand out as a classic, but it's also not a throwaway. Romero's work is interesting and there are certain amounts of tension generated. Just four years prior to this film, another version was released with character names even further removed from actuality (the marshal's last name was Wyatt!) and several years after, the story was told again as "My Darling Clementine", a film that uses several of this picture's plot points. Of course, it would be told again and again in films such as "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", "Wyatt Earp" and "Tombstone".

mshields18 This was the movie which John Ford remade as his classic My Darling Clementine. Here, Randolph Scott plays Wyatt Earp and Caesar Romero plays Doc Holiday, but there are no Clantons or Earp brothers. Instead, John Carradine plays a bad saloon owner heading a gang that is trying to take over Tombstone.Of course, this movie can't directly compare to My Darling Clementine, but it's a pretty good western in its own right. Its one of Randolph Scott's better early roles.Many of the classic scenes in My Darling Clementine were taken directly from this movie, and it's very interesting to compare the two. This version of Frontier Marshal was a remake of an earlier 1933 version, and, of course, this story has been told many times since.The Maltin Guide gives it three stars. Check it out if you're a western fan, or just a fan of My Darling Clementine.